Beaudesert triathlete Zac Cunningham scored a podium finish at the 2022 Moreton Bay Triathlon in a day of strong racing and outstanding sportsmanship.
Cunningham, 34, finished the classic distance (2km swim, 60km bike ride, 15km run) in a time of 3 hours 18 minutes.
That time placed him fourth in the highly competitive 30-34 age group however professional triathlete Sam Betten, who won overall, graciously scratched himself off the leaderboard, bumping Cunningham up to third place.
The 5 June event at Pelican Park on the Moreton Bay foreshore was originally set for 15 May but was washed out and had to be postponed to a chilly winter morning.
Cunningham went into the race with some underdog status, with the annual closure of Beaudesert pool limiting his opportunities to do swimming training compared with coastal athletes, or athletes with year-round access to a local pool.
However, his determination to get out on the bike and pound the pavements of Beaudesert with his local training buddies helped him retain the edge he needed.
Cunningham was thrilled with the finish.
“It was a great race, just a lot of fun from a cold swim to properly working with people on the bike and trying to break away from people on the run who were staying on my heels,” he said.
