TQ01 - The Launch Issue

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KEEPING GIRLS IN THE GAME

THE NEEDS OF YOUNG WOMEN ARE UNIQUE WHEN IT COMES TO SPORT AND RECREATION

Sport New Zealand is on a mission to make sport and recreation more accessible to young women. It starts by understanding what motivates teenagers, and it’s not always about winning! As a parent, teacher, coach, or volunteer - how can you help attract more girls to your code?

HOW CAN ADULTS SUPPORT YOUNG WOMEN TO TRY NEW SPORTS AND FEEL COMFORTABLE TAKING PART?

HERE ARE SEVEN TIPS TO CONSIDER.

OVERALL WELLBEING

Being active has many benefits, however young women can find their experiences negative rather than positive when pressure to succeed mounts. It’s important to view physical activity through a wellbeing lens. Physical and mental wellbeing is not always achieved by being on a winning team or achieving great performances.

SAFE ENVIRONMENTS

Taking part in sport and active recreation should result in young women feeling safe and free to express themselves. Seeking out and building environments that are free from pressure and judgement will ultimately result in more teenage girls taking part for longer.

IT’S THEIR MOVE LEADERSHIP

Life pressures start to mount in the late teenage years due to academics, as well as home, work, and social commitments. It is common for young women to start exploring other physical activity options that better suit these lifestyle changes. However they choose to move, move with it! Remember that some physical activity is better than none.

Provide opportunities for young women to shape their physical activity experiences. Ask them what they enjoy, what they want to do more of, and offer them opportunities to take the lead.

THE PARTICIPATION GAP

IT’S A FACT THAT YOUNG WOMEN ARE DOING LESS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY THAN YOUNG MEN OF THE SAME AGE AND THAT THEIR MOTIVATIONS AND BARRIERS ARE DIFFERENT. HERE ARE THE STATS:

17 % Young women spend less time per week being physically active than young men. There is a 17% gap at age 16 and a 26% gap at age 17.

68 % 68% of young women will avoid participating if they do not feel confident about their bodies.

15

From age 15, the decline in physical activity rates is steeper for young women (10%) versus young men (3%).

Teenage girls want to do more activity but are more likely to say they are too busy or too tired to increase their participation in sport and recreation.

Young women are also more likely to cite judgement, lack of confidence and fear of failure as barriers to increasing participation.

FUN, FITNESS, AND FRIENDS

are the biggest motivators for young women to participate in physical activity.

SOCIAL CONNECTION

Young women gain motivation and confidence when they are taking part in activities with friends. Encourage peer interaction and look for activities where the culture is inclusive and welcoming.

DEVICES ARE NOT THE ENEMY THE FEELGOOD FACTOR

It might feel like mobile phones and other digital devices are getting in the way of a healthy lifestyle, but the reverse is also true. Phones, social media, fitness aps, online fitness classes and smart watches all play a role in encouraging physical activity and allow young women to explore movement in their own time and space. Look for ways to use digital devices for good.

Chances are that if it’s fun, they’ll do it more. Physical activity is essential to both physical and mental health and no matter what level they are participating at, keeping the fun in the game is essential.

Dive In

Welcome to TQ

In late-breaking news, it turns out “summer” is still an actual thing. The sodden half of the country will greet this shocking revelation with scepticism but TQ (Howdy there!) has just returned from a mythical land where terra firma and water still know their respective places and the ceiling isn’t permanently low and leaden grey.

How enchanting it was to jet into Queenstown for the epic weekend of Challenge Wānaka, a blue skies carnival of elite endeavour and age group achievement. All under the shadows (remember those) of the majestic Southern Alps.

CONTRIBUTORS

CAMERON BROWN

The 12-time IMNZ champ’s 30-year-old alter ego is trying to ignore his actual 50-year-old body (p70)

HEATHER NEILL

If the Napier vet isn’t saving your pet’s life, chances are she’s out training for IMNZ 70.3 in Taupo (p36)

JOHN HELLEMANS

Erin Baker, Kris Gemmell & Andrea Hansen are but a few of the Chch coach’s success stories (p32)

GEORGE WARDELL

How strong & conditioned is HPSNZ’s S&C coach? NZ long drive golf champion strong. Fore! (p98)

In the Oxford English Dictionary, ‘escapism’ is depicted as “… a form of entertainment, etc. that helps you avoid or forget unpleasant or boring things.” In the soggy North Island of New Zealand, things definitely haven’t been dull of late but the definition has been replaced by “get out of Dodge” for anyone seeking such blissful respite. Presuming that was even possible and your house, street, suburb or entire province wasn’t surrounded by an impromptu moat. We’re especially thinking of all those in the Tri Hawke’s Bay, Eastland Tri & Multisport Club and Tri Whangarei catchments. Kia Kaha all.

Still, TQ is clinging to the irrefutable proof that the seasons haven’t mysteriously switched hemispheres and that our favourite form of escapism – swim, bike and run – will survive the bad news deluge.

During the hell of Cyclone Gabrielle and the high water of Auckland’s floods before that, we’ve been busy working on a digital diversion to hopefully brighten the days ahead. Welcome, then, to Triathlon Quarterly, or TQ as we like to call it.

From the Olympic Games to the iconic WeetBix Kids TRYathlon and every weekend warrior dream in between, it’s an unashamedly Kiwi celebration of all things triathlon. Our mission is to champion the entire sport, the long and short of it, and we trust you’ll find plenty of inspiration to fuel your particular passion here.

We’re just getting started too. TQ is a cornerstone project of a wider Tri NZ strategy to return triathlon reportage to glories past across multiple mediums.

To achieve these lofty ambitions, we need your help to accelerate and accentuate TQ’s launch. So as we cross the start line, we encourage you to get social if you like what you see. Let your tri and endurance sports mates the world over know TQ is here and free for everyone. Crow or critique, we don’t mind. Just make sure to tag @triathlonnz #TQGram in the conversation. Let our awesome advertisers know you’ve seen them in TQ and better still, support them so they’ll continue supporting us. Together, we’ll all prosper.

In short, we implore you to shout about TQ from the rooftops, with due deference to those unbelievably trapped on theirs of late.

To everyone who has contributed to our first edition, a gigantic thank you. We hope our list of features has done you justice and that you’ll come back for more. To our friends down south, some of you paradoxically in drought, thanks for your recent hospitality. It’s been hard not to be a bit myopic up north recently but TQ won’t be Auckland-centric, we promise.

To those central, eastern and northern North Islanders wading into the massive clean-up, good luck. We hope the pages of TQ will offer a little respite at some point and have you back doing what you love best soon.

Enjoy the read.

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ISSUE 1 CONTRIBUTORS

Cameron Brown, John Hellemans, Heather Neill, Merle Talviste/ Swim Smooth Auckland, Kim Abbott, George Wardell, Blake Weston, Connor Webb, Anna Russell, Hamish Collie, Sean Beale, Ray Tiddy, Scott Taylor, Ben Lumley, Ken O’Rourke, Courtney Akrigg/World Triathlon, Ironman Oceania Group, Super League Triathlon, Anthony Scammell/Professional Triathletes Organisation, Challenge Family, Upstreamfilms.co.nz

NEXT TIME IN TQ

June-August, 2023

EXCLUSIVE: SCHOOL IS NOT OUT

LICENSING & SYNDICATION

TQ New Zealand is available for licensing and syndication. For more information, please email: kent@triathlon.kiwi.

TQ is published quarterly by Triathlon New Zealand in association with Gray Matter Media.

Cover Image: Connor Webb/Gray Matter Media.

The Fine Print

TQ New Zealand is published by Triathlon New Zealand in association with Gray Matter Media. Reproduction in whole or in part of any photograph, text or illustration without the express written consent of the publisher is prohibited. Due care is taken to ensure TQ Insider is fully accurate but the publisher and Triathlon New Zealand cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. TQ and Triathlon New Zealand logos are copyrighted. All other content in this magazine, plus associated content shared on the TQ.kiwi and Triathlon.kiwi websites, is jointly owned by Triathlon New Zealand and Gray Matter Media, or used under license from third parties. All Rights Reserved.

Can the New Zealand Schools Championship become triathlon’s answer to rowing’s Maadi Cup?

YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!

TQ goes behind the scenes at Ironman New Zealand in Taupo as the race to Nice and Kona heats up

BIKE MASTERCLASS

Comm Games standout Dylan McCullough shares bike handling tips to help you get quicker, faster

Out late May. Stay tuned for TQ.kiwi

TAG YOUR PICTURES

#TQGram

Let’s Get Social @Triathlonnz

@KylesmithNZL

Kyle Smith’s post Oceania Cup Wanaka silver medal “the hurt is real” look said it all. Roll on Taupo and Abu Dhabi

@guyrcrawford

7th @challengewanaka. Super tough run, had a little walk (and vomit)…then pulled myself together

@photographyjuliemaree

Beach Volleyballer and now (also) triathlete...what’s next for athlete @ julia_tilley ❤

@Hayden_Wilde

Looking forward to starting where we finished last year [WTCS Abu Dhabi] but this time on the hunt for more

@Cambrown72

Nothing like a Olympic distance race [Maraetai] to blow the cobwebs out after not racing since August last year!

@coachtam22

A few weeks back at the Tri NZ Development Camp we gave the group a surprise team challenge at Waitomo Caves!

@samparrynz

Aamazing first month of 2023 spent with best company @jamescorbett12 @samparrynz @ lachlanhaycock @austin.carter1

@dr_hannah_wells

The look �� you give when you’ve ticked off that last big key session ahead of an Ironman ����

@hannahknighton_

Epic time in Wanaka this week for the Oceania Cup on Friday night. Big thank you to everyone in my corner

BACK TO START LIST CULTURE

Warm Up

A quick spin around the swim, bike, run world

STREAM DREAM

Can’t be there to see Hayden Wilde at World Cup New Plymouth? Triathlonlive.tv has your back with live streams of both men’s and women’s races on March 26. Before then, catch Wilde, Kyle Smith & Ainsley Thorpe at WTCS in Abu Dhabi on March 3. Triathlonlive.tv

PODDIE PLEASURE

After a seven-year, marathon-infused break from the blue carpet, Rio 2016 Olympic champion Gwen Jorgensen is making her comeback to tri. In Taupo and New Plymouth no less! Get up to speed with episode #70 of the World Triathlon Podcast at Spotify, Apple and Google

STANDARD BEARERS

A fourth WTCS title and a record smashing Kona masterclass earned Dame Flora Duffy and Gustav Iden the inaugural ‘best athlete’ Global Triathlon Awards. Well deserved and 2023 fuel for Hayden Wilde, a worthy finalist after his Super League success and WTCS 3rd.

HOLLYWOOD BABY!

Para triathlon debuted at the Rio 2016 Paralympics and will offer more medal events than ever at next year’s Paris Paralympic Games. Even better news is tri is one of 22 para sports locked in for Los Angeles 2028 after an International Paralympic Committee review. Choice.

SPEEDY RECOVERY

Garth Barfoot, 86 years young, ticked off the 21km Mount run in a smart 3:47:59 to leave everyone at the Mount Festival of Multisport in awe once more. Tri NZ’s Patron broke a hip not long after but is already back up timing his crutch assisted walks. What. An. Inspiration.

GUMBOOT GOODNESS

Cyclone Gabrielle has delayed the Due Drop Challenge, raising funds for child mental health via Mike King’s Gumboot Friday charity, till April. Support Rick Wells, Ian Jones, Richie Barnett and co. on their epic tri from Cape Reinga to Wgtn here: Due Drop Challenge Givealittle.

10

Tauranga Half victories for Cameron Brown.

2023 champ Braden

Currie is now just six shy of the Mount King.

GO FIGURE Triathlon in numbers

$15 Million

The 2022 elite triathlon prize trough, according to Triathlete.com. Long distance events contributed $12m.

1

Super League champ and WTCS No.3 Hayden Wilde enjoyed a $235k bounty to top the men’s short course ranking.

$480k

Kristian Blummenfelt took the greatest share, with PTO standout Ashleigh Gentle next best with $351k.

8:50:13

Dan Plews winning 2022 IMNZ time, achieved after 8 weeks training. Plews coaches World IM champ Chelsea Sodaro.

Wānaka pain gains

The rise and rise of Kiwi middistance specialist Jack Moody continued apace at Challenge Wānaka on Feb. 18 when the Auckland 29-year-old added the “world’s most picturesque half” title to his triathlon palmarès. Moody overcame a bike crash to fittingly make his race-winning break, on foot, near the summit of the ‘Bike Glendhu’ mountain bike park, drawing on all his reserves to overtake Mike Phillips and win going away in 3:58:01. It might have been a picture postcard day but Moody had little time to take in the views, either down across Glendhu Bay and out over Lake Wānaka or up to Treble Cone Skifield in its splendid summer hue. “That’s the hardest run I’ve ever done,” Moody said of the 21.1km half marathon that came with quite the kick, two circuits of the MTB circuit for a combined 580m of elevation gain/pain. If that hasn’t put you off, the date for Integrity Homes Challenge Wānaka 2024 has been set for Feb. 17 next year. You can enter here: challenge-wanaka.com

Weet-Bix kids are still TRYathlon kids

The Covid reset, cost of living pressures and the big summer wet has made for a complex start to the 31st edition of the Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon series. But if the smiles for miles are an accurate gauge, the iconic intro to tri is still a winner with the next-gen. A total of 11 events for an estimated 18,000 Kiwi kids will be rolled out across New Zealand by the end of March, down on pre-Covid peaks of 18 locations and 32,000 annual registrations. Still, after two years of Covid cancellations, the series’ greatest advocates are back out having fun and the future looks bright once more. tryathlon.co.nz

Blue Carpet Dreams

We’re officially giddy with anticipation ahead of the start of the now eight-round 2023 World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS). As TQ went to press,

World Triathlon confirmed that the Paris Olympic Test event in August will count towards WTCS rankings. The sport’s blue-ribband series opens in Abu Dhabi on March 3 with Montreal (pictured) also returning to the schedule in June. An athlete’s four best results plus the finale in Pontevedra will determine

triathlon’s world champions for 2023. Prize money across the WTCS, the Spanish finale and bonus pool, and World Cup racing is up to US$3.48 million, an increase of $520,000 on last year. Triathlon.org

Insider

BACK TO START LIST

Gwen Jorgensen makes her comeback to the Blue Carpet in NZ

GO TO PAGE 31

John Hellemans – All aboard the Norwegian hype train?

GO TO PAGE 32

Rick Wells and the chilling truth behind the toughest tri of his life. GO TO PAGE 42

Olympic Allure

The race to Paris got off to a flyer in Wanaka

GO TO PAGE 22

4th Place at New Plymouth in 2019.

Will Hayden Wilde eclipse his NZ best World Cup result on March 26?

GO TO PAGE 30

Paradise Podium

Seb Kienle began his long goodbye in Wanaka

GO TO PAGE 38

“Podium in Paris at the Olympic test event in August and automatic qualification for the XXXIII Games is guaranteed. The race to represent NZL is on. ”

OCEANIA TO THE WORLD

WANAKA

Oceania Cup

February 17

• Swim 750m

• Bike 18km

• Run 5km

TAUPO

Oceania Cup

February 25

• Swim 750m

• Bike 19.5km

• Run 5km

NEW PLYMOUTH

World Cup

March 26

• Swim 750m

• Bike 20km

• Run 5km

Line in the sand

Before Oceania Cup Wānaka, pundits politely ducked and weaved, unable or unwilling to pick favourites in a race with far too many early season variables.

Even the athletes themselves were coy, happy to allow the season-opening sprint be the initial judge of how their New Year training stacked up against rivals with similar Paris or more distant Olympic Games ambitions.

So, what did we learn after that "line in the sand" was drawn on the shores of Lake Wānaka, quite literally with a piece of drift wood given the rope used in the women's race was too short to accommodate all 46 men's starters?

For starters, this was no gentle, ease yourself into the season hit-out under the shadow of majestic Treble Cone. The pace was furious from the get-go as comeback kid Kyle Smith acknowledged.

“The swim wasn’t so good, they just went off so hard, I forgot how furious that first couple of hundred metres is,” said Smith who used his pedal power and a slick 14:55 5km split to eventually snare second place. We also remembered those pesky Aussies, as if it was ever in doubt, will be a huge factor in Taupō and at races beyond. That much was obvious after Callum McClusky out kicked Smith and de facto top seed Tayler Reid (with Hayden Wilde training in Belgium for WTCS Abu Dhabi) for the men's title and with Emma Jeffcoat playing such a pivotal role in the women's race en route to third.

The ante will be upped further at the Oceania Sprint Distance Championship in Devonport, Tasmania on March 18 and for the continental Standard Distance title in Port Douglas on May 27. Count on Australia flying in high calibre reinforcements for the biggie too although Wilde's muchanticipated return for World Cup New Plymouth on March 26 will likely tilt that particular ledger in New Zealand's favour.

If Wanaka was a pointer of things to come, the summer of elite races on both sides of the Tasman Sea are set to seriously spice up the race to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

BACK TO START LIST

24

Kyle Smith is the Joker in the Paris pack after his Wanaka return

Back to Wānaka, it appears women's winner Nicole van der Kaay has the wheels to haul in seemingly unsurmountable deficits off the bike. Can anyone catch the Kiwi No.1? And what happens if the Taupō 27-year-old can stay attached in the swim, especially in home waters, leaving less to do on the bike and run?

How will Ainsley Thorpe, who started in the No.1 bib, respond in Taupō after withdrawing following the swim in Lake Wānaka? Can Brea Roderick back up her eye-catching silver and hold off Olivia Thornbury who will covet the bottom step of the podium in Taupō at the very least? Is Smith the real deal for Paris? Some privately questioned if the Taupō bricklayer turned PTO star had the top-end speed to keep pace on the run, especially over the quickfire sprint distance. His kick to edge Reid answered that question, albeit with an obvious early season caveat, and will undoubtedly spur a response from the Gisborne Super Leaguer in Taupō.

Sam Parry, the Palmerston North 19-yearold, was the bolter in Wānaka. The lad runs

CHALLENGE WĀ NAKA

Silver linings & tips for Taupo?

CHALLENGE WĀNAKA once again lived up to its billing as the most picturesque mid-distance race in the world, a sparkling Otago day adding more than a little heat to its tough reputation too. But as an informal form guide to the final, key long-distance event of the Kiwi summer, the Integrity Homes-sponsored classic raised as many questions as it provided answers

We know champions Jack Moody and Grace Thek won’t kick on to race Ironman NZ on March 4 and thereafter

29 TQ Intel

with a natural grace (the old adage of if it looks fast it probably is) and has marked himself as a star in waiting, Austin Carter too after his impressive 11th just behind Tauranga’s Lachlan Haycock.

More seasoned athletes will be desperate to avenge slow starts come Taupō. Janus Staufenberg will get his headset fixed after being caught in one of several bike crashes in Wānaka and will look for a clear run to eclipse his 9th. Count on a vast improvement too from Saxon Morgan, 8th at the U23 worlds in Abu Dhabiin November but strangely off the boil in 16th down South.

There are just 521 days from Conti Cup Taupō till the triathlon program at the XXXIII Olympiad begins and a mere 173 days till the 2023 Paris test event from Aug. 17-20. In other words, no time to waste to prove you have the goods to race for NZL with the Olympic Rings embroidered on your race suit. Bring on the remainder of an Oceania schedule that might soon make those initially reluctant to call races just a little more bold. –

The importance of the Oceania Mixed Relay Champs to NZL’s Olympic plans

the results from Wānaka provided inconclusive evidence for IMNZ tipsters.

One absolute guarantee is that Aucklander Rebecca Clarke will race angry but calculated in Taupō after a wrong turn

WHAT’S ON WHEN

Feb. 17 - Oceania Cup Wanaka

Women’s Wrap HERE

Men’s Wrap HERE

Feb. 25 - Oceania Cup Taupo

Jnr W 8am /Jnr M 9.15am/Elite W 10.30am/Elite M 11.45am

Feb. 26 - Oceania Mixed Relay Championship

Jnr 1pm/Elite 2.30pm

Mar.26 - World Cup New Plymouth

Elite W 11am/Elite M 1.30pm

Times are subject to change. Visit triathlon.kiwi

on the bike cost her and follow-theleader Dutchwoman Els Visser a title shot in Wānaka.

Visser looks in dangerous nick and it will be fascinating too to see if the decision by fellow silver medallist Mike Phillips (pictured) to hold a little back on the ‘Bike Glendhu’ run will pay dividends a fortnight hence. The 32-yearold Cantabrian is finally fit and healthy and set to perhaps provide defending IMNZ champion and short-priced 2023 favourite Braden Currie his stiffest challenge. Then again, after his Wānaka hitout for third and ample training time in Taupō, can 2014 Ironman world champion Sebastian Kienle turn back the clock at the second of his Kiwi “bucketlist” races? Triathlon.kiwi will be in Taupō to journal these and many more IMNZ questions online and for the next edition of TQ

LOOK WHO’S BACK Kyle Smith 2.0

We love the naked global ambition, the fame before fortune mantra, the rockstar training partner and the grassroots passion for his sport. The moments of raw introspection are gold too on the rare race occasions when things go pear-shaped, as they inevitably do in triathlon.

And just when we didn’t think we could admire Kyle Smith and his full-throttle race tactics any more, the PTO No.34 goes and throws his chips all in on another Olympic campaign.

The one time Taupo bricklayer’s presence on the Oceania Cup Wānaka and Taupō start lists and thereafter alongside pal Hayden Wilde at the WTCS opener in Abu Dhabi on March 3 is a case study in what a little hindsight and a lot of forgiveness might get you.

Smith was understandably crushed when the umbilical cord to Tri NZ funding was snipped ahead of the 2020, delayed to 2021 Tokyo Olympics – especially after being outkicked by a few seconds and one measly place for a top-10 at the 2019 U23 worlds in Switzerland. “At the time it felt like the world was against you… I felt mistreated in the programme, pretty undervalued and so you start to believe that,” Smith recalled on a recent MX Endurance Podcast appearance.

He’s since reasoned the tough experience was as much a cold-hearted financial decision as it was anything personal or potential related, albeit perhaps poorly communicated at the time.

“…with a more mature head, I can kind of understand and look back and see like, they were making decisions purely unemotional, just looking at facts. It felt really harsh…but I can absolutely understand it in retrospect.

They had no money, they wanted to pay athletes but they were trying to keep themselves afloat really and I guess it’s pretty brutal when it’s like that.”

Smith, to his credit, has moved on and in a hurry. Ever since finding a new long distance calling when he won Ironman 70.3 NZ (in 3:43:18 no less) in late 2019, he’s been on a mission to summit the highest endurance peaks. There was the impressive 11th place on debut at the Ironman Worlds in Utah, a “lifechanging” Collins Cup call-up and the training bromance with Jan Frodeno. Repeated bouts of illness - a blood virus it turns out - stymied progress in 2022 but not the ambition.

“Last year, I really felt like I could have been top 10 ranked in the world. I really believe that I’m a better athlete than, I guess, what I’ve shown on paper.”

And now, there’s unfinished business for the man Frodeno rates the fastest swimbiker in the sport. After his eye-catching silver medal performance in Wānaka, a pair of pencilled in Super League Arena Games appearances in Singapore and London are designed to further reintegrate himself back into the short course conversation.

“I’m not going to say I am [going to qualify] because I think that is arrogant and quite disrespectful for everyone else who is doing it, but I’m going to attempt to go back to World Triathlon and qualify for the Olympics,” Smith said.

“And then attempt to qualify to get an Olympic medal is I guess is what I could say. So yeah, it will be 70.3, it will be PTO and hopefully Super League as well as that WTCS to try and get a qualification for Paris before then hopefully doing a Kristian [Blummenfelt] and returning to Ironman.”

What’s not to love? – KG

The Taupo 25-year-old’s late Paris bid is driven by unfinished business and the beauty of hindsight

“It was always a goal of mine to get to the Olympics when I was a kid and I’m going to give it everything to get to Paris in 18 months time.”

Hayden Wilde can’t wait for his sole NZL race start of 2023 in Taranaki

BACK TO START LIST

PTO star Lionel Sanders after ‘vomit please’ at Super League Arena bow 40

Taupo’s finest

Nicole van der Kaay made Oceania Cup Wanaka hard for herself by getting caught up in the early swim washing machine. At Oceania Cup Taupo, an Olympic champion and a friendly foe combined to pose the tough questions –this time all the way to the tape.

The pleasing thing for the 27-year-old Kiwi No.1 is that she found answers on both occasions, winning going away in Wanaka and again in Taupo courtesy of a last-gasp kick to outsprint Ainsley Thorpe.

Van der Kaay rattled off the Feb.25 sprint in 1:00:17, two seconds clear of Tokyo Olympic Games sidekick Thorpe who rebounded from her DNF in Wanaka with a confidence boosting silver ahead of WTCS Abu Dhabi on March 3.

It was a buzz for both Kiwis to share the Taupo podium with Gwen Jorgensen too, the Rio 2016 gold medallist finishing a further 30 seconds adrift in an impressive return to the blue carpet after seven years away.

“I had no idea what her [Jorgensen’s] running was going to be like but she hasn’t stopped running [the American attempted

to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in track & field] and like I said, she’s one of the world’s best runner’s, it’s awesome to be out there with an idol of mine. It was pretty cool.

“I’ve only being doing mainly base work so I’m really stoked to come away with two wins and to get those precious points early season.”

In the men’s race, Janus Staufenberg reckoned he could definitely have taken Spanish star David Castro Fajardo in an epic photo-finish – if only he’d had another metre of race track. The Otago Medical School student settled instead with putting himself firmly back in the frame for the Olympic Games, the only blurry bit being whether that’s Paris next year or editions beyond.

Staufenberg wasn’t sniffing at silver, not after frustration in Wanaka where he battled to 9th after becoming entangled in a crash that saw one of the drops on his handlebars snap. That made accelerating out of the 180 degree turns while sitting on the hoods tough going and left him too much work to do on the run.

There were no such issues in Taupo.

“Swim was a little bit behind what I expected but then just got amongst it on the bike and then run, for me, it was just proving what I’m capable of today and putting all that hard training to use.

“The tough thing about medial studies is that it’s pretty time intensive so being able to balance that around a training plan is tough. We were back to uni this [past] Monday and it’s been pretty tough getting back into Dunedin, setting up the flat and also attending class while trying to get in good preparation for a race…but it is all part of the gig.”

The challenge is fitting World Triathlon racing in around a very hands on study schedule. He’ll race the Oceania Sprint Distance Championship in Devonport, Tasmania on March 18 and World Cup New Plymouth the following weekend but will then re-elevate where his season is headed.

It was double delight for Nicole van der Kaay as Janus Staufenberg shined in Taupo.

NICOLE VAN DER KAAY

Taupo, 27

Described her debut Super League season as the “best experience of my life” and will want to kick on in 2023 after suffering injury, Covid and topsy-turvy performances earlier in 2022. NVDK was 5th in the final SLT race in Neom and 9th overall but won’t be happy after a frustrating 48th at the worlds in Abu Dhabi where she suffered “unbearable [stomach] pain” on the run. Swim remains the key.

THE KIWI CONTENDERS

AINSLEY THORPE

Cambridge, 25

A rare trouble free build-up enabled Thorpe to nail a season-best 6th at World Cup Tongyeong in South Korea in Oct. That triggered a Kiwi best 25th at the Worlds in Abu Dhabi. After crashing out of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, again in a Tokoroa bike race the following May and then having her Comms Games debut thwarted by Covid, Thorpe has unfinished business.

EVA GOODISSON

Havelock North, 24

Goodisson’s debut World Triathlon season went from strength to strength in 2022, highlighted by her run to 7th at World Cup Miyazaki in Oct. Did we mention run? The Havelock Norther earned a Uni of California scholarship courtesy of that prowess. A nerve issue in her back will keep Goodisson sidelined until at least World Cup NP with the Oceania standard in Port Douglas a more likely return target.

OLIVIA THORNBURY

Dunedin, 24

With 11th at World Cup Miyazaki and silver at Asia Cup Ipoh, Thornbury ended a limited 2022 campaign on a real high. Edged by Rebecca Clarke at the Lake Dunstan Olympic Distance tri in early Jan. but has since snared the Ruby Island Swim 5km course record (33:14) and returned to Wānaka to finish 4th at the Oceania Cup opener. Great chance to continue her ascent up the NZL team pecking order.

BREA RODERICK

Christchurch, 20

Ticked off her standard distance bow with aplomb, easily winning January’s hilly Canterbury Classic despite the curve-ball of extra swim distance. Back in her more familiar sprint sweet spot, Roderick was a brilliant 2nd in Wānaka behind Nicole van der Kaay to back up three World Cup starts in a 2022 campaign that included 5th at European Cup Alhandra.

WILDCARDS

After victories at Tinman (standard) and Surfbreaker (sprint) and 5th in Wānaka, Hannah Knighton is happy to have “old self” back. The Cambridge-based 23-year-old shapes as the surprise package of the Kiwi summer, along with Angharad Llewellyn. The 29-year-old NZ born, Walesinfused, Canberra-based Kiwi is looking forward to testing herself after her 14th at Asia Cup Ipoh.

INSIDER

THE KIWI CONTENDERS

SAXON MORGAN

Christchurch, 22 Morgan was the standout at an otherwise topsyturvy World Triathlon Champs for NZL and backed up his 8th in the UAE capital with victory in the Canty Classic post Covid. Stalled by a bike crash en-route to 16th in Wānaka so expect a strong Taupō retort.

KYLE SMITH

Taupo, 25

JANUS STAUFENBERG

Dunedin, 23

The demands of post-grad medicine and the difficulty of getting elite starts post pandemic meant Staufenberg raced only twice offshore in 2022. His World Cup results were impressive – 11th in Huatulco and 14th in Miyazaka – and he’s coming off victory in the Lake Dunstan Olympic distance tri. Did well to place 9th after being another to be caught in the Wānaka bike crashes.

TAYLER REID

Gisborne, 26

With Hayden Wilde only jetting in for World Cup New Plymouth, #GizzyHard Reid will have hoped to have topped the podium in both Wānaka and Taupō to underscore his No.2 ranking among the Kiwi men. Third at the fomer ups the ante for Taupō where Reid will again draw on his Super League experience for revenge over Kyle Smith. The competition is timely.

DYLAN MCCULLOUGH

Auckland, 22

McCullough edged Reid – 7th played 8th – at the Commonwealth Games to underline his potential but missed World Cups in Bergen and Valencia after breaking an elbow post Birmingham. The lack of race fitness showed in 28th and 26th placings in his comeback races at World Cup Miyazaki and the U23 Worlds in Abu Dhabi. Looking for a clean crack at 2023.

Now resigned to the reasons behind is “brutal” axing pre Tokyo, Smith is back for another tilt at his Olympic dream. Out-kicked Reid in Wānaka and will want a strong Taupō sendoff to his WTS bow alongside pal Hayden Wilde in Abu Dhabi. Will they be reunited in Paris? Time will tell. Smith has a lot of ranking-points ground to make up but rest assured, he’s the speedy Joker in the Paris pack.

TRENT THORPE

Cambridge , 26

Nearly lost to short course triathlon before a change of coach to two-time Olympian and 2018 Gold Coast Mixed Relay gold medallist Ryan Sissions convinced Thorpe the 70.3s can wait. The Cambridge-based Aucklander won the Super League-esque Surfbreaker on Dec. 27 but only 19th in Wānaka. Expect a response.

WILDCARDS

Lachlan Haycock won Tinman in Nov. and was 10th in Wānaka in a pleasing reset after a troubleplagued 2022. The Tauranga 22-year-old is aiming primarily for the U23 words, as is James Corbett The Cambridge-based Aucklander can run and is super motivated after his eye-opening 44th on WTS debut in Cagliari last Oct. Watch too for Sam Parry after the Palmy Nth teen ran to a shock 6th in Wānaka.

Oceania MR Championship

Hamburg and Paris might be half a world away but will feel ominously close, metaphorically at least, when a crucial year of Mixed Relay racing takes the gun in Taupō on February 26.

The Oceania Mixed Relay Championship is an important, points-gathering prelude to World Triathlon’s main MR qualifiers in Montreal, Hamburg, Sunderland and Paris later in 2023, the latter doubling as the Olympic test event on Aug. 20 under the shadows of the Eiffel Tower.

Tri NZ’s HP team have long targeted July’s Hamburg MR World Championships as the year’s critical date as an automatic qualification spot for Paris – and four individual starts as a result - will be snaffled by the highest placed nation in Germany, not including Olympic hosts France and already qualified GBR.

With Hayden Wilde racing WTCS Abu Dhabi, the onus has fallen to Tayler Reid, Dylan McCullough, Trent Thorpe, Ainsley Thorpe, Nicole van der Kaay and Olivia to

get NZL’s Mixed Relay campaign off to a flyer in Taupō.

The two athletes not required from the shortlisted six, to be decided after the Oceania Cup sprint in Taupō the previous day, will slide down to head the NZ B team. As many as eight Kiwi teams could race in a field that will also include a composite selection headlined by 2016 Rio Olympic champion Gwen Jorgensen. However, only the A team is eligible for the title and Olympic points. See p65 for more.

“Nothing beats racing at home”

The Kiwi No.1 will jet in from Belgium determined to end New Zealand’s barren spell at World Cup New Plymouth

As Hayden Wilde oft articulates, nothing beats racing at home in front of friends and family. The problem for the Whakatane Falcon and a catalogue of big-name Kiwis before him has been turning rare home advantage into precious metal at World Cup New Plymouth. In the nine previous editions of the World Triathlon-sanctioned event, New Zealand

has only once celebrated a gold medal performance when Bevan Docherty led home Kris Gemmell in a Kiwi one-two at the inaugural stop in 2005. Since then Sam Ward (twice), Ryan Sissons, Andrea Hansen and Nicole van der Kaay have taken NZ’s total medal tally to eight – a total of five second and two third places to go with Docherty’s golden highlight nearly two decades ago.

The reading is slightly better when you delve back into the archives to the five World Cups staged in Auckland. They returned 10 Kiwi medals including golds for Gemmell, Hamish Carter (twice) and Hansen.

Still, it’s hardly a medal rush, something Wilde is determined to change in his only race on home soil this year. The 25-yearold has squeezed the Taranaki Tri Festival showpiece into a busy early season schedule that will see him race World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) stops in Abu Dhabi before New Plymouth and then Yokohama and Cagliari as he returns to Europe for the year’s biggest events.

Wilde‘s own results in New Plymouth chart his rise to triathlon’s top table: 29th, 15th and 4th placings respectively in each of the three previous editions from 2017-2019. He’s kicked on to the Super League title and went agonisingly close to WTCS glory last year as well so will be favoured to join Docherty in New Plymouth lore.

“I know a lot of internationals love coming to race in New Zealand, normally sets them up quite well to race New Plymouth, maybe go and do some racing in Australia and then head over to Yokohama. So we’re really crossing fingers that we’re going to have a good international field and we can really light it up,” Wilde told TQ from Belgium where he spent Christmas.

“Hopefully the form is there. The last time I raced in New Plymouth I got fourth [behind Aussie Luke Willian who is set to defend his 2019 title, German Justus Nieschlag and Ward] so I’ll definitely be

looking to get on the podium for the first time. It’s a really tough course with the hills and I really enjoy it so I’m looking forward to trying to make it an exciting race.”

Some of the biggest names in the sport have made New Plymouth one of the favourite World Cup stops: reigning Olympic and 70.3 world champion Kristian Blummenfelt snared bronze on Ngamotu Beach in 2015, four-time world champion Tim Don enjoyed a top-10 in 2005 while Swiss superstar Daniela Ryf, a five time winner of both the Ironman and 70.3 world titles, was 4th in 2008. Aussie Emma Snowsill was 3rd in 2005 – three years before becoming Olympic champion in Beijing.

Another Olympic champion, American Gwen Jorgensen, has chosen Taranaki to continue her comeback to the world circuit after a brief flirtation with marathon running. The Rio 2016 gold medallist, also a two-time ITU world champion, will receive a warm welcome in New Plymouth where she was the 2016 women’s winner. – KG

Taupo to Paris?

World Cup Roll of Honour

MALE FEMALE NEW PLYMOUTH

Luke Willian (AUS) 2019 Angelica Olmo (ITA)

Declan Wilson (AUS) 2018 Kirsten Kasper (USA)

Richard Murray (RSA) 2017 Katie Zaferes (USA)

Richard Murray (RSA) 2016 Gwen Jorgensen (USA)

Richard Murray (RSA) 2015 Kaitlin Donner (USA)

Mario Mole (ESP) 2014 Katie Zaferes (USA)

Javier Gomez Noya (ESP) 2008 Emma Moffatt (AUS)

Andy Potts (USA) 2006 Rina Bradshaw-Hill (AUS)

Bevan Docherty (NZL) 2005 Vanessa Fernandes (POR)

AUCKLAND

Kris Gemmell (NZL) 2011 Andrea Hansen (NZL)

Hamish Carter (NZL) 1998 Michellie Jones (AUS)

Miles Stewart (AUS) 1997 Emma Carney (AUS)

Miles Stewart (AUS) 1996 Emma Carney (AUS)

Hamish Carter (NZL) 1995 Janet Hatfield (USA)

NEW ZEALAND will provide the scenic backdrop to one of World Triathlon’s key early season narratives when Gwen Jorgensen makes her much-anticipated return to the blue carpet.

The American superstar is on the start list for both Oceania Cup Taupo and World Cup New Plymouth, her first races since finishing second at the then ITU World Triathlon final in Cozumel in September 2016, a year in which she also won in Taranaki and America’s first Olympic triathlon gold.

After a flirtation with marathon and then the track with an eye representing Team USA in Tokyo, the 2016 Rio champion has set her heart on bolstering the American mixed relay team at next year’s XXXIII Olympiad in Paris.

In addition to racing the Feb. 25 Oceania Cup sprint race, Jorgensen will spearhead a composite international team at the Oceania Mixed Relay Championship in Taupo the following day.

“I am inspired by the U.S. mixed relay team’s silver medal in Tokyo and aspire to contribute to that team in 2024. I believe Team USA can be one step higher in Paris,” Jorgensen said.

The Taupo Conti Cup will come just four months after Jorgensen gave birth to her second son.

The 36-year-old boasts a total of 25 gold medals and 37 podium finishes in one of the sport’s most glittering short-course careers. She is the only woman to win a world title after a perfect undefeated WTCS season, a 12-race streak that included the Rio Olympic test event. She was also 2015 WTCS Champion and a member of Team USA’s 2016 Mixed Team Relay World Championship winning quartet.

Scientifically Speaking

ALL ABOARD THE NORWEGIAN HYPE-TRAIN?

He is built like a brick house with a chest the size of a large fridge and legs made of thunder sticks, a ‘pneumo-pod’, all lungs and legs. I am talking about Kristian Blummenfelt, currently considered by many the best and most all-round triathlete on the planet. His body build reminds me of the equally barrelchested Eddie Merx, nicknamed ‘the Cannibal’, who ruled the professional cycling world between 1965 and 1978.

A sizable chest allows room for big lungs and a large heart. This is helpful in the uptake and distribution of oxygen, which is required for energy production within the muscle cells. Blummenfelt’s maximum oxygen uptake (VO₂ max) has been measured over 90 ml/kg/min (millilitres per kilogram per minute). That puts him in the ‘freak’ category. By comparison, most elite triathletes score in the late 70’s to early 80’s. Gustav Iden also has a reported VO₂ max score of over 90.

The first time the Norwegians announced themselves as world beaters was at the Bermuda WTCS race in 2018 where Casper Stornes, Blummenfelt and Iden took out a clean sweep of the podium. Ever since rumours have been swirling around the triathlon world how the superhuman deeds of the Norwegian athletes can be explained. Blummenfelt and Iden seem to be able to shift effortlessly between the different race distances, from standard distance to ironman, with little recovery in between. How can they do this? What is their secret?

Let’s try and break it down, based on the knowledge we have. Fortunately, the Norwegian coaches are generous with sharing information even if there is always that human hint of doubt (what might they hold back...). The exceptional talent of these two athletes was recognised when they were still in their early teens. Blummenfelt, a competitive swimmer, won his first triathlon aged 14 and was soon recruited by the regional triathlon academy in Bergen (2011). Iden, equally gifted, two years younger than Blummenfelt, with a background in cycling, joined Blummenfelt at the academy a couple of years later. Arild Tveiten, their coach at the time, discovered that the two athletes could tolerate a significant training load. ‘Being prepared to do the work’ is something which is ingrained in the Scandinavian sporting culture, but being able to do the work consistently over time is not an easy thing to achieve for most young, developing athletes. The secret to Blummenfelt and Iden’s ability to tolerate a solid training volume was the fact that training intensity was strictly controlled

and kept mainly in the aerobic zones. This allowed them to develop a huge aerobic base, with a gradual increase of their already high maximum oxygen uptake to the dizzying heights they are at now as a consequence. Add to that robust health and the mindset of a Ukrainian soldier and there you have it, the Norwegian secret sauce.

There are two additional factors which have provided the icing on the performance cake. The first is a structured sport science testing and monitoring programme. Blummenfelt and Iden are tested six times each year in a laboratory for three days in the three disciplines, and their training is tweaked as necessary depending on the results. Their metabolic, velocity and mechanical profiles are tested with state-ofthe-art equipment with the aim of improving mechanical and metabolic efficiency through specific training.

Olav Aleksander Bu, a passionate young sport scientist and engineer, has been credited a lot for the Norwegian triathlon success but he will be the first one to agree that if you don’t have the raw talent, even he won’t be able to make ‘a Christmas pudding out of camel dung’. What Bu’s sport science and astute coaching has done is to help guide the athletes closer towards their maximum potential. Another factor in the Norwegian success is their structured altitude training programme which plays a crucial role in their overall yearly plan. With input from sport science monitoring and testing, the duo are able to maximise the performance benefits they get from altitude training.

Let’s return to those freakish VO₂ max levels. We know that our VO₂ max potential is mainly determined by birth and that it can only be improved by up to 20 percent (individual response rate fluctuates between two and 20 percent) through physical training. Altitude training, done

“Add to that robust health and the mindset of a Ukrainian soldier and there you have it, the Norwegian secret sauce”

correctly, can add another three percent, give or take. Illegal practices like blood doping and the administration of EPO (erythropoietin, a blood boosting hormone) can enhance VO₂ max by a whopping five-15 percent. There is no evidence that the Norwegians engage in anything sinister to boost their aerobic capacity, so we will leave that discussion for another day.

Dominance by one relatively small country is not unprecedented in our sport. We had our own golden years between 2000 and 2012, led by Hamish Carter and Bevan Docherty, and supported by the likes of Shane Reed, Andrea Hansen (nee Hewitt), Debbie Tanner, Samantha Warriner, Craig Watson and Nicky Samuels. Other countries were wondering at the time what the heck we were doing here, Down Under.

Combining Olympic distance and Ironman events has also been done before. America’s big four, Dave Scott, Scott Molina, Scott Tinley and Mark Allen, won almost every race over the different distances between them in the 80’s and 90’s. They worked out through trial and error that, with a slight change of emphasis in their training (volume versus intensity), they could compete equally well over Ironman and Olympic distance events.

We can safely conclude that there is no magic in the Norwegian approach. The main

explanation for their success is that they have a couple of exceptional athletes in Blummenfelt and Iden who are prepared to do the work. They are proof of my long-held belief that any programme and coach is only as good as the athletes they serve. Sure, sport science and some decent coaching will help, but where are the Norwegian women triathletes (none are currently in the top 100 of the world rankings). And what has become of the equally talented Stormes who beat both his now more famous compatriots convincingly on that memorable day in Bermuda in 2018? He must be human after all as he seems to have joined the majority of professional triathletes on the circuit, who tend to alternate occasional success with more modest results.

Of course, we have our own ‘freak’ in Hayden Wilde. He is one of a handful of athletes who have proven that the Norwegians can be beaten. And you know what? He is only a youngster compared to them. I wonder what his VO₂ max is…

Dr John Hellemans has coached some of the biggest names in Kiwi tri, Erin Baker, Andrea Hansen and Kris Gemmell among them. The Christchurch-based sports medicine specialist founded Tri NZ’s HP program in 1996 after immigrating from Holland in 1978.

“Of course, we have our own ‘freak’ in Hayden Wilde. He is one of a handful of athletes who have proven that the Norwegians can be beaten.”

The World Champ

It’s 5:30am. The alarm startles me awake. I’m tired but still motivated to tick off everything on my list of goals for the day. I roll out of bed and tiptoe through the house so as to minimally disturb my significant other who is still blissfully dreaming. It would be nice to crawl back to bed… but no. I’m off to the pool. Sometimes I think I only manage to do it because my body is too asleep to realise I’ve woken up. The swim set is cut short by a need to get to work. Sometimes, work starts at 7.30am. There’s little time to spare. Quick breakfast then off to work.

Darn, forgot the drink bottle today. I know I’m going to spend the rest of the day feeling like a raisin. There are goggle rings around my eyes. I guess everyone probably thinks I’m tired all the

time, which may not be far from the truth, but luckily I manage to function pretty convincingly on minimal z’s. Every 15-30 minutes there’s a new concern and life story to listen to, a new face to smile at and a new plan to make. Sometimes, lunchtime doesn’t happen until 2.30pm but on the odd occasion it doesn’t happen at all. The end of the day approaches and I start thinking about the agenda for after work; on this particular occasion a two hour bike ride awaits me. At five minutes to home time, I still have about an hour’s worth of notes to write, three prescriptions to fill and then an emergency walks through the door.

About two hours later than planned, I arrive home. Thankfully I’m not on call for after-hours tonight. It’s 7 something in the evening. I’m so hungry, dehydrated and I have that workout to

do. Do I eat first and then do the training on a full stomach, or should I just push through the training, hungry and thirsty, and feel terrible but get it done? This is a frequent battle that I struggle with and I’m sure other age-groupers can relate. I love my job. I am passionate about it and love working with people and animals but often I can’t help but feel that life (or at least the triathlon side of my double life) would be much easier if I worked part time, or had a more flexible position. We age-groupers probably take greater personal sacrifice than the professionals, based on time available.

I tell people that I found triathlon because it helps with my ‘work-life-balance’, and it does, but the truth is, if you want to be a high performing athlete, it is exceptionally difficult to find enough hours in a day to do everything well if you are a full time employee. I work full time and mostly train for half ironman distance races. There is another tier of amazing people out there who work full time and complete full ironman races. I take my hat off to you guys and I honestly don’t know how you do it. There are also a number of superhumans who may or may not work full time, but manage to be a parent at the

same time. You guys are absolutely otherworldly. I cannot even begin to imagine how you fit everything in.

I love how within triathlon, people are from all different walks of life. Whether you are a competer or a completer, everyone has similar reasons for being there. To be the best version of themselves. To set and achieve new goals. To push the boundaries of their comfort zone. To finish, to podium or to win. It doesn’t matter how or why you do it. But my advice would be to make the most of it. Make it fun and social when you can. There are so many incredible people out there, get amongst it! If you’re already a triathlete, keep it up. If you haven’t yet joined our crazy world, don’t be put off by the time commitment. It is worth it and if you want anything enough, you will find a way to make it work. You might even enjoy it.

Heather Neill, 26, is a Companion Animal Veterinary Surgeon at Taradale Veterinary Hospital. She’s also quite good at triathlon, the 25-29 age group Long Distance champion at last year’s World Triathlon Multisport Championship in Šamorín, Slovakia.

“There are also a number of superhumans who manage to be a parent at the same time. You guys are absolutely otherworldly. ”

‘Podium in Paradise’

It’s long been trumpeted as the most picturesque half in the world and Challenge Wānaka now has Sebastian Kienle’s weighty seal of approval to add to the mystique.

“It’s difficult not to speak in superlatives but I think it is the most beautiful race I have ever done in my whole career,” the 2014 Ironman world champion told TQ after finishing third behind Aucklander Jack Moody and Ironman New Zealand-bound Cantabrian Mike Phillips.

“Obviously I’ve watched YouTube videos and the weather here is probably not always that nice, maybe it was a little bit of a present for me, I don’t know. But it’s just everything. It’s the community, it’s the kids event which is absolutely cool, 1000 kids racing on Friday…I mean Challenge Family here is not just a label. It ticks all the boxes man.”

The 38-year-old German wasn’t at 100 percent for the opening race

of his year-long, global retirement tour but the picture postcard views at Glendhu, which his team captured in a breathtaking race recap video, took away the pain.

“Under normal circumstances, I would be pissed like hell not to win this beautiful race. But with coming in here being a little bit sick and struggling a little bit with the jet lag, I’ll take the podium. To be honest, two days ago I wasn’t 100 percent sure it would be a good idea to even be on the start line so the podium feels pretty good…it‘s the first podium since South Africa 2020 so quite some time ago, so I’m very happy.”

With one final year to tick off of his remaining bucket list races, Kienle was never going to sign out with a series

of stock-standard races. But even he agrees he’s taking his year-long ‘Discountinued’ circumnavigation from the sublime in Wānaka and Taupō for Ironman NZ on March 4 to the ridiculous at Norway’s notorious Zalaris Norseman Xtreme Triathlon.

The 3.8km swim, 180km cycle, 42km run test in August is considered the toughest tri on the planet, finishing with a 1600m climb up a beast they call Zombie Hill.

“Many sports have a mecca. Alpine skiing has Kitzbühel, and tennis has Wimbledon. For extreme triathlon, Zalaris Norseman is the mecca. I have to say that it was no easy decision, I definitely am a little scared of the race, I think even the best athletes in the world look at this and say, ‘this is a little crazy’,” Kienle said.

Before the crazy, there is Taupō to tick off his must-race list, a rematch with Phillips and a resumption of friendly hostilities with defending IMNZ champion Braden Currie.

“I wasn’t looking forward to it three days ago but I think I’m on the right track now,” Kienle said in Wānaka.

Big SmallNewsBites

Oz triumph

Aucklander Charlotte Brown warmed up for the Feb. 25 Oceania Junior (U19) Sprint Championship in Taupo with her first offshore victory at the St Kilda 2XU Junior Elite Sprint Race in Jan. The Oceania champs double as the Tri NZ Junior Triathlon Series finale.

Townsville beckons

Lock August 15-25, 2024 into your dairies Kiwi age groupers – the World Triathlon Multisport Championships are coming to Australia. Townsville will host 19 races across duathlon, long-distance triathlon, long-distance aquabike, aquathlon, cross triathlon and cross duathlon during the 12-day festival with age group, para, junior, U-23 and elites categories.

Maternity Policy

World Triathlon launched a new maternity policy on Jan. 1 designed to facilitate the return of elite women to competition after childbirth. Rankings will be frozen from the moment an athlete announces her pregnancy until the child is two years old. The rule also applies to female athletes that suffer a miscarriage after their 20th week of pregnancy.

Super expansion

Kienle knocked out the 90km bike leg in 2:08:40 en route to 3rd at Challenge Wanaka in a time of 4:02:57. Kiwi Jack Moody won in 3:58:01

Super League Triathlon’s (SLT) acquisition of the iconic New York and Chicago Triathlons means it now owns three of the longestrunning and largest participation triathlons in the U.S. SLT’s Malibu Triathlon incorporated a round of the elite Super League last Sept. with Hayden Wilde winning the men’s race.

Holiday heaven

The Air New Zealand Rarotonga Triathlon is again the showcase of the Cook Island’s Triathlon Festival set for May 4-9. The 1500m swim, 42km bike, 10km run triathlon is scheduled for May 6. There’s also an ocean swim, mountain bike tour and Tour de Raro bike race for those who like their to do their vacations fit and fast. rarotri.com

Sanders: “Show me vomit please”

From his well-documented battle with substance abuse to his most recent rant in defence of the Goat, Jan Frodeno, “vanilla” is not an adjective you would ever tag to Lionel Sanders.

Now the 34-year-old Canadian is bringing his explosive brand of long course stardom to the the short course world, signing up for Super League Arena’s Feb. 25 season-opener in Montreal.

Sanders wants the speed work after “getting the slowest I have ever been by doing nothing but Ironman training so I want to reverse that so hopefully I can return in a year or two and do the Ironman well again.”

We’re not convinced that unique gait of his will look any better on a treadmill but rest assured, Sanders will dominate the headlines in Canada regardless of how he races. He’s already proven that in previews.

“My tactics are going to be pretty simple,” Sanders said, outlining his plan to not “flop” the dive into the pool before swimming to PB pace in the hope of being able to unleash his renowned bike power.

“Don’t screw up the transition, get your foot into the shoes quickly, then absolutely bury yourself on the bike. I want to vomit. Show me vomit please.”

We did warn you, folks.

The Arena Games Triathlon powered by Zwift, where real-life and virtual reality blend into one, will also stop in Suree, Switzerland (Mar. 12) and London (Apr. 8), races Kiwi Kyle Smith has been linked to.

Give ‘em a taste of Kiwi!

PORT MACQUAIRE is known for its beaches, wildlife and penal colony past. Situated at the mouth of the Hastings River, the New South Wales destination is also famed as the home of Ironman Australia, a favourite pilgrimage for Kiwi long distance triathletes since 2006. Age group qualification spots to the 2023 men’s (Nice) and women’s (Kona) Vinfast Ironman World Championships will be up for grabs, along with all-important trans-Tasman bragging rights. Give ‘em a taste of Kiwi!

ironman.com/im-australia

They said it…

“RaceRanger is the best thing since sliced bread.” – One of eight things @thomas.k.somerville learned at the Tauranga Half. No.8? “Fish and chips”.

“I’m different because I’m smarter than the rest.” – Gustav Iden is Ironman World champion for a reason.

“To live like a fake lifestyle where I’m fake humble, or fake anything, I think that would be extremely tiring.” – Iden again.

“As an athlete, I’m extremely hungry. I’m not in the sport to get rich. I’m in the sport to be the best in the world.”

– Kiwi PTO star and Olympic aspirant Kyle Smith

“If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.” – Sebastian Kienle signs on for the Norseman Xtreme Triathlon.

– OxMan champion Anthea Oliver reflects on Oxford race conditions that were “so, so, so bad”.

– Dame Flora Duffy, the inaugural winner of the Global Triathlon Awards ‘Best Female Athlete’ gong.

“I’m usually really smiley and happy during races but I was looking at some of the race photos and it looks like I’ve got some sort of ghost in me.”

“I have never been to an evening like this for triathlon, never got dressed up or seen everyone so dressed up that I had to do a few double takes.”

Rick Wells has embarked on his toughest triathlon challenge yet and is happy to chart his own mental health battles along the way to help reverse NZ’s shocking teenage suicide statistics. It’s a cautionary tale for today’s young Kiwi triathletes, as Kent Gray discovers.

Rick Wells was on top of the world, a freestyler fast enough to swim for New Zealand at the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games before transitioning to become a pioneer of a new sport called triathlon.

Unofficial world short and long course titles made the Aucklander a global name the same year the All Blacks won the inaugural Rugby World Cup, a year before his sole Kona start and ultimate DNF after pulling the pin during the marathon at the 1988 Ironman World Championship. “I wasn’t tough enough mentally,” he revealed years later, rather poignantly in modern day retrospect. More on the inspirational Due Drop Challenge shortly.

When the first official ITU World Championships were staged in Avignon, France, in 1989, Wells snared the bronze medal behind legendary American Mark Allen and Brit Glen Cook and went one place better in 1991 when Miles Stewart won on home Gold Coast soil.

“You’re used to being in the limelight and suddenly you’re no use to anyone.”

More seasoned readers will remember a splendidly ‘tached Wells as the face of the 1980s Moro bar advert - “New Zealand’s favourite bar by far”- and as a willing ambassador for Kiwi Lager. “My two main sponsors…perfect for a bloke in his mid-20s.”

Some may even recall the Auckland City Tri Club life member on the cover of the Jan./Feb. 1988 edition of New Zealand Triathlete magazine with a coverline that summed up the exterior view: “Rick WellsLife in the fast lane.”

What happened next? Well, nothing, as it turned out. The phone stopped ringing, the sponsorships dried up, the reality of retirement slowly sunk in. So too did depression.

“Part of it was my own fault with no real future planning. You’re sort of riding a wave and you think you’re going to ride that wave forever and then suddenly it’s over,” Wells said.

“For me personally, I probably wasted two or three years trying to find something to do. To put it bluntly, you’re used to being popular, back then you had answer machines, there’d always be 10 or 15 messages on your machine, you know,

come here, do this, invited to this and that and then it’s all over, the sponsors are all pulling out and you sort of come back to earth with a bit of a bump.”

Did you suffer from depression? “Totally,” Wells, now 61, told TQ.

“You’re used to being in the limelight and suddenly you’re no use to anyone.”

Wells’ story is a cautionary tale he’s taking all the way from the iconic lighthouse at Cape Reinga to the Beehive in Wellington on the Due Drop Challenge with, among others, former All Black Ian “Kamo Kid” Jones. The final, agonising steps of the 2000km+ swim, bike and run relay down the entire eastern coast of the North Island will morph into a hīkoi to Parliament led by I Am Hope and Gumboot Friday founder Mike King, perhaps the most courageous Due Dropper of them all.

“We’ve got one of the leading statistics of teenage suicide in the world, that’s tragic,” Wells continued. “This is why we’re putting ourselves through a bit of pain. Like, pain comes and goes where as suicide is final.”

Wells knows the latter from painful personal experience.

DUE DROP CHALLENGE

What Swim, bike, run relay from Cape Reinga to The Beehive

When Postponed to April by Cyclone Gabrielle. Dates TBC

Who Ian Jones, Rick Wells, David Mitchell, Richard Hart, Karim Rostami, Geoff Everson, Mike King, Richie Barnett

Why Funds and awareness raiser for youth mental health

How can I help Click & Donate here: Due Drop Challenge Givealittle

“A close triathlon mate of mine committed suicide and it was tragic, it really bowls you over because it is final. There’s no oops, made a mistake there and we’ll repair that. You’re done.

“The Due Drop Challenge, we’re, A, trying to start a conversation but also raise awareness that there is free U25 counselling available right now so for anyone, get out there and start talking to somebody.”

Wells hopes the groundswell of support already generated by the most daring Gumboot Friday initiative to date will force the Government into tangible action.

“You kind of hope so this time. Basically what we’re hoping is that we’ve started a conversation, the community has spoken [and said] this is unacceptable, there needs to be a proper course of action. Whatever it was, they spent 1.5 billion on mental health and they can’t really show what it went on. That’s a shocking statistic, a shocking amount of money to say we spent this but we don’t actually know what it was spent on.”

Following Wells and the Due Drop Challenge team at gumbootfriday.org.nz

“Everyday our children suffer from depression, anxiety, eating disorders and other mental health challenges, and we need more people to be talking about it, with urgency.”

Quietly Full Noise

From Wanaka to Alpe D’Huez and destinations beyond, Jack Moody intends racing on to a slightly different beat.

AT 64KG DRIPPING WET, JACK MOODY is the caretaker of a physique you might find filling out an extra small World Tour team jersey, a dancer on two wheels summiting hors catégorie climbs like they’re a sector of pancake flat pavé. It’s little wonder, then, that cycling is an enduring first sporting love.

He’s 5ft 10in, or 178cm in new money, a smidgeon taller perhaps with cleats on. Maybe even “180 if I style that mop on my head into a Mohawk.”

The understated humour comes standard and by his own admission, there’s a hint of small man syndrome lurking within too. That’s the result of being underestimated throughout his secondary schooling where Moody transformed himself from a Arrière du peloton presence on Auckland Grammar’s mountain bike and road cycling teams into a whippet on the track, quick enough to give the national schoolboys steeplechase record a scare.

Cover Story

“That’s probably the best summary of my career in sport, definitely a grinder, no natural talent,” the 29-year-old says. “It very rare I’d ever get called the favourite, it was always the underdog mentality which I love. It means it’s a point to prove.

“Maybe it’s a smaller guy [thing] or less to me in terms of a presence, and fairly quiet in terms of what I exude outwards, but it’s nice going into race day knowing that you can just turn it on.”

BELOW: Moody overcame a crash on the bike to win Challenge Wanaka

OPPOSITE PAGE: The Aucklander’s 3:58:01 effort was just shy of Javier Gomez Noya’s 2018 course record time of 3:57:27

Turn it on Moody has in the past year. Victory at Ironman 70.3 New Zealand in December was his fourth podium of 2022. He’s started 2023 rather well too, 3rd at the Tauranga Half a prelude to victory at February’s Challenge Wānaka half. Small of stature yes, large of heart, lungs and fight most definitely.

Moody is part of the new breed being pushed to superhuman levels by the extraordinary deeds of Gustav Iden, Kristian Blummenfelt, Sam

Laidlow and co. Domestically, only Braden Currie and Kyle Smith rank above him on the PTO pecking order and yes, they’re in his crosshairs too.

Moody thought he might of had a chance of tipping up Currie at the Tauranga Half on January 21. What he hadn’t anticipated was the Wanaka man knocking out a course record time of 3:37:47.

Currie’s big hurry and an eventual bronze medal behind Cantabrian Mike Phillips, a bloke

Moody had put seven minutes on in Taupo a month earlier, was a moment of refreshing clarity.

“It didn’t really mean you had to go home and lick your wounds, it was just an awesome week of training after that, sort of head down, bum up and there’s always another race to do. If you get defeated by one race, you’re not really doing the sport for the right reasons I reckon.”

That overarching motive for Moody? To see how far he can go in

the sport, both in terms of results and air miles. Like those human targets, Moody also has a list of iconic races he wants to tick off around the world.

This year that will likely include August’s 70.3 Worlds in Finland and before that in July, the Alpe D’Huez L Triathlon, ‘the legend’ with it’s mythical climb up the 21 bends of the fabled French mountain.

“I wouldn’t say it was the reason I got into the sport but ever since I’ve been involved, it’s one I’ve always looked at, just loving cycling so much, it’s just such an enjoyable sport to watch on TV and read about. To go and ride Alpe D’Huez seems like kind of a bucket list ride and if I can work out a way to get the road bike over there instead of the TT bike, maybe we’ll give it a nudge.”

Moody has more home spun races to get stuck into first though, starting

with the Xterra cross tri in Rotorua. Thereafter, the Tineli Volcanic Epic - a unique four-day mountain bike stage race across 200km of Rotorua, Taupo and Tokoroa’s finest geothermal and forest trails beckons. Moody could possibly even return to the Hawke’s Bay Half Marathon where he holds the course record of 1:07:12 before jetting to Europe.

That’s probably the best summary of my career in sport, definitely a grinder, no natural talent”

THE STORY BEHIND OUR COVER

You might be picking up a theme here. For sure, Moody is focused on 70.3 and the lucrative PTO 100km racing (he finished 30th at the PTO Canadian Open in July). But he’s also into race diversity to keep things fresh.

Indeed, you could safely surmise that Moody moves to a different beat, House music for a memorable period as it turns out. That chapter in his life, and the catalyst for the inaugural cover of TQ, has its roots at the University of Canterbury where Moody studied engineering.

He had left Auckland Grammar with hopes of a running scholarship to the U.S. and preserved with that dream for the first semester before the parties starting making waking up for Saturday morning training and races harder and harder. Before he knew it, Moody and a pal found themselves as the closing act at UC’s famed end of lectures ‘Tea Party’.

“I probably shouldn’t be saying this

ABOVE: The 29-yearold completed Challenge Wanaka’s 21.2km run in 1:18:32. He looked fresh but don’t be fooled.

“That’s the hardest run I’ve ever done.”

but the first set of course related costs went on a set of DJ decks and I think the second set did as well. I told myself they’re an investment and they’d pay for themselves…lucky that [gamble] actually paid off.”

Cue a crazy few months DJ-ing in the French ski resort of Les Deux Alpes after he’d graduated.

“Spent a few months over there, skied days, DJ six nights a week I think it was, something ludicrous, and

It was always the underdog mentality which I love. It means it’s a point to prove”

then came back home. I wasn’t burnt out from it but there is only so much French House that you wanted to play.”

Moody resumed running on his return to Auckland and within a year had signed up for his first triathlon, Rotorua.Suffer. Five-time world champion and 2012 Olympic silver medallist Javier Gomez Noya won while Moody did exactly what it said on the tin, suffer. He was also hooked.

On the day of our cover shoot,

Moody hammed up a bit more pain for the camera but the music playing on the TV screen front and centre of his pain cave was no artifical prop. Indeed, music has helped make Moody the athlete he is, “one of triathlon’s most exciting prospects” as his PTO bio trumpets.

“I’d always loved music and coming from running, they always talk about this cadence of 175. All I ever listened too for a long time was drum and

base which is 175, and when I was un-coached for a period, I was always running at about 175 heart rate as well, it was full noise until you couldn’t anymore. It meant the runs were short [laughs].”

Thankfully, coach Bevan McKinnon has Moody on a much, ahem, shorter leash nowadays. The training runs might be longer and slower but one constant remains. Never, ever underestimate Jack Moody.

Wilde Ride

Hayden Wilde has joined long distance stars Chelsea Sodaro, Florian Angert, Kat Matthews and Sam Laidlow on Canyon Bicycles’ triathlon roster

Hayden Wilde’s impressive triathlon palmarès, oodles of untapped marketing potential and those world renowned bike handling skills meant the Kiwi No.1 was never going to struggle to find a replacement ride at the end of his happy relationship with Specialized.

Canyon Bicycles’ quickly swooped which will see the reigning Super League champion and WTCS No.3 ride a specially-branded version of the German giant’s Aeroad CFR Disc eTap road bike to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and beyond. The Belgian-based Whakatane 25-year-old has also been equipped with a tri-specific Speedmax CFR Disc LTD for middle distance races on the horizon.

“I’m stoked to be joining Canyon,” said Wilde. “It’s an incredible privilege to have such a range of highperformance bikes available. It gives me the freedom to develop my racing programme and set some challenges for the year ahead.”

Both Wilde and Markus Fachbach, Canyon’s road and triathlon brand manager, hinted at a special project in the works for one of the “most exciting and intriguing competitors in triathlon.”

“Hayden will be working with us to help him reach the very pinnacle of the sport. By linking him with our highly experienced R&D team, we will continue to innovate and develop cutting-edge products in support of the best performance athletes in the world,” Fachbach said.

“We’ve already got some things in the pipeline,” Wilde continued. “I’m looking forward to seeing these projects come together later this year.”

Wilde’s first race with Canyon will be on the Aeroad CFR, with special white decals on the “stealth” coloured frame rather than the factory standard black on black, at the WTCS season-opener in Abu Dhabi on March 3.

Wilde’s Canyon Aeroad CFR Disc eTap

Weight 7.37kg Frame Canyon Factory Racing R065 aero carbon Folk Canyon FK0060 CF Disc Cockpit CP0015130mm Seatpost SP0046 Saddle Ergon Drivetrain SRAM

RED eTap AXS Road Gear Ratio 1x12 Aero 50 / SRAM

10-28 Ceramicspeed bottom bracket Wheels Zipp 303

Firecast Tubeless Tyres Schwalbe Pro One 25/28mm

Brakes SRAM Red eTap (160/140mm front/rear rotor)

Price *NZ$15,099 (*factory standard)

Contact canyon.com

Wheels

DT Swiss ARC 1100

Dicut wheels come as factory standard but as a Zipp athlete Wilde is running Zipp 303 Firecast Tubeless wheels with Schwalbe Pro One tyres

Seatpost/Saddle

A unique doublechamber seatpost design and Ergon saddle increases comfort. A new sleeve bearing on the aerooptimised carbon seatpost reduces friction and repels dirt

Frame

Shaped by extensive computational fluid dynamics analysis and validated by wind tunnel testing, the Canyon Factory Racing R065 aero carbon frame tips the scale at 915g

BACK TO START LIST

Headset

Reinforced carbon walls add stiffness to Canyon’s latest gen, aerodynamically optimised, UCI World Tour-level ‘cockpits’. Complete cable and wire integration reduces drag and produces superclean optics

Speedmax CFR Disc LTD

Wilde’s tri-specific Speedmax CFR Disc LTD differs from Canyon’s factory standard by featuring SRAM Red eTap AXS drivetrain components and Zipp Super 9/ 454nsw Tubeless wheels with Schwalbe Pro One 28mm tyres.

Crank

Seamlessly integrated within the crank, a SRAM Red AXS Powermetre measures real time training and racing efforts

ASICS Gel-Nimbus 25

RRP $300 Perfect for those long triathlon and recovery runs

Since debuting more than 20 years ago, the GELNIMBUS has grown to become one of ASICS’ most popular running shoes. So how did the Japanese manufacturer go about ensuring the 25th iteration of their favourite neutral trainer is back, comfier and more supportive than ever? An updated knit tongue and collar construction, along with several enhancements to the kick’s cushioning, is how. Indeed, South Australia’s ‘The Biomechanics Lab’ found the GEL-NIMBUS 25 was the most comfortable shoe when tested by 100 runners against three comparable competitor shoes.

Kiwi triathletes Cameron Brown and Tayler Reid were early converts to the GEL-NIMBUS 25 which features a new midsole design incorporating ASICS’ FF Blast Plus Eco cushioning and rearfoot Pure Gel technology. By raising the stack height by 6mm in the forefoot and 4mm in the rearfoot, the GEL-NIMBUS 25 shoe now features an 8mm stack height. This ensures enhanced impact protection and superior comfort for long and short runs and everything in between.

ASICS Evoride Speed

RRP $250 tech, these kicks are perfect for race day or tempo runs

ASICS NZ report that Nicole van der Kaay is a big fan of company’s Guidesole technology so expect the Kiwi No.1 to be an early adopter of the just-launched EVORIDE SPEED, the latest addition to ASICS’ growing ‘Speed’ range. The EVORIDE SPEED is a lightweight trainer designed with enhanced energy savings in mind. With a curved sole design, the Guidesole technology helps reduce ankle flexion while the pronounced toe-spring shape decreases energy expenditure and creates a smoother forward roll, propelling the runner forward. A firmer layer of Flytefoam Lyte technology provides cushioning and structure, while a second layer of Flytefoam Propel tech gives the sole a soft, bouncy feel. In the heel, GEL technology improves cushioning at foot strike.

ASICS Superblast

RRP $370 A new model following in the successful footsteps of ASICS’ MetaSpeed range

ASICS’ new “super” shoe, the SUPERBLAST, is set for New Zealand release in mid-March and will feature cutting-edge foam technology promising the company’s “lightest and bounciest midsole” yet. The newest addition to the popular Blast franchise has been supercharged by FF Blast Turbo foam that has previously only been seen in ASICS’ fastest running shoe, the Metaspeed.

Another feature of a shoe that tips the scales at just 242g (size U.S.9) is the asymmetric mesh upper, an

engineered mesh rendered with a two-toned colour palette creating “aesthetically intriguing patterns for visual playfulness…”

“The SUPERBLAST…will satisfy the growing desire of runners looking for benefits of super shoes - light and responsive - but with a better platform of support. Be ready to experience the abundance of bounciness which you will not expect from such a light shoe,” said Chris Ekman, Manager of Product Management Dept., Performance Running Div.

Stay tuned to for the ASICS SUPERBLAST release

HUUB Pinnacle Men’s Wetsuit

RRP $999 A wetsuit that claims to cure all sorts of swim faults

HUUB’s Pinnacle wetsuit hits the sweet spot between high performance and all those swim challenges many weekend warriors will relate to. Sinky legs, snaking, overreach issues or core strength that is more supple than six pack? The Pinnacle wetsuit, HUUB claim, has innovation “designed to deliver benefits to most swimmers. It’s a suit that corrects more failings than any other - maybe just don’t tell your swim coach!”

Flexibility

Manufactured from the “ultimate combination” of Japan-made Yamamoto type 39 and 40 neoprene, the Pinnacle’s key panels are designed to maximise stroke reach and effectiveness, augmented by combining HUUB’s patent pending Arms Neutral™ stroke fatigue-reducing tech. A focus on lining materials, warp & weft, directional alignment and moisture absorption rates contribute to HUUB’s Rotational Freedom™ and No Suit™ feel.

It’s a Core Issue

The Pinnacle wetsuit’s Core Control™ system helps get you in a strong swim position, reducing fatigue due to vibration as a result. “Our technology and design takes advantage of every stroke to help you propel forward and transfer energy from core stabilisation to forward movement. It all adds up to a more effective catch, keeps you in a straight and tight swimming position and ultimately makes you faster while using less energy.” Sounds good to us.

Buoyancy Profile

HUUB research found 85 percent of triathletes came from non-swim backgrounds which led the company to develop its proprietary Measurement of Active Drag (M.A.D) system to understand what really goes on in the water. The Pinnacle suit’s 3:5 buoyancy profile is a result, designed to assist swimmers without a natural high leg position.

+43 Foam™

Pinnacle wetsuits use a composite material that is 43 percent more buoyant than traditional neoprene. The aptly named +43 Foam™ ensures higher hips and thighs for a more efficient and faster swim.

HUUB Aura 2 Women’s Wetsuit

RRP $849 When a reshaped men’s wetsuit just won’t do for your big race

The HUUB Aura 2 is the answer for female triathletes seeking a wetsuit that isn’t merely a male suit in disguise, re-sculptured with curves and patterns that simply fit the female form but offer little else. With less dense muscles, women have less tendency to have a leg sinking swim style and “you certainly don’t need those more superhero style looking suits.” Cue the Aura 2, with “unique buoyancy levels to allow the swimmer to maintain an effective kick and waterline position, designed to maximise flow around the body and improve swim speed by not lifting the body too high out the water.

HUUB 3-IN-1 SATCHEL & WETSUIT CHANGE MAT

RRP $59 A wetsuit Satchel offering three solutions in one handy package

Changing Mat

The large waterproof changing mat, when fully opened, measures 1 metre x 1 metre and can be folded away with your kit still contained inside. Ideal for open water swimming when changing into and out of your wetsuit.

Transition

When partially folded out, the mat measures 42cm x 100 cm, which makes the perfect transition mat next to your bike, giving you a waterproof, dry mat to change after the swim and bike.

Shoulder Bag

Fold away the changing mat and fasten the secure Velcro side flaps and you have the perfect changing bag measuring 43cm x 38cm.

NZ’s finest to race Z3R0D

The three w’s prefixed to the Z3R0D trisuits to be worn by NZL athletes on the World Triathlon circuit aren’t a forerunner to a web address, rather the French company’s innovative ‘Water Wear Weapon’ fabric.

Tri NZ’s new deal with Z3R0D will have its grand reveal at the WTCS season-opener in Abu Dhabi on March 3 when Hayden Wilde, Kyle Smith and Ainsley Thorpe debut the French triathlon clothing and equipment giant’s trisuits. Adorned with Suzuki NZ and TQ.kiwi branding, fans will quicky come to identify the distinctively Kiwi suits at all World Triathlonsanctioned races to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and beyond.

So, why did Tri NZ plumb for Z3R0D as part of an initial threeyear deal? The short answer is the technology that goes into the manufacture of the trisuits which are designed specifically for short course racing. There’s a reason why almost two thirds of elite athletes on the World Triathlon circuit race Z3R0D, a critical component of which is a French-made fabric called Water Wear Weapon.

A special water repellent treatment means the fabric doesn’t absorb water, a weight saver in the swim. The suit’s ‘Xtra’ flat seams ensure minimal friction and weight together with improved aero- and hydrodynamics while soft bindings around the neck and shoulders optimise comfort. Silicone leg hems guarantee that the suit stays in shape throughout races with perfect grip and precise fit while ventilation for hot destination races is provided by a reversed YKK zip at the back of the suits.

A specific short distance micro fiber and antibacterial tripad, complete with ultra-fast drying properties, rounds out the tech and will help our fastest Kiwis stay comfortable on the bike and run legs. Be sure to tune into Triathlonlive.tv on March 3 to catch the Kiwi trio and their fancy new threads in the Abu Dhabi sprint races. www.z3r0d.com

Global

green light?

On to Taupo and eventually the World for RaceRanger? Kiwi co-founders

Dylan McNiece and James Elvery are quietly confident so.

It’s been a blight on long distance triathlon since, well, the start of long distance triathlon. Thankfully, a Kiwi start-up has galloped over the horizon with a clever tech solution to save the day, the very integrity of our sport.

RaceRanger’s world premiere at January’s Tauranga

Half was widely hailed. The drafting detection system got its second outing and none other than Sebastian Kienle’s weighty seal of approval at Challenge Wanaka on Feb.18. The former world Champ will test it again at Ironman NZ on March 4 and thereafter, fingers crossed, RaceRanger will be rolled out around the globe. The cheaters, those blatant or blissfully unaware, are officially on notice.

How does it work?

Small electronic units measure drafting distances between bikes. Each athlete has two devices, one mounted on a front fork, the other on the seatpost. The rear device features three coloured LED lights which change colour depending on how close the following rider is getting. The system can be set to pre-determined drafting distances and will eventually send data to technical officials remotely via a tablet app. That’s the kicker – soon any human ambiguity will be taken out of rulings.

The Tech

The technology encased within each unit is complex and has taken more than six years to develop. It combines GPS, Bluetooth, Ultrawide-band, NFC and wireless charging, as well as an accelerometer and thermometer. RaceRanger is the brainchild of former Kiwi elite triathletes Dylan McNiece and James Elvery who now operate under Precision Triathlon Systems (they’re onto a winner if any shrewd investors are reading). The system has been built predominantly in Christchurch with the assistance of the University of Canterbury’s Wireless Research department, with additional input from World Triathlon.

Tauranga Feedback

Two thirds of the 20 athletes who trialled the system at the Tauranga Half reported RaceRanger working perfectly. The Technical Officials on motorbikes also liked what they saw. Inevitably, there were a few tech glitches with a couple of riders reporting lights turning off for minutes at a time before correcting themselves and resuming normal operations. Groups of riders travelling in opposition directions also reported the systems interfering with each other’s function. “The engineering team are now working through these issues and we hope to have them ironed out before Challenge Wanaka,” said Elvery. The testimonies in the slick UpStreamFilms video above suggests it was mission accomplished down South.

Global/Age group rollout?

Precision Triathlon Systems have 40 sets of units, with the parts poised to produce another 80 sets. “With 120 sets we’ll be able to serve pretty much any pro race around the world through the rest of 2023 which is our goal for this year,” Elvery said. “Eventually we’d like to see it on the age groupers as well but this is likely a 2024 addition. Refining the system and adding live tracking functionality are our current focus.”

What they said…

Sam Osborne, 4th place at the Tauranga Half and coming off penalties in his first two non-drafting races

“It’s really hard to judge distance and it just takes out the ambiguity. It’s just so definitive. You see the lights change and you can gauge your next move. We need it at every race. Most people don’t intend to draft, they just struggle to gauge it.”

Men’s Champion

“I was a bit sceptical, wondering how it might work with passing manoeuvres and age groupers coming through but my device all day seemed seamless, it was fantastic. Just really good awareness of where you were at, it’s pretty basic to see if you move into that draft zone, it goes blue instantly, so good clarity. I think it’s a have-to the way the sport’s going, the PTO in particular. It’ll just make the sport and the race more fair.”

Women’s Champion

“I stayed between the orange and red lights, and it mentally took the guesswork out of ‘am I at the appropriate distance’? When Hannah [Berry] was leading, Amelia [Watkinson] was second and I was third, I could see that I was the right distance, but I could also see that ahead of me Amelia was also following Hannah at the right distance. Which showed that we were all doing a fair race.”

TQ.Kiwi

2023 WTCS Preview Paris Prelude

The fulltime return of Norwegians Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden ups the male ante as Dame Flora Duffy aims for a five-peat in World Triathlon’s showcase series.

Wilde redemption? Another Kiwi v GBR welterweight battle within the world heavyweight title fight with Alex Yee?

French domestiques working for reigning champion Léo Bergere? Perhaps a dose of ‘Big Blu’ for everyone courtesy of returning Tokyo Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt. Gustav Iden anyone? And, seriously, can anyone prevent Dame Flora Duffy from making it five world titles in 2023? Cue Georgia Taylor-Brown?

From Abu Dhabi in early March to the series finale in Pontevedra, Spain in late September, count on the usual suspects and fascinating new team tactics (perhaps) making the 2023 World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) utterly

compelling viewing on Triathlonlive.tv.

After contracting Covid on the final day of the 2022 WTCS to slip two places to third overall, Hayden Wilde is fired up to make this his year before focusing on Olympic glory in 2024. For New Zealand’s other Paris ‘24 hopefuls, a run of WTCS results will enhance their nomination claims, as will strong performances at critical Mixed Relays that will run on the sidelines of WTCS stops in Montreal, Hamburg and Sunderland and at the Paris test event on Aug. 20.

A fascinating 2023 subplot will be how the world’s best peak and re-peak for the plethora of critical races, the Olympic test event among them where the highest placed Kiwi on any podium step will automatically qualify for Paris. Bring. It. (All) On.

BACK TO START LIST

2023 World Triathlon Championship Series

World Triathlon Cup 2023

New Plymouth, NZL

Mar. 26 (Sprint)

Huatulco, MEX

June 17-18 (Sprint)

Tiszaujvaros, HUN

July 8-9 (Sprint)

Valencia, ESP

Sept. 2-3 (Standard)

Karlovy Vary, CZE

Sept. 9-10 (Standard)

Arzachena, ITA

Oct. 7-8 (Sprint)

Chengdu, CHN

Oct. 14-15 (Standard)

Brasilia, Brazil

Oct.15 (Standard)

Tongyeong, KOR

Oct. 21-22 (Sprint)

Miyazaki, JPN

Oct. 28-29 (Standard)

Vina del Mar, CHI

Nov. 11-12 Sprint)

Montevideo, URU

Nov. 18-19 (Standard)

Yeongdo, KOR TBC (Sprint)

UNUSUAL SUSPECTS 10 athletes set to give the big names a fight during the 2023 WTCS

Kate Waugh (GBR)

U23 champion at the 2022 World Triathlon Finals in Abu Dhabi, Waugh has relocated to Europe to train with Paula Sousa. Enhances an already deep British talent pool.

Annika Koch (GER)

Last season produced silver linings at the U23 Worlds, World Cup Tongyeong and the German Sprint Championship. Look for Koch to take a golden step up somewhere in 2023.

Tilda Mansson (SWE)

One of tri’s outstanding prospects. 2022 highlighted by her World Junior (U19) Champs win in Montreal. Took gold at World Cup Bergen and debuted at WTCS Abu Dhabi.

Bianca Seregni (ITA)

The Italian led almost every race she started in 2022 to become one of the sport’s most feared young swimmers. Bronze at the U23 Worlds and WC Huatulco.

Alberte Pedersen (DEN)

Fourth behind Georgia TaylorBrown, Cassandre Beaugrand and Beth Potter at the World Sprint Championship in Montreal. Backed it up with gold at World Cup Miyazaki.

Matthew Hauser (AUS)

Needs little introduction as one of the strongest Super Leaguers. Claimed silver at WTCS Hamburg and bronze at the Comm Games. 5th at WT Finals in Abu Dhabi.

Jamie Riddle (RSA)

Highlighted ability on the bike in 2022 with bold attacks to break away from the world’s best. Can swim too & marked himself as a future star with 6th at Comm Games.

Connor Bentley (GBR)

The GBR production line is relentless, as evidenced by Bentley’s runaway victory at the 2022 World Triathlon U23 Champs. Also took the tape at the GBR Sprint champs.

Miguel Hidalgo (BRA)

A bronze medal at June’s World Cup Huatulco in Mexico showed what Hidalgo is capable of. Underscored that potential with gold at the Brazil Nationals in December.

Jawad Abdelmoula (MAR)

The Moroccan finished 3rd at World Cup Vina del Mar with a stunning swim, bike and run combo in Chile. Reiterated his running prowess with a WTCS Hamburg bronze.

WTCS Opener “100%” about redemption for Wilde

Hayden Wilde vows to “come back fighting” at the scene of his greatest disappointment

That thousand words or a picture cliché? Here’s a telling example, the agonising blue carpet moment when Hayden Wilde realised he’d missed out on WTCS glory by one place, 10 seconds or 45.41 measly points. Take your pick, they all still smart.

It turns out that Wilde’s run to sixth in the WTCS finale in Abu Dhabi cruelly coincided with a untimely maiden scrape with Covid-19, not that he knew in the energy sapping heat of the moment on Yas Island as he slipped from pole-position to third overall in World Triathlon’s blue-

ribband series behind Frenchman Léo Bergere and Great British rival Alex Yee.

Fast-forward to the eve of a the new season and Wilde has perhaps never been more motivated. Sure, the longer term goal is Paris gold, but the stepping stone is the world.

“I obviously got Covid on race day so I didn’t perform the way I wanted to and knew I could so 100 percent I’ll be going to Abu Dhabi for redemption,” said Wilde of the impending WTCS season opener, fatefully back in the UAE capital.

“It’s very early on in the season, Abu Dhabi, so whether the form will be there will be the big question mark but I think it’s a big question mark over a lot of athletes heads being so early on in the season.”

After Abu Dhabi where he’ll share the start line with pal Kyle Smith and the likes of Kristian Blummenfelt (Ainsley Thorpe is set to contest the women’s race), Wilde will loop back to his European base via World Cup New Plymouth and rounds two and three of the WTCS in Yokohama and Cagliari. It’s the start of another busy season where the Paris test event in August looms large.

“My ambitions are definitely to get that automatic qualification spot for the Olympics but also trying to become world champion is a huge box ticker for me because I was so close last year… I really want to come back fighting and come back extremely hungry for that.

“The body is ticking over good post Covid in Abu Dhabi. I’m looking forward to seeing where the form is and that will show me what I need to prepare and improve moving into New Plymouth, Yokohama and Cagliari.”

Beyond Paris, Wilde will attempt to defend his Super League Triathlon (SLT) title.

“I really want to do some PTO races but it’s just not going to work out. It’s just overlapping a few events in the World Series that just makes it impossible to compete. So it’s a bit unfortunate but looking forward to the season. I’m feeling fit, healthy and ready.” – KG

Last call for Paris

How do our fastest Kiwis clip their ticket to Paris ’24? Our qualification explainer unpicks the complex route/s

from the 24 month window and a maximum of eight from the second period (hello Kyle Smith). A maximum of two Conti results can count so expect the racing in Devonport (Oceania Sprint Champs) and Port Douglas (Oceania Standard Champs) this summer to be fierce, ditto for World Cup New Plymouth. The more ranking points secured Down Under now, the better chance of securing points rich WTCS and World Cup starts in Europe later. The Conti Cups in Wanaka and Taupo mightn’t earn Olympic points but they do help athletes climb the pecking order to World Cups and on to the WTCS.

Under the shadows of the Pont Alexandre III bridge on the River Seine, the swim pontoon for the XXXIII Olympiad will feature just 55 start line slots for each of the men’s and women’s individual triathlons in 2024.

Securing one of those coveted Paris starts is a complex global points gathering exercise for New Zealand’s best, complete with a Mixed Relay twist, all of which we’ll unpick here.

For New Zealand to have more than two athletes in either of the individual races, the three (max) would all need to be ranked in the top 30 of the World Triathlon Individual Olympic Qualification Rankings at the May 27, 2024 cut-off. With the first of two qualification periods coming to a close (May 27, 2022 to May 26, 2023) and the current Kiwi rankings outside of Hayden Wilde well south of this, a lot of magic needs to happen in the second period (May 27, 2023 to May 27, 2024) for that to transpire. Fingers crossed.

Points are available at WTCS races, the Olympic test event in Paris (Aug. 1720, 2023), World Cups and Continental Championships events on a descending scale. Sprint races earn 75 percent of the value of standard distance events. Still with us? Good, let’s crack on.

Athletes are able to count up to 12 results

Of course, our athletes can take all the stress out of qualification by being the highest ranked Kiwi on any step of the podium at the Olympic test event, a result which would guarantee Paris selection.

Thereafter, two top 8 placings in WTCS events will please the selectors no end (Hello Wilde already) and if three or more Kiwis achieve this metric, the athlete with the highest placings will likely get a selection nomination forwarded to the NZOC.

From a New Zealand perspective, the Mixed Relay is the most likely avenue to Paris, securing four individual spots (two men and two women) in the process. Thus, the huge focus on July’s World MR Championship in Hamburg.

The winning team from last year’s World MR Championship in Montreal was France. As Olympic hosts, they’re already locked and loaded for Paris ’24 so that spot rolled down to second-placed GBR which means (stick with us here) the highest placed nation in Hamburg, even if they’re third behind either France or GBR, will also qualify.

If NZL can’t snare that spot, the key is to be inside the top six nations in the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Olympic Qualification Rankings at the March 25, 2024 cutoff, discounting France, GBR and whoever takes the third slot in Hamburg. New Zealand are currently 7th heading into critical MR events in Montreal (June 25), Hamburg (July 15),

Sunderland (July 30) and Paris (Aug. 20). Phew, nearly there.

Finally, there’s a last chance MR qualifier for the nine or so countries not already qualified, the venue for which has yet to be announced but will likely be held in March 2024. There, three additional nations will clip their ticket to Paris.

The key Kiwi takeaway from all the above? Race hard, be fast and take the decision out of the selectors’ hands. It’s going to be utterly compelling (hello Triathlonlive.tv)

Questions for

SAM RENOUF 9

The Professional Triathletes Organisation CEO on the plan to rival tennis and golf, the PTO’s Kiwi connection, exorbitant age group entry fees, the threat to Ironman and the possibility of a race in New Zealand

TQ: With the athlete-first DNA, sweet-spot 100km races, media-focus and power shift towards your brand, you have the most exciting job in triathlon don’t you?

SR: Not just triathlon - this has to be one the best jobs in sport! There seems to be a real appetite for change within triathlon, especially amongst top professionals who recognise the opportunity ahead and started this all with the PTU several years ago. Our first season of the PTO Tour and the PTO Open races we staged in Canada, the US and the Collins Cup in Samorin felt a real step forward. To have these broadcast live to an engaged audience of millions around the world in our second year is testament to the

potential. That said, there is still much to do. We are in the triathlon equivalent of the sprint to the first turn buoy – we have many miles to go before the finish line could be in sight. But I am confident that we are on the right path and that this is an exciting opportunity to modernise our sport and give professional triathletes the opportunity to showcase their extraordinary talents, while being rewarded appropriately.

TQ: You’ve recently been quoted as saying the PTO can be as ‘big as tennis or golf’, sweet music to triathlon ears. Simple question…how and when?

SR: Well, that’s certainly the ambition.

But in that interview I also said that those sports have had a 100+ year head start on us. The ATP or WTA in tennis or the PGA or LPGA in golf were formed by groups of professional athletes who wanted to make their sport better. And that’s exactly what happened with the PTO.

Professional triathletes have seen the rise of our sport but the growth at the pro end hasn’t necessarily tracked the participation growth. Football, the NFL and tennis have been multibillion-dollar sports for a long time. Triathlon has really been in the dark ages from a commercial and broadcast perspective, and that’s why the PTO was formed.

Triathlon appeals to the executive and the professional class which is a very attractive group to market to. The whole point of the PTO is that although you’ve got this incredibly valuable market that’s global, it’s completely fragmented by the lack of a media product. I think two important announcements at the end of last year signposted our ambition. The first was the appointment of Chris Kermode as our Executive Chairman. Chris has held a number of leadership positions in tennis, rising to the role of Executive Chairman and President of the ATP where he was responsible for promoting the sport globally to the next generation and attracting audiences with innovative broadcasts and formats.

The second was the decision by Warner Bros. Discovery to become an investor in the PTO rather than simply our global broadcast partner. Our strategy is underpinned on making triathlon a broadcast sport. Having one of the largest broadcasters buy into that journey is a great validation of the potential.

TQ: What’s worked since the PTO’s inception. And what hasn’t?

SR: Well, I think we’ve learned a lot and would repeat that we’re only at the start of our race. In the first place, I think it was a significant achievement that the PTO got created and all the professional triathletes united behind one organisation.

Personally speaking, I think our coownership model is one of our secret weapons and has been influential in how we’ve gone about things. For example, the

early PTO Rankings bonus payments to athletes during Covid, then the creation of a sport-leading ‘paid leave’ maternity policy that has helped our female athletes, like Chelsea Sodaro, to be world class athletes as well as moms. More recently we’ve had a committee of athletes working on a new version of our PTO World Rankings.

So while it’s been great to hear over the last week or so how the likes of Ashleigh Gentle (pictured above), Alistair Brownlee and Kyle Smith are really embracing the PTO Tour races, I think there’s also much more we can do with them as well as for them.

On broadcast, we’ve been excited to see the progress we’ve made to bring long distance triathlon to a broader audience, which included a global dedicated TV and streaming audience of 23.1 million for the 2022 PTO Tour. But I’d have loved to have introduced more live data into the broadcast product to enhance the storytelling further. We’ve certainly got work to do there. We’d also have liked to get our full 2023 PTO Tour calendar out there much earlier. That’s something we’re committing to doing moving forward. It becomes much easier to do once the calendar becomes established.

TQ: What new broadcast and storytelling innovations will be unleashed in 2023 and beyond?

SR: Well, as I’ve mentioned, I think that in some respects we’re far ahead of where we’d expected to be with the global broadcast of our races. In other respects, we’ve still got a lot of work to do. I think the introduction of live athlete data would be a significant move and that’s certainly something we want to progress.

Having the season narrative established, the best going head-to-head consistently, it’s then about bringing those athlete backstories to life, making fans really care who wins

Beyond the new technology and storytelling innovations, I think it’s also worth remembering the core ingredients that make a successful, professional sport. It’s about having the world’s very best athletes going head-to-head on a consistent basis at the biggest races, what’s often referred to in the industry as a ‘season long narrative’. And in having that season narrative established, it’s then about bringing those athlete backstories to life and making fans really care who wins.

I also think it’s about staging our races in great venues. The Tour de France has proved the importance of the backdrop to an endurance sport. Hence our desire to expand the tour into different continents where we can test our athletes on different courses, in different climates and see different winners.

TQ: What surprises has the PTO’s Athlete Board, which includes New Zealand’s own Dylan McNiece, brought to the overarching vision?

SR: The PTO Athlete Board plays a very important role. We talk about co-ownership, but it’s important that translates into action and outcomes rather than just nice words.

The athletes felt passionately about introducing new policies like the ‘paid leave’ maternity policy I mentioned earlier. But they’ve also been unanimous in their feedback that our ranking system needed to change - and then picked up the baton to really run with the project.

Dylan’s been a very important cog within the organisation and played a key role in making all this happen. His ability to juggle time zones, not so easy from New Zealand, has to be seen to be believed.

TQ: The PTO has an intrinsic relationship with the team behind RaceRanger, fronted of course by James Elvery and Dylan McNiece. How important is this tech to the organisation and to the sport as a whole? Will we see it rolled out in 2023?

SR: The best tech fuels the progress of any industry and the sports industry is no different. So it’s important we embrace it and find the tech that will help us achieve our mission to take professional triathlon to the next level.

Live data will be the big thing in sports production over the next five-10 years. It’s what fans want to see. It helps them contextualise what they’re watching. Especially in an endurance sport like ours.

Not only can both brands happily exist, the success of the PTO in growing triathlon’s profile will be a very positive force for Ironman’s growth...

RaceRanger is a great example of technology that can help solve a problem. How can we objectively and fairly help race officials apply the 20 meter drafting rules.

I don’t have any exclusive for you I’m afraid. But it was encouraging to hear about the successful trial RaceRanger did at the Tauranga Half in New Zealand a couple of weeks ago.

TQ: The PTO is Asian bound. How important is it to spread further? When will we see a Australasian stop?

SR: Very. The PTO Tour has to go to new and exciting places. Singapore will be a great destination as well as a great race

PTO 2023 Schedule

BACK TO START LIST

TQ: Ironman has owned the age group market till now and with race entries rising in a tough economic climate globally, weekend warriors are feeling the pinch. Why should I jump ship to a PTO race or can both brands happily co-exist?

SR: Ironman is a phenomenal business and has lots of races, which certainly proves there’s a strong appetite from the age group market.

The PTO wants to make each PTO Tour event an experience, something you’ll remember and tell your friends about, and that means more than just flying in, racing and flying out. With the chance to watch the men’s and women’s pro races at close quarters and then take on the same course yourself, or try out extra events like open water swims or night runs, all in stunning destinations that can be explored during race week, we think we’re offering something a bit different.

Our 100km races (2km swim, 80km bike, 18km run) certainly offer a new distance for age groupers to take on. And because our model is more around broadcast and media, we are focused on keeping the events as accessible as possible which should help in this tougher economic climate.

As to jumping ship, that’s not the way to look at it at all. Athletes, both pro and age grouper, have the opportunity to do both and we very much hope they do. Not only can both brands happily exist, the success of the PTO in growing triathlon’s profile will be a very positive force for Ironman’s growth for the simple fact they have most of the places for these new triathletes to race.

TQ: Finally, with the beauty of hindsight, what’s the biggest untapped opportunity for the sport and how will the PTO capitalise on this?

venue. And whilst our focus for 2023 is on the races we’ve announced, we’re already thinking about 2024 and how we turn things up. Australasia would certainly fit that bill, so let’s see.

SR: I think it’s about unlocking the true value of our amazing professional athletes. Triathletes are some of the most talented athletes on the planet but the vast majority of the world doesn’t know they exist. This is what we’re here to fix, by getting the best racing against each other consistently, telling their stories in compelling ways and giving them a global broadcast ‘stage’ on which to really perform.

CAM BROWN’S

Taupo Masterclass

You are an IRONMAN! Whether you’re newbie or a repeat Taupo offender, you’ll want to savour those glorious words. Kiwi triathlon immortal Cameron Brown explains how in our exclusive Nutri-Grain IRONMAN New Zealand preview

You’ve tucked away once unimaginable amounts of training, tended to the inevitable injury niggles (or conveniently decided to ignore them), sorted the cheer squad and can almost taste the post-race tipple already. Well done you. Not long now till D-Day, March 4.

Whether you’re a first-timer or a serial Taupo masochist hoping to smash your PB and perhaps even qualify for the Vinfast IRONMAN World Championship, you haven’t put in this much effort to botch your lines at curtain call. Who better then to share insider knowledge of what it takes to conquer Nutri-Grain IRONMAN New Zealand than Cameron Brown. File the 12-time champs’ swim, bike, run and transition tips in the memory bank to help you overcome the tough bits (including that headwind back from Reparoa, or will it be?) and smash your Taupō target. Don’t forget IRONMAN’s critical fourth discipline (read on!) and we’ll see you at the finish line. – TQ

SWIM

“You can’t win Ironman NZ in the swim but you can certainly lose it if you emerge from Lake Taupō too far behind the pacesetters. And just as the swim is super important for the professionals, every athlete needs to be swim fit for this leg.

If you can come out of the water without feeling too tired, then you’ll bike and run well. Exit exhausted and your bike and run legs will be totally compromised and you’ll probably fade badly as the race goes on.

Make sure you have a good warmup if you’re looking to swim fast. Even though you’re swimming 3.8km, you need your heart rate up ready to get off the line fast. If you’re just trying to get through the swim in good time, then you can slowly build your pace over the distance. The pro’s have it easy with only 20-30 athletes racing so you don’t get to many hits but when you have 1500 people starting together, seeding and positioning yourself is more important.

If you’re a little worried about the swim leg, the best place to be is close to shore so you can stand and then start when you want. Quickly get on someone’s feet or hips to get the drafting effect. This will not only speed you up but make the entire swim easier as you get pulled along by faster freestylers.

Pacing is important; 3800m is a long way so know what you’re capable of pacing wise and make sure your heading in the right direction. You don’t want to be swimming any more than 3.8km so every 20 strokes, lift your head to make sure your swimming in a straight line.”

“If you’re a little worried about the swim leg, the best place to be is close to shore…”

Coming out of the water, make sure you start concentrating on what you have to do get out on the road efficiently. There are a lot of rows with plenty of bikes so focus on where your ride is. Don’t sprint…take it easy so as not to raise your heart rate too high.

Get your wetsuit down to your hips as you exit the water and then make your way to your gear bag and changing tent. I always have my arm warmers in my bag. If the weather is cool you can get cold very quickly. The water temperature is normally 20c but the outside air temperature can often be half that and when you’re flying along at 40km on the bike, the wind chill can be very cold. If there’s rain on the horizon then pack a cycling vest as well.

BIKE

You don’t need me telling you 180km is a very long way so remember, if you go out too fast then the run won’t be pretty. Like the swim, pacing is crucial on the bike leg so keep checking your wattage/speed/heart rate to maintain what you have been able to do in training. Pre-race, look to see what the weather is doing; which direction will the wind be coming from? Normally IMNZ gets a tail wind out to Reporoa and head wind coming back to Taupo but with all the north easterlies we have been getting this summer, it could be the opposite. The road chip is another obstacle athletes have to contend with and this can play havoc with your average speeds if you’re coming from overseas or riding

on hot mix. New Zealand’s rough roads are tough on your back and tire pressure is super important. Back in the old days, athletes pumped up their tubular tires to 170psi. Now with tubeless ready tires, they only need 70-80psi in them so you’re not bumping around all over the place. Nutrition is the fourth discipline of Ironman racing so make sure you’re constantly eating and drinking. Don’t worry what everyone else is doing, just concentrate on your race and pacing.

Break the bike leg into 4x45km segments and try to build each leg, knowing that if you can ride the final 45km strong you will run well. If you’re falling apart out there in the last 90mins then you could be in for a long run. Make sure you have your last Gel just as you get off the bike so your fuel tank is ready for the start of the run.

“New Zealand’s rough roads are tough on your back and tire pressure is super important.”

Cam’s IMNZ 2023 target?

“I’m

T2The last 2km of the bike leg is downhill so make sure you stretch out. Get off your saddle and stretch your lower back/legs and give them a slight break. Think forward again knowing what you’ll be doing as soon as you get off the bike… socks on, shoes on, more sunscreen, change of clothing for the run leg?

RUN

Returnees will know and newbies should be aware... the Taupo run is tough. It’s filled with undulations the entire course, especially the beginning, with only the lake front being flat. I try to run smaller strides on the up hills - baby steps - so I keep my momentum and cadence up. You can then stride out on the down hills. Don’t go out hard, hold back in the first lap and then you can build each lap with more speed. If you can run well over the final 21km, you’ll catch a lot of athletes. Don’t miss any of the aid stations either. I like to take my gels around 200m before each station and then I can concentrate on getting in my fluids (coke, water, electrolytes) at the station. Know beforehand how much you can tolerate as you don’t want to over consume and then be throwing everything up! Cool yourself down if it’s hot with iced water over your head. Alternatively, take your cap off, add a few ice cubes and get back to it. You can also try putting ice down your trisuit as well. The cooling effect will last a while and the cooler you can keep your core body temp in hot weather, the better you’ll run. Taupo can be cool or it can be very hot. I remember the 2000 NZ Ironman being one of the hottest days ever in Taupo with the mercury out on course reaching 32c!

“Returnees will know and newbies should be aware... the Taupo run is tough.”

just hoping to put in a solid performance. I’ve had a lot of bad luck with injuries and sickness the past few years, so I’m hoping to just execute a race I’m happy with. I’ve got to remember I’m a 50 year old…not 30 anymore!”

DEBRIEF

In my late 20’s and 30’s, I use to love having time off after each Ironman, usually two-three weeks of rest. If I do that now, I get injured as soon as I return so the key for aging athletes is to focus on an active recovery. Think super easy swims, 30-60min spins on your bike and very easy runs or long walks. It’s understandable to want to keep training like normal. Ironman is such a tough sport you don’t want to waste all that hard work, right? The problem is, a month later the fatigue will hit you physically and mentally. It’s called the Ironman blues so be very careful with your training and goals straight away. Enjoy some down time away from the sport but keep active. Most importantly, have some fun. You deserve it. You are an IRONMAN!”

ironman.com/im-new-zealand

Braden Currie

Wanaka, 36

The Kiwi No.1 is hellbent on avenging a tough 2022 with the IM Worlds in Nice his priority. The PTO No.19 had targeted 70.3 Tasmania after his Tauranga Half masterclass but scratched after son Tarn broke both arms in a MTB crash. More in the tank to repeat his 7:56:48 win in 2021 perhaps. Will be hard to beat.

Els Visser

Utrecht/ Sankt Moritz, 32

Shipwreck survivor, qualified surgeon, Ironman champion. Is there anything the proud “Dutchie” can’t do? The 2018 IM Netherlands champion and PTO No.54 is coming off silver at IM Western Australia in Dec. and will be super determined to better her 2nd at Challenge Wanaka after that bike detour.

Mike Phillips

Christchurch, 32 Phillips overcame a seven min deficit to Jack Moody in the previous month’s IM 70.3 Taupo to edge Moody into 2nd at the Tauranga Half, the same podium step he filled at Challenge Wanaka. Runnerup to Currie at the last pro IMNZ in 2021 in 7:56:48, faster than the 8:01:10 that took him to victory in 2019.

Hannah Berry

Mt Maunganui, 36

Title defender after winning the last pro IMNZ in 2021 in 8:49:30. Edged Rebecca Clarke into 2nd at IM 70.3 Taupo but 3rd behind Clarke and Amelia Watkinson at her home Tauranga Half in Jan. The PTO No.63 has identified the run as her focus. Visser’s presence adds another potential plot twist in Taupo.

Sebastian Kienle

Germany, 38

How cool to have tri royalty begin his year-long retirement circumnavigation in NZ. The 2014 World champ will be determined to enhance his legend at the 2nd of his “bucketlist” starts after placing 3rd in Wanaka. Sixth in Kona last Oct. means the PTO No.25 should podium in Taupo but on what step?

Rebecca Clarke

Auckland, 34

Successful Tauranga Half defence in Jan. was a huge confidence shot, particularly Clarke’s 1:26:09 run around the ‘Mount’ base track. Will be fascinating to see if the PTO No.30 can kick on to her maiden IM title. Will come in hot after a wrong turn on the bike cost her a shot at Challenge Wanaka glory.

Born to TriRun

From collegiate running tracks in California to the World Triathlon bigtime in Europe and beyond, Eva Goodisson is doing Hawke’s Bay – and New Zealand – proud.

BACK TO START LIST

Last year was epic. And eye-opening. Turns out that elite racing over in Europe isn’t a patch on racing in New Zealand. I was warned about that before going over but like any naïve racer, I doubted it until I was in the washing machine and spat out the back in my first World Cup race in Arzachena, Italy. You can see why successful elites have triathlon as a full time gig. My previous years of full time study, part time work and full time training would not have cut it over in Europe.

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Recovery was a key aspect that I learned to appreciate very quickly. Sure, you can battle your way through everyday training but when you’re competing against the best in the world, you need to be well rested and fuelled so you can hit each session and get stronger. This didn’t just help physically but also mentally. Getting dropped on rides or open water sessions is not fun. What was fun was seeing the improvement I made throughout the season, from getting dropped each session to dropping others.

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My debut World Cup race in Arzachena, and first triathlon ever in Europe, was humbling. I was warned it would be a step up but I didn’t think I would come almost last in the field. To be honest, I had just gotten over Covid two weeks prior so my race expectations were low but the level of elite racing was fierce.

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Let’s just say that Arzachena taught me that it’s best if you stay upright on the mount line. Jokes aside, it was both inspiring and motivating. I had a lot of work to do physically and tactically but at least when you start at the bottom there’s only one way to go.

PROFile

EVA GOODISSON

Age 24

From Havelock North Lives Mt Maunganui RANKINGS

World 104 Olympic 73 Oceania 10 BEST WTCS 24th, Montreal 2022 World Cup 7th, Miyazaki 2022

Did you know?

Goodisson won the 16-19 title at the 2015 Aquathlon World Championship in Chicago

EVA’S BEATS

6 TRACKS

YOU’LL FIND IN MY TRAINING PLAYLIST

Pump up the Jam

Technotronic

Young Blood

The Naked and Famous

Remember the Name

Fort Minor

This is the life

Two Door Cinema Club

Super Stylin’

Groove Armada

Get Shaky

Ian Carey Project

» » »

From 41st in Arzachena to 7th at World Cup Miyazaki, it showed that consistent training and race experience builds improvement. Having small, specific goals helped build improvement throughout the season and will continue into 2023. Experiencing life as full-time athlete really showed me that with consistent training, rest and proper nutrition, you really do get faster.

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My WTCS debut in Montreal was crazy but a turning point for me in my career. I was suddenly going from fan girling the top Brits and Frenchie’s to being on the start line with them. I was destroyed but at the same time still in contention which gave me the fire to know that I can be with them with a little more experience and training.

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40kg of luggage as a triathlete doesn’t go far and a leather jacket in Spain is a waste of a vital extra kg. Air tags also proved to be essential. Losing my suitcase and bike travelling from Montreal to Holten (NED) was not ideal as I raced around on some local Dutch guy’s old BMC, but at least I knew that my own Trek Emonda was safely nestled in the baggage area of Toronto for the week.

» » »

Compared to the other Kiwis right now, my path into triathlon has been different. I dabbled with tri a bit in high school but never made any junior teams and wanted to try something different after school. I had

enjoyed running track and heard about scholarships to the US, so decided to take up a track and cross country scholarship to the University of California Davis from 2017-2021. I wanted an experience that would challenge me academically, as well as athletically and personally.

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The end goal was to always go to triathlon but I had a blast during my 4½ years in California. Moving over at 18 was scary but exciting. I instantly set up new life as ‘American Eva’ and dove right into college study, joining clubs and frat/sorority parties, getting my California driver’s license and travelling the coast and Oregon, making friends for life and of course becoming a track runner. I was also an honorary member of the swim team, which technically wasn’t allowed, but the coach loved Kiwis so I was able to sneak along to the odd swim.

» » »

My first year was plagued with injury and over training, just trying to go from low milage during high school to thinking I could handle the sudden spike in miles when my body just wasn’t ready. Year two proved a better balance with less running and more cycling and swimming on the side. Being with a tight knit team of girls was amazing. We all worked off each other, supported and were there for one another, both on and off the track. This close team environment made us all stronger and is something I noticed also helped training [at the Tri NZ camp] in Spain last year.

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I actually grew up as a swimmer, a breast stroker in fact. So I’ve had swimming in the background. Cycling, however, not so much. During high school, my junior coach, Ken MacLaren, would just tell me to ‘go outside and ride’, and that would consist of two hours of riding a week. When I was in California, I was riding but just a couple of times a week to keep things ticking over.

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I remember riding in the group sessions in Cambridge [Tri NZ camp] in 2020 when I came back for Covid and just getting immediately dropped. Fast forward to 2022 and with a little more consistent time on the bike, group sessions, help from my coach Chris Willett, gym work and my trusty Trek Emonda that had finally been properly fitted, and I could hold my own.

» » »

This year is another opportunity to work on race skills, bank some consistent training and build strength to start racing more often with the top girls on the WTCS circuit. I am excited to continue building consistency with the rest of the HP team in New Zealand and again in Banyoles, Spain.

» » »

Triathlon, and any racing at an elite level, is no straight path. Last year was great. I focused on rest, fuel and the gym as key areas to stay injury free. However as elite athletes, we are constantly on the limit between not enough and too much. Sometimes you push these limits and you get injured. I have had my fair share of injury over the years and I’ve learned to listen to my body, with the help of my Whoop strap that gives me internal data on how my body is recovering, to prioritise rest when I need it, build strength through gym and fuelling well. My fuel hacks last year in Europe were Horley’s electrolytes, BCAA powder, collagen and whey protein.

» » »

For me, triathlon is a long game. It’s easy to forget this but I am also reminding myself to stay on my own path. Your support team is so key. On the days that I struggle I reach out to Chris, my coach, as well as family and friends and teammates. Setting small process goals I can tick off along the way and finding a new focus helps, like getting stronger in the gym or pool for example, as well as spending more time socially, or having some study or work to do.

» » »

Short course wise, I 100 percent want to race on the Super League series, especially the surf race in Malibu. The longer the wade and bigger the waves, the better! In 10 years’ time, I would love to race some longer PTO events.

I was suddenly going from fan girling the top Brits and Frenchie’s to being on the start line with them.

Mount Missiles

The foreboding spectre of Father Time. The Mother of all female fields. Tech set to showcase Kiwi ingenuity to the world and propel long distance triathlon to a much fairer future.

Storylines abounded before the 34th Tauranga Half and each of the overarching narratives delivered in spades on January 21.

Braden Currie’s record-smashing victory not only reaffirmed the Wanaka-based Mid Cantabrian as the

ABOVE: The age group fields were again deep at the Mount Festival of Multisport showpiece

TOP RIGHT: Moody’s bronze in Tauranga spurred him on to gold at Challenge Wanaka

King of Kiwi long distance triathlon but hinted at an age-defying speed spurt that bodes so well for his year of redemption. How about Rebecca Clarke’s run of a lifetime to leave Amelia Watkinson and Hannah Berry in her Mount base-track dust? Or the successful trial of RaceRanger and the global attention afforded the Kiwi-developed drafting detection system?

Or how about the story behind the obvious headlines at the showpiece

of the Mount Festival of Multisport? Allow Tauranga Half nearly-man Jack Moody to set the awe-inspiring scene out on the Tauranga Eastern Link Express Highway, or the TEL as the locals know it.

“I pushed the biggest set of power, I pushed more than Taupo by maybe more than nine, 10 percent so, I mean, it was ridiculous,” said Moody, who had entered Tauranga buoyed by victory in the previous month’s Ironman 70.3 New Zealand in Taupo

Missiles

The Tauranga Half proved the need for speed in long distance triathlon waits for no man, woman or event. Kent Gray reports from Mount Maunganui.

and departed with the proverbial tail between his legs.

“The quality of New Zealand racing, I don’t think people appreciate where it’s at at the moment.

“To go and knock down the course record…it just shows everyone is hungry, we’re turning up to these domestic races, 16 pros, and we’re getting after it. It’s pretty amazing. This is where the sport is at now.”

The long distance needle has indeed shifted courtesy of Chelsea

Sodaro’s post-partum victory at the Vinfast Ironman World Championship in October and even more so by Gustav Iden’s mind-blowing 7:40:24 effort which included a nonsensical 2:36:15 marathon split.

You don’t need a ticket on the Norwegian hype train – don’t forget Tokyo Olympic, Ironman 70.3 World champion and conductor Kristian Blummenfelt – to know everyone is scrambling to keep pace.

That in turn means events such as Tauranga are no longer low key, postKiwi Christmas excess blowouts. Rather, if Currie, Clarke and co. want to compete at future Ironman World Championships or on the increasingly attractive PTO circuit, they’ve got to find even greater levels of superhuman endurance and speed. And there’s no time, or race, to waste.

“You turn up and think, that’s the goal posts but they keep getting

“…we’re turning up to these domestic races, 16 pros, and we’re getting after it. It’s pretty amazing. This is where the sport is at now.” – Jack Moody

RACING TAURANGA HALF The Big Race

raised,” Moody continued after settling for third behind Currie and Cantabrian Mike Phillips.

It was a second bronze medal to go with three silvers in the previous five editions of the iconic 2km swim, 90km bike, 21km run test and showed Moody just how much work he has to do.

“But you wouldn’t do this if you didn’t want that [a high bar].”

For Currie, the 1min 56secs stripped off Kyle Smith’s 2021 course record was an encouraging way to open the year after his 2022 was ruined late, first by a mystery virus in Kona and thereafter with confirmation that Ironman are splitting the men’s and women’s World Championship this year, taking the former to Nice in September.

At 36, Currie knows he’s in a race with Father Time to eclipse his bronze medal at the 2021 worlds –moved to Utah and paradoxically delayed till May last year due to the pandemic. The hilly Nice circuit might actually suit him better than Kona but Kona is where it’s at historically so Currie wants to be ready for both the French Rivera and for 2024 when the men swap Nice with the women and head back to the Big Island.

Ready in the current context? That’s where the need for yet more speed comes in and why Tauranga was pleasing and surprisingly so.

“I had decided I wouldn’t race the Tauranga Half this year as I wanted to spend more time with my family around Christmas and the New Year period before I got stuck in. Then

ABOVE: Braden Currie getting ahead of the winner’s are grinners curve

RIGHT: Mike Phillips’ step up to silver was a promising sign heading to IMNZ

OPPOSITE PAGE: Rebecca Clarke’s victory proved - to herself as much as anyone - that she is genuinely world class

“I knew I needed to take a concrete pill and make it to the start line. Today gave me the confidence that age hasn’t caught up on me just yet.”

– Braden Currie

pretty much every Kiwi professional I know put their name on the start list. I knew I needed to take a concrete pill and make it to the start line.”

Currie, unsurprisingly given the motivation provided by his Kona DNF, made it to the finish line faster than anyone ever before too.

“This is the race that sets me up for the year,” Currie said of his 3:37:47 effort, 2mins 50sec clear of Phillips and a whopping 14:39 faster than when he claimed the first of his now four Tauranga titles in 2016.

Illness saw Smith scratch from Tauranga which put an asterisk, to Currie’s mind anyway, on his course record. He didn’t get the bike course record motivationally demanded by coach Val Burke either (that went to Phillips in 1:58:48) but victory in record time was a solid launch pad for 2023.

“It doesn’t really count without having him [Smith] on the start line. But if the coach is happy, then we will call it a win!” Currie said on social media afterwards.

“I normally focus on [the] Ironman distance but I am mixing it up this year with the new Professional Triathletes Organisation 100km races. Today gave me the confidence that age hasn’t caught up on me just yet.”

CLARKE: ‘MY BEST NZ RACE BY FAR’

After a breakout 2022, Clarke went into Tauranga as arguably third favourite behind cycle sharpened Sunshine Coast-based Kiwi Watkinson and local heroine Berry (nee Wells) who had beaten Clarke into second place at 70.3 Taupo six weeks earlier. But instead of either Watkinson or Berry celebrating a third

Tauranga Half title to close in on Joanna Lawn’s record haul of four, Clarke sensationally defended her crown to draw level at two wins apiece. Roll on the 2024 Tauranga hattrick hunt and before that an epic, worldwide battle to become the undisputed Queen of Kiwi long distance triathlon.

RACING TAURANGA HALF The Big Race

“I’m still in a little bit of disbelief,” Clarke told TQ after stopping the clock at 4:07:48, 2mins 24sec ahead of Watkinson with Berry third a further 33secs adrift.

“I think sometimes before I kind of felt that I was a swimmer and an okay biker and an average runner. I don’t know, you’ve kind of got to have those moments to believe in yourself and I went actually no, I’m actually up there with the best in the world, I’m a professional athlete, this is my job and I’m not just a fill in, I’m competitive.”

Clarke’s 1:26:09 split for the 21km run, including two loops of the Mount base track, underscored that

new-found belief. It was more than 2mins 30s faster than Watkinson and put nearly three minutes on Berry.

It’s amazing the confidence shot performances like 8th at the PTO U.S. Open in Dallas and 17th on debut in Kona can do for you. But the secret sauce proved to be Clarke’s build-up in Wanaka, the same lung and leg busting mountain terrain Currie uses to fine tune his huge aerobic engine.

“I have been based in Wanaka lately so have been running a lot in the local trails, which helped me round the undulating base track today, and my overall strength on the run,” Clarke said.

“This is my best New Zealand race by far.”

Watkinson squeezed the Tauranga Half into her schedule between finishing 7th and 10th in the Road Race and Individual Time Trial at the

“The whole idea of racing at this time of the year is to make ourselves better so I’m glad it was tight even though it hurt like hell.” – Amelia Watkinson

AusCycle Nationals and Australia Day (Jan. 26) surgery on the elbow she broke during a bike crash in Europe mid 2022.

Afterwards, she was singing from a similar song sheet to Moody, glad to be part of a strong era of elite women’s racing.

“It’s awesome that we’ve got three really good Kiwi girls on the start line,” the 31-year-old said.

“The whole idea of racing at this time of the year is to make ourselves better so I’m glad it was tight even though it hurt like hell. Yeah, the PTO races, 70.3 Worlds, that winter period for us will be huge. That’s the target but definitely don’t discount these races, they’re great to have on the calendar.”

Also like Moody, the last place on the women’s podium went to Berry. Fittingly, the 31-year-old also enjoyed the last word on the state of the Kiwi

long distance nation too.

“I actually think we all raced really well today. Bec’s had an amazing race, the best race I’ve ever seen her have and so that’s really cool,” said Berry.

“Obviously when I go up against these girls I aways want to win, and when the gun goes off it’s all on but now we’ve crossed the finish line it’s kind of cool to see fellow Kiwis progressing as well.

“Hopefully we can all go overseas later this year and show what the Kiwis can do.”

If RaceRanger is a contemporary, triathlon take on the old Kiwi No.8 wire mentality, Berry perhaps evoked another old-school Kiwi memory, the patriotic call to “Give ‘em a Taste of Kiwi”.

It’s a chant set to reverberate around the world, metaphorically at least in 2023, perhaps even silencing that Norwegian Express for a bit.

PAIN CAVE PERFECTION

You’ll struggle to find a more passionate advocate of Zwift than Tri NZ’s own Anna Russell. You’ve seen the tech used at the Super League Arena Games and here, the former Auckland pro shares tips on setting up your own pain cave.

Triathletes have always loved themselves a great pain cave set-up. From the early Cateyes to the Computrainers, hours spent at TT pace staring at a wall have been the bread and butter of triathlete training plans for years. Things have changed in this space dramatically with the advent of virtual training platforms such as Zwift. It may still be called the pain cave but setups nowadays are anything but a cave. From LED lights to specifically built PCs to 50” TV monitors, the modern indoor training setup has become a piece of art. So what does it take to create this ultimate experience? Here’s five tips to trick out your pain cave:

1. An online training platform

By far the most popular and immersive training platform used by triathletes is Zwift. With both running and cycling, and its use in the Super League Arena Games, it is perfect for those sweet spot TT intervals. You can even use the ‘Join Zwifter’ function and ride with some of your heroes while they are out training.

2. A Computer or Device

Apple TV or an iPad are the most cost-effective Zwift devices you can use at a relatively inexpensive price tag. It still comes at a price (Apple TV is approx. NZ$279) and that is in graphics capability. If you are a closet gamer, or just love a crisp and clear picture, then a gaming style PC or laptop is the way to go. You can see every minute detail in the virtual ‘World’ around you, a truly immersive experience. Want to save money with the PC? Build your own. It’s not as hard as you think!

5. Lighting and aesthetics

Once you’ve got all the must-haves listed, it’s time to make your pain cave your own. Like pumping music? Then why not set up a clubbing-type environment with LED lights that change based on where in the Zwift World you are riding? Want to share your suffering with an audience? Set up a second monitor and livestream out to all your followers while keeping tabs on their comments. Have a custom trainer mat designed with your name on it. Invest in a trainer desk to house all your snacks and devices. The opportunities to make your space unique are endless. Check out some of the best NZ Zwift setups here:

SETUP

3. A Smart Trainer

Want to feel every gradient change in the ‘World’ you’re riding in, or have the trainer automatically adjust resistance in a workout to match your power target? Then a smart trainer is a must-have. They come in three categories, the cheapest being the ‘wheel-on’, literally where you keep your back wheel on the trainer. This is great as an entry level option but you may see some variations in power as the reading is quite tyre pressure and temperature sensitive. The most popular is the ‘wheel-off’ or direct-drive trainer. Take the back wheel off, put the chain straight on the trainers cassette and away you go. More accurate, better ‘feel’ for changes in resistance and easier to transport. The gold-standard is the Smart Bike but you’ll pay for it –

upwards of $5,000 in most cases. Picture an exercise bike but with cleats and lot’s of cool buttons to press to change gears. They’re quite heavy so this is definitely a piece of equipment to set-up and not move!

4. A Fan

The Ferrari of fans is the Wahoo Headwind. This is remote controlled, can vary intensity based on Heart Rate, and send a plume of air straight into where it matters most - your face and core. A cheaper alternative is a good old heavy-duty fan from Mitre 10. It may not have the remote but it will definitely cool you down. Don’t be fooled by the small desk fans as they feel more like a light exhale on your face rather than a cool jet-force type breeze.

We’re searching for NZ’s ultimate pain cave. Do you have sick set-up? Share it @triathlonnz

Breakfast is often described as the most important meal of the day, because it ‘breaks’ the overnight ‘fast’ and provides fuel to kickstart your body for the day ahead. For a triathlete, breakfast can provide fuel for a morning training session, as well as act as a recovery meal after training.

Breakfast for fuel

Carbohydrate is the key nutrient to fuel a morning training session, particularly if this will be a high intensity session or one longer than 60 minutes. It provides fuel for working muscles and the brain.

Inadequate fuelling before a high intensity session can lead to fatigue later in the session, poor concentration and poor performance. Training with insufficient fuel can also increase your risk of illness and injury.

Adequate hydration is also essential to get the best out of your training session. Like an overnight fast, we can wake up dehydrated after going all night without drinking fluid. Include a drink as part of your pre-training breakfast to ensure you are well hydrated. Juice or milk (plain or flavoured) are good choices as they contain carbohydrate. A useful practise is to check

Breakfast of Champions

Kim Abbott is Tri NZ’s Lead Performance Nutritionist and works as a Performance Nutritionist at HPSNZ. She is a NZ Registered Dietitian and Accredited Sports Dietitian

the colour of your pee in the morning – if it is darker than a pale straw colour, drink additional fluid prior to training.

If you are prone to stomach upsets when you eat before a morning training session, try choosing foods that are lower in fat and fibre, e.g. white bread instead of wholegrain bread, which are more easily digested. Liquid options like a smoothie or sports drink can be an good alternative to solid foods, especially if breakfast is eaten less than an hour before training and you are susceptible to digestive issues.

Pre-training breakfast ideas:

» Toast with jam or honey and a glass of juice

» Chocolate spread and banana on toast

» Bowl of cereal with tinned or fresh fruit and milk

» Porridge with tinned fruit and brown sugar or honey

» Bagel with lite cream cheese and jam

» Fruit toast with a glass of milk

» Smoothie

Breakfast for recovery

A breakfast containing a combination of carbohydrate and protein is essential for

recovery, to ensure you perform well at your next training session. Protein is a vital nutrient for repair and adaptation after training. Carbohydrate is used to refuel the muscles that have been depleted during training. Include a drink with this meal to help replace the fluid lost during training. Timing is important too – aim to eat your recovery breakfast within an hour of completing your training session. If there is only a short recovery period between training sessions, a recovery breakfast in a liquid form is ideal. Milk and milk product-based options (e.g. flavoured milk, smoothie) are excellent as they provide fluid and the lactose (carbohydrate) and protein in milk are easily absorbed by the muscles.

Post-training breakfast ideas:

» Eggs (cooked how you prefer) on toast. Try adding extra foods like avocado, feta cheese, spinach, tomato, pesto to provide additional variety, flavour and nutrients.

» Pancakes topped with fruit and high protein yoghurt

» Bowl of cereal with milk, yoghurt and tinned or fresh fruit

» Baked beans on toast

The most important meal of the day fuels performance and aids recovery. It can be super tasty too.

Try this recipe for a different recovery breakfast:

Omelette Burger

Ingredients

✓ 3 eggs

✓ 2 Tablespoons of water

✓ 1 Tablespoon butter or margarine

✓ 1-2 burger buns (toasted if you like)

✓ ½ cup fillings of your choice (e.g. cheese, tomato, ham, mushroom)

✓ Mayonnaise or sauce of your choice

✓ Salad greens

Method

1. Whisk eggs and water together in a bowl until blended, adding salt

Overnight oats or smoothies are great options for a quick, ‘on-the-go’ recovery breakfast. There are so many different flavour and ingredient choices to try. Here is a couple of recipes to give a go:

Pineapple Overnight Oats

(makes 3-4 serves)

Ingredients

✓ 1 ½ cups Harraways Rolled Oats

✓ 2 Tablespoon of chia seeds

✓ 3 Tablespoons of cacao powder

✓ 2 cups of milk

✓ 1 teaspoon of vanilla

✓ 3 Tablespoons of maple syrup

✓ ⅓ cup coconut flakes

✓ ⅔ cup pineapple (tinned or fresh)

Method

The night before

1. Place oats, chia seeds and cacao powder into a large container

2. Cut pineapple into small pieces and add to the container, along with milk, vanilla, maple syrup and coconut flakes

3. Mix together well. Put a lid on the container and store in the fridge overnight

The next morning

4. Serve into a smaller container/bowl/jar and top with ¼ cup of your favourite yoghurt and your choice of toasted coconut flakes, cacao nibs and pineapple pieces

Recipe sourced from Harraways.co.nz

Oat & Berry Smoothie

Ingredients

✓ ½ cup Harraways Rolled Oats or Raspberry Coconut Oats

✓ 1 cup milk

✓ ½ cup plain Greek-style yoghurt

✓ 1 ripe banana, peeled

✓ ½ cup blueberries fresh or frozen, or other berries of your choice

✓ 1 teaspoon of runny honey

✓ 1 handful of ice

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend to combine.

2. Serve topped with fresh berries, if you wish.

Recipe sourced from Harraways.co.nz

and pepper to taste

2. In a small non-stick pan, heat butter or margarine until it sizzles, then pour in egg mixture

3. Using a spatula, push the cooked egg to

the centre of the pan, then tilt the pan to cover the pan with wet egg. Do this until the egg is set and will not flow, but remains wet on top (should take about 20 seconds). Don’t cook until it is dry! The moist egg will finish cooking when the omelette is folded over

4. Place the filling on half of the omelette. Use the spatula to fold the unfilled side of the omelette entirely over the filled side. Fold the omelette again, so it will fit in the bun(s)

5. Place the omelette on burger bun bottom(s). Top with salad greens, sauce of your choice and burger bun top(s)

Recipe sourced from eggs.co.nz

Long dog to top dog

Trent Thorpe averages eight to 10 hours a week in the pool, mixing threshold, speed and endurance work to maintain his status as one of the fastest freestylers in the Tri NZ high performance squad. The 26-year-old knows the importance of keeping on top of his technique too. The ‘Long dog drill’ can be incorporated into your own training regime to improve the efficiency of your catch and the timing of your stroke. Watch the Cambridgebased Aucklander demonstrate this time saver and try it next time you’re at the pool.

Our Foundation

The humble foot. Unless you have suffered an injury or niggle in this area you don’t truly realise how critical it is to performance, even every day life. In terms of function, the foot can be considered our foundation. Its direct interaction with the ground involves not only absorption and generation of force but also stability and mobility on uneven terrain. The foot is extremely complex with the combination of 26 bones, 33 joints, and 19 muscles. However, what if I told you your foot is functioning far below its capabilities, presenting an exciting opportunity for growth?

Recently, some of you may have noticed the conversation around footwear design and the argument on toe box space. Through the 20th century shoe design favoured a narrowing of the shoe towards the toes, creating the illusion of a narrower foot. If you have any young children, you may have noticed that their feet look a lot more like triangles than rectangles. This

is because your foot’s natural position is having your toes as the widest part of your foot. Eighteen of the 19 tendons in the foot are attached to the toes with optimal movement, stability and mobility occurring when all toes are in contact with the ground. However, if we think of the common running and cycling shoes, our toes are squeezed together at a pointed end. Wearing shoes like this over the course of our lifetime has resulted in creating what I would argue is a normal foot position (pictured below). Shoe design and the

incorporation of a wider toe box is coming with some small brands or certain models incorporating this more natural foot design. However, a lot of the mainstream running and cycling shoes are still a work in progress. But this doesn’t mean we can’t get started on improving our foundation of function, the foot.

Now, I’m not going to tell you to completely overhaul your wardrobe and begin a whole new shoe collection. However, this article is designed to help assist in transforming a normal foot to a natural foot overtime as your shoe design changes with it. Let’s start with my personal favourite and cost-effective form of foot training – walking in bare feet. Some may see it as socially unacceptable to walk into the supermarket without shoes and socks on however, for some simply walking the dog presents a great opportunity to be free of shoes. Don’t get me wrong, if its below five degrees or your local track is

It’s complex and surprisingly critical to performance.

The good news is improved foot function can be achieved by simply removing your shoes.

gravel bare feet may not work (speaking from my own experiences). However, walking the grass edge presents a great opportunity for the foot/toes to interact with the ground, spreading out to find connection, absorption and propulsion. You can extend it further by making your home a compulsory no shoe location. Completing our household errands barefoot is a simple way to help increase foot training duration.

The second important foot training exercise is balance. Something we all consider ourselves competent at until I ask you to stand up, balance on one foot without a shoe on and close your eyes. Now, how good at balancing do you think you are? I regularly incorporate this 30 second exercise into warm-up routines for athletes as it’s a friendly reminder that without training, we deteriorate. A cue to help is to imagine your foot as a triangle formed by the big toe, little toe, and heel. Pressure may shift between these points but if all three are in contact, you shouldn’t have an issue maintaining balance. You may find you quickly improve at maintaining balance for the full 30 seconds so the next step is to decrease the contact points. Try balancing on just your forefoot; this will require you

to develop a strong connection between your toes and the ground (pictured below). Something I enjoy is incorporating foot function into training other areas of the body. Why do we need to be wearing shoes

while performing calf raises, or pistol squats? (pictured above)

If we are looking at increasing lower body strength around the ankle and knee, why not cash in and train the foot at the same time. Not many gyms will accept you walking around a weights room without shoes on, illustrating commercial gym restriction on natural movement in favour of commercial gain, but that’s a story for another article. Therefore, the benefits to our recently familiar at home/lockdown training present themselves. No one is going to tell you to put shoes on as you perform body weight strength training at home in patterns enhanced by improved foot function. So I encourage you to find a way to incorporate foot functioning training into your strength training or warm-up routines.

I’m sure we are all experienced in the feeling of walking bare feet along the beach in the sun. Why not have every day contain an element of this feeling? Your progression from a normal foot to a natural foot starts here, and it’s as simple as taking your shoes off. Having direct interaction with the ground will not only help your training but will also help with every day life.

“A cue to help is to imagine your foot as a triangle formed by the big toe, little toe, and heel.”

They’re pillars of the Tauranga tri scene, well-known around the country and now the Millers are all off to Ibiza to represent New Zealand at the World Triathlon Multisport Championship

Miller Time

One of Blake Miller’s earliest memories is of running down the chute at Ironman New Zealand in the dark, a proud-as-punch 5½ year old escorting his mum across one of the toughest to reach finishing lines in all of sport. If Kathy Miller’s memory serves her right, she ticked off the 226km of Taupo in 14 hrs 48 mins, or “something like that”.

There’s been two other IMNZ medals since that magical 2008 moment, in 2013 and 2015, but the debut remains her PB. “It was a pretty legendary for me,” Kathy says. “Everything after that got slower!”

Blake’s twin brother Liam remembers the 1st day of March, 2008, as well but his recollection is from earlier in the evening, “out at Five Mile Bay where the old Ironman run course used to go, way out in the dark cause Mum was 15 hours or something like that.” Ahem, officially 14:48:13 and not a second slower if you please, Dear boy.

“It was wet I think. I remember the time, out running in the dark in Five Mile Bay. Watching her do the turn around and then boosting into town to run down the finish line with her.”

It was an emotional moment for the entire family, husband Paul having been a training partner to get Kathy to those immortal words - “You are an IRONMAN!” – and the boys into town fed and watered and ready for the lifealtering moment too.

Blake, now 22, takes up the story. “Mum’s done two since then and Dad’s done one, so yeah kind of takes over your life a bit. We got dragged along which kind of turned into ‘well, we’re here, we might as well race’. Things like Iron Kids the day before Ironman and secondary school racing and that kind of just snowballed itself into travelling for secondary schools nationals in Queenstown and ended up at the worlds [the 2018 ITU Age Group Worlds on the Gold Coast] at the end of high school.”

If ever you wanted an advertisement for how triathlon can change lives with generational consequence, meet the Millers. Better still, pop along to any Triathlon Tauranga event – or pretty much any decent race in New Zealand for that matter - and say hello yourself.

You’ll invariably find Paul with his high-vis “Race Director” bib on, microphone at hand and calm briefing advice at the ready for nervous racers, the twins likely among them. Outside of the Mount, there’s a good chance Tri Tauranga’s 52-year-old Events & Development Manager will be plugging organisational and institutional knowledge gaps, roped in as an ever-willing volunteer.

Kathy won’t be too far away, quietly doing the hard mahi too. It’s been like this for near on two decades at Tri Tauranga. She keeps trying to palm off the Treasurers’ spreadsheet but others have found it too much like hard work. When she’s not balancing the books or keeping her three boys alive, Kathy loves her other club role as Development Programme Coordinator. Blake has been

involved in the U19 production line the past two years as well, also a Tri NZ-accredited coach like Mum, helping the next gen learn their craft just as Chris Willett and Andrew Lloyd guided he and Liam.

As Paul says, it’s pretty much triathlon 24/7 in the Miller household.

“We just live and breathe the sport to be honest. If we’re not at an event or organising an event, we spend a lot of time talking about it.”

“That’s all they do. That’s all they think about, all they talk about. Yeah, they kind of got really obsessed.”

– KATHY MILLER

TRIBE NATION FAMILY TRIS

Tauranga transformation

It’s not always been that way. Kathy swam at school and Paul, a graduate of the Birkenhead Sea Scouts, crewed on Young 88s on Wednesday nights. He was also a regular bowman on the Ross 40 Urban Cowboy when it was at the cutting-edge of Kiwi yacht design, zig-zagging up and down the Waitemata Harbour at the sharp end of the A-division fleet.

But swim, bike or run, much less all three disciplines wrapped up as triathlon, hadn’t entered the realm of the future Mr & Mrs Miller who met at a work shindig, a midwinter Christmas party.

“We basically met drinking piss to be honest,” Paul says with a laugh, recalling their Fuji Xero days in Auckland. “If you’d seen us back then mate, nah, just drinkers back then. I used to be a bowman on a yacht and drunk rum, that was my sporting prowess.”

There’s plenty more of where that come from too.

“Neither of us were involved in any kind of sport apart from touch and that was just so I could drink after touch, and Around the Bays, and that was just so I could drink too. You’ll see a pattern evolving there. Triathlon, cycling and running was way out of my head, I’d never, ever have thought I’d be doing that stuff.”

The transition to tri is down to Kathy and family pal Shane Hooks, he of Rotorua.Suffer and “9½ listeners poddie” fame. As an aside, that bloke ‘Be Lar Kay’ you’ve heard adding salient facts to the discussion is Blake, if you ever wondered.

But back to Kathy.

“Well it’s really Shane Hooks’ fault, if you know who he is,” Kathy says of her debut at the women’s only Special K Triathlon run by Hooks on Jan. 2, 2003. “I remember that date cause I couldn’t drink on New Years. Who puts on a triathlon on the 2nd of January?”

The twins were just 18 months old at the time and Kathy liked the idea of a triathlon to get back into exercise, albeit with a belated New Year’s party as reward for her first sprint.

“I did that Women’s Tri and then it kind of just went from there. I just did a lot more of those and then kind of stepped them up, a little bit longer, a little bit longer and then went and watched some people that I knew do Ironman and was inspired. The rest is history, as they say.”

History will also judge the Millers’ move to Tauranga fondly. Indeed, if it weren’t for swapping Auckland for the Tauranga tri scene, the Millers mightn’t be the institution in the sport that they now are. They certainly wouldn’t all be prepping for the World Triathlon Multisport Championship in Ibiza, Spain from April 29-May 7.

“I used to be a bowman on a yacht and drunk rum, that was my sporting prowess. I’d never, ever have thought I’d be doing that [triathlon] stuff.”

– PAUL MILLER

“We’ve come to a new city, we didn’t know anyone and you’re meeting like-minded people. People that are like you. People that are crazy. They want to be in bed by nine o’clock on a Saturday night because they’ve got a long ride to do on Sunday,” Kathy says of the family’s 2001 move to Tauranga.

“Yeah, that was Paul. It was like ‘I’m sick of living in this Auckland crap, yeah get out, not bringing my kids up here’ and it was the best move for us I think. We would never have probably done anything like this if we’ve stayed up there, you know we were very much into socialising, weekend drinking, not really doing anything much.”

How times changed.

“It was easy really to get into it and the triathlon club here has always been amazing. You know, people have come and gone but there’s always been an awesome crew of people so even though you may not be the most experienced or accomplished or fast athlete, you’ve never felt like you’re not part of the club.”

Both Mum and Dad love how the healthy lifestyle has rubbed off on the boys too.

Taupo 2008 triggered the “whole Weetbix TRYathlon thing” and by the time Paul had knocked off the 2011 IMNZ in 11:42:11 - “I just wanted to finish before dark”Blake and Liam were completely hooked.

“We had a really cool youth group going at that point which the boys joined into and with Chris Willett, who was obviously very, very instrumental in them becoming the young men they are…,” Kathy continued. “Yeah, the boys just seem to love it even more and they pretty much live and breathe triathlon. That’s all they do. That’s all they think about, all they talk about. Yeah, they kind of got really obsessed.”

Brotherly Love

Blake, like Paul, will race the sprint distance duathlon in Ibiza after qualifying at August’s Suzuki NZ Duathlon Championships in Pukekohe. He loves the cut and thrust of short course racing and has a goal of testing himself at World Cup level one day soon.

“At the moment it’s race the World Cup but that’s by no means where I’m happy to stop. I want to see how far I can take it before I kind of make the change,” Blake told TQ

“Oh, I’m the better swimmer. That is a categorical fact.”

– BLAKE MILLER

Liam, meanwhile, has already made the transition to the longer distances. He’s qualified twice over for the long distance aquabike in Ibiza, at the Tauranga Half and Challenge Wanaka, and won the Suzuki NZ Standard Distance Aquabike title at February’s Kinloch Triathlon Festival, punching a return ticket to Spain for September’s World Triathlon Age Group Championship in Pontevedra. Kathy, for the record, qualified for Ibiza via Kinloch too.

Liam has the 2024 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Taupo to look forward to as well as his Spanish double take. His slot has been held over since 2019 courtesy of the pandemic which twice forced the postponement of Taupo’s global moment.

“I’m a bit hesitant to put a position or anything on it, but my goal is to get there in 2024 and do as well as possible, kind of see where, whatever result I get there, where it takes me,” Liam said. “If it’s good enough to keep progressing and potentially take me pro and see where I go, cool, and if it’s not, I’ll just keep having fun.”

Liam, my his own admission, has never been the fastest swimmer, thus the lure of the non-drafting long distances. As much as it can be a lonely pursuit, it’s the camaraderie afterwards that keeps drawing him back for more.

“Oh, the people are a massive thing. I’m at the sort of age where I just want to go and go and go. I’m not too fussed on being overly social at Wednesday night touch or anything at the moment so it’s kind of rewarding to know that when you turn up everyone else is there because they’ve put in the same amount of effort as you and when you finish, you’re all mates cause you will know exactly what you’ve been through.”

Blake likes being the owner of his own destiny too.

“I’ve never been a great team member. I guess I’m quite easily frustrated by other people’s mistakes impacting my performance which gravitates me towards individual sport. And then it’s just the control you’ve got over it, the feeling of all of my outcome is fully on my shoulders. I can change the result by doing it properly and it takes me places. I’ve seen the whole country as a result of doing this.” And now the world, another illustration of the potential rewards of the Tri NZ to World Triathlon age group eco-system.

Liam is likewise grateful for where the sport has and is taking him. Like Blake, it makes him grateful for Mum and Dad’s early 2000s life choices.

“Yeah, well, Mum has done three Ironmans and Dad’s done one, so there’s been massive idols in terms of work ethic and dedication and all that sort of stuff,” Liam said. “And in terms of performance, they’ve never been too fussed on performing but definitely fussed on getting the best out of themselves.

“I mean as soon as we kind of jumped on the ship, they’ve always been a massive support, whether we were any good or not. I think now that we’re older and really trying to push our boundaries, they’re sort of behind us every step of the way.”

Enough of all the warm family fuzzies, let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Who is the fastest twin of Otumoetai College fame?

“Oh, I’m the better swimmer. That is a categorical fact,” Blake says.

Liam? “Well, I will tell you, he’s got a running tally on his phone of every single race he thinks he’s been able to find that we’ve raced each other and I believe on that tally he is winning. But in my defense, he’s never raced me over my preferred distance. I always race him over his. Yeah, he needs to step up to some half Ironman with some half marathons at some point to give us a real race.”

Triathlon. A never-ending source of dinner table debate and poddie banter. With that, the final word to Paul who is happy to chat tri with the best of them.

“It doesn’t matter what shape, size, past history, whatever it is, you just get on the start line of a triathlon and you’re all just in it for the same reason really. And there is good camaraderie, yeah.”

We can see a pattern evolving here too. Good family folk. Tri people.

Cheers to that.

“He [Blake] needs to step up to some half Ironman with some half marathons at some point to give us a real race.”

– LIAM MILLER

TRIBE NATION AGE GROUP ECO-SYSTEM

TRI FOR YOUR COUNTRY!

Don’t dream of wearing the Silver Fern offshore, get to a Suzuki NZ National Series race and make it happen! Our guide to the Tri NZ – World Triathlon eco-system explains all.

World Triathlon Multisport Championship

Ibiza, Spain – April 29-May 7, 2023

World Triathlon Sprint and Relay Championship

Hamburg, Germany – July 13-16, 2023

World Triathlon Age Group Championship

Pontevedra, Spain – Sept. 22-24

Ibiza disciplines Long Distance Tri, Standard Distance Duathlon, Sprint Distance Duathlon (Draft legal), Cross Tri, Cross Duathlon, Aquathlon, Aquabike.

›› GO TO OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Suzuki NZ Qualifying Races

Pukekohe Duathlon (Aug. 14, 2022)

– Sprint Distance Duathlon CLICK HERE

OxMan (Nov. 27, 2022)

– Long Distance Tri CLICK HERE

Mt Festival of Multisport (Jan. 21, 2023)

– Long Distance Tri & Aquabike CLICK HERE

Challenge Wanaka (Feb. 18)

– Cross Tri, Aquabike CLICK HERE

Kinloch Triathlon Festival (Feb. 11-12, 2023)

– Aquathlon CLICK HERE

Hamburg disciplines Sprint Distance Tri (Draft legal), Age Group Mixed Relay (Draft legal).

›› GO TO OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Suzuki NZ Qualifying Races

Tri Taranaki Festival (March 26, 2023)

- Sprint Distance Tri CLICK HERE

Pontevedra disciplines Standard Distance Tri (Non draft), Sprint Distance (Non draft), Standard Distance Aquabike (Non draft).

›› GO TO OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Suzuki NZ Qualifying Races

Tinman Triathlon (Nov. 20, 2022)

– Standard Distance Tri CLICK HERE

Canterbury Classic (Jan. 29, 2023)

– Standard Distance Tri CLICK HERE

Kinloch Triathlon Festival (Feb. 11-12, 2023)

– Standard Distance Aquabike CLICK HERE

There’s no better place to fuel your passion than at a Tri NZ-affiliated club. Great people, inspirational training opportunities and epic races abound. Click on the club nearest you and get involved in the Tribe Nation*!

Join the Tribe Nation

*A Tri NZ ‘Tribe’ membership allows you to race national and international events including World Triathlon events, plus receive regular updates from the national body.

South Island

Marlborough Triathlon & Multisport Club

Triathlon Nelson

Canterbury Triathlon Club

South Canterbury Pacers

Tri Wanaka

Oamaru Multisport Club

Dunedin Tri Club

Southland Triathlon & Multisport Club

North Island

Whangarei Tri Club

Hibiscus Coast Harriers & Triathlon Club

Waitakere Triathlon & Multisport Club

North Harbour Triathlon Club

Auckland City Tri Club

Hamilton Tri Club

Team Shorebreak

Triathlon Tauranga

Rotorua Ass. of Triathlon & Multisport (RATS)

Eastern BoP Triathlon & Multisport Club

Taranaki Triathlon Club

Tri Sport Taupo

Eastland Triathlon & Multisport Club

Whanganui Multisport Club

Tri Hawke’s Bay

Triathlon

Manawatu

Kapiti Running & Tri Club

Wellington Triathlon Club

Become

Canterbury Triathlon Club

Clubrooms

Waltham Pool, Waltham Rd, Christchurch

Membership 152

canterburytriclub.co.nz

CanterburyTriClub

Key Contacts:

President Ken O’Rourke (0278 585 589) Coaches John Newsom, Craig Moore, Kylie Cox, Hayden Beetar Event Director John Newsom

What makes your club special? Canterbury Tri Club has a long history of success across all levels of triathlon and duathlon, from juniors, age groupers to elite with Birmingham

Commonwealth Games rep Andrea Hansen (nee Hewitt) our most recent senior elite.

We also have athletes regularly competing overseas and the club produced some outstanding results at November’s World Triathlon Age Group Championship in Abu Dhabi.

We’re a very inclusive club which provides top quality training, coaching and a range of interesting and challenging events for all ages and stages in our sport. We also boast the Canterbury Triathlon Academy which provides a pathway to juniors wanting to pursue a career in our sport.

What does a normal week look like for members?

Monday - Run coaching and training (John Newsom )

Wednesday - Swim training (Craig Moore)

Thursday - Indoor cycling on Stages bikes provided by Tri NZ (John Newsom and Hayden Beetar)

Thursday - Junior training over Summer (Kylie Cox, Hayden Beetar)

Saturday - Informal club group rides and ocean swims including our annual Christmas Day swim at Corsair Bay which includes Christmas Carols from the swimming raft! Sunday - Junior training over Summer and occasional group rides.

What are your big races each year? Oxman (Mid Distance, Aquabike, Sprint distance, Multisport race, Duathlon, Junior race and run only race); Pak n Save Tri Festival (Sprint distance, Aquabike, Duathlon, Canterbury Secondary Schools Tri Championships, Junior race, Try a Tri/Du, Kids race); Canterbury Classic (Suzuki NZ Sth Island Standard Distance Tri/Du/Aquabike Championships, Short Course Tri, Youth/Kids Aquathon ); Sea2Sky Challenge (Sprint distance with hilly bike and run, Trail run race, Try a Tri/ Du, Junior Tri/Du, Kids Aquathon).

If there is one race out-of-towners should target it has to be?

The Sea2Sky Challenge has some of the best scenery (see main image) you will find anywhere. From the adrenaline pumping swim in the surf at Scarborough to the big bike climb up to Godley Head in the Port Hills, then the stunning run along the coastal cliffs back to Scarborough. It’ll literally “take your breath away”!

What are you doing to grow junior participation? We have a junior coaching programme that runs over the Summer with coaching/training on Thursday and Sundays organised and run by Kylie Cox, Hayden Beetar and John Newsom. We also run the Canterbury Primary Schools Tri/Du Championships in conjunction with Primary School Sport Canterbury.

The Canterbury Triathlon Academy (CTA) is an integral part of the club and provides exclusive training/coaching to a range of U20s to set them on the pathway to becoming professional athletes. CTA has its own coaches and is coordinated by Tess Mattern (assisted by Sam Petty) with its own committee and a representative who is on the main club board.

A couple of junior’s we should keep tabs on? Henry McMecking and Ben Airey are two of our young athletes to watch. Henry was part of the NZ Junior Mixed Relay team in Montreal in 2022 and they both raced for NZ in the Australian Junior Championships in Werribee, Victoria last year.

FROM TOP: Ken O’Rourke; John Newsom; Paul Howells; Ben Airey; Henry McMecking

OPPOSITE PAGE: Nigel Beardsley

BACK TO START LIST

Who are the club members who epitomise all that is great about your club and triathlon?

Nigel Beardsley is a stalwart of Canterbury Tri Club who competes, sponsors gear, stores gear and is always helping at events. He also organises and encourages club group activities.

Nigel epitomises the term “club legend” .

Paul Howells is a hardworking club member who competes regularly in addition to always helping at events. You see our Bike Director and his big blue ute at nearly all our events, setting up and then “sweeping” the bike course.

John Newsom is our superstar Event Director who ensures all our events are top class. Even during Covid when many other events were being cancelled, John always found a way to make them happen to the enjoyment of all who compete. A top athlete in his own right and co-host of the excellent IM Talk podcast. Check it out.

BACK TO START LIST

Fun first

Swim, bike and run splits are superfluous to requirements at New Zealand’s largest women’s only triathlon, finishing times quickly forgotten too. In fact, they’re the complete antithesis of the event’s overarching mission.

Numbers were down on pre-pandemic highs but the success of the Generation Homes Women’s Triathlon isn’t measured in entry metrics or by super slick time splits.

The 10th anniversary of Triathlon Tauranga’s gender specific and inclusivity centric tri was again a celebration of women supporting women in a safe, fun and noncompetitive environment.

Around 650 participants, some as young as 11, a good 20 percent of them U18 and the vast majority women who have never self-identified as a triathlete, had a blast at the Feb.19 event. Pre Covid, the festival would sell-out of its 900 slots by September but the travel bug hasn’t been as virulent since the pandemic. Cyclone Gabrielle didn’t help either, not that Suzanne Board was remotely concerned. For Board, success is measured by an unquantifiable metric: empowerment.

“It’s completely different,” the Tri Tauranga President says of the event’s philosophy. “If you’ve ever turned up to Tinman, or Surfbreaker, or Marra, so the three other of our four major events, and then you turn up to the

Women’s tri, you’d be hard pressed thinking that they were triathletes.

“The women come to the women’s tri…they’re not going as a triathlete, they don’t see that word associated with who they are. There are a lot of connotations associated with triathletes that you have to be skinny and fast and have a great, expensive bike and all of these things, and wear lycra but this event is purely about women supporting each other, any shape, size or fitness level.

“People are giving you high fives on the run/walk course, everyone cheers everyone on as well as all of the supporters, it’s just completely all about participation.

“It’s just awesome. We have such a diverse group of women who do it, women that have fought major medical issues, women who have got disabilities, women that have just had a baby, like two months ago and come and do a triathlon. It’s just a phenomenal spread of different types of women.”

Board saluted Hawke’s Bay Tri for staging the Harcourts Hawke’s Bay Women’s Triathlon last September and will watch from afar for reports from the Kapiti Women’s Tri on Feb.26. She hopes other clubs see the opportunity as well.

“There’s definitely a need for triathlon to be promoted as something that’s not just about competition. Cause most of these ladies, I’d say 90 percent, are coming along not for competitive reasons, they’re coming along purely for a fitness challenge.

“The feedback we get time and time again is it’s about the environment, women feel supported by other women supporting them. I think that really sums up why a lot of the women come back to it time and time again.”

Name game

Results from the big races across New Zealand the past quarter, including Suzuki New Zealand National Series events, Tri NZ Junior Triathlon Series races and Ironman.

PUKEKOHE DUATHLON

Pukehoke Raceway, Auckland

August 14, 2022

Aucklandcitytri.co.nz (Organiser: Auckland City Tri Club)

SUZUKI NZ SPRINT DUATHLON CHAMPIONSHIP

RESULTS SUZUKI STATS HUB

GEN X HOMES/MARRA TINMAN TRIATHLON

Pilot Bay, Mount Maunganui – November 20, 2022 Triathlontauranga.org.nz (Organiser: Triathlon Tauranga)

SUZUKI NZ STANDARD DISTANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

Swim 1500m | Bike 40km | Run 10km

*Denotes Pro Athlete

RESULTS SUZUKI STATS HUB

OXMAN

Oxford, Canterbury – November 27, 2023

Oxman.co.nz (Organiser: Canterbury Triathlon Club)

SUZUKI NZ SOUTH ISLAND MID DISTANCE TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIP

Swim 1900m | Bike 92km | Run 21km

RESULTS SUZUKI STATS HUB

2022 NUTRI-GRAIN IRONMAN 70.3 NEW ZEALAND

Taupo – December 10, 2022

Ironman.com/im-new-zealand (Organiser: Ironman Oceania)

Swim 1.9km | Bike 90km | Run 21.1km

RESULTS SUZUKI STATS HUB

2022 NUTRI-GRAIN IRONMAN NEW ZEALAND

Taupo – December 10, 2022

Ironman.com/im-new-zealand (Organiser: Ironman Oceania)

Swim 3.8km | Bike 180km | Run 42.2km

RESULTS SUZUKI STATS HUB

FULTON HOGAN MOUNT FESTIVAL OF MULTISPORT

Pilot Bay, Mount Maunganui, January 21, 2023

Mountfestival.kiwi (Organiser: SMC Events)

Swim 2km | Bike 90km | Run 21km

TAURANGA HALF

SUZUKI NZ MID DISTANCE TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIP

RESULTS SUZUKI STATS HUB

CANTERBURY CLASSIC TRIATHLON

Corsair Bay, Lyttelton – January 29, 2023

Canterburyclassic.com (Organiser: Canterbury Triathlon Club)

Swim 1500m+| Bike 40km | Run 10km

SUZUKI NZ SOUTH ISLAND

TRI NZ JUNIOR TRIATHLON SERIES

TINMAN TRIATHLON

Pilot Bay, Mount Maunganui – November 20, 2022 Triathlontauranga.org.nz (Organiser: Triathlon Tauranga)

+ The swim in Corsair Bay at the Canterbury Classic was longer than the 1500m publicised

NB: While every effort is taken to record accurate information, Tri NZ accepts no responsibility for results recorded incorrectly or sent in error.

MT FESTIVAL - SUZUKI NZ AQUABIKE

Spectacular views came standard at the Suzuki NZ Cross Triathlon Championship at Challenge Wanaka.

OUR REPORT HERE

We all want clean sporting competitions in which the best athlete wins. Working together, we can achieve it.

Keeping sport clean takes a community and we all have a role to play. It’s time to discover yours.

Discover your role at drugfreesport.org.nz/myrole