HE’S done it again! Brisbane based professional triathlete Sam Betton has taken out his fifth consecutive Dirt n Dust triathlon and this year he did the 800 metre swim leg, 25km bike ride and 5km run in just 59min 40sec, four minutes faster than his time last year.
Mt Isa Fire and Rescue Officer Amanda Gowing took home the winner’s check for the first female across the finishing line in a time of 1hr 16min 35sec.
It was a “coming of age” for the 21st time the Dirt n Dust Triathlon has been run and its popularity is reflected in the 355 triathletes and 155 junior triathletes who competed this year.
In its inaugural year in 1996 just 15 athletes competed and the winner was locally-bred Max Fegan who competed again this year as part of a team.
Due to pressure and hardship caused by the ongoing drought, there was a possibility that this year’s Dirt n Dust festival would not happen.
But the strength of the local community shone through and this tiny outback community of just 300 people played host to over three thousand people from across the nation.
Dirt n Dust Committee President Stephen Malone said feedback from festival-goers was overwhelmingly positive.
“We had a lot of very happy faces across all events this weekend and some good feedback about the professional organisation of the festival,” said Mr Malone.
“As always a big thank you goes out to all of our sponsors, particularly our major supporters Tourism and Events Queensland and Cannington and McKinlay Shire Council.
To view the full image gallery from the event, click on the photo below.
“We were also very lucky to have Corey Oliver from Bondi Rescue back who will help spread the word across the world on the amazing things there are to see and do, not just at the Dirt n Dust Festival, but right across the region.
“Corey and the Bondi boys, Reidy and Bacon, have become great ambassadors for the region since we started working with them last year and we’re hope that relationship will continue long into the future,” Mr Malone said.
