Cowra’s Tabitha Jones recently competed at the TreX Cross Triathlon ITU World Championships at the Snowy Mountains, where she finished 18th in the women’s 35-39 years age group event.
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It marked the second competitive cross triathlon Tabitha has completed, having qualified for Worlds during her debut race at the same venue in February.
The event was held on November 18, incorporating a 1500m swim, 30km mountain bike ride and 10km trail run.
Representing Australia, Tabitha registered a finishing time of 4.18:27s smashing her qualifying time by 20 minutes.
She described the race as not for the faint-hearted.
“It’s mostly off-road,” Tabitha explained.
“The swim was in Lake Jindabyne which was beautiful but it was quite cold, I think there might still be some snow on the mountains.
“The run was off-road, uphill and downhill, in bush land and through water.
“The whole thing was quite challenging.”
As well as being a member of the Cowra Cobras and competing each Friday in the local triathlon, Tabitha trains regularly with the The Barnyard fitness group in Cowra and Orange – with coach Dan Benton – who she says sparked her interest in the more grueling format.
“I only started mountain biking in February. It’s a good way to diversify training. After the first time [mountain biking] I swore I’d never do it again, but the challenge got the better of me,” she said.
Despite her initial concerns, Tabitha is now a massive fan of off-road triathlons and said a thorough preparation is important.
“It’s dirty and muddy and something you definitely need to train for,” she said.
“I did a lot of power training for mountain biking, it requires a lot of short bursts of power. You have to negotiate different terrains, I’ve learnt a lot of skills.”
“But now I really enjoy off-road triathlon more than regular triathlon.”
Tabitha – who has only been competing in triathlon for two years – encourages anyone and everyone to get involved in triathlon.
“Cowra has a very active club catering for all ages. It’s quite challenging but it's a great way to get involved with a great club, get active and improve your fitness,” she said.
“With the right attitude, a few good buddies to train with and some awesome coaching I have been able to represent Australia at a cross triathlon event.”
She’s beginning training for a half iron-man race in early 2017, and looking to do several other off-road events.
Next year’s World Championships will be hosted by Canada.
The World Championships also staged a professional race won by Spain’s Ruben Ruzafa in 2.34:25s.
Cowra’s Baden Dickson competed in the men’s 30-39 year’s sprint race, recording a time of 1.19:20s.
