AT 61, Jenny Dowie knows it's getting harder and harder to keep her young rivals at bay.
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The Warrnambool athlete won the Killarney Super Tri from Gabrielle Lanman and Liv Morgan on Sunday.
She completed the 750m swim, 24km ride and 6.6km run circuit in one hour and 40 minutes in a close finish.
Lanman (1.41) and Morgan (1.42) put on pressure.
Promising teenager Ruben De Silva-Smith made it five in a row in the men's section, finishing in a blistering time of one hour and 18 minutes to win from fellow teenagers Todd Dymke (1.25) and Riley Ontronen (1.31).
Dowie competes against those in her age group when she travels away.
Locally it's a different scenario.
"It is easier going away and competing against my peers," she said.
"I find it less pressure than competing against all the young ones in my home town."
Dowie said she had dreaded the run leg - normally her favourite section - as she'd been battling injuries.
"It's getting harder and harder for me - I am 62 this year," she said.
"I have always been a runner so the run's been my strength but now it's getting to the stage where the run is my weak leg.
"I try really hard and I enjoy myself - I only do it because I enjoy it."
Dowie, who might compete in the Melbourne-based duathlon series in April and May, said she was being smart with her training and in what events she picked.
"I come from a marathon running background so you would think I would like the longer distance but the older I get I am happy to stick to the shorter distances because I enjoy the sport and I just want to continue participating," she said.
"At the same time, they can be harder because you have to go faster. But it's not as time consuming with the training.
"I have so my friends who are unable to do these things so I am grateful that I am able to still do it."
De Silva-Smith, who moved to the south-west in 2019 and has won each Killarney triathlon since, has acclimatised to training in the cooler weather.
He will now prepare for the Cairns half ironman in June.
"It is very humid and hot compared to down here," De Silva-Smith said.
"I'll be doing some indoor training and will crank up the heater as best I can, close up the shed doors and get nice and sweaty.
"I am not looking forward to it."
De Silva-Smith said he was pleased with his time in the Killarney Super Tri which was longer than past events.
"I train a lot so I'd want to be winning by that amount because I dedicate a fair few hours to this kind of stuff, so if I wasn't winning by that amount I'd be worried," he said.
"I didn't have a great swim but I never do really.
"I had to chase them on the bike. By the time I got to the run I had a fair gap."
The triathlon also included a sprint event, short course and junior sections.
The sprint section - 500m Swim, 16km ride, 4.4 km run - winners were Paul McLoughlan (one hour and six minutes) and Karen Benson (1.17).
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