Organisers of the Noosa Triathlon were forced to cancel the swim leg of Sunday's (1 November) race at the last minute after shark sightings just an hour before the start, ABC News reported. It is the first time the swim leg has been cancelled in the event's 43-year history, and the race became a duathlon.

In its swim course update, the Noosa Triathlon team said it was "not able to put water safety on the water due to marine life present" and that "the swim will not be taking place". Athletes instead started with a beach run from the western end of the beach at the Groyne towards the existing swim exit, with the wave start order unchanged.

Noosa Main Beach was temporarily closed on Saturday (31 October) after sharks were spotted offshore, according to the ABC. That night organisers reduced the swim to about 1 kilometre to keep swimmers in the shallows, and Brisbane Times reported they hoped an "M-shaped" swim bringing athletes closer to the shore would allay safety concerns. Noosa Heads surf lifesavers, who were due to monitor the event on jetskis and boards, then refused to enter the water after another sighting at first light.

Contingency Plan Ready to Go

Head of operations Rebecca Van Pooss told the ABC it was a tough decision. "We knew that it was a potential this morning so we had a contingency plan ready to go because of that," she said. "In the circumstances we had this morning, [lifesavers] wouldn't put those people out on the water, which is totally understandable. So, based on that decision, we made our decision that we also can't put athletes in the water."

Shark surveillance began at first light ahead of a 6:15am start. "Surf lifesaving's protocol is no-one entering the water for 60 minutes after the last sighting," Ms Van Pooss said. "This is the first one that we've had to cancel in its entirety, but it's not unusual to have to make some sort of contingency decisions around course design and distance."

Surf Lifesaving Queensland safety manager Matt Thompson acknowledged the decision was disappointing. "The best outcome is always preventing an incident before it happens, and the ability to identify potential threats early and act quickly is critical to keeping Queenslanders safe in the water," he said.

Noosa Triathlon spokesman Craig Heydon told Brisbane Times there had been a number of shark sightings over the last few weeks and days, with some animals sighted within the race's swim perimeter. "We obviously had quite a lot of rain in recent weeks, which might have been part of what led to having them in the water," he said. "But from an event perspective, the team was able to pivot really quickly."

Event Became a Duathlon

Competitors in the elite race swapped the 1500-metre swim for a five-kilometre run, followed by a 40-kilometre ride and a 10-kilometre run, Brisbane Times reported, while age group athletes, who make up the majority of the race, did a short beach run in place of the swim. Heydon said athletes were "certainly very understanding of the reasons why the decision was made today".

Australian triathlete Matt Hauser defended his Noosa Triathlon title in 1:39:34. "You have to keep adapting to situations and changes, and we had to make of it what we could and the crowd got a kick out of it," Hauser said of the 45-minute notice of the race changes. Paris Olympian Luke Willian finished second in 1:42:59, followed by US racer John Reed.

Paris Olympian Natalie Van Coevorden claimed the women's title in 1:58:11, crossing the line 15 seconds ahead of second-placed Richelle Hill, according to the ABC.

The ABC describes the Noosa event as the largest Olympic distance triathlon in the world, drawing 8,500 athletes and 20,000 spectators each year, while Brisbane Times reported more than 13,000 competitors over the five-day festival. The usual course is a 1.5km swim, 40km ride and 10km run, with the 1500m swim held in Laguna Bay off Noosa Main Beach, according to organisers, who say the race is ranked one of the world's top 10 triathlons.