February 4th : Over for another year!
When the sun rose and the temperatures topped 37 degrees on a warm February morning in Goondiwindi, most
would say another day in Hell, but to the 500 strong athletes that descended on the town to compete in the 2007
Diesel Care “Hell of the West” Triathlon, the temperature was heavenly.
The annual event held in the small South East Queensland town of Goondiwindi has served up tough
challenging conditions to athletes in 40+ degree temperatures each year of the races 17-year history. The event
renowned for its unforgiving temperatures, challenging course and cross winds on the cycle leg yet again
provided a perfect preparation race for athletes training for the Australian Ironman Championships and triathletes
off to the Malaysia Ironman.
This year the race was run and won by professional athlete and previous “Hell of the West” Champion Mitchell
Dean. Mitchell, based on the sunshine coast finished the race in 3:43:10, only two minutes slower than the
fastest finish time in “Hell of the West” history, and 4 minutes faster than the time he won the race in back in
2002. Click here for the full Post Race Article...PDF
January 22nd: Gundi is Heating up for Hell
It’s warm, the UV index is high & the rain is nowhere to be seen. Just another hot summer
leading up to Hell! The Diesel Care “Hell of the West” Triathlon is on again and will bring over
500 athletes and supporters to Goondiwindi for the race to be held on the 4th of February.
With over $8500 worth of cash and prises up for grabs, this years event is shaping up to be
bigger and better than any other year on record.
Not only are the numbers looking very promising for this year’s event, but the Goondiwindi
Triathlon Club is particularly looking forward to the quality of athletes that will be battling
against the heat to conquer hell.
Northern Territory elite athlete, Alison Fitch will be making her first trip out to Goondiwindi to
compete against HELL! Alison has done exceptionally well in the last two long course
triathlons she has competed in, placing first in the Northern Territory Long Course Triathlon
Championships two years running. In 2006 she was awarded the Northern Territory Institute
of Sports Elite Athlete Scholarship & has placed in many Half Ironmans over the last two
years here in Australia. Alison also ventured off to the illusive Hawaii Ironman Championships
last year, and place within the first 50 females worldwide. She is using the “Hell of the West”
as a warm-up for the Malaysian Ironman in late February & is due to compete in the
Australian Ironman Championships in April. Alison is particularly looking forward to battling
the heat and cross winds of 80km “Dead Flat” Goondiwindi Co-op Cycle leg, as she has
excelled in this leg in past half Ironman races.
In the male division, 2005 Champion Cameron Watt will be returning for the fourth time to
battle the heat and tough competition. Cameron has been hard at training over the past six
months, battling injury in 2006. In 2005 and 2006, Cameron placed in the top three at the
Yeppoon Half Iron Man and also placed in the top ten at the 2005 Australian Ironman
Championships at Foster. He also has won the State Sprint Championships, the 2005 “Hell of
the West” and the 2006 Dalby Triathlon.
Competing against Cameron will be United Kingdom athlete, David Brown. Like Cameron,
David will be testing out his endurance in preparation for the Australian Ironman
Championships in April. During 2006, David placed well in many Duathlon events in the UK,
and placed in the top 10 at the UK Ironman. He also placed within the first 50 athletes in the
World Xterra Championships in Maui and has set his goals high, wanting to take out this
year’s “Hell of the West” Triathlon. David has a strong Duathlon background, therefore will be
chasing down the leaders on the cycle & run leg.
Entries for the race close Sunday January 28th! If you have any questions or inquiries about
the race or Goondiwindi, please do not hesitate to contact Anna on
.
For entrants that have completed their registration, good luck with the training and we look
forward to seeing you all in Goondiwindi, February 4th.
December 06: The battle is on for the Champions of HELL!
A Queensland summer without the notorious Goondiwindi “Hell of the West” Triathlon is like the outback without flies, it just wouldn't feel right.
Preparation is well underway for the upcoming 2007 DIESEL CARE “Hell of the West” Triathlon to be held on the 4 th of February, with over 500 athletes preparing to put this infamous event in their racing schedule for the summer.
With electronic timing company ‘Top Tag' making their first trip out to Goondiwindi as well as over $8000 worth of cash and prizes up for grabs, the 2007 event is sure to be another benchmark in the Australian Triathlon calendar. And of course, who could forget, the Major Random Draw Prize. Thanks to Chris Langdon of ZIPP Australia one lucky athlete will take home a ZIPP Flashpoint wheel set.
Major Sponsors, DIESEL CARE have continued their support of the race, returning again as major sponsors. This year though, new leg sponsors of the race have come on-board with Brisbane based Cube Insurance sponsoring the ‘Murky' 2km swim in the Macintyre, the ‘Dead Flat' 80km cycle sponsored by the Goondiwindi Co-op, and returning for another year Taubmans Border Builders Mitre 10 sponsoring the ‘Hot as Hell' 20km run.
But the battle for HELL will be bigger and better this year, with many clubs out to snatch the perpetual Neil Pagey Award. The Award was first introduced last year in memory of 10-time finisher Neil Pagey who passed away in 2006. The purpose of its introduction was to recognise the groups of competitors that year after year make the long trip out to HELL. The East Coast Cycos were the deserving recipients last year with 27 club members competing in the race. The club have been coming for many years now, with several of their members coming to Goondiwindi to race five times consecutively, and some of them making the long trip to compete for over ten years.
HOT ON THEIR TAILS will be several other Triathlon Clubs, returning in numbers to compete in again in the Hell of the West. Brisbane based Yeronga Vipers Triathlon Club and the Phoenix Triathlon Club will be TURNING UP THE HEAT against the Noosa Triathlon Club and the Tri-Edge Triathlon Club in a battle for prizes and category places. With these 6 Triathlon clubs keen to bring big group of athletes out to the race, the 2007 “Hell of the West” is shaping up to be the biggest and best turn out to HELL in its 16 year race history. As always, these clubs will be full of enthusiasm, sportsmanship and energy, qualities that hopefully will never go lacking at the “toughest triathlon in Queensland ”.
So pack up your joggers and swimsuits, throw in your sunscreen and your sense of adventure, and come along to compete or watch the notorious "Hell of the West" Triathlon . Entries are available via the website at www.hellofthewest.com and close on Sunday January 28 th . Also make sure to check our accommodation listings and book early for a great weekend in the country. If you would like any more information regarding the race, visit the website or contact Anna on
.