The toughest tri in Queensland went ahead this weekend in Goondiwindi and despite the cooler conditions, the Barambah Organics Hell of the West (HOTW) Triathlon lived up to its hellish title. Following the postponement from the traditional February date and recent rains resulting in a last-minute shift of the swim leg to the Goondiwindi Botanic Gardens, the committee definitely proved that HOTW is still Queensland’s toughest triathlon!
698 individuals and 64 teams competed over two days of events. The traditional format of the iconic HOTW race – 2km swim, 80km bike and 20km run – was adjusted to accommodate for the changed swim location. The run leg was split into two sections, a 3.2km run post-swim, and the remaining 16.8km completed as the final leg.
The individual Hell of the West male champion was Josh Amberger with a spectacular effort of 3.26.54. Josh said of his win; “[Hell of the West] was fortuitous for me. I was supposed to be in the US racing but with the HOTW postponed earlier in the year, it gave me an opportunity to race at this amazing community event for my first win of the season”.
Amberger credited the Goondiwindi community for their welcoming spirit, stating that “we go to events across the world but it’s nice to be at the HOTW where there’s definitely a unique feel with plenty of local support”. Amberger used the bike leg to gain distance on Nic Free, who “charged” at the winner during the run leg yet couldn’t quite catch the first-time champion – crossing the line less than three minutes later.
With 377 individuals and 64 teams vying for the HOTW title, some of triathlon’s biggest names returned to Goondiwindi. Past World Champions Tim Reed and Pete Jacobs took on a hungry group of aspiring young professional triathletes. While in the women’s event, a quality field took to the course including Netherlands Olympian Lotte Wilms and returning 2021 HOTW champion, Ellie Salthouse.
However, the unofficial Queen of Hell of the West, Sarah Crowley claimed her 7th victory with a dizzying time of 3.50.30. Sarah said; “Today’s victory was hard fought. The intensity of the two-leg run format made for closer racing. Courtney Gilfillan was a real challenger today but I pushed through the back end of the bike leg to gain momentum going into the final run leg”. Recovery will be key now for Sarah as she prepares for upcoming events in Port Macquarie, Cairns and the Hawaiian Ironman World Championships.
But the action wasn’t limited to Sunday’s event. The GTH Group + Super Saturday featured the Gundy Inferno 5K and 10K charity runs, Fire Starter Triathlon and Hell Kids Triathlon with a whopping 321 participants. Elite athletes and beginners alike battled it out under perfect conditions. Jed Price and Nikko Siddins got the gong for the 10K race, while Matthew Mcnamara and Katelyn Effeney crossed the line first for the 5K race. Declan Campbell was the first to finish the Firestarter, which involved a 200 metre swim, 7.5 kilometre bike ride and a gruelling 2km run to finish, while Caitlyn Garratt was the first female to finish – smashing the previous race record by over one minute. Hell Kids was a spectacular success, with over 130 youngsters battling it out to score themselves a swim cap and race cap or water bottle.
Race Director, Tim Richards said, “Under difficult circumstances, this year’s event has come together remarkably well. The Goondiwindi Tri Club and the HOTW committee have pulled together to bring yet another amazing event to life. The Botanic Gardens offered competitors a unique experience and for spectators, it was a great chance to take a closer look at the gruelling swim leg and a unique two leg run course. Our volunteers did a fantastic job to rally competitors safely through the revised course ’.
The ‘Hell of the West’ is coordinated by local group, the Goondiwindi Triathlon Club who continue to operate the event and is more widely facilitated by Triathlon Queensland, Goondiwindi Regional Council and support from tourism-based industry bodies, Southern Queensland Country Tourism and Tourism Events Queensland. With visitors and guests participating in events across the weekend, the festival attracts in excess 2,500 people to the region contributing an estimated $400,000 with direct economic and tourism impact.
Mayor of Goondiwindi Regional Council, The Honourable Councillor Lawrence Springborg AM said: “The Hell of the West is a major event for the Goondiwindi region, which our community is extremely proud of. It’s involved thousands of volunteers and significant business support over the years to reach such a remarkable milestone. The event promotes our region to visitors from near and far, which is great for the local economy, and a credit to the organisers that they can continue to attract large crowds resulting in booked out hotels and motels. I have confidence the committee will deliver another safe, action packed, family friendly event to kick start the new year.”
Several free activities were on offer across the weekend as well chances to discover more on farming and agriculture sectors that greatly support the region. Barista-made coffee and a range of sweet and savoury treats from local cafes and producers featured in the town park well as a jumping castle andsnow cones for the kids. Athletes and supporters were spoiled for choice with a range of industry-based businesses such as TLR Race Wheels and Wyn Republic providing retail therapy with stalls lining the town park. Hell of the West are proudly sponsored by Barambah Organics and GTH Group, the naming partners of the Festival of Hell.
MORE PHOTO TO COME SOON, be sure to follow Goondiwindi Regional on Facebook to see all the photos from the weekends events when they are posted.
