Pace closes off Triathlon season with win in San Vito Lo Capo

Held in the picturesque San Vito Lo Capo on the western coast of Sicily, the race proved to be a popular one where over 200 participants, 27 of which were females took part. This record number of participants resulted in the race start being delayed.

The race, consisting of a 750m swim, a 20k cycle and a 5k run was a draft legal race which also saw separate starts for males and females.  Rules also stipulated that women could only draft women, reflecting International Triathlon Union regulations for such races.

Starting five minutes after the male group and swimming in good water conditions, Pace encountered some problems when sighting and got caught in the midst of the male group, however Pace showed her prowess and was out, in third place, with the first group of females.

Pace’s transition to the cycling segment started with a slight mishap which meant that the gap between her and the first two females widened. Although a determined attempt to catchup with the other females resulted in Pace over taking the second placed cyclist, the gap between her and the first female cyclists was wide enough to see her cycle on her own without any drafting possibilities on what was a flat yet technical course.

Progressing onto the run segment, which was relatively flat though having a slight incline Pace broke into a strong run, which resulted in Pace overtaking the only contender for first place, Anita Pantaleoni, a triathlete which forms part of the Italian junior national team and who recently competed in the European Triathlon Union Junior European Cup. Pace’s run was too strong for Pantaleoni with Pace finishing the race in first place, and seventh overall, finishing with a comfortable lead over Pantaleoni.

“2014 has been a challenging yet positive season for me, where such positive results were very much in doubt at the beginning of the season” said Hannah Pace. “I am grateful for all the guidance and support that has been given to me from various angles and I am indebted to all those who provided me with such support - namely my coaches who have been instrumental in achieving this success.

Pace’s recent successes were the National Cycling Championships, the first ever National Cross Triathlon Championships, first place in the Triathlon Olimpico Citta' di Palermo, second place in the National Open Water Swimming league and second place in the National Triathlon Championships.
A good performance was registered by triathlete Angele Cremona who also took part in the race.

Pace’s participation in the Triathlon Sprint San Vito Lo Capo was made possible through Garmin, represented in Malta by Medcomms Ltd.