While there weren’t quite as many entries as the club had hoped, the event ran smoothly and those that competed said it was a tough but fun course and that they’d all be back next year.

Local runner, Jake Myors was first to cross the line of the three lap course which contained a mix of soft sand, hard sand, dirt, grass and plenty of hills on and around main beach.

Club member, Marg Gordon was first female and was in good practice for this kind of course having competed in the Ultra Trail Australia race in the Blue Mountains just a week ago.

Tri Club president, Dave Fitzhardinge was very pleased with the results of the day.

“Darrin and Kate from Beach Bums are great supporters not only of the Tri club but many other community groups around town and they very generously sponsored the prize money for the race,” he said.

“MidCoast Council was also very helpful getting this event up and going as well offering us some solutions to get around the work being done on the breakwall at the moment.”

The course started right in front of the Surf Club on the soft sand and competitors then ran along the top of the beach to the bullring, made a turn down to the water’s edge and ran back along the beach to level with the surf club.

They then turned again and ran straight up the beach, next to the surf club, down the dirt path to marine rescue, left into the car park and through the play area next to the caravan park.

Competitors then had to climb the grass hill all the way to the top of Pilot Hill, then back to the surf club and back onto the sand for two more laps, making up 5kms in total.

“We used to have a 5km run each year, but with the arrival and popularity of Park Run as well as the Running Festival, we needed to find something a bit different to offer rather than just a running race,” Dave added.

“This one is great from a logistical perspective as well as there are no road closures or any impact on businesses.”

In other club news, last weekend saw some great results not only at the UTA in the Blue Mountains where club members, Marg Gordon, Tracey Sewell, Vanessa Croker, and Phil and Robyn Brennan competed in various distances.

There were also some great results from just down the road at the Port Stephens Triathlon.

In the sprint distance race, consisting of a 750m swim, 20km ride 5 km run, was Tristan Marshall, backing up only a few weeks after Port Macquarie with a time of 70.3.

Jo Woolnough made her triathlon debut and finished third for her age group, and Fiona Price raced in her first event away from club racing and won her age group.

In the standard distance race, consisting of a 1500m swim, 40km ride 10km run, Brent Connell managed to get through the race with a recurring foot injury.

Josh Alley also made his debut for the club and finished with a much better time than he was hoping for and Dave Fitzhardinge also grabbed a third in his age group.

This week is the club AGM, where all members are invited to come along and have their say for the next season.

Details of the time and location have been emailed out to financial members.