Triathlete cleans up in Nelson

Marlborough triathlete Jono Lee coasted to an easy victory in Sunday's Avanti Plus Sprint Triathlon at Rabbit Island, in Nelson.

Lee completed the 750-metre swim and the 300m run up the beach in 11 minutes 43 seconds, nearly two minutes quicker than Dan Padial, who was followed out of the water in quick succession by Lionel Padial, Louis Olsen, Malcolm Anderson and Martin Bennett. Nigel Burgess and Josie Wilcox were in a chase bunch.

The mass start had triathletes cover 750m and 250m, and duathletes running 2.5 kilometres or 1.3km.

The first sprint-distance competitor to get on the bike was duathlete Danial Bremner, with a 30-second lead over Lee, followed by a string of duathletes including Don Wardle, Alan Donovan and Ian McNabb.

It didn't take Lee long to overhaul Bremner, but with a draft-legal format, the duathlete clung to Lee's wheel. Another bunch formed behind, but were no match for Burgess, who swept through the field until only the two leaders were ahead of him.

Wilcox was caught on her own, unable to make ground on the bunches ahead but staying away from the chasers behind.

Bremner's determination to stay on Lee's wheel paid off, the pair starting the final 5km run together, but Lee was in no mood to mess around, easily running away with the victory.

Bremner finished next to win the duathlon by a comfortable 11 minutes from Wardle. Burgess was the only runner with a pace close to Lee and he took second place in the triathlon, followed by Bill Revell, who ran in bare feet after he racked his bike in the wrong spot and couldn't find his shoes.

Full results at nelsontriclub.co.nz

- The Marlborough Express