Lost Sheep Half Iron Triathlon 2009

The Lost Sheep Half Iron Triathlon took place on Sat Sep 12th on what could only be described as one of the most beautiful days of the year. The water was like glass, the sun was shining and there was barely a puff of wind – conditions could not have been more ideal for the 300+ triathletes (and batman).

The bookies favourite, Corkman and newly turned professional triathlete Bryan Keane was first out of the water followed over two minutes later by Cork’s own Trevor Woods. Another two minutes later a host of top triathletes were heading out on their bikes to tackle the tough 83km bike course. In the women’s race Aoife O’ Connor has her usual fantastic swim and exited first lady. Following Aoife out of the water in quick succession were Lizzie Lee, Joyce Wolfe, Katie Cooke and Elena.

The Lost Sheep is known as such for a reason – the bike is a long gruelling set of three climbs, each one longer then the next. The scenery on the cycle is amazing and in the fine weather there are few places as beautiful as Kenmare. Bryan Keane was later heard to say that he felt like he was in the making of a Bord Failte advert as the race was so breathtaking. He extended his lead on the bike but Bryan McCrystal didn’t let the amateur triathlete side down and rode a fantastic 2.19, only 4 minutes off Keane. Several minutes after McCrystal headed out on the run the usual suspects arrived into transition. These included Trevor, Mark Nolan, Mark Risley, and Michael Lyons. The bookies would have paid out on Bryan Keane at this stage but the race for second was still on. The 21km out and back run course is a tough hilly course and the hot day was not going to help anybody deal with the hills.

Elena was the first woman in from the bike, with Joyce Wolfe showing fantastic form to come in second. Katie Cooke and Aoife O’ Connor were also in the mix at this stage as they ran out of transition.

Bryan Keane won the race easily, but the remaining podiums were up for grabs. The run separated the men from the boys and Bran McCrystal held on for second with Trevor Woods coming in third. A mention has to go to Micheal Lyons who posted the second fastest run of the day to come in 22 seconds behind Trevor. Mark Risley, who is off to Hawaii in a couple of weeks completed the top five men.

In the women’s race Elena extended her lead on the run and comfortably added to her Olympic and Sprint distance national titles for 2009. Joyce ran a very consistent run to come in second, showing that she is clearly ready for tackling Barcelona Ironman distance race in a few weeks. Lizzie Lee had the top female run of the day, running 1.27 and just managing to secure a podium in the final stages by passing Aoife O’ Connor. Katie Cooke – rounded up the top five women – also showing that she’s well prepared for Barcelona.

While the race was great fun, the after party was even more fun with triathletes enjoying the end of season session!

Final Results may be found here

Thanks to all the marshalls and race organisers for their work in making the Lost Sheep 2009 a great success.