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Staer Nathan and Whitby prevail at Bala Falls

2015 Bala Falls Triathlon - Top 5 Women and Men Overall
2015 Bala Falls Triathlon – Top 5 Women and Men Overall

First created 21 years ago in memory of Lisa Hamman, a passionate triathlete who lost a battle with cancer at the age of 31, the Bala Falls Triathlon continued today and saw Toronto’s Mikael Staer Nathan and Fiona Whitby adding their names to the champions list of this classic Ontario race today held at Jaspen Park in Bala.

The men’s race showcased a closely contested battle between Staer Nathan and Waterloo’s Edward Cyr over the first two segments. Staer Nathan led Cyr out of Moon River with a 10:24 swim over the 750 m course (Cyr swam 10:45), then Cyr snagged the lead over Staer Nathan with a 46:20 ride (Staer Nathan rode 46:29). Taking a 6 second advantage onto the relentlessly hilly 7.5 km run course, Staer Nathan asserted his control over the race by hammering out a race best 26:28 run to take the overall win in 1:24:10. Cyr held on for second (1:28:53), and Scott Hill of Thunder Bay finished third (1:31:32) with the second best run (26:52) of the day.

Bala Falls Triathlon (750m Swim – 30km Bike – 7.5km Run) – Top 5 Men

1. Mikael Staer Nathan (Toronto, ON) 1:24:40

2. Edward Cyr (Waterloo, ON) 1:28:53

3. Scott Hill (Thunder Bay, ON) 1:31:32

4. Steve Vandermolen (Bracebridge, ON) 1:31:57

5. Nathan La Brie (Midland, ON) 1:34:18

Frankford’s Rachel Faulds became the target for the rest of the women to chase after completing the open swim in 10:50. Trailing by 90 seconds, Whitby chased her down with a 53:06 ride over the rolling 30 km bike course. Whitby, ran 32:58 to secure the women’s victory in 1:40:15 in her Bala Falls debut. Faulds ran a women’s best 29:35 to claim second (1:41:02), and Toronto’s Phaedra Kennedy finished third (1:43:54).

Bala Falls Triathlon (750m Swim – 30km Bike – 7.5km Run) – Top 5 Women

1. Fiona Whitby (Toronto, ON) 1:40:15

2. Rachel Faulds (Frankford, ON) 1:41:02

3. Phaedra Kennedy (Toronto, ON) 1:43:54

4. Amanda Yates (North Bay, ON) 1:45:21

5. Jordie Seaton (Thornhill, ON) 1:46:34