Alex Waldauer and Marie-lyne Dore conquered the Liberty Mutual National Sprint Triathlon Championship at Clearwater Beach on Sunday.

Coming into the race as one of the favourites, the 31-year-old Waldauer initially held off strong competition from Jackson Langley, who was close behind going into the run but slowed with signs of sickness.

While the 15-year-old top junior triathlete did continue after a second stoppage, he lost a lot of time to Waldauer, who finished in 1hr 1min 35sec. Adam Prunty sneaked into second in 1:02:55, while Langley showed perseverance to cross the line in 1:05:57.

Now that he has captured all the national titles, Waldauer wants to turn his attention to longer distances.

“It was a really tough race and it’s really hard over such a short distance,’’ Waldauer told The Royal Gazette.

“Because it’s shorter distances over all three disciplines, you push a lot harder than what you would done over a longer race.

“It’s really tough racing against these youngsters who are used to putting their heart rates in the 200s.

“My best was the bike leg, just because I actually managed to find my rhythm. The last sprint race I did, I didn’t get into the groove.

“This time the swim was pretty decent and in the bike I found my rhythm in the second lap. The run became more of a survival and I tried to stay as cool as possible.

“I ran the first lap in fear of being caught by Jackson and Adam. Once I turned at a certain point and I could gauge where they are, I knew I had a good buffer.

“My focus was to try stay within my limits and finish as strong as I could, and that’s pretty much what happened.

“I've managed to win the Olympic nationals and the WTS [World Triathlon Championship Series] events, and now the sprint national title.

“I will now shift my focus into the longer distances andI think I’m going to retire from the shorter distances.”

Prunty, one of the best long-distance runners on island, was content with being second.

“It was just a good fun race and I’m pleased with how it went,’’ he said.

“I've been focusing more on the running this year, but it was good to come out and do triathlon.

“I was just trying my hardest to keep up with Alex and Jackson on the bike because they’re better bikers than me.

“I knew that if I had any chance I needed to be probably a minute off the bike. I tried to stay with them but they were too strong for me.”

The 40-year-old Dore, who is coached by Waldauer managed to open some breathing space between her and Maddie Durkin on the bike, which she maintained all the way to win her first title in 1:07:05.

“I’m really happy because the last time I raced here I finished third,’’ Dore said.

“I felt I needed to get a gap on the bike because I knew that Maddie was strong on the run.

“If she was in front of me on the bike, I knew I had no chance at all. We came out of the water together, I had a quick transition and started to push on the bike.

“I built a gap on the bike and ran as quick as possible, it was really hot and humid, but I kept going.”

Durkin was second in 1:09:44 to maintain her position from last year, when Ashley Couper was the champion. The 43-year-old was delighted to have her two daughters also compete in the junior races.

“It was a great day of racing and I felt really good doing my first triathlon race in over a year,’’ Durkin said.

“I knew Marie-lyne was going to nail the bike because she’s really been strong on the bike lately. I just tried to have a good race, recover and not worry about the placement.

“I lost the race on the bike as we were pretty consistent on the swim. Her transition was faster and I knew the bike gap was too big, so I just jogged it in for the run.

“I knew I wasn't going to make it up on the run, even if I had nailed it. I've been working on my run for about a year, but working on my run doesn't always translate to a triathlon because I haven't been working on a run after a swim or a bike.

“It was a really special day for me because I had both my children racing. Colette, my 11-year-old daughter, got third in the 11 to 12, and her sister Chloe finished sixth in the 7 to 10.”

Sam Williamson, fresh from winning two medals at the Central American and Caribbean Swimming Championships in Mexico, teamed up with Alex Pilgrim and Cameron de Ste Croix to win the senior team male event with TriSAC in 58:38.

Couper did the swim and the bike, with her daughter Sommers finishing things for Me & Mini Me to secure the female team event, while Aon triumphed in the senior mixed.

Neil MacGuinness, the father of Naomi, the winner of the junior girls 11 to 12, was victorious in the Try a Try, an event for beginners in the sport.

Saltus Grammar School took the senior schools challenge and the middle school competition was won by Warwick Academy.

Gabriel Maranzana secured the male aquathon title, with Madison Schindel the female champion.