Selection Race for Grand Prix Series

This was the last year radio station 2WS sponsored the event (they had been involved since 1986). It was also the last year of the hilly 12km run. The run course in future years was trimmed down to 10km after numerous requests from competitors and to align with other event distances who were settling on a 10km run which was eventually to become the Olympic standard.

The Nepean Triathlon was selected as a qualifying race for the upcoming ‘Tooheys Blue’ grand prix series (the first grand prix series of its kind). This boosted the Nepean Triathlon pro field to a record 50 men and made the racing at the front extremely tight. Young guns Chris McCormack and Craig Alexander looked the goods at the start of the run but Chipmunk Slater and Tim Bentley overtook them with Tim Bentley taking his 4th title. Of course both Chris and Craig have since gone on to win multiple Ironman World Championships and Craig returned in 2018 to still finish in the top 10 more than 20 years later.

Although there wasn’t a grand prix series for the girls the racing was still intense with Bianca Van Woesik just holding out Karen Sitko of Western Australia by just 18 seconds to take her second title.