TRIATHLON

Saturday's Queensland Enduro sees last minute surge in elite entries

By In2Adventure

Elite men load the field to challenge reigning X-Tri national champion Max Neumann at TreX season opener

Even with many of the nation’s elite off-road triathletes en route to Sardinia, Italy for next week’s ITU Cross Triathlon (X-Tri) World Championships, including 17-time Xterra champion and current TreX series ambassador Ben Allen (AUS), there will be no shortage of talent at this weekend’s Queensland Enduro to be held on Saturday (19 September) at Murrenbong Scout Camp – just 40 minutes from the Brisbane CBD (Central Business District).
 
A late flood of entries hit the elite men’s division by close of registration on Wednesday, including Queenslanders George Tamblyn, Brodie Gardner, Drew Box, Josh Campton, David Readett, Ricky Smith and John Ruhle, as well as Australian surf ironman champion and fitness icon, Guy Andrews.

Reigning national Cross Triathlon (X-Tri) champion and fellow Queenslander Max Neumann tops off what has become a hot field. 
 
“I am looking forward to kicking off the summer triathlon season next weekend at the Enduro at Kurwongbah,” the 20-year-old Neumann told In2Adventure on Monday.
 
Queenslanders Leela Hancox and Lucy Shewell top the elite women’s division.
 
The Queensland Enduro kicks off a stellar 2015/16 events calendar which culminates with the 2016 International Triathlon Union (ITU) Cross Triathlon World Championships at Lake Crackenback Resort & Spa in New South Wales next year.
 

Guy Andrews.  Photo © In2Adventure

The extremely popular Enduro format challenges long course competitors to take on the tough Murrenbong route, and after a heart pumping 350-metre swim, 10-kilometre mountain bike and 4-kilometre trail run, it’s back in the water to do it all again.  The event also includes one-lap Sprint (350m/10km/4km), Junior (150m/4km/1km) and Teaser (150m/4km/1km) courses.
 
“We are so looking forward to the first ‘hit out’ for the 2015/16 season,” said In2Adventure race director Simon Lazenby on Wednesday. “The Enduro format is definitely one of the tougher races of the series, however, the recent dry conditions in Queensland mean that the course is currently racing very fast, and the showers yesterday have bedded the dust down nicely, so we should see some record times on Saturday.”
 
With the 2015 X-Tri world champs being held in Sardinia, Italy (26-28 September), the In2Adventure team will immediately travel overseas following the weekend’s racing to represent Australia and entice amateur and professional athletes from all over the world to race Down Under next year.
 
In2Adventure recently launched its Pathway Partners programme to help local athletes and coaches connect and reach their individual goals of representing Australia at next year’s world champs. The TreX Series will be hosting three state qualifiers, including the Victorian Championships (28-29 November) in Bendigo, the Australian Championships (27-28 February) in the Snowy Mountains (NSW) and the Queensland Championships (16-17 April) on the Sunshine Coast.

To find out more about the TreX Series go to Trextriathlon.com.au