Brother and sister, Harry and Jemma Speers from Bangor powered to victory in the firmus energy Newry City triathlon which took place today as the spectacular finale of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council’s Festival of Water.
Triathletes from across Northern Ireland
Thousands of people enjoyed the sunshine as they cheered on hundreds of triathletes from across Northern Ireland and further afield as they completed the sprint triathlon course, comprising of a 750m open water swim in Newry Canal, followed by a 20km closed road cycle and culminated in a 5km flat run that took in key attractions around the City.
The overall event was won by Harry Speers who battled his way to top spot in a time of 58:38. Hot on Harry's heals was local triathlete, Barry Convery with a time of 59:12, followed by Finbar McGrady with a time of 59:59. In the ladies category, Jemma Speers took first place just ahead of Maria Byrne, completing the course in 1:08:58 and 1:11:44 respectively. Catherine Sands claimed third spot with a time of 1:13:04
A showcase triathlon event for Newry City
Angeline Murphy for firmus energy, commented: “This was a great sporting event and all round day of celebration, and we were delighted so many people joined in the festivities and cheer on those competing in the triathlon. “This is also an ideal opportunity for Newry to showcase its first-class facilities including shops, entertainment, hotels and restaurants to the thousands of people who turned out to enjoy the Festival of Water and Triathlon. The Festival of Water included banana rides on the Canal, jet-ski and canoe races, face painting, bouncy castles and a climbing wall, followed by the firmus energy Newry City triathlon. A full list of competitors and finishing times will be available on www.firmusenergynewrycitytriathlon.com.
Natural gas network in Newry
“Newry is one of the key cities in the firmus energy network and we value the continued support from the community as we have extended our natural gas network across the area. Events such as this are an important way to for us to give back to the community and all the team at firmus energy are very enthusiastic about supporting them in whatever way we can.”
