Tri and mighty: Duffy and Richardson set for Richmond Xterra

Flora Duffy and outstanding veteran triathlete Kent Richardson will meet up this weekend in Richmond, Virginia, to race in the Xterra Triathlon Series East Coast Championships. 

Duffy will be looking for a third series win, having already won the West and SouthEast races, as well as the Xterra South Africa and Xterra Pacific Championships.

Richardson, who for years has been a triathlon globetrotter, started his venture into Xterra racing with a bang in May when he won his age group in the Costa Rica Xterra Triathlon and he should place well in Richmond.

June is always one of the busiest months of the year for triathlon and this year is no exception.

Last weekend we had the Tokio Millennium Triathlon, the Argo Re Super Sprint Series is under way on Thursday nights, the Aon National Sprint Triathlon Championships is scheduled for June 29 and this Monday is the National; Heroes Day triathlon home event. 

As always, the Tokio Millennium Triathlon was a big success thanks in large part to the generous sponsorship and the hard work of the Tokio staff. It just shows the importance of corporate sponsorship, while the willingness of corporations to sponsor local triathlon events shows the health of the sport. 

Bad weather kept people away from some of the early Thursday night Argo Re Super Sprint races but last Thursday attracted 33 people, most of them newbies. This series has been a great stepping stone for those looking to get into the sport.

Meanwhile, congratulations to Mark Wilcox, Nancy Swartz, Sharon Alikhani, Jonny Betts and Chris Gallagher, who all overcame scorching heat to finish the Eagleman Ironman 70.3 Triathlon in Cambridge last Sunday.