The Western Suburbs Triathlon Club has been operating events over the summer and winter months for the past three decades, providing members and the local community with the opportunity to race across triathlon and duathlon events.
During the 2019-20 season, the club held four duathlons, as well as a junior event for kids. Fortunately, the club managed to get through six of its eight events planned before COVID19 halted the season.
The most notable events of the WSTC calendar were the Christmas themed costume race, the Annual Closed Road and two junior focused events including the hugely successful Girls Only secondary school event.
Club President Jill Stevenson and the WSTC crew were also proactive in their approach to support the 2020 Australian Bushfire Crisis.
“The club dedicated the annual Closed Road event toward raising funds for the CFA, which the local community got behind and supported after a strong social media campaign,” said Stevenson
“The weather delivered on the day and participants and families enjoyed perfect conditions and a wonderful community atmosphere in support of the CFA. The highlight of the day was the kids decked out in the amazing red CFA t-shirts provided by the club.”
The arrival of much-needed rain in the days before the Closed Road event saw the race turn into a duathlon for all competitors; however, an additional fun run and time trial option was made available for racegoers.
The success of this event was thanks to the many club members and local community groups that donated their time, plus the Hobsons Bay Running Club, Lions Club Altona and Altona Life Saving Club.
“The coming together of our local community is what made this fundraiser a huge success. All proceeds from entries fees and donated goods, by our club and sponsor, Salter Cycles, raised an amazing $11,000 which was donated to the CFA East Gippsland Brigades,” added Stevenson.
The Girls Only secondary school event was another notable event of the season, which provided an opportunity to introduce hundreds of girls from the local community to multisport.
The students were able to participate in both individual and team events, many for the first time, in a supportive and relaxed club atmosphere. It delivered a chance for many to experience a local event for the first time and brought many new faces to the WSTC.
In only in its second year, the Girls Only event is likely to be the largest event WSTC has delivered in its history and requires the assistance of the committee, families and a significant number of club volunteers to make the event possible.
Overall, it has been exciting to see the success the WSTC community have had in this past season, with the hope it continues to grow moving forward to 2020-21.
To find out more about WSTC, please visit their club website or follow them on Facebook.
Photos courtesy of WSTC.
