The Equalizer is one of the featured formats in Super League Triathlon’s inaugural event on Hamilton Island. It is a two-stage race comprising an individual cycling time trial in Stage One in the morning, and a swim-run-swim-bike-run sequence as Stage Two in the afternoon. To make it really interesting, athletes must serve a time penalty in Stage Two that is equivalent to any time lost to the winner of Stage One.

Stage One of Equalizer, an individual cycling time trial of some 6km, took place 6am AEST on Saturday March 18, 2017. The individual time trial started on the tarmac of Hamilton Island airport for a flat out and back section and then went uphill. The climb to the finish line at One Tree Hill is a brutally steep ascent where athletes were tested to the limit.

In the last 1.4 kilometres of the Equalizer time trial course, athletes gained 121 metres in elevation with a maximum gradient of 24.4 percent.

“The time trial course may be only six kilometres but the last kilometres are as tough as I’ve seen in triathlon. Athletes will need to put it all on the line here to minimize any time losses. They’ve already raced Triple Mix the afternoon before and some will have tired legs. We’re going to see some real damage done here and the stronger bikers are going to have a huge advantage and an opportunity to really set up the win leading into Equalizer Part Two,” said McCormack.

At 1700 AEST athletes will begin Equalizer Stage Two which is a continuous swim-run-swim-bike-run sequence. Athletes will pay the penalty for any time losses in Equalizer Stage One on the start pontoon of Stage Two. The winner of Stage One will start Stage Two first and all other athletes will start at the equivalent to the time lost to the winner in Stage One.

Each swim, bike and run section of Stage Two is 300 metres, 6 kilometres and 2 kilometres respectively. The winner of Equalizer is the first athlete to cross the finish line in Part Two.

Who will be the King of the Hill, and will their lead on the bike be enough to stay in front all the way to the Equalizer finish line? You can see for yourself. The Equalizer race at Super League Hamilton Island will be broadcast live on www.superleaguetriathlon.com from 1630 AEST on Saturday March 18 including a highlights package of the Stage One time trial.

Thrills and Spills as Murray Tops at Super League Hamilton Island Triple Mix

Hamilton Island, Australia (March 17, 2017) - Versatility and adaptability reigned supreme as Richard Murray (#07) swam, biked, and ran three times in different orders to take the overall win on Day 1 of racing at Super League Hamilton Island.

The Triple Mix format saw athletes racing three stages, with ten minutes of rest counting down between each stage starting when the first finisher crosses the line. Stage 1 was swim-bike-run, Stage 2 run-bike-swim, and Stage 3 bike-swim-run.

Murray finished Stage 1 in third place after hanging off the back on the bike and making up time on the run. Richard Varga (#12) led the swim through the first turn buoy with a clear lead through the 300-meter course. But once on the bike, the lead switched several times throughout the six laps to make up the 6-kilometer cycle course. Siggy Ragnarsson (#57) dropped out, leaving only 23 competitors who all stayed close on the last lap. Ryan Fisher (#10) led through the first lap of 250 meters, but in the end it was compatriot Jake Birtwhistle (#44) followed by Mario Mola (#03) and Murray who finished in the top three spots for Stage 1.

Stage 2 began with a run led out by triathlon greats Spencer Smith and Brad Bevan through a neutral zone. Athletes took position behind him according to their finish order from Stage 1. Ben Shaw (#73) and Birtwhistle led the rest of the field through all four run laps, running shoulder-to-shoulder into transition to get on their bikes. Fisher and Birtwhistle took the lead on the bike, with Alistair Brownlee dropped from the pack. However, Shaw crept up on Fisher and the two were first to hop off the bike and into the water. Varga’s swim prowess again took him into the lead but this time to take the Stage 2 victory, with Andrea Salvisberg (69) and Igor Polyanskiy (#77) in third.

The final stage of Triple Mix began on the bike with Robbie McEwen leading the athletes out through the neutral zone. Josh Amberger (#27) and Salvisberg made an early move and steadily built a 15-second gap through four laps. Brent McMahon (#83) led the chase pack, and Ryan Bailie (#39) made a huge effort to bridge the gap and entered the top three by the last lap. It was game over for Shaw as he overcooked the turn out of transition to crash out.

Salvisberg was first to the dismount line and made a flying leap off the pontoon and led through to the first can. Varga once again surged through the water to take the lead, with Bailie on his shoulder. But in fifth place, Murray was waiting to strike. And strike he did, taking the lead, lapping a struggling Alistair Brownlee (#23) who was more than a minute back out of the swim, and chatting to the camera as he came down the finish chute. Varga and Bailie sprinted for second place, with the former edging the latter by a shoulder and then collapsing past the finish line.

Not only did Murray take the stage win, but also the overall win. Varga placed second even with the five-second bonuses he won for being first out of the water in Stage 1 and winning Stage 2. Bailie picked up the final spot on the podium.

“I planned to take it pretty easy on the first day, but then on the last run I noticed the favorites were behind me, so I knew it was my moment to go,” said Murray. The South African was reluctant to take full credit for beating Brownlee, saying, “I don’t think he was in the best shape ever when he came here. I can’t say it wasn’t great, I’ve done it once before but I think he had an injury, maybe the heat got to him or something. It’s definitely not the usual Alistair Brownlee that you’d see every single day. I don’t feel awesome from lapping someone who’s probably going 50 percent or 70 percent.”

Murray will now focus on getting ready for the Eliminator format for Day 2 of Super League Hamilton Island, which will involve a time trial in the morning and more swimming, biking, and running in the afternoon. “I’m very happy with how it turned out and I’ll try to recover now and get ready through the next ten hours, because in ten hours’ time we’re doing the time trials. I hope I can get a good starting position for the afternoon out of that.”

Watch Day 2 of Super League Hamilton Island live on superleaguetriathlon.com on March 18 at 1630 AEST.