Chris McCormack and Rebekah Keat made it a clean sweep for Australia when they won the second Challenge France on Sunday, 7 June in Niederbronn-les-Bains.
McCormack won in 3:50:47, some three minutes clear of Switzerland's Olivier Marceau in second (3:53:56). "The weather conditions were really tough, just like the swim. On the bike and on the run, I felt good. I was able to train for a week on the course and would love to come back to this wonderful event next year," McCormack said. South Africa's Raynard Tissink, battling asthma problems, was another three minutes back in 3:56:28. "For me it was really important to see that even with my problems I can still mix it up at the front of the field. That makes me look forward even more to the upcoming competitions in Kraichgau and Roth," Tissink said.
The race, a three-day festival of triathlon in the forested Alsace region, saw 1200 athletes take on the challenging course, which encompasses a 1.9km swim in Lake Mouterhouse, a 93km bike ride and a 21.1km run over roads and forest paths around Niederbronn-les-Bains.
In the women's race, Keat's 4:27:11 left her challengers little chance. "I came here to win," said Keat. "The race was fantastic and the course was wonderful. I'll be back next year."
Second place went to France's Alexandra Louison in 4:34:36 while New Zealand's Gina Ferguson took third in 4:34:40.
To learn more visit the race website at Challenge-France.com.
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