Nevile Fry of Cairns reported that an iconic lighthouse proved a beacon of hope for Anthony Greenwood as he battled towards victory in the Fitzroy Island Ironman Ski Race. Greenwood completed the 25km ski leg from Cairns to Fitzroy Island and 400m swim with few complications but soon started to feel the pain on the 4km return run to the lighthouse.
“It’s a gruelling run, a really hard run up to the lighthouse,” Greenwood said. “By the time I got to the top I was absolutely spent. The ski and swim were all right but it’s just the hill. It’s about 2km up and 2km back but it’s steep the whole way.”
The 21-year-old has competed in the teams section of the event before but never completed all three legs. “We did a training run on it but it was harder this time around.”
Greenwood’s boat Hustler had the edge on competitors despite his observer having to deal with a broken fuel pump during the race. Last year’s winner Wayne Mawer finished second, using their rough water training boat Force Nine they did not have the speed in the smooth conditions.
“We couldn’t do any more, we didn’t have the boat to do the job and their (Greenwood’s) lead was a bit too big by the time we got to the island,” Mawer said.
Runner-up: Wayne Mawer battled in the ski leg yesterday
Mawer, who in is training for next month’s world ski titles, said he had enjoyed the calm conditions on the water. “The run and swim were easier this year because I didn’t have to push too hard on the ski and ended up having a bit of a rest because we didn’t have too much power there.”
Stuart Tobin’s Port Douglas Diesel team won the teams event.
Thanks to Neville Fry for submitting this article.
