Photo by: SuperLeague Triathlon
Event
28/10/18
1.30 pm start Championship Elite Women
Start number
22
SLT Super Sprint distance-
EQUALIZER
1 lap 300m Marina saltwater swim, 4 x 1km HILLY & technical bike laps, 2 x 1km lap HILLY run- ouch.
Weather
Overcast & cool! Still quite humid here in Island Malta, Mediterranean 24 degree water.
Result
9th
Overall Result for MALTA Round 2
10th
SUPERLEAGUE TRIATHLON is reinventing the sport of Short course triathlon, with its fast, furious, & aggressive racing & crazy race formats, whats not to love!
In Malta we got to enjoy it all, with an incredible historic backdrop, racing on one brutal course with a tough climb each lap, the invention of the “super shoot” and the battle of the Equalizer format all coming into play!
Streaming out to a VERY Impressive 7.5 million households we combined the Individual Swim 600m Time trial held on Friday afternoon with the double Enduro Equalizer event on Sunday afternoon, to crown the Superleague Malta Queen & King!
Going off my swim time deficit from Fridays leader Taylor Spivey (+12 seconds in 6th) i started Sundays brutal Enduro, going back to back- Swim-Bike-Run-Swim-Bike-Run-FINISH! But also backing up after Saturdays racing on the same testing course!
I had a plan to get straight up onto the feet of the swimmers off before me & do my best to move up from here before exiting the swim into transition for the first ride, able to do this, i got on the bike towards the front & was in a pack of 6 of us early pushing the pace on the hilly, technical & stinger course!! 4 laps, feeling more like 40km and we still remained in a tight front group, unfortunately for me i didn’t play my smartest game, in not taking the newly invented “super shoot” on this run leg to stick with the leading ladies before heading into repeat 2 of the Enduro race.
The Super Shoot is on the top stretch of the hill, a shortcut essentially which EVERY athlete can take only once throughout the race, cutting off the top section of the hill for an advantage. A winning move after all your legs are burning from climbing up, attacking and responding to those around you on the uphill, and the sooner you can hit the downhill the better.
I started to lose touch with the USA speed setters at the front of the race, Katie Zaferes, Kirsten Kasper & Summer Cook. With the rest of us dropping back slowly, i was at the back of our pack & had to really dig deep heading into the final round of this Enduro. Not taking my super chute earlier meant i hit the water solo off the back & chasing those up ahead.
Exiting the water & managing to work hard on the last 4 laps of the bike with powerhouse Jodie Stimpson to not lose anymore time to the breakaway trio up front. But my legs were stinging & i knew knew this last run was going to hurt. Of course being Super-league Triathlon, pushing us to get the ABSOLUTE most out of ourselves, we had an uphill battle all the way to the line, with the finish chute at the top of the hill, savage!
I held strong on that last run, took my super shoot and was able to keep Jodie just ahead, finishing behind her in 9th for a much better all round day of racing!
With time to cool down, roll the legs over and get ready to watch the men’s race battle it out!
Congratulations to the podium of MALTA!
Unstoppable Katie Zaferes, Kirsten Kasper & Rachel Klamer.
and
Vincent Luis, Henri Shoeman & Richard Murray!
Photo by: Superleague Triathlon