It’s a ‘David vs Goliath’ with less slingshots and more goggles, bikes, and runners as we come to the pointy end of the Forager ACT Interclub Triathlon League. With one round to go, JTM (‘David’), who would be considered one of the smaller clubs, hold a potentially crucial lead over one of the ACT’s largest clubs, the Canberra Bilbys.
JTM have a stable of athletes that would be the envy of nearly every other club in ACT, including some of ACT’s best up and coming juniors and U23 athletes. Previous rounds have shown that if they arrive with their full complement of athletes on the day, they can beat anyone. But standing in JTM’s path to success is the ACT’s ‘Goliath’, the Canberra Bilbys. One of the largest clubs in the ACT, they have been playing cat-and-mouse with JTM since round one, showing that they are a force to be reckoned with and can match JTM when their big guns turn up in droves. That was once again the case as Pollak, Duncanson, Lewis, Kael (Julie) all took top spot on the podium and kept the Bilbys in the hunt.
But could the blowtorch applied by JTM after round 4 have put the championship race to bed? JTM maxed out at the ACT Aquathlon Championships with 25 points (30) and extended their slight 2-point margin after round 3 by emerging victorious and extending their lead to 6.5 points. Critical to their victory was Wooster, Wynn, Halpin, Sutton, and Tennant who all took line-honours on the day. Something special is building amongst this loud and proud club, with great leadership and renewed vigour all contributing factors.
A quick check of the ‘Tale of the Tape’ demonstrates the huge difference in terms of the membership size but due to the points system in the league, it allows large and small clubs to compete on a level playing field. Although all other clubs are almost certainly out to the running to take the coveted prize, the tussle to round out the podium looks to be taking shape. After a very strong showing at Black Mountain, T3C have extended their lead on perennial rival the ADF. With 18.5 points and wins by Clarke & McClusky (including overall male and female wins) they have drawn clear of the ADF by 9.5 points, having held the slenderest of leads after round 3 at the Elite Energy Tri Canberra Festival.
For JTM winning the ACT league would be a significant moment in their clubs ‘coming of age’ story. They are relatively new and small club but have announced their arrival by matching it with biggest 600-pound gorillas of the Triathlon ACT club landscape, including established clubs such as the Bilbys, Vikings and Females in Training (FIT). With the season drawing to a close and JTM edging closer to that magical overall 100-point score, do they have enough in reserves to hold off their rivals as we head into round 5 at Big Husky next weekend? Only time will tell but one thing is for sure… buckle up and get that popcorn ready. It’s one last push to the finishing arch…
