For many years The Moby Dick Sprint Triathlon, whichtakes place in Youghal, has taken pride of place as one of the last triathlonson the year’s racing Calendar. This year was no exception and once again onSaturday the 28^TH of September, the South Coast Triathlon Clubpulled out all the stops to make this year’s triathlon as fast, friendly andenjoyable as they possibly could. Unfortunately the down side of having such alate date on the year’s racing calendar is that the weather in late Septembercan be a little unreliable and Saturday morning was no exception. Fortunatelythe races on the day managed to be completed before the rain arrived, but theprize giving was a little damp! The adult race consisted of a 750 metre seaswim followed by a fast, flat cycle, to Killeagh and back, and then a two lap6.1 km run along the boardwalk and seafront to finish up. Despite blusteryconditions the swim was described as ‘lovely’ once the swimmers got our pastthe waves crashing in on the beach. The conditions did add to the distancethough, with some competitors swimming as much as 1200 metres on the day. Thewind played its part in the cycle also with a strong headwind to fight againston the way out to Killeagh. Fortunately after the turnaround in Killeagh thecyclists were pushed home by the wind giving them a chance to rest the legs alittle before the run. The Moby Dick triathlon used to feature a punishing hillin the middle of the run section but that has now changed and the runners headedalong the seafront from Claycastle into Youghal and back twice. Despite thewind this was a generally flat course and some very fast times were posted onthe day. Justin Ryan continued his successful year for the club, finishing 12^thoverall in a time of 1:09:42, and in second place in his age group. Justinmanaged to finish 4^th in his age group in the National Series thisyear. He was also first in his age group in the Munster League and 5^th  overall. Not bad for a beginner!! Therest of the BTC crew enjoyed the day as well and are looking forward to a wellearned rest during the off season now.

There were also races for children on the day. TheSouth Coast Triathlon Club has a long history of kid friendly events, and thisyear was no exception. There were shorter swims for the kids, depending on theage group. 14 and 15 year olds did 400metres, 12/13 year olds 300 metres, 10/11year olds 200 metres and the 8/9 year olds 100 metres. Four BlackwaterTriathlon Club children Four Blackwater Triathlon Club children took part withOrla MacCallum in the 10/11 age group, Dean Sheridan, Niamh Collins and JackDalton in the 8/9 group. They were joined by brothers Diarmuid and David Toweyfrom Kilworth who competed in the 12/13 qnd 8/9 age groups. Dean even overcamea tumble on the entrance to T2 to finish with a smile. South Coast pulled outall the stops with loads of marshals and bags of sweets for the kids to helpget their sugar levels back up. Some of them have definitely got the triathlonbug now.Despitethe weather conditions everyone agreed that it was a very well run race withplenty of stewards and marshals ensuring everybody was safe on the day. Welldone to the South Coast Triathlon Club and everyone who braved the conditionsto take part. Once again it was a really good way to finish up the domestictriathlon season.