The event yesterday was apparently marred by frequent stoppages at traffic lights along the bike route, as race marshals stopped racers to allow vehicles the right of way.
“It was the equivalent of having the safety car in F1 races,” said Phyllis Lum, who was cycling in the sprint relay event. The sprint event is a shorter race that included a 500-metre swim, a 25-kilometre bike leg and a 5-kilometre run.
“The marshalling on the cycle route was unusual for a triathlon, but it was also unusual for a race to go into the city as well,” said George Lawson, who was champion in the Men’s Open event.
The 36-year-old Australian, who has been taking part in triathlons for the past three years, also pointed to the lack of clear demarcation of distances on the running route. This led to many participants in the shorter events running more than their stipulated distances.
“There were also not enough marshallers on the running route. I overran by about one or two kilometers as a result,” said Raphael Chew, 14. He took part in the short distance event, which included a 300-metre swim, a 12-kilometre bike leg and a 2-kilometre run.
However, Sean Ler, project director of this year’s NUS Triathlon, pointed to the set of e-briefing slides on the competition website that all participants were informed to refer to, before the race day.
“The e-briefing slides contain relevant details on the running route,” he said, adding that participants have also been “informed beforehand” to expect traffic delays along the biking route.
According to some triathletes The Observer spoke to, such heightened organizational expectations could have been due to the higher than usual competition costs.
“I understand that this is wholly organized by students, but competition charges should commensurate with the level of organization,” said school teacher Leong Yuen Lin, who was participating in her second triathlon.
Depending on categories, entry charges for last year’s NUS triathlon ranged from $26 to $46. This year, an adult individual would have to pay $30 to compete in the short-distance, $60 for the sprint-event and $96 to compete in the long-distance event.
The long-distance event, spanning a 1.5-kilometre swim, a 60-kilometre bike leg and a 15-kilometre run, is comparatively longer than the Olympic distance (1.5-kilometre, 40-kilometre, 10-kilometre).
Project director Ler conceded that the higher fees this year could have been attributed to the decision to bring the triathlon to the city.
“The barricades and Cisco guards that helped ensure security, cost between 80 or 90 thousand dollars. Although sponsorship has increased significantly this year, very little of it was in monetary form,” he said, adding that the event was “not making a profit.”
He also defended the decision to move the race into the city, saying “it’s time to connect the sports and non-sports zones of the city.”
“We have been negotiating with authorities since October last year to secure the road releases. It wasn’t until July that we managed to get Nicoll Highway closed for the duration of the race,” he said.
This was acknowledged by some to have added to the “fun factor” of the NUS Triathlon this year.
“The bike course was refreshing and daring,” said Victoria Campbell, a recent NUS graduate and the recipient of the 2005 NUS President’s Sports Award.
“Although it got a little messy, it was commendable considering the limited funds available to them and how it’s the first time they are taking the race into the city.”
“It made things just that little bit more exciting,” said Campbell, who topped the Women’s Open category yesterday.
The full results of the 2006 NUS Triathlon are available at www.nustriathlon.com.
Selected Results
Long Distance Men’s Open
1. George Lawson 2:57:39
2. Hoong Zhichun 3:02:40
3. Courtney Mcspadden 3:08:58
Long Distance Men’s Closed
1. Clement Chow 3:25:49
2. Wong Yingming 3:29:10
3. Wesley Tay 3:34.14
Long Distance Women’s Open
1. Victoria Campbell 3:21:27
2. Kelley Toy 3:28:55
3. Anna Helowicz 3:30:36
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