Southend hosts second race in MOK Triathlon series

The swim was followed by a 19km scenic bike leg, finishing with a 5km run which loosely followed the Kintyre Way, culminating with a victory lap around Dunaverty sports pitch, with perfect race conditions of a light breeze and lots of sunshine.

There was intense competition for the overall winning male and female positions, and it would remain to be seen if the times from the inaugural event could be bettered and new records set. 

A new name stood out on race day with Fearghas MacKaveney (Project 3 Triathlon) holding a steady pace to exit the water in fourth place, before turning on the afterburners to post the fastest bike and run times of the day, completing the race in a time of 01:15:54. 

He was pushed all the way by Cian Woodsend who completed the course in 01:18:50, with Lorne MacEachen rounding off the top three in 01:25:59. 

The female race was also intense and saw Abigail Latimer (Lomond Swimming & Triathlon) lead out of the water, and although the gap closed on both the bike and run legs, she still managed a commanding lead for the win with a time of 01:26:35. 

This pushed last year’s winner, Jasmine Green, into a very respectful second place with a time of 01:35:33, with third place going to Anna Gemmill with a time of 01:40:05.

This year’s duathlon saw an increase in numbers which gave entrants more of a competitor edge than the domination performances seen in 2023. 

First place in the open category went to Barney Wright with a time of 01:17:16, which was closely followed by first female Jennifer Campbell in a time of 01:19:01.

The relay saw a dominant performance from Stewart Ireland who was first out of the water in a time of 15:50, before handing over to Elaine McGeachy who posted a time of 42:58 on the bike. The final effort on the run was down to Fiona Graham who posted a time of 25:07, giving the winning team a total time of 01:25:06, and an eight minute gap to their nearest rivals from the Mid Argyll Triathlon and Cycling club who came in second place with a combined time of 01:33:26.

With the final event of 2024 – a standard distance event in the Machrihanish area – just around the corner on August 18, excitement is building, as competitors prepare to tackle this very challenging event and fitting series finale.

“This event offers a standard distance duathlon, triathlon and an option for relay teams to take part so there is something for everyone,” said an event spokesperson.

“The intent of the series is to reintroduce triathlon events to Kintyre, to encourage local involvement within the sport, while promoting health and wellbeing within the local community.

“We hope to encourage visitors to the area to take part in this series, and ensure we can establish sustainability for future events within the Kintyre peninsula.”

Visit mullofkintyretri.wixsite.com/moktriathlon for more information about upcoming events.