History was made in Yass when a group of wonderful women completed the first-ever triathlon event held in the Yass Valley, which was an overwhelming success.
The first Finish Lines Not Finish Times Triathlon was run on Sunday the 29th of January with it going down an overwhelming success.
Sportsperson of the Year Sarah Watson was instrumental in establishing Yass’ very first triathlon club and the Finish Lines Not Finish Times initiative.
“The Yass Valley Triathlon Club was established one year ago in 2022. We applied for a grant through Triathlon NSW and succeeded in getting that to run a women’s only ‘Finish Lines Not Finish Times event’,” Watson said.
“Basically, it’s designed to encourage women in the community to have a go and try a triathlon. So, we organised it and it ran on Sunday.”
Watson explained the breakdown of the Yass Triathlon and was pleased with the fantastic turnout they received.
“We did a 400m metre swim at Yass Olympic Pool, then did a 10-kilometre bike ride out past Yass train station where there’s a big hill, then finished off with a 2.5 kilometre run around Victoria Park oval.
“We had 43 women participate from the Yass Valley and surrounds and it was just a really big success to see everyone complete the activity with big smiles on their faces and a sense of real achievement for many women who have never done something like that before.
“Participants ranged from women in their teens to mid-60’s. It was the inaugural event that we have run and I’m sure we can grow it even further.
“There were so many big smiles from the women participants out on the course, the majority of whom had never done a triathlon before! Participants ranged from teenagers to grandmothers and they were cheered on by their families and loved ones on the sidelines.
There was a lot of work involved in getting the triathlon organised and approved over a number of months leading in. The Yass Valley Triathlon Club Secretary and Race Director, Alex Apse, was instrumental in ensuring the day was a success and that everyone was safe during the event.
The Yass Valley Triathlon Club Committee wished to extend our gratitude to Hamish, Simon and Joe from Genium Civil Engineering who provided the Traffic Management Plan, the Yass Valley Council, Yass Memorial Pool, Priceline Pharmacy and NSW Police for their support for this event. Thanks too to our major sponsor Yass Soldiers Club for their continuous support to our new club.”
Tim Warren
