Junior Triathlete, Nick Pilgrim put in a strong performance to finish 10th in the 2022 Americas Triathlon Junior Central American and Caribbean Championships, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Pilgrim was clocked across the line in a time of 1:01:12.
The race took place in hot, humid and windy conditions with the ocean swim taking place in the waters of the Playa Blanca resort in Punta Cana and the bike and run sections taking place on the roads and paths of the Punta Cana resort.
Pilgrim established an immediate lead which saw him exit the 750m Swim in 9:55, with only one other athlete within 40 seconds of him. A fast transition saw him out onto the Bike alone where he quickly established a lead of over a minute on the chasing pack. Poor communication amongst the organizers and course officials lead to confusion with Pilgrim being directed off course which meant a loss of approximately 20 seconds for Pilgrim who, despite the challenges, lead the race into T2 and saw him post the fastest bike split of the day clocking 27:26.
The run was a flat but hot and humid 5k with a number of the faster runners passing Pilgrim. Maintaining his composure, Pilgrim dug deep, and finished an impressive 10th place in a field of 23 athletes from 9 different countries in the region.
Coach Neil de ste Croix said, “I was impressed with Pilgrim’s performance as his off session had “not been ideal thus, seeing him lead the first two legs was a testament to his resolve and, more importantly, his improved swim and bike. The run was particularly hard for all the competitors as they had to run in the midday sun.” It was noted that a number of the day’s competitors were treated for heat exhaustion.”
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