Dylan Eiselt and Naomi MacGuinness took top honours in the Clarien Iron Kids Triathlon & Carnival at Clearwater Beach on Saturday.

On a day when a record number of 224 competitors withstood the heat to entertain the wtatching crowd, Eiselt, who was eligible to compete for the last time in the annual event, crossed the finish line in 20min 20sec to defend his boys 11-15 title. He received an early fifteenth birthday present of $1,000 in prize money.

“It feels really good to win again because it’s my last year,” Eiselt told The Royal Gazette.

“The race went pretty good but my swim wasn't great. The bike felt all right and my run was decent considering that I’ve just recovered from an ankle injury. Winning is a good thing for me but I just need to work hard before I go to Carifta.

“I know everyone’s strengths and weaknesses so I had to make sure I was solid on the bike. In my head, I knew my run wasn’t going to be so great since I hadn't run for four weeks.

“I’m really going to miss how much fun it is here. I like the time-trial format of the race, it makes you push yourself.”

Finishing a close runner-up behind Eiselt was Rory Shepherd (20:25) who won $500, while Jens Drea (21:47) was rewarded with $250 for being third. Sanchez Smith, runner-up last year, finished fourth in his final year of eligibility.

Shepherd is able to compete for one more year but is unlikely to do so as he is heading to school overseas.

“I really enjoy doing this race because it’s a good atmosphere,” the 14-year-old said. “Sadly next year I won’t be here since I’m going to school in England.”

With Eiselt and Smith not eligible next year, Drea sees it as a perfect opportunity to go for the top prize.

“I’m hoping to get more money next year,” he said. “I just have to train harder and hopefully, it all works for me.”

MacGuinness, who finished third in the girls 11-15 age group last year, won it this time around in 23:05, with victory securing her the $1,000 reward.

“I came third last year and I knew it was going to be close this year, so I am happy to win,” the Heritage Day Junior Classic winner said.

“As it was a staggered start, I focused on my own race. I was really happy with my swim as it has been my weakest link, but it’s something I am looking to improve on.”

Colette Durkin (23:54) made vast improvement from seventeenth last year to pick up $500 for finishing second.

“I’m so proud of what I achieved,” she said.

“I’m happy that I improved and I’m going to try and keep going. I think I worked hard and didn’t give up, so I kept going as hard as I could.”

Sofia Leclerc (24:24), the winner in 2024, had to settle for third and $250.

“It was a difficult race so I’m content with being third,” Leclerc said.

“During the run it was exceedingly hot so I found it hard to keep up and I lost my spot during the run because of the heat.

“I’ve been doing this race since I was 11. The crowd is really fun because they all cheer you on.”

Smith was not pleased with his how final race panned out as he faced a number of challenges.

“It wasn't a good race because I didn’t get a spot on the podium,” the 15-year-old said. “The swim was difficult then I threw up on the run, so it wasn't a great race. I’m going to miss the atmosphere, it’s nice and it’s a short race.”

Colin Morgan was the top male in the 11-15 non-racing bike. David Todd was behind and third was secured by Carter Davis.

Evelyn Fahy took the honours in the female 11-15 non-racing bike, with Violet Rossiter and Talia Andrew rounding off the top three.

In the 7 to 10 age group, Niklas Bock won the boys racing bike race ahead of Joshua Cann and Nolan Horrobin. The girls title went to Bethany Davidge. Izzy Stevens was second and Chloe Durkin completed the podium positions.

For the non-racing bike category, the 7-10 age group featured Julia Cunningham, Holly Cook and Aine Fahy occupying the top three female spots. Ted Brogden, Rex Barrowclough and Ethan Bernardino made it on to the podium for the boys.

Steven Petty, the Bermuda Triathlon Association president, was keen to point out the structure of the race.

“One of the difficulties for competitors in this event is that we start alphabetically by age in five-second intervals,” he said.

“Because there’s no many younger people with less experience on the roads, it helps to spread it out. It becomes more of a time-trial, you don’t really know where you are in position to your competitors.

“We saw some upsets where we thought certain people would win and they didn’t because they couldn’t tell where they were in relation to their competitors.

“As much as Dylan was one of the favourites, second and third could have gone in a number of different ways and it was interesting to see that Rory Shepherd was second and Jens Drea third.

“In the 11-15, it’s normally Sofia Leclerc winning and she was third. First and second went to young competitors who were competing against 15-year-olds.”

Petty expressed his appreciation to the sponsors for continuously supporting an event that has been a stepping stone for Bermuda’s top triathletes. Dame Flora Duffy, Tyler Smith, Erica Hawley and Nick Pilgrim are some of the biggest names that competed in the event..

“It’s not often that you see a sponsorship that lasts for 35 years,” Petty said. “But they seem to be happy and we’re grateful to them for the sponsorship.

“We also had an increase for the Tiny Tots and it has increased every year since it was started. The numbers were the biggest by far, 224 competitors surpassed last year’s 204.

“Thanks to Clarien for the carnival atmosphere for our young competitors. It’s not just about the race, it’s all the other things that they provide to make it a really great day for the children and their families.”