Murray overcomes injury niggle to win third New Plymouth triathlon title

IN RACING to his second World Cup victory of the year in New Plymouth, Richard Murray has established himself as one of the leading triathletes so far this season.

Murray claimed his third consecutive win at the New Plymouth World Cup in New Zealand, adding to his home victory in Cape Town in February.

He won the sprint race in a time of 54 minutes and 37 seconds ahead of the second-placed Matthew McElroy of the United States, with New Zealand’s Ryan Sissons in third place.

Olympic triathlon bronze medallist Henri Schoeman finished in fifth place with a time of 54:52, with fellow South African Wian Sullwald crossing the finish in 22nd place, clocking 57:11.

On the eve of the Cape Town World Cup, Murray said 2017 was all about having ‘some fun’ with the laissez-faire attitude clearly playing to his advantage.

At the World Triathlon Series in Abu Dhabi Murray finished in fifth place before he won the lucrative inaugural Super League Triathlon last month.

“I ran in my trainers today because my ankle was a bit sore, it is a heavier shoe,” Murray said in a statement.

“I’d never put them on before and I spent about 10 to 12 seconds in transition trying to pull them on and watching everyone run away.

“Not generally what I do in transition, usually I’m quick, but I was a bit slow today.”

Racing in wet and cold conditions, Murray and Schoeman were in a lead group of eight on the bike coming out of the swim.

“It was the wettest one (cycle leg) yet, there was a lot of spray, but the guys road really well,” Murray said.

“Henri and myself tried to get away right before the end of the bike for an easier transition.”

Murray remained near the front on the bike before he made up the 12 seconds he lost in transition to surge to the front of the run.

“If you said at the start of the race today that I will win my third consecutive race here, I would probably have said ‘not possible’, because I did not feel as great as previous years,” he said.