Noosa Triathlon: Stars to line up for 40th anniversary, and why iconic event is so special

Next weekend, Noosa Triathlon will celebrate 40 years since Grath Prowd decided that Noosa Heads on the Sunshine Coast would be the perfect place to host a triathlon event.

Ever since that day in 1983, Noosa has welcomed a plethora of world-class triathletes to the start line and now lays claim to the title of biggest Olympic distance triathlon in the world.

The five day festival, which will run between November 1-5 and includes a total of 11 events, will see athletes, legends and supporters flock to Queensland to be part of one of the most iconic races in the sport.

Why is Noosa so special for triathlon?

As an event that is consistently ranked in the global top-10 triathlons by athletes, the professional race at the Noosa Triathlon consists of a 1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km bike, with the race non-draft.

Jake Birtwhistle on course at the Garmin Noosa Triathlon - Photo Korupt Vision — Jake Birtwhistle at the Garmin Noosa Triathlon [Photo credit: Korupt Vision]

The event, which is said to inject close to $25 million into the local economy, expects to see more than 13,000 competitors take part across the course of the week, with more than 30,000 people set to turn out in support.

Since the addition of live coverage five years ago, Noosa Triathlon draws in an audience of over 150,000 viewers via the free steaming on Facebook, which has helped spread the legend of the race to wider realms.

On Wednesday November 1, the event kicks off with the kids swim-run events at Noosa Heads Main Beach, before the expo and swim race on Friday November 3. On Super Saturday (November 4), the open men and women’s races will take part, before the crown jewel on November 5 with the elite races.

With Ashleigh Gentle chasing a 10th women’s crown in 11 years and a stellar cast including Hayden Wilde set to battle it out for the men’s race, the course records look under threat next weekend at one of the spiritual homes of Australian triathlon.

Previous Winners at Noosa

With a Noosa Triathlon Walk of Fame unveiled to celebrate the event’s 30-year anniversary, thanks to a joint initiative between Noosa Council and The IRONMAN Group Oceania, the Noosa race winners and event patrons are remembered years after their successes.

Previous winners include former World Champion Miles Stewart, Olympic champion Emma Snowsill and current PTO World #2 Gentle. Gentle, who has won eight consecutive titles since 2014, has a total of nine wins.

Noosa Triathlon Previous Winners – Last 10 Races