Nico Sterk of South Africa was the overall winner of the Swakop Half Iron Triathlon that took place at Swakopmund on Saturday, December 8.
It was the second successive year that he had won the title and his decision to train in Swakopmund a week before the event certainly paid off as he finished well ahead of the participants. Sterk completed the 1,9km swim, 90km cycle and 21km run in a time of 4 hours 18 minutes and 9 seconds, to finish more than half an hour ahead of the the rest of the field.
Cordula Moller was the first female and second placed triathlete overall in a time of 4:52:57. Stefan van Doorn came third overall in 5:12:24, followed by Peter Brinkmann and Johan Mouton who both finished in 5:16:35.
Zoe Mitchell was the second female, finishing in a time of 5:24:49, while Elke Jagau cam third in 5:48:28.
Prowealth wins team event
The Prowealth Trio team, consisting of Christopher du Plessis, Nick du Plessis and Reinholdt Iita won the male team category in a time of 3:55:36. The Otb Sport team of Dooris Kleynhans, Frans Hosea and Heiko Redecker came second in 4:17:15, while the all-womenâ??s team, Tri Girls, consisting of Beata Naigambo, Angelique Rall and Corinna Wahl came third overall in 4:40:53.
The triathlon took place in overcast conditions which suited the runners, although the strong winds made cycling quite difficult.
A total of 12 triathletes completed the individual category, while 23 teams completed the race.
This yearâ??s flexible team concept allowed individuals to choose their distance and discipline resulting in many more recreational participants and first time tri-participants, making this the biggest Ultra Triathlon in many years.
The event was sponsored by Pupkewitz, Puma and FNB Namibia and organised by OTB Sport.