By Tammy Schneider

The 2019 Kincardine Women’s Triathlon welcomed more than 450 athletes from around the province and from as far away as California.
Cold water temperatures kept swimmers out of the lake and changed the triathlon to a duathlon as the race start approached. Competitors were challenged to run a three kilometre race, followed by a 12 kilometre bike ride and then another three kilometre run, to replace the 375 metre swim in Lake Huron.
Spirits were high and while everyone was anxious to do their best, there was an atmosphere of camaraderie and support throughout the crowd. Race co-director, Vy Waller, marveled at the participation, stating the women were broken into age groups in five year increments, starting at 16 years of age. The oldest participating competitor was 71. A large group of helpers kept everything running smoothly.
“We have a great team of 100 volunteers,” said Waller.
First, second and third place in each age division can be found on the event website at www.kincardinetriathlon.com. Overall winners were Erin Snelgrove (46.03) in first place, Nicole Murphy (51.57) in second place and Sophie Hotchkiss (52.48) in third place. All winners in each division received prizes and a special grand prize draw open to all competitors was drawn at the end of the awards ceremony. Race coordinators also gave special thanks to Brenda Hill, who made a donation to KWT in honour of her mother, who had recently passed away.
More photos and video are available for viewing on the Kincardine Independent Facebook page.