Kenji Nener and Chloe Turner win Round 6 of Gatorade Queensland Triathlon Series

Western Australia’s Kenji Nener and the Sunshine Coast’s Chloe Turner claimed their first wins of the 2010/11 Gatorade Queensland Tri Series at Raby Bay where sweltering conditions made for a tough race over the 400m swim, 15km cycle and 4km run.

It was a come from behind victory for Nener who trailed slightly in the swim, made up time on the bike and showed good legs on the run to beat home Bywong’s (ACT) Dane Robinson and Series Leader, Bryce McMaster.

A tight pack of five, including Nener, Robinson, McMaster, Gunnedah’s Jack Hickey and Brisbane’s Sam Speechly, held together on all three laps of the bike leg and exited the bike to run transition in unison.

Nener broke away from the pack in lap one of the two-lap run course and continued to extend his lead, crossing the finish line 25 seconds ahead of Robinson.

“The race went very well surprisingly, I’ve had three unsuccessful races and this is the first one I’ve done well so far, so hopefully it’s looking up for me,” said Nener.

With no recent series wins under his belt, Nener went out without a calculated race plan, hoping to stick with the leaders and keen to snare a podium finish.

“I’m just glad everything worked out well today, I was very lucky.  Hopefully next time the same luck comes my way again,” he added.

Robinson exited the water in second place and maintained his position on the cycle.  Despite not being able to catch Nener on the run, he was pleased with his performance.

“It was a great race, I’m just coming back from an extended break so just trying to find some form after Geelong – it was a good little hit out.”

“The coach (Craig Walton) sent me out and just said smash yourself, go hard,” he said.

McMaster closely followed Robinson over the finish line to claim third place, nursing a broken metacarpal after a fall off the bike in Geelong last weekend.

Both Nener and Robinson are looking towards the Mooloolaba Triathlon next month.

“I’ll be doing the Olympic Distance in Mooloolaba.  That will be my first one in a long time so it might be a bit tough so we’ll see how I go,”said Nener.

“I’m just trying to find that running form before then,” added Robinson.

A very small field in the open women’s event lead Chloe Turner to her first win of the 2010/11 series.

“It was hot and it was hard because not many of the elite females were out there, it was hard not having anyone to chase,” said Turner.

Turner exited the water with a convincing 95 second lead over the next competitor.  She hit the bike leg solo, and without a strong field of female competitors surrounding her, turned her attention to catching the men.

“It was more to chase the boys today because we started only a minute behind them, but it was tough not having someone out there who matched my speed,” she added.

After a win in her age group category at the Olympic distance triathlon in Geelong last weekend, Turner was pleased with her performance.

“It was a good race but it was pretty hot,” she said.

“It’s great to come first after getting first in my age category in Geelong last week, I’m pretty happy with that.”

“I’ve got a few little races coming up before I target Mooloolaba,” she added.

For the age-groupers, Raby Bay once again proved to be a popular event with just over 1500 competitors turning out to take part.

The day also included the Enticer Triathlon which continues to be a popular choice for beginner triathletes and those keen on keeping fit and having some fun.

The increasingly popular Courier-Mail Kool Kids Triathlon, for children 7-11 years of age, again recorded good numbers with over 140 eager kids participating in the 100m swim, 2km cycle and 400m run.

The Queensland Gatorade Tri Series will return on 1 May with the series final, Gold Coast Triathlon – Luke Harrop Memorial.

Overall Results

Open Male

1. Kenji Nener
Shenton Park, WA
00:40:49

2. Dane Robinson
Bywong, ACT
00:41:16

3. Bryce McMaster
Daisy Hill, QLD
00:41:23

4. Ben Shaw
Mt Coolum, QLD
00:41:26

5. Jack Hickey
Gunnedah, QLD
00:42:31

Open Female

1. Chloe Turner
Buderim, QLD
00:48:14

2. Alison King
Wellington Point, QLD
01:09:30

3. Stephanie Cronje
Brisbane, QLD
01:09:33

4. Paula Purcell
Redland Bay, QLD
01:12:32

5. Stephanie Murray
Mt Cotton, QLD
01:26:42