Media Release

May 26, 2006 --- Podium Performances by our Manitoba Athletes

It was a tough but successful weekend in Hamilton, Ontario for our Manitoba contingent at the 2006 Canadian Duathlon Championships. The athletes who raced in Hamilton were Erin Braun, Jacques Marcoux, Willie Bell, Blair Peters, and Sarah-Anne Brault all of whom train with MNTC under coach Gary Pallett. Coach Pallett remarked that the weather conditions were “brutal” with a high on race day of only 8 degrees, some rain, and winds gusting up to 70km per hour.

In the U23 Women category, which is run at the International distance (10k run + 40k bike + 5k run), Erin Braun finished in 2^nd place with a time of 2:22:44.

In the Junior category, which is run at the Sprint distance (5k run + 20k bike + 2.5k run) Willie Bell finished in 2^nd place with a time of 54:55. Teammate Blair Peters ended up rounding off the podium in 3^rd place in a time of 56:02.

Sarah-Anne Brault racing in her first National Championships almost brought the biggest upset of the event when she nearly beat Victoria’s Kirsten Sweetland, who is the top junior athlete in the country. Sarah-Anne Brault ended up finishing in 2^nd place with a time of 1:02:35 only 2 seconds off Kirsten.

Based on their performances Erin Braun, Willie Bell, Blair Peters, and Sarah Anne-Brault have now qualified to attend the World Duathlon Championships held in Corner Brook, Newfoundland on July 31^st. Amy Briscoe, who could not race due to an injury, has also been selected for the U23 duathlon team.

For more information on this event, or to get a complete set of results, please call Triathlon Manitoba at 925-5636 or check out our website at www.triathlon.mb.ca

This page was last updated on May 26, 2006