The 29th running of the Erin Baker standard distance triathlon saw familiar names atop the leader board with Cameron Brown and Jo Lawn victorious around Kinloch today.
The popular and long running event is run by the local Tri Sport Taupo Club in conjunction with the Contact Tri Series and kicks of a busy day of racing with over 900 participants involved in all events, culminating in the elite ITU Oceania Sprint Championships, with almost 200 taking on the Erin Baker event in cool overcast conditions this morning.
For Lawn it was a third consecutive win in the race named after the athlete who paved the way for Ironman athletes worldwide, she was delighted to win the Erin Baker race again as she prepares for Ironman New Zealand in early March.
"I'm always happy to finish and come away with a win, Kinloch is such a great race, a lot of people are here racing and training for different events so it is great. The crowds they get here and the people that come to race and help out, it is a big one for Taupo.
"I've just come off some big miles and I start again on Wednesday, it is hard as this is a speed I don't often do, you have to recover from your training somehow and often it is good to include a race to help with that, now I will recover and go again."
Cameron Brown is in a similar mode to Lawn, preparing for Ironman but enjoying a day of racing in amongst his training programme.
"This is a nice little blow out four weeks out from Ironman, it can be hard as you usually come in here tired after a big week, but I felt not too bad out there and it is good preparation for Ironman.
"I was hoping no one was going to catch me though, I don't want to go to maximum effort today, 90% is okay but I don't want to be at 100% on a day like this. It is a beautiful course, great race and great atmosphere, it is a good race to do and be part of the Contact Tri Series and to race in the Tri Sport Taupo Club race."
Results: Erin Baker Standard Distance Race (29th running)
1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run
Men
1. Cameron Brown Auckland 2:04:21
2. Tom Francis Wanganui 2:05:35
3. Shane Vincent Hamilton 2:07:41
Women
1 Jo Lawn Auckland 2:19:55
2 Amelia Watkinson Auckland 2:26:07
3 Jessica Lawson Tauranga 2:27:09
Contact Tri Series
Featuring the ITU Oceania Elite Sprint Championships
Sunday 5 February
- Contact Trophy - Sprint Men 13-34 10:00am
- Men 35-49 10:02am
- Men 50+ 10:04am
- Women 13-39 10:06am
- Women 40+ 10:08am
- Erin Baker Prize-Giving 11:45am Western end of transition
- Contact 3:9:3 Men 11:20am
- Women's & Teams 11:22am
- Contact Cup (elites) Women 12:45pm
- Men 2:00pm
- Contact 1:2:1 Boys 3:30pm
- Girls 3:40pm
- Prize-Giving 4:00pm
