A record number of hardy triathletes braved the waves in Nairn on Sunday to take part in Triathlon Inverness’ annual event. Local athlete Catriona Forsyth and Edinburgh’s Craig Dale retained their titles by winning the Sprint event for a second year running. In the Standard distance, Inverness athletes Graeme Stewart and Halina Rees won first place in their categories. Para-triathlete Danny Gordon won in his category. James Thompson and Toni Wilkes also came first in the Novice section.

For the first time athletes had a choice of three distances. With 17 people taking part in the novice event. Featuring a 400m swim, a 10km bike ride and a 3km run. The Sprint event saw 72 athletes take on a 750m swim, 20km bike ride and a 5km run. A hardy 35 athletes also challenged themselves to the new Standard Distance race, completing a 1500m swim, 40km bike ride and a 10km run.  

Although the sun was shining, and participants and spectators were lucky to have no rain, a breezy Nairn meant that athletes had to contend with bumpy waves. Barry Sturrock travelled from Falkirk to take part in the event. He said the beautiful location enticed him to take part. “It is great to have an event like this in the Highlands, a whole new bunch of faces I’ve not seen before and a beautiful place to compete.”

We also caught up with Anne Bavelaar who was taking part in her first triathlon since having a baby 10 months ago. “It feels so good to be back, the amazing weather makes it so much more enjoyable. My first time doing this triathlon but I live 50 metres from the startline so it is a home race for me!”

The event is hosted by Triathlon Inverness who rely on the funds raised to support the club. The event would not have been possible without the dedicated team of marshals and the event's organising team. Sharon Meek is a member of the club and was a volunteer at transition: “It is great fun but it is about safety too. Checking bikes and making sure everyone is safe.”

Andrea McColl from The Nairn Triathlon organising team said: “We are delighted that second Nairn Triathlon with a sea swim was a successful event, with many new and experienced competitors having a great time. A big thank you to Triathlon Scotland who awarded the club with a grant to invest in the event. We were lucky to have lots of friendly marshals from the Triathlon Inverness club and the local community to make it a safe and enjoyable day out - and the lovely weather helped of course.”

Para-triathlon Wheelchair category: Danny Gordon (01:40:25)

Female Category winners in the Standard distance: Halina Rees (02:18:23) Georgina Fenwick (02:21:15) Ruth Hills (02:28:02) Open Category winners: Graeme Stewart (01:59:54) Richard Hills (02:04:47) Neil Robb (02:08:45)

Female category winners in the Sprint event: Catriona Forsyth (01:16:16) Samantha Macleod (01:18:41) Gillian Sangster (01:23:02). Open Category winners in the Sprint: Craig Dale (01:04:04) Barry Sturrock (01:07:48) Tim Dyer (01:10:54)