Kohlar and Slack earn 'Dirt Master' and 'Mistress' titles in the Snowies

SYDNEY - March 2, 2015 - PRLog -- Just one day after Australian Olympians Courtney Atkinson and Erin Densham won the 2015 Oceania Cross Triathlon Championships at Lake Crackenback on Saturday, men’s sixth-place finisher Jarad Kohlar (AUS) and women’s runner-up Jacqui Slack (GBR) emphatically claimed Dirt Master and Dirt Mistress honours on Sunday.

The overall titles came after both Kohlar and Slack swept the final two events on the weekend. Both off-road specialists recorded the fastest cumulative times after their sixth- and second-place finishes respectively at the championship race on Saturday (1500m swim, 30km mountain bike, 10km trail run), and combined with their first-place results from both the Snowies Trail Run (15km) on Sunday morning and the Sprint Cross Triathlon (500m swim, 15km mountain bike, 5km trail run) later in that afternoon.

Kohlar started the day with a two-minute victory over veteran David Osmanu (NSW) and fellow pro George Tamblyn (QLD), while Slack cruised to a solo win over elites Elizabeth Humphries (NSW) and Jessica Simpson (NSW), who also took bronze on Saturday.

The off-road sprint triathlon used an abridged version of the championships course, with Kohlar and Slack leading from start to finish uncontested.

“I loved it today,” said Kohlar, a champion adventure racer and trail runner who is targeting the upcoming Buffalo Stampede – a 75km ultra-marathon in April.

“There were so many people out on the course and there was an amazing vibe with all the locals out there cheering the athletes on. It was a fantastic race – a fantastic weekend really.”

The globetrotting 32-year-old struggled on the swim during the championship round, but caught a break on the third and final race of the two-day event.

“I found myself in a pack of four other guys after the first buoy, and I got on the back of them,” admitted Kohlar. “When we turned at the third buoy I managed to hook onto the lead swimmer and he towed me to the finish.

“But don’t get me wrong, I’m wrecked today, and my legs are smashed and quite heavy right now.”

For the 31-year-old Slack, the eight-time Xterra champion, who was fresh off a fourth-place finish at the Husky Long Course on-road triathlon last weekend and a second-place finish at Xterra Philippines two weeks ago.

“I was chasing Erin all day yesterday,” said the British-born Slack, who now resides in Wollongong, NSW. “Today I was in the lead and perhaps made it difficult on myself as I was pushing a bit too hard and got a little tired and even had a stack on the second lap of the bike.

“Overall, I’m very happy with my results this weekend and I’m looking forward to a month-long block of training before I head to Xterra Saipan (March 28) and Xterra Guam (April 11).”

In the sprint triathlon, para-triathlete Justin Godfrey (PT3) debuted in his first Cross Triathlon event and took first in his division with a time of 1:43:10. The 42-year-old Godfrey, who is a below-the-right knee amputee from Victoria, will be racing the ITU World Para-triathlon in Twin Waters (QLD) on March 13.

“It was a bit rocky at times on the trail with the blade, but it was surprisingly easier than I expected as I really didn’t have anything to judge it by previously,” said Godfrey, who finished sixth at the world championships in Edmonton last September.

“I really had a blast today as the course was excellent and I look forward to doing it again.”

NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Tourism and Major Events Troy Grant gave special acknowledgement to all the athletes competing over the busy weekend.

“The NSW Government is proud to support this event which welcomes visitors to the stunning Snowy Mountains region to test their skills and endurance,” he said.

The Oceania Cross Triathlon Championships is a Continental Championships awarded by the Oceania Triathlon Union (OTU), and is one of three events in Australia that are qualifying rounds for the World Cross Triathlon Championships in 2015 to be held in Sardinia, Italy on 26th September, 2015.

Snowies Trail Run (15km) results:

Men:

Jarad Kohlar, AUS, 57:13.56
David Osmanu, AUS, 59:12.56
George Tamblyn, AUS, 59:43.24

Women:

Jacqui Slack, GBR, 1:06:56.77
Elizabeth Humphries, AUS, 1:07:45.56
Jessica Simpson, AUS, 1:10:03.41

Sprint Cross Triathlon results:

Men:

Jarad Kohlar, AUS, 1:22:29
George Tamblyn, AUS, 1:27:57
David Esposito, NCL, 1:34:47

Women:

Jacqui Slack, GBR, 1:28:14
Jessica Simpson, AUS, 1:33:05
Bren Turner, AUS, 1:43:17

Dirt Master overall:

Jarad Kohlar, AUS, 4:39:21
George Tamblyn, AUS, 4:55:45
Josh Roy, AUS, 5:06:06

Dirt Mistress overall:

Jacqui Slack, GBR, 5:06:39
Jessica Simpson, AUS, 5:21:53
Michelle Morwood, AUS, 6:05:30

About TreX:

For seven years TreX has positioned itself as the pinnacle of the cross – or off-road – triathlon racing series in the Asia-Pacific region. Presented by the premier outdoor adventure event specialists In2Adventure, TreX consists of an open water swim, mountain bike leg and trail run. While each TreX event features an elite category with industry-leading prize purses, including $10,000 for the Australian Cross Triathlon Championships and $40,000 for the Oceania Cross Triathlon Championships, the TreX Cross Triathlon national series invites participation from all ages and skill levels.

About In2Adventure:

In2Adventure are Asia-Pacific’s premier adventure event specialists. With a full calendar of national events scheduled throughout Australia, including adventure races, cross triathlon, XC mountain bike, trail runs and corporate events, In2Adventure fully embraces all things ‘off road’ and ‘off the beaten track’ and offers a unique, individual experience for all ages and skill levels.