The Straddie Salute - keeping sport real and putting the fun back!

By Ellie O'Gorman

I'm a weekend warrior athlete. When Weekend Warriors announced the inaugural North Stradbroke Island triathlon in 2008, I knew I had found a special event - why had no one thought of this before?! North Stradbroke Island is one of Queensland's gems and has been my family's holiday destination for over fifteen years - and I have seen it change and grow from a fishing village with a pub and some low-rise apartments where a few families would greet each other each school holiday, to an island that has a delicatessen, a gelati store and bookings have to be made yearly.

What has remained the same, thankfully, are the wide open spaces - the rugged cliff lines that give way to untamed oceans, The Gorge that offers some of the best vantage points on the coast for spotting whales and turtles, the expanse of beach that can be walked on, fished on, driven on (in a 4WD, with a permit), camped on and, now, run on.

The Straddie Salute was marketed as a triathlon to get you off the couch and out of your comfort zone, and run by a company that knew the way to a (realistic) athlete's heart. Weekend Warrior Events knew that most of us don't have time to train all day, every day. We have jobs, families and children to take care of, and dinners to attend, wine to drink, and sleep-ins to be done. Sport, while a passion, is something that happens when it can.

Needless to say, entries to the 2009 Straddie Salute sold out as Brisbane's athletes (and some from further afield) knew they were in for a treat come race day in October.

The Straddie Salute is an off-road triathlon and the first of its kind to make use of this part of South East Queensland: there is a 600m swim in the ocean on Home Beach (famous for its low swell and gentle currents), a short beach run into Transition 1 where the off-road bike course starts. Mountain bikes are compulsory. No trendy, latte-sipping bikes allowed in this triathlon, you need to be prepared to get dirty. The 20km off-road bike course is suitable for most athletes, it's not terribly technical, although some bike skills certainly come in handy. There is some soft sand riding and some road riding and it certainly challenges your heart, head and lungs. From Transition 2, the run leg starts with almost 1 kilometre of beach running on the soft sand, dodging the waves, down the infinite stretch of Main Beach, up the stairs past the surf club and into The Gorge.

The Gorge is, undoubtedly, one of North Stradbroke Island's jewels. The run is hilly, takes on trails, sand and road, and is approximately 8km long. The finish line is at the start and the organisers are there, waiting under the finishing banner to give you a slap on the back and a Powerade. It's a nice touch and the small field (kept so deliberately so as to reduce the impact of the race on the island's natural environment) means that you don't feel lost in a crowd of tanned, lycra-clad triathletes.

And so, the tradition of the weekend on Straddie (with a tri thrown in) had begun. A group of close friends and I got together and decided to be part of the inaugural event in 2008. These friends are also my training partners, confidantes, coffee buddies, and fellow foodies. We stayed in an amazing place on Cylinder Beach and after prawns, beers, and a walk along the shore, we decided we were all definitely ready to tackle the course the next day. Meeting one of my friends in transition after the swim leg was a moment I won't forget. Grinning from ear to ear, she's wiping her feet off, ready to jam them in her shoes and tackle the bike course. "How GOOD is that swim?" she says. "I want to go in and do it again!"

This race is unlike any other I have done before and one that you will finish wearing sandy feet and a smile. In 2008, I was the LAST competitor to finish the bike course (note to self to stop thinking about training and actually start training!). It was at this point that I realised this was a race with a difference -I was cheered on as I finished the bike leg and had words of encouragement yelled at me as I sprinted off into the run leg. There aren't many other events that give you that kind of attention and wonderful feeling of camaraderie and participation. One of the best things to come out of the 2008 and 2009 races, aside from some excellent spot prizes at the Straddie Pub (a Mountain Bike, Montrail shoes, helmets, socks, anyone?) was a photograph taken by photographer Andrew Watkinson who had positioned himself on the best part of the course, The Gorge. I look faster than I am, but this photo now resides proudly on my living room wall, proof that I was there and proof that I was running. An excellent memento of the event.

In 2009, I decided it was best for everyone (particularly the organisers - who needs a crazy person on a mountain bike that can't ride?) if I did the triathlon in a team with my boyfriend and one of my training partners. I did the run leg (which, it goes without saying, is the best leg of all as you cross the finish line and get the credit of the two teammates before you!). The weekend was brilliant. Similar to 2008, we had a group of friends, a house close to the action, and a weekend at the beach. We played beach Frisbee, cooked up fresh fish, drank wine, read books, went for walks, slept in, and did a triathlon. All done on one of the most beautiful islands in the world, and it's only a short drive and ferry trip or water taxi ride away from Brisbane. Those in our group who had entered the individual effort were stoked with their entry bags while those of us in a team appreciated the seamless transition from T1 to T2 and to the finish. Everyone was pretty excited about washing off the sand and heading down to the pub for a post-race debrief and beer. "Same time, same place, next year?", one of us asked. There was a small pause as people stopped to consider their aching muscles, bruised knees, and sunburnt shoulders, before a unanimous "Yeah!"

It's a race like no other. See you, your bike and your boardshorts at the start line in 2010!