Photos and recap of Trautman and Watkinson’s record-setting day at Race2Stanford

A fast and flat 21.1-kilometre run course completes the race in the quaint village of Stanford. Photo by Oakpics.com.

Matt Trautman and Annah Watkinson didn’t just take the Race2Stanford triathlon last weekend, they each broke the course records for the half-distance race that starts in the whale-watching waters of Hermanus and finishes at the historic Stanford village in South Africa.

Trautman led the men out of the water and continued to open up a gap on his competition, finishing the challenging race in 4:17:14. Watkinson was equally as dominant on the bike and run, but found herself chasing swim leader Sylvia Van Tromp through the early stages of the bike. Watkinson prevailed and was just under a minute shy of breaking the five-hour barrier with her 5:00:59 finish time.

“Listening to post race athlete feedback we are elated that our dream of creating the most honest, beautiful and toughest ultra-distance triathlon in Africa is fast becoming a reality,” said event organizer Paul Ingpen. “We aim to make the Race2Stanford the Challenge Roth of the Southern hemisphere.”

2021 Race2Stanford

Men:

  1. Matt Trautman (04:17:14)
  2. James McCallum (04:31:08 | +13:54)
  3. Keegan Cooke (04:33:37 | +16:23)

Women:

  1. Annah Watkinson (05:00:59)
  2. Liza Visser (05:29:11 | +28:12)
  3. Marga Janse van Rensburg (05:31:10 | +30:11)
The Hermanus Whale Crier got the 2021 Race2Stanford, presented by SEESA, underway with a blast of his kelp- bugle. Photo by Oakpics.com.
Pristine ocean conditions greeted 250 triathletes and set the tone for a day of perfect racing weather at the 2021 Race2Stanford, presented by SEESA. Photo by Oakpics.com.
The challenging bike course takes in 1 600-metres of climbing in its 90-kilometre distance, as it ascends La Vierge-, Shaws- and the Akkedisberg Passes. Photo by Oakpics.com.
A grinning Pieter Brits was one of the numerous triathletes to describe the race as “brutal but beautiful”. Photo by Oakpics.com.
The elite women’s podium at the 2021 Race2Stanford, presented by SEESA. From left to right: Mandla Moyo, National Health Care, Liza Visser (2nd), Annah Watkinson (1st) and Marga Janse van Rensburg (3rd). Photo by Oakpics.com.
The elite men’s podium at the 2021 Race2Stanford, presented by SEESA. From left to right: Mandla Moyo, National Health Care, James McCallum (2nd), Matt Trautman (1st) and Keegan Cooke (3rd). Photo by Oakpics.com.

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