From Rain to Glory

Byron Bay Triathlon Report 27th April 2025

What a weekend it’s been in Byron Bay! With a week of torrential downpours leading up to Saturday, we were all gearing up for swimming in choppy waters, cycling while squinting through rain goggles, and possibly running through a series of puddles that could rival Lake Ainsworth! It did make me question why we pushed so hard for the event to move away from May to April- hmm!

But, as they say, "The sun always shines on triathletes!" Some of us woke up VERY early today to greet the competitor's in transition with bleary eyes and more caffeine than is probably considered healthy, only to find that the skies had cleared. Yes, folks, it was actually sunny! Someone must have pulled a favour from the weather gods because we went from “potential disaster” to “Instagram paradise” in record time.

The swim course went through more changes than a contestant on a reality dating show, all thanks to the moods of the tides and currents! We couldn’t help but feel a tad nervous - after all, we were just one strong wave away from being swept down the beach like beach towels on a breezy day, desperately paddling in a mad race to reach the buoy and watching it disappear into the distance! However, the swim starter imparted some fantastic advice on how to tackle the challenge of reaching that elusive buoy and we were off.

A massive round of applause to our fantastic volunteers who worked tirelessly Saturday afternoon/evening and Sunday: Abbey, Andy, Ashleigh, Becky, Benz, Claudia, Ian, John, Kaye, Kylie, Larissa, Margaret, Marco, Tasha, and Will. You guys deserve gold medals just for this.

The atmosphere at the event was fantastic. Competitors of all ages and skill levels gathered to push their limits, cheer each other on, and celebrate the spirit of triathlons.

And lastly, a big thank you to Christie and Richard for hosting our club after party at their beautiful property. It was a brilliant finish to a successful and triumphant day.

This year’s triathlon was a special one, as it hosted the NSW Sprint Championships and served as a World Qualifying Event (WQE) for the standard distance. For those eager to see how our local athletes fared in the competition, be sure to check out the results below.

NSW State Sprint Championships Byron Bay 2025

750m Swim - 20km Cycle - 5km Run

Jaime Cascajares 1st M40-44 - 1st Overall

John Rueth 1:14:13 2nd M40-44 - 6th Overall

Scott Sewell 1:14:31 1st M55-59 - 7th Overall

Abbey Yatsko 1:18:53 2nd F25-29 - 2nd Female

Jarrod Flower 1:19:17 3rd M30-34 (FOB)

Cara Brisbane 1:19:19 1st F45-49 - 4th Female

Wyana Sewell 1:20:17 1st F18-19 (FOB)

Huw Jones 1:21:35 1st M60-64

Gracie Richter 1:24:03 6th F25-29

Mick Donnelly 1:25:00 3rd M55-59

Christie Horsley 1:25:04 1st F40-44

Deborah Fuller 1:27:06 1st F60-64

Zvi Azimov 1:30:00 9th M35-39

Margreet Wiegers 1:31:28 3rd F40-44

Robyn Darke 1:32:04 2nd F60-64

Luke Byfield 1:32:23 20th M30-34

Thalita Borges 1:32:45 2nd F35-39

Sandra Killen 1:33:28 1st F65-69

Joana Sponsel 1:34:46 4th F30-34

Aoife Gannon 1:35:54 17th F25-29

Lucia Cores-Harge 1:36:34 8th F20-24 (FOB)

Charlie Azzopardi 1:52:19 8th M60-64

NSW State Champions 2025

Jaime, Abbey, Scott, Cara, Huw, Christie, Deb, Margreet, Thalita, Joana, Sandra

Olympic Distance WQE 1500m Swim - 40km Cycle - 10km Run

Georgina James 2:21:55 1st F25-29 (FOB)

Bea Wall 2:32:44 2nd F35-39

Eric Blyth-Elvin 2:39:59 13th M35-39

Claire O’Meara 3:00:15 2nd F60-64

Sprint Aquabike 750m Swim - 20km Cycle

Kylie Gibson 1:00:22 1st F50-54

Sprint Team

Andy/Fillipo 1:06:18 1st MTeam

Pics to follow so check out our gallery soon!