Last week, the NSW Allschools Triathlon 2023 took place at the Sydney International Regatta Centre, and William Clarke was fortunate enough to have a multitude of students partake. The event took place over two days, with the individual competitors racing on Thursday, and the relay competitors racing on Friday. A shoutout to PE Staff member Mr Clarke for accompanying our students on the trip to the centre, as well as assisting in registering all students before 8 am… ouch!  

 The Individual competition on Thursday was a test of resilience and endurance, as podium-finishing competitors reached times of over an hour long, with the Senior competitors facing the challenge of a 750m open water swim, 20km ride and 5km run. A massive congratulations to every William Clarke competitor in these events, and a special congratulations to Charlotte H (Year 8) for her silver medal finish!  

On Friday, the competition continued with the Relay event taking place. This event had its own challenges, as competitors would transition out of the swim and tag their teammate rider before they could continue the race. A similar changeover occurred at the end of the ride, however while the ride was occurring, the swimmer would switch with the runner at the racks and pass on the tracking anklet.    

William Clarke yet again saw a major victory in the Junior Girls division, as our 3 teams came 1st, 2nd, and 7th, with our top team scoring better times than over 50 of the 56 teams entered in the Male division. Congratulations to these teams, and further congratulations to everyone who participated. The same success, however, cannot be said for the team I participated in. Let me tell you a story…  

I was standing at the bike racks, as I heard clapping erupt from the stands behind me. This could only mean that the swimmers had started their race. But I had no view of the water and would only see them coming moments before I got on my bike. The tension was high, as everyone around me was all waiting for their swimmer to come out of the water first. A cheer hit my area as the first swimmer came through, but it was not our very own We Are editor Anson L. As more swimmers came through, I let out a hearty cheer “GO ANSON!”, only to see the swimmer run right past me, as I was completely mistaken (awkward)! Very shortly after, however, Anson came jogging out, and as he tagged me, I threw my bike off the rack and ran for the mount line. As I crossed the line, however, I noticed an absolute tragedy had occurred – the chain had fallen off my bike. Devastated, I knelt down and tried to put it back on, as other riders rushed past me. With the help of a race official, we managed to get the chain back on, albeit with most of the grease from the chain left on my hand. The rest of the race went smoothly, as PB Running Club member Sam C gave a strong finish for the team.  

Aside from some mechanical woes, it was a great two days for William Clarke. Hopefully my next triathlon will see a smoother start to the bike leg…