• Triathlon

Another Sandman done and dusted

• 9 Months Ago 17 December 2024

Thus years edition of the FNB Sandman Triathlon, attracted over 400 participants on Saturday, 14 December 2024, in Swakopmund.


The triathlon, which has a rich 30 year history, remains a key highlight for athletes and the community, with FNB sponsoring the event for 18 years now. The competition featured multiple race categories


Nathan Chase (16) delivered an impressive performance securing first place in the Male Elite (under 40) Sprint Triathlon which consisted of 400m swim, 20km cycle ride and 3km run in a time of (52:11). “I’m really happy with my race this year, I’ve been working hard all year, and it paid off. The competition was tough, but I improved my time from last year," he said. Maja Brinkmann clinched the Female Elite (under 40) in a time of 0:56:26.


Anri Greeff won the Female Elite (under 40 category) Standard Triathlon which consisted of a 1km swim, 40km cycle ride and 10km run in a time of 2:13:48. Erik Merino finsihed first in the Male Elite (under 40) Standard Triathlon and did so with a time of 2:02:51.


Charly Ann Taylor won the Female Elite Ultra Triathlon which consisted of a 1.9km swim, a 90km cycle ride and 21km run. She completed the race in 5:54:17. Sebastian Pahl clinched thet Male Elite category with a time of 4:28:19. Teamflippy won the Ultra event for teams in a time of 4:01:22. Man Eaters was the the top performing female team in this section completing the event in a time of 4:42:10.


Despite the rough waves and water temperatures, participants embraced the challenge. Axel Theissen, a seasoned triathlete and President of the Namibia Cycling Federation, also participated in the race. “The waves were rough this year due to the full moon, but the event was well-organized, and the atmosphere was great,” he said. According to Theissen, the new route, introduced by the OTB and Brinkmann family, has brought exciting changes to the event, with athletes now racing on the Henties Bay Road.


The competition was intense, with participants battling the windy conditions on the bike course. “The westerly wind made the ride challenging, but it was manageable as drafting was allowed,” said Theissen. The final leg of the race was a hot and grueling 21 km run.


The event organizer, Yvonne Brinkman, emphasized the importance of community involvement. She noted that the timing of the triathlon at the start of the holiday season helped to attract newcomers to the sport. “We’re seeing more first-time participants this year, which is great for the growth of triathlon in Namibia.”


The triathlon also provided an opportunity for family participation, with several competitors racing alongside their relatives particularly in the mini category. The success of the event is largely attributed to FNB’s long-standing support, which has enabled the event to continue to grow and improve over the years. “FNB’s sponsorship has been crucial to the development of triathlon in Namibia, and we’ve watched it grow every year through the support of FNB,” said Brinkman.





The prize-giving ceremony took place at Brewer and Burcher on Sunday, 15 December 2024, with top athletes recognized for their achievements across various categories.


The preliminary results are as follow:





Super Sprint: 150m swim; 6km cycle; 3km run





Female - Under 15


1 Lilly Marschall (37:04)


2 Sofia Glen-Spyron (37:09)


3 Sandra Schnebel (41:14)





Male under 15:


1 Ivor Chase (34:11)


2 Aiden Diehl (34:30)


3 Tristen Buttner (35:55)





Female Elite Over 15:


1 Silke Schnebel (45:13)


2 Ronja Fechter (58:19)


3 Leanie Pretoruis (01:00:19)





Male elite Over 15:


1 Kyle De Hilster (39:52)


2 Dian Pretoruis (39:53)


3 Marco Buttner (45:50)





Sprint Triathlon: 400m swim; 20km cycle; 3km run





Female Under 15:


1 Emma Brinkmann (1:08:14)


2 Kyra Marschall (1:11:20)


3 Jana Maike Mutschler (1:17:05)





Male Under 15:


1 Dawie Greeff (1:11:08)


2 Jannes Coetzee (1:20:57)


3 Chrstiaan Van Der Westhuizen (1:20:58)





Female Elite Under 40


1 Maja Brinkmann (0:566)


2 Laura Voss (1:06:46)


3 Surina De Wit (1:09:48)





Male Elite Under 40


1 Nathan Chase (52:11)


2 Braam Van Wyk (1:03:03)


3 Armando Van Wyk (1:04:49)





Female Veteran, over 40:


1 Jana Kehrmann (1:14:52)


2 Frances Chase (1:17:20)


3 Charmaine Shannon (1:17:58)





Male Veteran Over 40:


1 Greg Chase (57:21)


2 Stephen Chase (1:05:00)


3 Steven Paschke (1:08:09)





Standard Triathlon: 1km swim; 40km cycle, 10km run)





Female Elite Under 40:


1 Anri Greeff (2:13:48)


2 Marcelle Eloff (2:53:49)


3 Laurika Burger (3:07:46)





Male Elite Under 40:


1 Erik Merino (2:02:51)


2 Ethan Brinkmann (2:08:10)


3 Tristan De Lange (2:14:00)





Female Veteran Over 40:


1 Ilona Sickel (2:45:43)


2 Louise Engels (3:09:43)


3 Sorrenta Rohas (Smith) (3:53:37)





Male Veteran:


1 Mark Spath (2:14:36)


2 Peter Brinkman (2:16:51)


3 Pierre Van Rensburg (2:18:33)





Female Master:


1 Gudrun Marschall (3:02:10)


2 Berrit Graf (3:26:34)





Ultra Triathlon: (1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21km run)





Female Elite:


1 Charly Ann Taylor (5:54:17)





Male Elite:


1 Sebastian Pahl (4:28:19)


2 Konrad "The Sandman" Marais (4:33:57)


3 Wessel Oosthuysen (6:02:28)





Male Veteran:


1 John Valentin (5:08:30)


2 Petrus Laubscher (5:11:12)


3 Johan Du Plessis (5:25:54)





Female Master:


1 Marion Himmel (6:12:55)





Male Master,


1 Richard Reid (5:53:47)


2 Raymond Greenlaw (5:57:39)


3 Roelof Pahl (6:04:56)





TEAMS


Mini triathlon


1 DHPS#Mini5 (32:56)


2 DHPS Fussballfreunde (33:57)


3 Birthday Bashers (35:40)





Sprint Triathlon:





Male:


1 Fireflies (1:04:26)


2 Two Vixens (1:11:02)


3 The Tripahls (1:12:40)





Female:


1 Team Raylec (1:10:41)


2 Sunday Fun Day (1:11:51)


3 DHPS Waschbären (1:12:43)





Mixed:


1 Splash Dash Flash (1:06:22)


2 Buttner Family (1:06:52)


3 Cora Johan Tarien (1:10:51)





Standard:





Female:


1 Terrific Trio (2:31:42)


2 Pace Makers (2:33:02)


3 Goal Diggers (2:50:21)





Male:


1 Once upon a Time (2:10:39)


2 I I (2:24:23)


3 Fast by Faith (2:40:54)





Mixed:


1 AXL (2:19:49)


2 STFEAN'S SNAIL EXPRESS (2:27:20)


3 Triple S (2:39:24)





Ultra:





Female:


1 Man Eaters (4:42:10)





Male:


1 Teamflippy (4:01:22)


2 Seawork Seafood (4:10:40)


3 Swakop Swift Sharks (4:53:34)





Mixed:


1 DHPS Ultra Team (6:00:26)


2 Iron Warriors (6:08:25)