Couple celebrate double victory in a Burleigh ‘hitout’
THEY’VE raced around the world together but for triathlete couple Kira Hedgeland and Brandon Copeland, nothing beats the feeling of simultaneous wins.
And after years of watching each other race, the couple yesterday took out the male and female open categories, racing at the same time, at the Burleigh Swim Run.
“As much as I was watching the guys I was racing against, I was also keeping a keen eye on the girls and where she was
sitting in the pack,” Copeland said.
“It took my mind off my own race a bit because I was acting as a spectator as well.
“We’ve done a lot of races in the past but it’s very rare you get to win on the same day.”
Copeland, 23, finished in a time of 19 minutes 5 seconds while Hedgeland, 21, crossed the line in a time of 23:13.
“I got to see him a few times during the race and was calling out to him and cheering him on,” Hedgeland said.
“I had a bet with his younger brother (Copeland’s younger brother Bailey, who finished 15th) that I’d beat him and he was leading out the swim leg but I managed to get him eventually.”
Copeland said: “(Bailey) was leading after the first swim leg but then I managed to chase him down and we came out of the next leg pretty much side-by-side so we had a bit of a high five.”
Hedgeland’s win comes just one month after the triathlete was diagnosed with iliotibial band syndrome, a painful condition where connective tissue rubs against the thighbone.
She first noticed it during her final race of 2019.
“I had a bit of a break in Perth over Christmas and had a bit of discomfort so I went to get scans and got diagnosed which was a bit disappointing and really slowed my comeback to racing,” she said. “This was my first race back so it’s a great little hitout.
“It’s always nice getting a bit of confidence back.”
Copeland finished 26 seconds ahead of fellow triathlete Matt Hauser to claim back-toback wins in the event, while Sam Mcauliffe came in third.
“It’s always good to get the win and having a big crowd and your whole squad out there to support you,” Copeland said.
Defending champion Maighan Brown finished second in the women’s race followed by Charlotte Derbyshire.