Slane Castle hosts its first triathlon

Rock stars had to move aside this year at Slane Castle, as the first ever Triathlon event was held on the castle grounds on Saturday. The first race was scheduled to start at 1.0pm, but the competitors had been gathering from much earlier on in the morning so that they could scout out the new course. There were over 300 entrants, and over half of these were participating in their first ever Triathlon. The event was organised by AliveOutside.ie in conjunction with Slane Castle. The morning started off slightly damp with some light showers, however this was no deterrent to the competitors who started the race with a 750 metre swim downstream on the Boyne. Safety was well taken care of with many safety boats and the Irish Coast Guard in attendance and on the river. After emerging from their swim each competitor had to make a dash up the banks of the river and up a steep hill to the magnificent castle where the transition was located. Wetsuits off and onto their bikes, each competitor now had a gruelling 20km cycle to complete out on the open roads around Slane village. The Garda were on hand to insure that the traffic was managed at the exit and entrance to the castle grounds. As each competitor returned from their cycle they had to deposit their bikes at the transition zone and head off on a 5km run. Whilst the event was attended by some of the country's elite athletes the vast majority of the participants were there for the fun and personal challenge and the atmosphere was very much one of fun as each athlete brought along their own set of fans. After the event there was live music in the castle courtyard plus a spit roasted pig barbeque. Triathlon is the fastest growing sport in the world and it is gaining popularity in Meath with a number of new clubs being established like Tri An Mhi. Results: Men - 1, Colin Bolger 1.09.44; 2, Mark Horan 1.10.52; 3, Darren Hughes 1.12.44; Women - 1, Barbara O'Hanrahan 1.22.46; 2, Anne Paul 1.24.01; 3, Irene Walsh 1.26.01.