Race #149

The heat got turned up for swimrun competitors at the second event in the 2XU Compression Stroke & Stride Series with our defending Series Champions Carmel Hanly and Brent Foster now entering the fray.  With Carmel owning the championship since 2005 and Brent dominating for what seems like a whole generation this dynamic duo had experience in truckloads and 76 wins between them.  Any potential contenders would have a hard fought battle to wrestle the championship from these two warriors.

The weather on this Auckland spring day went from bright blue skies to dark thunder clouds and rain threatening to boisterous white caps lashing the shore to finally settle on a warm, sunny afternoon by the time it got to race start.  The men’s field made short work of the 750 metre swim helped along by a tailwind on the middle leg with Brent Foster taking only 8 minutes and 25 seconds for the distance.  He was doggedly followed into transition by a dozen guys a dozen seconds back with the Lee Greer, William Prior, James Upton, Ben Pattle, Andrew and William Curtayne, Ryan Sissons and Glen Gore prominent in the pack.

As the men’s field flowed out through the transition it was the women’s field hitting the water and though not quite as quick as the leading men Teresa Adam was a class above all her competition recording 9 minutes and 25 seconds and more importantly a 40 second head start going out onto the run.

The outward leg of the run course past Kohimarama to the Mission Bay turn was into a breeze in the exposed sections.  Therefore the return had a bit of a downhill feel to it at times giving those athletes with the ability, fitness, speed etc the opportunity to stretch it out.  As the men rounded the bend and came back into view it was clear that Ryan Sissons was running better than anyone on this day as he scorched through the 4 kilometre course opening up an 80 metre lead.  Combine that run split with a first-rate swim leg and 20 year old Ryan Sissons had just earned himself the well deserved victory and his first ever Stroke & Stride win.  Chalk that one up for the young guys but don’t be relaxing just yet as it was Brent Foster stalking him all the way home and securing second place.  William Curtayne launched himself ahead of the rest and got up for the bronze just ahead of James Upton and Ben Pattle.

Teresa Adam was in the lead and out of sight by the time the first of her chasers got their shoes on and hit the road.  Our winner from race one Simone Ackermann soon found herself alone in second place and chasing to make up the deficit.  With a kilometre to go Simone had erased that 40 seconds however Teresa Adam was still right there and it wasn’t until these two got back on the beach that Simone Ackermann broke the elastic and pulled decisively ahead to record her second race victory for the season.  Teresa Adam got her second second place for the summer but would be encouraged by the narrowing of the margin this time out.  And they’ll both need to be concerned with Carmel Hanly starting her season with a third place finish coming home just a few seconds behind.  In fourth was Megan Blackett with her best ever Stroke & Stride result while fifth place was secured by another exceptional performance from young Maddie Dillon.

In two week’s time is the 150th Stroke & Stride event but right now we’re two races into our 20th season and there’s a couple of athletes staking an early claim for the Stroke & Stride Championship.  The Grand Prix sees double race winner Simone Ackermann on the maximum possible 40 points with a 6 point advantage over Teresa Adam.  More surprising on the men’s side of the ledger it is James Upton holding an impressive 10 point lead over Liam Scopes and Ryan Sissons with a logjam of guys nipping at their heels – consistency is everything in this game.