International triathlete, Harry Speers from Bangor and 2006 Commonwealth games triathlete Heather Foley powered to victory in the firmus energy Newry City triathlon which took place today as the finale of Newry City Council's Festival of Water.
Thousands of people enjoyed the sunshine as they cheered on more than 300 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 at a time of 00:58:18. He was closely followed by Neville O’Neill, who finished in 00:59:03.
In the ladies category, Heather Foley took first place just ahead of Laura Wylie, completing the course in 01:03:36 and 01:07:12 respectively. Adele Neill claimed third spot with a time of 01:07:45.The festival and triathlon was organised by Newry and Mourne District Council. Mayor Councillor Daire Hughes said: “This was a fantastic day for Newry – it was great to see so many local people come together to enjoy this event, as well as attracting hundreds of people from other areas into the City.
“This is our second Triathlon in Newry in as many years and we are delighted with the ongoing support for our event. I would like to congratulate everyone who took part in this year’s gruelling challenge. So much training and hard work goes into preparations for race day to be at your peak level of fitness that crossing the finish line is an achievement in itself, regardless of the time it takes. It was also great to see the children take part in the Iron Kid competition, which included a cycle and a run and gave them a fun taster of the sport. He added: “Thanks to all those who helped to make this year’s event happen, including the council, committee, the volunteers and of course firmus energy who we were delighted to have on board this year.”
Angeline Murphy for firmus energy commented: “This was a great sporting event and all round day of celebration, and we would like to congratulate all involved.
“Newry is one of the key cities in the firmus energy network and we value the support the community has given us as we have built out our natural gas network across the area. Supporting events such as these is an important way to for us to give back and is also something that the team at firmus energy really love to be involved in. Triathlon is a sport that is growing in popularity and the numbers here today are testament to that. It is also not every day that people get to swim in the Canal and Newry and Mourne council have to be commended for the work and investment they have put in its redevelopment over the recent years.
“The local businesses in the area will also hopefully have received a boost as 300 competitors along with their friends, families and supporters all converged on Newry for the event and the Festival, experiencing the first-class facilities, shops, entertainment, hotels and restaurants and that are on offer here.
“We look forward to working further with Newry and Mourne Council and hope that the success of today can be repeated through other great events.”
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
