Back in the boiler

81 battle

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Eighty-one hearty athletes took to Avarua harbour for Thursday’s Trader Jacks boiler swim event as part of the Air New Zealand Rarotonga International Triathlon race scheduled for today.

The fun swim was a great opportunity for athletes in the international triathlon to meet and greet and of course to suss out who their main rivals will be in today’s race.

Despite an outstanding swim, 27-year-old Kiwi swimmer Craig Stewart was unable to beat the boiler swim record time of nine minutes flat.

He blitzed the swim in 9mins 24secs before the remaining field came in thick and fast in at the 11 and 12 minute mark.

Local triathlete Vanessa ‘Nemo’ Palmers is not nicknamed Nemo for nothing – the girl can really swim and she was the first woman across the line.

Palmer clocked a time of 10.56 and that was just a light swim for the PE teacher.

There were plenty of laughs and camaraderie among the triathletes as they prepared for the big one today from the Ngatangiia field starting at 1.30pm.

Get out there and support our international and local athletes.

Siblings ready for the big one, page 20