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Race 5 of the Wild Dog Triathlon Summer Series was held last Saturday around the Burke St precinct in Warragul. 43 members across all grades participated in cool but dry weather for a change although there was a strong headwind up King St again. Luke Whitmore returned for his first race of the season and set a season’s best time in A grade. His time of 53.21 helped him to a win by over 8 minutes from Peter Bailey and Mick Clancy. The women’s A grade was again won by Pam Kiss who is setting some very competitive times at this level. In B grade, Harvey Scott held on to win from Simon Righton and Grant Nielsen in the men’s, whilst Renee Patrick took out the women’s from Wendy McLean. The Under 14 boys again finished well to record the fastest times over the Fun Tri distance, with Cy Monk crossing the line ahead of Ashley Scott. The Fun Tri adult winner was Rob Monk followed by Paul Myers. Hayley Myers won the girls Under 14 from Isabelle Napier and Prue Metcalfe won the adult women’s from Sharyn Norris. The Under 12s had a field of 13 starters and Hugh Napier raced strongly to record a time under 10 minutes. Caelin Dastey was second in the boy’s event. The girl’s race was won by Alex Gibson and Jessica Goodwin came second. Next week’s race will be a handicap for A, B and Fun Tri distances, with the Under 12s holding their series championship on the same day. Competitors in all grades are encouraged to decorate their bikes as this will be the last race before the Christmas break. Full results can be found at www.wilddogtriclub.org.au .

Race 4 was held in wet, cold conditions on a day where the temperature gauge barely reached double figures. Eleven Spartans braved the elements and amazingly eight of the eleven won their category! There was no bike leg held except for the Under 12s, who had a massive puddle half way round the course - luckily they were already wet. The Under 14s up swam further and ran further to make up for no riding. Full results are to be found on the Results page.

Race 3 of the Wild Dog Summer Series was held last Saturday in cool conditions. There were 51 starters across all grades including 26 in the Under 12s alone. The Under 12s have shown that they are keen competitors, learning the skills and techniques required in triathlon events. Hugh Napier and Georgia Durrand were the respective winners of the boys and girls events, with Caelin Dastey and Lauren Gooden also performing well. The Under 14s event saw Cyrus Monk again win the event from a fast finishing Ashley Scott. The girls Under 14 was won by Isabelle Napier. The Fun Tri was a tight battle between Andrew Runciman and Rob Monk, with Andrew taking the race by just 21 seconds. The B Grade competitors were the next to finish, with newcomer Adam Conway taking out the event from Simon Righton. Wendy McLean won the women’s event from Renee Patrick who had bike troubles half way into the event. In A Grade, Paul Taylor showed a clean set of heels with the only time recorded under an hour. Paul is looking fast and fit and is the early favourite for the club championship. Josh Quirk is continuing to impress as he competed in his first A Grade race and came second with an impressive time of 62.40. Still under 16, Josh is certainly a bright spark for the future of triathlon. Pam Kiss won the women’s section in a time of 73.13. This week’s race on Saturday will start at the usually time of 5pm with registrations from 4.30 at the clubrooms opposite the pool in Burke St Warragul. A free BBQ for members and their families will also be held after the race. Further information and full results can be found on the club website www.wilddogtriclub.org.au .

Rob Zwierlein and Pam Kiss are the 2007 - 2008 Club Champions after winning the A Grade events held yesterday. The season finale attracted 41 competitors across all grades. Second place in the A Grade Men's went to Paul Taylor and third to Mick Clancy. This is the third time Rob has won the championship, having also won in 2003-04 and last year. Pam has been a consistent competitor over the season and a worthy winner. Tammy Patrick was second in the A Grade Women's event. Other grade winners were: B Grade: Josh Quirk and Renee Patrick. Fun Tri: Wendy McLean. Under 14: Cyrus Monk and Hayley Myers. Under 12: Tom Hobbs and Isabelle Napier.

Last Saturday, Wild Dog Triathlon Club celebrated ten years with a special birthday race. Six of the past club champions, former presidents, committee and members were invited along to Race Five of the Championship Series. The club also presented inaugural life memberships to two long serving members James Durrand and Harvey Scott. After a few weeks of cooler conditions, a warm day was on offering for the sixty two competitors who took the challenge, with near-perfect conditions for fast times. For the first time, teams could enter in the longer races, and four teams took up the challenge. The A Grade event was taken out by Rob Zwierlein, from Daniel Smith, both putting in hot training for the upcoming Australian Ironman Championships in Port Macquarie in April. Third was Daniel Cleversley. In B Grade, Jeff van den Brand came down from the Latrobe Valley club to take out first place from up and coming junior Tim Davine, with Rob Monk third, competing in his first B Grade event. The women’s was taken out by Pam Kiss from Renee Patrick and Alice Melland. First team home consisted of Michelle Scamporlino, Mariah Dastey and Gemma Ormerod. The Fun Tri and Under 14s had eight individuals and two teams. First over the line was Grant Nielsen, returning for his first race for quite some time. Second male and first junior was Darcy Irwin and equal third went to Paul Myers and Greg Davine who staged a dramatic finish as they crossed the line together. First female was Hayley Myers from Wendy McLean. The first team home featured Emily Scott, Ashley Scott and Jeynelle Mills.The Under 12 event had 16 starters with another three new children. They are really enjoying the tri series and are always improving. This week Tom Hobbs again showed his strength in winning his third race in a row, from Hugh Napier and Joel Myers. In the girls, Isabelle Napier won her fourth race in a row, from Rachael Davine and Mia Mc Garrity.

A celebration of 10 years for the Wild Dog Triathlon Club will be held on Saturday the 1st of March 2008. The club was formed in 1997 and held its first Summer Series in the summer of 1998-99. The first club champions were Michael Broeren and Jan Kilday. All past champions will be invited to attend as well as other local clubs members. A scrumptious BBQ will be held afterwards. .

Two handicap races will be held during the 2nd series this summer. The first will be on February the 9th. They will be held for all competitors from Under 14 upwards. The handicapper, Graeme Patrick, has ranked each competitor from previous races and allocated a starting time, ie the highest ranked competitor will start last and the lowest ranked competitor starts first. Distances will be as usual and taken into account when calculating start time. Generally, competitors who have competed in two grades will be given two start times and will choose which start time to take depending on which grade they enter. Competitors who have not yet raced will be allocated a start time on the day.

The advertised date for the Club Championship race falls on Easter Saturday. It is proposed that the date be changed to Saturday March the 15th (one week earlier). This date will be confirmed when and if permission is granted from TriVic and the Baw Baw Shire.

The Wild Dog Triathlon Club is 10 years old this year. The club, based in Warragul, was formed in 1997 and held its first Summer Series in the summer of 1998-99. The first club champions were Michael Broeren and Jan Kilday. The club will launch its Summer Series this year on Saturday the 3rd of November, with a five race series before Christmas culminating on Saturday, December the 8^th. The Sprint Series Championship will be decided on this day and a celebration of the club’s 10^th anniversary will take place. Past champions will be invited to attend and compete in the event. In 2008, a second series will begin on Australia Day. All races start at 5pm at the Warragul Indoor Pool (be there by 4.30). Races cater for all age groups from under 12 through to adults. They begin with distances of 50m swim, 2km bike ride and 800m run for children. Adults can start with a 150m swim, 6km bike ride and 2km run. Longer distances of 500/18/5 and 300/12/3 are available for A & B Grades and older kids. Membership to the club is $20 for adults, $10 for children and $40 for a family, which includes entry into the first race. Any club member who is also a member of Triathlon Victoria will get a $3 discount on subsequent club races. Further information can be found on the club website www.wilddogtriclub.org.au or by calling 56 220514.

NEW SEASON ON ITS WAY - Planning for the 2007-2008 is well under way. This year the club hopes to hold sanctioned races that will allow club members to race without being members of TriVic. Whilst the club still encourages members to join the TriVic for the purpose of racing elsewhere, personal insurance and many other benefits, if you intend only to race with the club locally you will only need to be a club member. Club membership will be included in the race entry fee of your first club race. Committee member Donna Gibson has been able to secure some quality sponsorship with D-Bike in Drouin being the major sponsor for this season.

GEOFF WATT HALF MARATHON - Sunday 26th of August 2007 10am - 21.1km (also 8km and 4km events) This event has been held in Warragul every year since 1970, usually in the last week of August or the first week of September. It starts at the Geoff Watt Track, Burke St Warragul at 10am. An 8km and 4km event is also held concurrently. The 21.1k half marathon is an out and back course, heading past Bona Vista and turning near Cloverlea. On a fine day the course is very scenic, although the tough Bona Vista hill must be negotiated in both directions, once at the 2km mark and on the way back at the 17km mark. The event is named for Geoff Watt, a local athlete of some repute who tragically died whilst running in the foothills of the Baw Baw Ranges in the late 1960s.In 1994, commemorating 25 years of the event, his daughter, Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Kathy Watt, was special guest at the presentation to the winners.

Wild Dog Tri Club has announced a Duathlon Club Championship to be held on Sunday the 22nd of July. Distances will be a 5km run, 20km bike ride followed by a 3km run. The event will start at 9.30am from the clubrooms in Burke St. Warragul. Shorter distances will also be offered for juniors, and a 5km fun run will also be held in conjunction with the duathlon. Entry fee is $10 for the duathlon, $5 for the fun run. Duathletes must be members of Tri Vic (current membership expires at the end of July). Further details to be posted as they become available.

8 club members recently completed the Australian Ironman Championships held in Port Macquarie on the 1st of April. Congratulations to Luke Whitmore (9hrs 51.43), Craig McGarrity (10.10.26), Rob Zwierlein (10.12.52), Daniel Smith (10.59.42), Damien Smith (11.07.08), Robbie Sapkin (11.20.48) Taryn Gooding (11.29.12) and Gary Olssen (11.32.18)

The Latrobe Valley Tri Club has invited the Wild Dogs and the Riviera Tri Club to an Interclub Challenge race to be held on April the 15th at Hazelwood Pondage, Morwell. The race will be run on a points system so the more Wild Dogs who participate, the more chance we have of winning. Three distances will be on offer, a 1500m / 36km / 10km or a 500 / 24 / 5 and 200/12/3. LV club members will also be competing for the Bernard Peavey Memorial Trophy, a club member who was tragically killed while training on his bicycle. The date is 2 weeks after the Ironman in NSW so we should have plenty of Wild Dogs keen to participate in the warm waters of the pondage. Race entries from 8.30am and race start 10am. More details on Latrobe Valley Tri Club website

On Saturday the 10th of MarchWild Dog Triathlon Club held its 2006-07 Club Championships in Warragul. A field of 24 athletes competed for seven championship awards ranging from Open A Grade to Under 12s. Rob Zwierlein became the first male to win two club championships, the last being in the 2003-2004 season. Lauren Isles became the youngest female club champion winning the A Grade female event at the age of 15.

The A Grade event had seven starters with Rob starting as warm favourite. A return to the club for Jezza Michau was always going to keep Rob honest even though Jezza couldn’t win the club championship. Peter Bailey returned from injury to have a crack at another club award and was competitive throughout the race whilst Graeme Patrick and Mick Clancy were also keen to do well. With Tammy Patrick and Lauren starting in the A Grade, the women’s event was sure to be an interesting tussle with Tammy winning the last few head to head but Lauren improving by minutes every week. Rob’s lead of 45 seconds out of the water was never going to be headed and with a fast bike leg and just over 20 minutes for the 5km run, Rob won the championship in 56.34 from Peter Bailey and Graeme Patrick. Of the non-qualifiers, Jezza’s time of 57.44 was second in the race and Mick Clancy’s 1.04.04 was fast enough to place him 4^th overall. Lauren’s fast run time helped her to 1.13.36 which was again a PB. Tammy’s 1.15.07 was outside her best but nonetheless she has completed a great season stepping up to A Grade. The B Grade event had eleven starters 10 of whom were eligible to win the minor championship. A blanket field out of the water proved challenging for the timekeepers with 6 swimmers out within 11 seconds of each other. The bike leg sorted a few out around a fast course this week and Peter Clerks took a 21 second lead into the run leg. In the women’s race, Pam Bensted led for the first two legs from Donna Gibson, Renee Patrick, and Wendy Mc Lean. The men’s race was hotting up with young gun Chris Godsil ready to pounce and Harvey Scott and Grant Nielsen neck and neck throughout the ride. Chris powered through the run leg in under 13 minutes to overtake Peter within the last few metres to win in 41.55, the fastest B Grade time for the series. Third place went to Harvey in 44.10 from Grant who ended up having a close finish with Simon Righton who cracked 46 minutes for the first time. Arthur Holland’s time of 47.06 was a minute ahead of Peter Aitken who smashed through the 50 minute barrier well and truly with a time of 48.12. Donna Gibson rise from Fun Tri champion to B Grade champion was completed with a fast run and a finish time of 48.15. Pam was just behind in 48. 50. Renee, competing over the B Grade distance but still winning the Under 14 championship, finished in 49.45 from Wendy in 51.35.

The Baw Baw Shire Challenge featured D’Arcy Irwin, the sole competitor over the Under 14 distance and four starters in the Under 12 Championship. With one more event D’Arcy would have qualified for a junior club championship, but augers well for next year. His time of 26.23 was the best Under 14 time for the season. In the Under 12s, Alex Gibson was the first to leave the water over the shorter distance. She has learnt a lot in her first season and is now a confident competitor. Joseph Patrick swam for the first time in a few weeks and was close behind Ashley Scott out of the water. Cyrus Monk was not far behind and all took to the bike leg with enthusiasm. Cyrus soon caught Joe and Alex and was riding with confidence. Meanwhile Ashley had opened up a handy lead which he was determined not to lose. In the run leg Ashley ran a personal best to win in 14.45 from Cyrus in 15.03, also a PB over the distance. Cyrus still has 2 years in the Under 12s and seems a natural in the sport. Joe was pleased to be back doing the full event and finished in 17.55. Alex won the girls section in 18.46. Full results are at www.wilddogtriclub.org.au . Congratulations to all club members who competed over the summer. A very successful year for the club with almost 50 members on the books. All eyes will now be on club members competing in the Port Macquarie Ironman on the 1^st of April and the Interclub Challenge against the Latrobe Valley Tri Club on April the 15^th.

Press Release: The 2006 Sprint Series Championship was held on Saturday the 16th by the Wild Dog Triathlon Club. 27 members qualified for the championships and conditions for the event were favourable although there was a strong headwind up King St again. Pumped after a great time in the Shepparton Half Ironman, Gary Olsson took out the A Grade Sprint Series Championship with a time of 1:02.34. Second and third in the club championship were Graeme Patrick and Phil Vitale. Paul Taylor from the Latrobe Valley club was first across the line with a time of 58:24. The club had four female A Grade competitors over the series but none competed in the Championship race. The B Grade Championship went to Peter Bailey. Peter’s time of 39:10 was a little slower than his season’s best but over five minutes faster than second placed Harvey Scott. Third went to Trevor Hammond. The B Grade Womens champion is Tammy Patrick, who has performed consistently throughout the season and completed the course in 46:13 from Pam Bensted and Wendy McLean. The Fun Tri winner was Peter Clerks who is increasing in confidence with every race he goes in. Congratulations to Renee Patrick who won the Under 14 Championship. Renee competes directly against the Fun Tri competitors which always gives her motivation to do well. The Under 12 Champion is Cyrus Monk who won a close battle from Ashley Scott and Joseph Patrick. These three are really working hard at improving their triathlon skills and we look forward to seeing them again in the second series starting in February. The day concluded with a BBQ and presentations. A new race series will begin on Saturday the 3^rd of February 2007. New members are welcome to attend. In the meantime, there’s plenty of time to train over the holiday break. Further information about club membership and full results can be found on the club website www.wilddogtriclub.org.au .

Congratulations to Gary "Ollie" Olsson on winning the Sprint Series Club Championship held on the 16th of December. B Grade Champions are Peter Bailey and Tammy Patrick, Fun Tri Peter Clerks, Under 14 Renee Patrick and Under 12 Cyrus Monk.

Press Release: Race two in the Wild Dog Triathlon Club Sprint Series was held last Saturday in cool, breezy conditions around the Burke St. precinct. Another strong turnout was witnessed with 28 competitors across all grades including 7 new members. The Under 12s raced first and decided to extend themselves by doubling their swim to 100m, riding 3km and running 1km. Ashley Scott held out a fast finishing Cyrus Monk and Joseph Patrick to finish the race in 15m 20s. Well done to Alex Gibson in her first triathlon as well. Under 14s had two female competitors Renee Patrick and newcomer Hannah Bailey. Renee again showed how much she is improving with another fast time of 27m 44s. A Grade saw last week’s winner Daniel Smith forced to retire from the race with a puncture after the first lap of the bike leg. Luke Whitmore, returning for his first race of the season, went on to score a comfortable win from Damien Smith and Darren Brown. Luke’s time of 54m.11s was the fastest time of the season so far. Well done to Taryn Gooding who was the only female in A Grade this week. B Grade started well with 9 competitors and again Peter Bailey raced away to record a win by 5 minutes from Harvey Scott and Mick Whelan. Tammy Patrick was the first female home in 45m. 56s. The Fun Tri had three entries with Peter Clerks winning in 24m 44s from Trevor Hammond returning from injury and Donna Gibson who knocked almost 3 minutes off last week’s time.

Next Saturday is a Duathlon with the pool unlikely to be available. Distances will be 3km run, 18km bike and 5km run for A Grade, 2/12/3 for B Grade, 1/6/2 for Fun Tri and Under 14s and 1/3/1 for Under 12s. All events start from 4.30pm. Further information and full results can be found on the club website www.wilddogtriclub.org.au .

Sponsorship of the junior season has been secured with the generous support of the Baw Baw Shire, who will be subsidising the junior club membership and race entries for the 2006 2007 season. A $500 grant will allow juniors to pay no club membership fee and a reduced race entry fee. This will mean that Under 16s will still need to become members of TriVic but the only other cost they will incur is $1 per race. The club acknowledges the support of the shire and is likely to rename the junior series as "The Baw Baw Shire Junior Challenge".

Posted 7/11/06

LETTER TO RESIDENTS of Burke, King, Wills, Spring and adjoining streets (to be hand delivered in the week prior to the first race).

Throughout the summer of 2006-2007, the Wild Dog Triathlon Club is holding club events around the Burke St, King St, Wills St, Spring St circuit. Bike riders from under 12 through to adults will be sharing the road with regular road users during these times.

RESIDENTS AND ROAD USERS IN THIS AREA ARE ASKED TO PROCEED WITH CAUTION DURING THE EVENTS

FOR UP TO AN HOUR AFTER RACE START TIMES.

Calendar of Club Events 2006-2007

Saturday November 18^th 2006

Saturday November 25^th 2006

Saturday December 2^nd 2006

Saturday December 9^th 2006

Saturday December 16^th 2006

Saturday 3^rd February 2007

Saturday 10^th February 2007

Saturday 17^th February 2007

Saturday 24^th February 2007

Saturday 3^rd March 2007

Saturday 10^th March 2007

Saturday 17^th March 2007

Cyclists will be on these roads from 5pm to approx. 6pm

THESE ROADS WILL NOT BE CLOSED TO TRAFFIC AND ALL RIDERS ARE REQUIRED TO OBSERVE ALL NORMAL ROAD RULES.

The Wild Dog Triathlon Club based in Warragul will again hold a summer series of events from November through to March. Beginning on Saturday the 18^th of November and continuing every Saturday, the five race series before Christmas will culminate on December the 16^th with a Sprint Series Championship. In 2007, a second series will begin on February the 3rd. The races start at 4.30pm at the Warragul Indoor Pool and cater for all age groups from under 12 through to adults. They begin with distances of 50m swim, 2km bike ride and 800m run for children. Adults can start with a 150m swim, 6km bike ride and 2km run. Longer distances are available for A & B Grades and older kids. A feature of this year’s series will be a BBQ after each event. To race with the Wild Dogs, you must first become a member of Triathlon Victoria. Potential members must do this now as no TriVic memberships will be accepted on the day. Further information can be found on the club website www.wilddogtriclub.org.au or by calling 56 220514.

Next committee meeting is Wednesday the 4th of October at 6.30pm. Venue is the courthouse restaurant. Please check which meeting room we are in!

Daniel Smith has become the first Wild Dog to win the Geoff Watt Half Marathon held in Warragul last week. Daniel posted an excellent time just over 1 hr and 17 minutes. Other Wild Dogs competing were Graeme Patrick (21.1k) Simon Righton, Tammy Patrick, Harvey Scott (8k) and Renee Patrick and Ashley Scott (4k).

GEOFF WATT HALF MARATHON - Sunday 27th of August 2006 10am - 21.1km (also 8km and 4km events) This event has been held in Warragul every year since 1970, usually in the last week of August or the first week of September. It starts at the Geoff Watt Track, Burke St Warragul at 10am. An 8km and 4km event is also held concurrently. The 21.1k half marathon is an out and back course, heading past Bona Vista and turning near Cloverlea. On a fine day the course is very scenic,although the tough Bona Vista hill must be negotiated in both directions, once at the 2km mark and on the way back at the 17km mark.The event is named for Geoff Watt, a local athlete of some repute who tragically died whilst running in the foothills of the Baw Baw Ranges in the late 1960s.In 1994, commemorating 25 years of the event, his daughter, Olympic and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Kathy Watt, was special guest at the presentation to the winners.

Next club meeting is on Wednesday 23rd of August at 6.30pm at the Courthouse Restaurant, Warragul.

New venue for club meeting on the 18th of July. will now be held at Hammo's, 43 Clifford St Warragul at 7pm.

The Annual General Meeting of the Wild Dog Triathlon Club was held tonight. A good turnout of members nominated Rob Zwierlein as the President for 2006-2007, Tammy Patrick as Secretary, Simon Righton as Treasurer and James Durrand as Race Director. Committee members were also elected. The committee set the club membership fees for 2006-07 at $30 for adults and $15 for under 20 year olds. A $10 discount to juniors under 16 will apply if either of their parents are members. Memberships to be received by the first club race. Next committee meeting is on Tuesday the 18th of July at the Courthouse Restaurant, 6.30pm.