22 September 2007 – Schinias Bay, Marathonas – Autumn Event : Triathlon…
The Gods gave the Schiniathletes the best conditions possible for the 1st Schiniathlon. They looked at us from above, saw all the smiley happy faces, and thought it was way too easy..
This 2nd Edition of the Schiniathlon was marked by strong gusty winds, topping at 7 Beaufort and considerable swell. Well done to all 95 athletes who made it to Schinias, determined to fight the elements and make the best of the conditions.
At 12:15 sharp, the flashy-orange capped bunch of athletes threw itself into the freezing water, swapped by the wind, and went to the most difficult part : the 300m line stretch against the wind. From the beach, the battle of the pack was a great show to watch.
The return line was all a different matter and it seems that the swimmers were carried by the current rather than swimming their way back on-shore !
Big big big surprise on the beach when we saw the 1st swimmer out of the water, having fought the most difficult fight of the event, was a girl! Congratulations to Sarah Paterson, who gave the guys a good lesson - taking 1 full minute off Markos the Shark (winner of the event) on this leg of the event.
The lead taken by Sarah was quite impressive and the first guys had a surprise when they passed her on the bike halfway through on the first hill.
The course was then taken over by a strong group of cyclists, Markos Pachos and Alex Christodolou, with Kostas Koumargialis and Panos Kouzinos on their heels.
Again, averaging the 40k/h was a big big challenge, given they were cycling contra-wind on the mountain coastal-road, where the wind were the strongest.
The running part saw the heading group tightening their gap, and we have been delighted to see the 3 first Athletes sprinting their way back to Moraitis : Markos The Shark a bare 8 seconds before IronK, himself ahead of Alex Christodolou by a mere 16 seconds !!
What a show they gave us, it was fantastic! We hope to see more finish like this in the future.
Then, the rest of the athletes made their way back, first timers and experienced, all reaching the line with a smile.
Thanks to Dimitris Moraitis’ initiative, the athletes were treated to a great curry-buffet, making room for the community to meet and share their experience of the day.
The afternoon was pleasant and relaxing, and the strong 7 Beaufort winds were long forgotten by the time we all headed back home.
Dear all, it was a pleasure to host the event and to see you enjoy it all.
This event is definitely a regular one now and we will keep you updated on the next event’s date once it has been fixed.
Efkaristoume para poli, Aloha to you all !
Sportively Yours
The Schiniathlon Organisation Team