Super League Triathlon Jersey weekend recap

Vincent Luis and Katie Zaferes take the first win of the 2018 Super League Triathlon Championship Series

Cam Mitchell October 2, 2018

Start of the 2018 Super League Triathlon Championship race series in St. Helier, Jersey. Photo: @nathankillam

On Saturday, September 29th, the Super League Triathlon (SLT) Championship Series began in St. Helier, Jersey.

The race weekend started with the Triple Mix race format on day one. Known for its stage format, the race tests not only the athletes’ versatility, but also their endurance.

Frenchman Vincent Luis took the win on day one. He was followed by Henri Schoeman (RSA), Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR), Jonathon Brownlee (GBR) and Richard Murray (RSA). Tyler Mislawchuk was the top Canadian in ninth. Matthew Sharpe finished 13th and was followed by Taylor Reid (24th) and Nathan Killam (25th).

Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) matched her compatriot, topping American Katie Zaferes, Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), Kirsten Kasper (USA) and Jodie Stimpson (GBR) in the Triple Mix. Joanna Brown was the top Canadian in 13th. She was followed by Desirae Ridenour in 16th.

On Sunday, the triathletes took on the Enduro. Known as the most challenging race format, the Endura tests the athletes’ endurance and race tactics.

The men’s Enduro finished with Luis taking the win again. He was followed by the South African duo of Schoeman and Murray, Blummenfelt and Brownlee. Sharpe was the top Canadian in ninth. Mislawchuk, Reid and Killam followed in 13th, 23rd and 24th. With the points collated from their performances in yesterday’s race, Luis won the first race of the SLT season. Schoeman and Blummenfelt rounded out the podium. The Canadians finished 11th (Sharpe), 12th (Mislawchuk) 24th (Reid) and 25th (Killam) in the overall standings.

Katie Zaferes. Photo: @kzaferes6

Vincent Luis. Photo: @vincentluistri

In the women’s Enduro race, Zaferes and Kasper went one-two ahead of Beaugrand. Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) and Summer Cook (USA) rounded out the top five. Canadians’ Brown and Ridenour finished ninth and 18th. Zaferes topped Beaugrand in the overall standings, taking the first win of the 2018 SLT Championship race series. Kasper finished third overall. Brown finished 12th and Ridenour 18th.

Following the weekend, all the Canadians raved about the event.

Brown said, “It was an incredible experience, and I’m definitely looking forward to round two.”

Reid says, “It was the fastest racing I’ve ever seen. SLT was built for TV and will take triathlon to the next level.”

The race weekend was incredibly challenging for the athletes. It was cold and wet, and the racing was fast. Mislawchuk hit the deck on day two, and had a hard time adapting to the cold after a warm summer of racing. Brown said, “It was unlike anything I’ve ever done before. There was no room for error.”

Mislawchuk, Brown, Ridenour and Sharpe will be back for round two in Malta, October 27th. Unfortunately, Reid and Killam didn’t quite have enough to qualify for the remaining events, but both are eager to try for 2019. “I will be giving it a serious go for next year,” says Reid.