With only eighteen elite entrants, it may not have been the biggest field that Hayden Wilde ever raced, but it was strong nonetheless. And, in this crazy year, Wilde’s face showed just how much he appreciated getting the win.
The Kiwi took the Surfbreaker Triathlon in New Zealand in 53:28 for the second year in a row. Last year Wilde took the win in 1:00:18.
Nicole van der Kaay was the strongest woman on the day – her second win a at the race after she took the title in 2017. She stopped the clock at 59:22.
Men’s race
Behind Wilde, Tayler Reid took second in 53:49. Dylan McCullough rounded out the podium (55:22). All three have raced at the Surfbreaker event before. In 2017, Reid took the win while McCullough was fifth, just behind Hayden, who was fourth.
Wilde runs 13:52 for 5,000 meters
It was a good week for Wilde. Not only did the Kiwi Olympic hopeful take the triathlon win, he also participated in a local 5 km run earlier this week. While he had aimed to run 13:17, he had to “settle” for an impressive 13:52 time.
Women’s race
Rebecca Spence finished in second place, just six seconds behind Van der Kaay. The third podium spot went to Ainsley Thorpe, who finished in 1:00:50, moving up a spot from her fourth-place finish last year. She also took third in 2017.
