Sports
Triathlon treat for Air Force
By Barry Rollings

Volume 49, No. 5, April 05, 2007
 
RED HOT: CPL Geoff Hanckel races for the finish line.
 
 
THINGS went just swimmingly for CPL Geoff Hanckel from RAAF Base Richmond when he won the Australian Defence Sports Triathlon Association’s long course championship from February 24-25.

Air Force finished first and second at Huskisson on the NSW South Coast as the fleet-footed FLTLT Richard Gardiner finished second and Army’s WO2 Gavin Wickham third.

CPL Hanckel completed the 2km swim, 83km bike ride and 20km run in 3:58.32, just ahead of FLTLT Gardiner in 4:05.11 and WO2 Wickham in 4:07.23.

It was CPL Hanckel’s swimming leg that set the seal on his win when he established an eight-minute lead over FLTLT Gardiner. He pushed his lead out further in the bike ride.

FLTLT Gardiner, who has a strong athletics pedigree, ‘flew’ home in the 20km run where he shaved about five minutes off CPL Hanckel’s advantage. His 1:10.22 to CPL Hanckel’s 1:15.34 was the third fastest time of all contestants as he stormed past WO2 Wickham.

CPL Hanckel was also second in the M30-34 category and 16th overall. FLTLT Gardiner was eighth in the category and 29th overall.

Army’s CAPT Del Madge was the lone female Defence entrant in the long course event and finished fourth in the F35-39 category in 4:56.22, completing the swim in 37.38, the bike ride in 2:37.48 and the run in 1:40.56.