THE 34th annual Hell of the West triathlon was held last weekend in Goondiwindi, with the race attracting top professional athletes, along with nearly 700 individuals and more than 60 teams competing over two days.

The event, one of the few remaining grass-roots community-run triathlons in Australia, drew athletes from as far away as Cairns, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, and New Zealand.

The weekend also attracted a record number of local competitors in the Total Ag Services Hell of the West and Kenway and Clark Super Saturday events.

Conditions on Super Saturday were hot and humid, but that didn’t stop adults and kids from taking part in the fun.

Sunday’s conditions were perfect for racing, with the weekend being touted as great success.

Event and race director, Tim Richards, said many local and visiting supporters came out to cheer on professional athletes, friends, family, and visitors for what is known as Queensland’s toughest triathlon.

“We can’t be happier with how this year’s event has come together,” Richards said.

“The Goondiwindi Tri Club and the Hell of the West committee have brought yet another amazing event to life.

“We 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,” he said.

(from left) Moree’s Maddy Picone, Angus Gall, Zeb Chapman and Flick Taylor survived the Hell of the West weekend at Goondiwindi (Image Supplied).

Professional men’s race winner, Kieran Storch, took the tape in a blazing time of 3:26:33, which is the second fastest time recorded in the history of the race, while Richelle Hill, winner of the professional women’s race, notched her second consecutive victory.

Danielle De Launey from Brisbane and Patrick Hawkes from the Gold Coast took out the inaugural Allan Pitman Award for the fastest male and female age group athletes.

This award pays homage to Allan Pitman – a 28-time Hell of the West finisher and 28-time age group champion, who sadly passed away late last year.

The award was presented by Allan’s wife, Sandy Pitman, and Pete Jacobs, who was coached by Allan to wins at Hell of the West in 2008.

The hotly-contested club awards went to Goondiwindi Triathlon Club taking out this year’s Neil Pagey Award, for the club with the highest number of Hell of the West finishers, with TriMob in second place.

TriMob, who volunteered their time to help with the Hell Kids event, also took out the Goondiwindi Tri Club Spirit Award. Every athlete who registered for the 2025 Total Ag Services Hell of the West received a handwritten letter from a local school student.

This new initiative was warmly received with some athletes promising to write back to their student, or to frame the inspirational documents.

Hell of the West is coordinated by local group, the Goondiwindi Triathlon Club, which operates the event with the help of the Goondiwindi community.

There were more than 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 more than 2500 people to the region, contributing an estimated $400,000 with direct economic and tourism impact.

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

All results available here: 2025 Hell of the West.

Media Release

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