GIVEN his competitive nature Mark Windsor is a man who relishes racing against seasoned triathletes, but he is still just as excited over the prospect of seeing new faces in action.
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So when the Australian representative heard that the Bathurst Wallabies Triathlon Club was placing a focus on attracting more female competitors, he was delighted.
“It’s wonderful at the moment just to be involved because the women’s side of it is just amazing,” Windsor enthused.
“It’s just amazing if you give that little bit of encouragement to the women what can happen. Like it’s good for us to come through and get the overall honours, but Orange has been doing it to us for years, they put some focus on their women and the encouragement and lift they get out of it is fantastic.”
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This Sunday Bathurst will stage its first women’s-only triathlon. The event is a 200 metres swim, 16 kilometre cycle and 2.5km run, but teams are welcome and participation is the focus.
Windsor hopes for a big turnout which could spark further growth in the number of Bathurst female triathletes. He also felt that former Bathurst mayor Kath Knowles, who died in 2010, would be there in spirit.
“It’s a snapshot in Bathurst’s history, it’s the first time we’ve been the leading triathlon club in the Central West and now here’s a chance to stage the first all-women’s triathlon,” he said.
“Kathy Knowles was a great ambassador for women and she was a great triathlete too, they go over the Kath Knowles Bike Path on the bike course. I’m thinking if Kath is ever going to jump her spirit back and jump on the bike, it would be this weekend,” he added with a laugh.
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Bathurst’s leading triathlete Tamsyn Moana-Veale, who has spent much of the year competing in Europe, is another who is delighted to see the increasing participation rates of females on a local level.
“Great to see the women’s participation in the Bathurst race over the weekend so high. It’s exciting to see so many women getting involved,” she said.
With initiatives like this Sunday, which commences at 9am, it should continue that trend.