A total of more than 870 participants over the 2025 Hell of the West weekend broke the event record by a country mile!

The 34th annual Hell of the West (HOTW) Triathlon was held last weekend in Goondiwindi, with the race attracting top professional athletes, along with almost 700 individuals and over 60 teams competing over two days of events.

The event, which is one of few remaining ‘grass roots’ triathlons community-run triathlons in Australia, drew athletes from as far away as Cairns, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, and New Zealand but also attracted a record number of local competitors in the Total Ag Services HOTW and Kenway and Clark Super Saturday events.

Conditions on Super Saturday were hot and humid, but that didn’t stop both adults and kids alike, from taking part in the fun. Sunday’s conditions were perfect for racing, with the weekend being touted as great success. Many local and visiting supporters came out to cheer on professional athletes, inspirational friends, family, and visitors for what is known as Queensland’s toughest triathlon.

It was the Saturday event where record numbers were smashed in all three events. The unusually humid conditions made it a challenging morning for the nearly 200 runners in the Inferno 5km and 10km charity runs, however it was certainly the day for the young runners with Ronny’s Runners from Moree making their mark. Ten-year-old Marley Legg won the Female 5km in 20:17 and Will Smith, also 10 years old, placed third in the Men’s 5km. The overall Male winner of 5km was Liam McCarthy from the Bush Turkey Track Club in Brisbane, with a blazing time of 17:35. In the 10km event Georgia Sloss placed first in a course record time of 38:22 in front of local legend Nikko Siddins, the previous record holder for this event. In the Men’s 10km, it was the Bush Turkey Track Club at the front again with Avi Singh making it look easy in 35:22. Declan Cabot and Will Barton placed second and third respectively.

The Firestarter triathlon, a race for everyone, from the Fast and Furious to more like Driving Miss Daisy and comprising of 200m swim, 7.5km bike and 2km run, saw a record field of 87 individuals and 5 teams. Tobyn O’Hara and Ruby Macklin ripped around the course with Tobyn setting a new course record 21:24, while Ruby’s 24:58 is the second fast female time ever.

The fan favourite and final event of Super Saturday, the Hell Kids events were held in hellish heat and humidity, but that didn’t stop the record 190 young hell raisers full of energy, determination, and smiles from zipping around the course and having a great time. Special thanks to TriMob volunteers for providing the kids with plenty of hive fives and words of encouragement as they helped them out of the pool and toward their bikes.

Kenway and Clark Super Saturday Images  

A very special Hell of the West welcome was held on Saturday afternoon with Buddy Hippi of Winangali Infusion welcoming visitors to the traditional lands of the Gomeroi and Bigambul people. Buddy’s interactive welcome connected and relaxed everyone in the crowd with story, culture, and a very special traditional song. Councillor Kim Skinner welcomed visitors on behalf of Goondiwindi Regional Council and candidly explained what HOTW means to the town and its people.

 

Goondiwindi Triathlon Club introduced the inaugural Allan Pitman Award for the fastest male and female age group athletes. This award pays homage to the remarkable, long-time advocate, fan and competitor of Hell of the West Allan Pitman who passed away in late 2024. Allan will forever be remembered as a HOTW legend – a 28-time finisher and 28-time age group champion at our event. There wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd as Allan’s achievements were remembered and celebrated in the presence of his family, friends and club mates.


This year’s race packs were a highlight of the weekend with goodies from Clif, Maple Movement, I am Grounded and Lucy Walker Pharmacy. The packs also contained a handwritten letter to each athlete from local school students. Some letters were inspirational, some instructional and some hilarious, but all were unforgettable. The outpouring of gratitude from athletes for these letters has been a post-race highlight. Thank you to the teachers and students from Goondiwindi State Primary School, Goondiwindi State High School, St Mary’s School, Border Rivers Christian College, Boggabilla Central School, North Star Primary School, and Croppa Creek Primary School for these beautiful letters.

Total Ag Hell of the West images 

Sunday morning saw a shift in the weather with some early breeze and heavy cloud improving race conditions, however the humidity was up, and the threat of thunderstorm kept athletes and organisers on their toes. With over 400 competitors ready to race there was an exciting but anxious feeling at the swim start and master of ceremonies Joel Murray set the scene on what has been described as the best Hell of the West ever.

The Professional Men started at 6am with pro women one minute behind. First out of the water was 2022 HOTW winner, crowd favourite and king of the kids Josh Amberger, in a record-breaking swim of 24:24, with the big Kiwi, Lachlan Haycock hot on his heels. It was a fast day in the water as Richelle Hill also broke the Female swim course record in 28:00, with Sophie Malowiecki out of the water only 2 secs behind.

On the fast and flat bike course, two athletes were cut above the rest. Kieran Storch accelerated through the field and made up 2 mins recording the fastest bike split of the day in 1:45:26, while T100 wildcard athlete Amelia Watkinson rode the bike course over 5min faster than the next female competitor. Amelia’s bike split of 1:54:21 would have been a bike course record had she not withdrew from the race during the run leg.

On the run Kieran Storch ran himself up two spots into first position by the end of the first lap, while Richelle Hill dominated the women’s field. Both Kieran and Richelle where able to extend their lead in the remaining laps of the 20km run, crossing the line clear but exhausted winners. Kieran’s time of 3:28:33 becomes the second fastest in the history of HOTW, while Richelle Hill won the women’s race by over 7 minutes.

Kieran, who first raced the HOTW back in 2014 was elated “After so many minor places in this event I’m so excited to have finally etched my name on the champions board”. Richelle was proud of her back wins and is now hungry for a third victory in 2026.

In the battle for minor places Lachlan Haycock of New Zealand placed second and Josh Amberger, who came in third was happy to add another pro podium prize of a Yallaroi Wares wooden board to his collection.

The women’s race saw Chloe Hartnett coming in second place, narrowly holding out a fast-finishing Sophie Malowiecki in third position.

2025 HOTW CHAMPION _ Kieran Storch 

2025 HOTW CHAMPION _ Richelle Hill 

Age Group athletes were not only competing to claim HOTW honours and Queensland State Long Course Championship titles, but also the inaugural Allan Pitman Award for the fastest male and female age group athletes. That honour went to Danielle De Launey from Brisbane and Patrick Hawkes from the Gold Coast and was presented by Sandy Pitman and Pete Jacobs.

Athletes crossed the finish line throughout the morning into the welcoming arms of the best recovery tent in triathlon. Everyone one who crossed the line had a story and a team of family and friends that helped them prepare and complete this gruelling event.

David Bones completed his 20th Hell of the West and achieved HOTW Legend Status. His name will now be etched into steel for eternity with previous 20-year finisher legends such as Allan Pitman and 32-time finisher Gareth Buckley. This has been a massive commitment from David and his family, and we thank them for their ongoing support of our event.

 The Neil Pagey Award for the club with the highest number of HOTW finishers is always hotly contested and recognises that while triathlon is an individual sport, it is best experienced with teammates. Goondiwindi Triathlon Club were clear winners with 23 individuals and 13 teams completing the race, while TriMob placed second and honourable mentions went to Koa Sports, Maitland Tri Club and East Coast Cycos.

The Goondiwindi Tri Club Spirit Award which recognises the club with the best team spirit over the weekend was awarded to TriMob, who brought lots of athletes, friendly vibes, some blazing and gritty races, and they also volunteered on Super Saturday at the Hell Kids event.

Goondiwindi Tri Club made a final special award this year by presenting Paul Amos with Life Membership of the Club. Paul has been an active member of Goondiwindi Triathlon Club and Committee for at least 15 years and has served as Treasurer and coordinated Friday Run Group for 10 years, as well as given countless hours of service to the club.

After presentations and clean-up, it was on to the Hot Mess Express After Party at the Queensland Hotel. Lucky door prize and best-dressed prizes were awarded and as the rain started to come down, the stories warmed up. It was great to see competitors and support crew connecting and everyone vowed to be back again next year to compete in the best event on the calendar.

Next year’s Hell of the West is already in the planning stage, with the event set to be held on 21-22 March 2026.

Event and Race Director, Tim Richards “on behalf of the HOTW committee can’t be happier with how this year’s event has come together. I would like to thank our wonderful volunteers, who once again did a fantastic job to deliver our competitors safely through the course, as well as the wider Goondiwindi community for their support of the event, and all our sponsors for their generous contributions. The Hell of the West has been around for 34 year and with the good people of Goondiwindi behind us, it will be around for many more”

The ‘Hell of the West’ is coordinated by local group, the Goondiwindi Triathlon Club who continue to operate the event and rely on the help of the Goondiwindi community, with over 300 volunteers assisting over the weekend. The event is officiated by AusTriathlon, and supported by Tourism Events Queensland, Goondiwindi Regional Council and many local and industry sponsors. With visitors and guests participating in events across the weekend, the festival attracts in excess 2,500 people to the region contributing an estimated $400,000 with direct economic and tourism impact

For further race details and results, head to https://www.hellofthewest.com/