The Aussies and the Kiwis love to do battle over ownership of famous people or things. Perhaps more so the New Zealanders. Typically the Australians could be unaware of the situation. First it was Phar Lap, born in New Zealand and claimed by the Australians. Then it was Pavlova, and who really knows the true orgins of that delightful dessert.
Some time later followed Russell Crowe, who when he does well is referred to in the Aussie media as Australian Russell Crowe, but when he is in trouble he is suddenly the New Zealand born Crowe.
And now Chris McDonald. The NZ media have been quick to claim him as a Kiwi following his debut Ironman win in Louisville over the weekend. The truth is Chris was born May 14, 1978 in Albury, New South Wales. Which is in Australia, of course! He came over to New Zealand in 1999 and lived in the South Island where is started a construction industry business and played provincial hockey. He took up triathlon a couple of years later in November 2001. Five months later he went 10:07 in Ironman Australia. He spent most of his early triathlon years living and racing in New Zealand. He now lives in Boulder, Colorado where he is a professional triathlete.
Says Chris "I have been dreaming of this first Ironman win since I placed 7th as an age grouper at IMNZ in 2004."
On the weekend, things got off to a difficult start when storm delays meant he did not land in Louisville until 2am on Friday morning. Not great for a Sunday race. And then he drifted off course in the swim to find himself 3 minutes down in T1. But he had a great bike reducing the deficit to half that and had put 8 minutes on eventual second place man Craig Mackenzie.
He did enjoy his win however, slowing down in the finish straight, and zigzagging to exchange high-fives with the crowd. He stood for a moment before crossing the finish line to win the inaugural Ford Ironman Louisville triathlon.
"I told myself if I ever won an Ironman that I would stop running at the carpet and just soak it up, enjoy the moment. I was in tears. I wasn't going to hold back today, just keep going. This means the world to me. I worked hard. I had a lot of people believe in me. I just didn't quite believe in myself to actually pull it off."
American Heather Gollnick, second in Ironman New Zealand this year, took out the women's honours for her fifth title ahead of Germany's Nina Kraft, making a return to the sport after a two year ban for doping.
See Chris McDonald's website at www.trimaccca.com
Thursday, 30 August 2007
Tuesday, 28 August 2007
DoeBoy takes Ironman Canada
After threatening the top level for a number of years including being the second fastest New Zealander over the ironman distance, Kieran Doe has finally come of age, and won Ironman Canada. This is a superb result for the kid from Feilding who has had a really tough last eight months since crashing head on into another cyclist in a Mt Manuganui triathlon. It doesn't seem so long ago that he raced, and won, his first triathlon at one of Manawatu Triathlon Club's Lido triathlons.
He won the 25th anniversary of one of the most popular races on the Ironman circuit from 2,200 athletes leading from start to finish in a time of 8:32:45. He was easily clear of second placed Canadian Jonathan Caron in 8:39:59.
Doe said, "I was in good shape going into it so I was definitely confident, but there was still a big unknown. I haven't raced (and finished) since December when I crashed and Ironman's a funny thing, anything can happen and I really didn't know how I was going to go. But I sat down with (coach) Chris McCormack before the race and set out a plan and it went perfectly for me."
He has in fact tried to race since then but this is his first finish after nothing came of the two Challenge entries in Roth and Wanaka.
Lisa Bentley claimed her third women's title and her eleventh career Ironman victory in 9:41:01. New Zealander Vicki Jones finished 6th in the pro women's race in 10:01:21
Top 10 Men
Kieran Doe 8:32:45
Jonathan Caron 8:39:59
Chris Brown 8:49:34
Andriy Yastrebov 8:50:37
Jordan Rapp 8:51:32
Kyle Marcotte 8:55:19
Serge Meyer 8:56:57
Markus Ressler 8:57:17
Nigel Gray 8:57:54
Wolfgang Guembel 8:59:21
Top 10 Women
Lisa Bentley 9:41:01
Sara Gross 9:43:34
Heather Fuhr 9:49:46
Linda Gallo 9:51:29
Cheryl Murphy 9:59:20
Vicki Jones 10:01:21
Sylvie Dansereau 10:07:48
Marilyn Macdonald 10:09:36
Lucy Smith 10:18:30
Charlene Waldner 10:21:34
He won the 25th anniversary of one of the most popular races on the Ironman circuit from 2,200 athletes leading from start to finish in a time of 8:32:45. He was easily clear of second placed Canadian Jonathan Caron in 8:39:59.
Doe said, "I was in good shape going into it so I was definitely confident, but there was still a big unknown. I haven't raced (and finished) since December when I crashed and Ironman's a funny thing, anything can happen and I really didn't know how I was going to go. But I sat down with (coach) Chris McCormack before the race and set out a plan and it went perfectly for me."
He has in fact tried to race since then but this is his first finish after nothing came of the two Challenge entries in Roth and Wanaka.
Lisa Bentley claimed her third women's title and her eleventh career Ironman victory in 9:41:01. New Zealander Vicki Jones finished 6th in the pro women's race in 10:01:21
Top 10 Men
Kieran Doe 8:32:45
Jonathan Caron 8:39:59
Chris Brown 8:49:34
Andriy Yastrebov 8:50:37
Jordan Rapp 8:51:32
Kyle Marcotte 8:55:19
Serge Meyer 8:56:57
Markus Ressler 8:57:17
Nigel Gray 8:57:54
Wolfgang Guembel 8:59:21
Top 10 Women
Lisa Bentley 9:41:01
Sara Gross 9:43:34
Heather Fuhr 9:49:46
Linda Gallo 9:51:29
Cheryl Murphy 9:59:20
Vicki Jones 10:01:21
Sylvie Dansereau 10:07:48
Marilyn Macdonald 10:09:36
Lucy Smith 10:18:30
Charlene Waldner 10:21:34
Friday, 24 August 2007
Anna Hamilton out of coma, improving
Three weeks ago promising young triathlete Anna Hamilton was involved in a serious accident (story here). She was placed in a drug induced coma and then operated on once her condition stablised. Since then information about her condition has not been widely available.
Coach Chris Pilone, himself recovering from a serious accident and injury, was quoted a week after the accident as saying that she had made a remarkable recovery in the previous 48 hours, and had "turned a corner". Fortunately it appeared that her injuries were not as serious as first thought. These included head injuries, some bruising to the spinal cord, a broken collarbone and shoulder, as well as some cuts and lacerations.
He said "She started talking on Wednesday and today she was a bit stroppy, even suggesting to a doctor she wanted to go for a run".
The Stuff website briefly reported yesterday that a family spokesman had said that Anna's condition improved in the 48 hours after she awoke from the coma, and that she is now on the road to recovery. The article was removed the same day it was put online.
This is good news. On behalf of the triathlon community TriUpdate wishes Anna a speedy recovery.
The earlier story about her was both the most read and searched for article on this website during August.
Coach Chris Pilone, himself recovering from a serious accident and injury, was quoted a week after the accident as saying that she had made a remarkable recovery in the previous 48 hours, and had "turned a corner". Fortunately it appeared that her injuries were not as serious as first thought. These included head injuries, some bruising to the spinal cord, a broken collarbone and shoulder, as well as some cuts and lacerations.
He said "She started talking on Wednesday and today she was a bit stroppy, even suggesting to a doctor she wanted to go for a run".
The Stuff website briefly reported yesterday that a family spokesman had said that Anna's condition improved in the 48 hours after she awoke from the coma, and that she is now on the road to recovery. The article was removed the same day it was put online.
This is good news. On behalf of the triathlon community TriUpdate wishes Anna a speedy recovery.
The earlier story about her was both the most read and searched for article on this website during August.
Wednesday, 22 August 2007
Bryan Rhodes leads Ironman UK until calf injury
After an excellent hit out the weekend before in Switzerland, Bryan Rhodes was all set to regain Saturday's Ironman UK title that he won in 2005 and had been unable to defend last year because of the effects of a cycling accident.
The top seed had a record setting 44:39 swim leg before riding comfortably over the 180km to start the run with a lead of around 12 minutes. Unfortunately a nagging calf muscle injury returned to haunt him on the marathon run leg, costing him over an hour in time finishing a disappointing 31st. Rhodes would have had to run just under three hours for the marathon the win the race.
The eventual winner was newcomer Scott Neyedli in 8:35 after posting a 2:48 marathon. He was followed home by fellow Brit Stephen Bayliss three minutes later.
Bella Comerford who has several times graced the Ironman New Zealand course ran out a strong winner in the women's race, incidentally finishing with Rhodes. Hillary Biscay, also a visitor to our shores recently, was second somewhat off the pace. Gina Ferguson had lead out of the swim in a speedy 47:49 but the race results show she must have quit before the end of the bike. (Update 11 September: Ferguson suffered mechanical problems on the bike with a puncture she was unable to repair forcing her to withdraw. She had to walk 20kms back to the transition in cold and wet conditions.)
All credit to Rhodes who stuck it out to the finish where his mother and sister who had flown in from New Zealand were waiting. Good on you Bryan for hanging in there!
The top seed had a record setting 44:39 swim leg before riding comfortably over the 180km to start the run with a lead of around 12 minutes. Unfortunately a nagging calf muscle injury returned to haunt him on the marathon run leg, costing him over an hour in time finishing a disappointing 31st. Rhodes would have had to run just under three hours for the marathon the win the race.
The eventual winner was newcomer Scott Neyedli in 8:35 after posting a 2:48 marathon. He was followed home by fellow Brit Stephen Bayliss three minutes later.
Bella Comerford who has several times graced the Ironman New Zealand course ran out a strong winner in the women's race, incidentally finishing with Rhodes. Hillary Biscay, also a visitor to our shores recently, was second somewhat off the pace. Gina Ferguson had lead out of the swim in a speedy 47:49 but the race results show she must have quit before the end of the bike. (Update 11 September: Ferguson suffered mechanical problems on the bike with a puncture she was unable to repair forcing her to withdraw. She had to walk 20kms back to the transition in cold and wet conditions.)
All credit to Rhodes who stuck it out to the finish where his mother and sister who had flown in from New Zealand were waiting. Good on you Bryan for hanging in there!
Sunday, 12 August 2007
Warriner wins in Hungary, Tanner third and Gemmel second
TISZAUJVAROS, Hungary. New Zealand triathlete Sam Warriner has dominated the latest round of the ITU BG Triathlon World Cup, winning in commanding fashion from Australian Emma Mofffat and fellow Kiwi Debbie Tanner over the weekend.
The world number three from Whangarei simply proved too strong for the field the moment they hit the pavement, powering away to a comfortable winning margin for her second BG World Cup title this year.
"I went from the word go on the run and within a few hundred metres was running on my own and knew I wasn’t going to be beaten," said Warriner.
I felt great coming into this race and that feeling stayed with me throughout, I felt great, really strong and like no one could stay with me all day."
Warriner had to work hard for her victory though with a messy transition from swim to bike almost derailing her efforts.
"Normally my transitions are great but today was poor into the bike. There was such a crowd coming out of the water when I got to my bike my helmet fell off the bike and the straps twisted and I couldn’t get the thing on! This left me chasing hard to stay with the lead group and once I got there despite my best efforts the other girls wouldn’t work together and what was a 50 second lead disappeared on the last lap as the pack caught us before transition."
Warriner credits all aspects of her life and training as responsible for her great form.
"I am an athlete that needs balance in my life to race well. On a personal level the support I am receiving has never been better, my training is going so well and I recovered superbly from Salford. I’ve enjoyed such great support from home too with so many emails and texts of encouragement from friends, family and sponsors. I’m doing everything with a smile on my face and the opposition know a smiling Sam is a dangerous proposition."
Fellow Kiwi Debbie Tanner made it an even more memorable day for New Zealand with a strong third place, running side by side with highly regarded Australian Emma Moffat.
"Overall this was a good race for me and importantly was another non-wetsuit swim in a lake which is perfect preparation for the Worlds and Beijing. I was further behind than I would like out of the water and had to work hard in the chase group but we caught the leaders just before the transition to the run. The course was very much a criterium set up with plenty of corners and changes of pace but eventually we got there. Emma and I were shoulder to shoulder the entire way until she had that little bit extra in the sprint home but what a great buzz, another domination of a World Cup by us Kiwis with two silver ferns on the podium, great to see and be a part of."
Nicky Samuels backed up her recent good form with a 15th place while Kelly Bruce finished an impressive 38th in her debut BG World Cup appearance as she prepares for the U23 World Championships at the end of the month.
In the men’s race a quite remarkable day unfolded for Kiwi Kris Gemmell who despite not having his race bike and arriving only hours before the event after training at altitude, finished a hugely impressive second behind former world champion and current number one ranked Javier Gomez of Spain.
Gemmell overcame those setbacks and the loan of Sam Warriner’s bike to post his third podium of the year and in the process give the sports number one runner a fright as he closed over the closing stages to eventually finish just 8 seconds down on the Spaniard and comfortably in front of two time European champion Frederic Belaubre of France.
The news wasn’t quite so good further down the field with Blair Jordan (Auckland) the next best of the Kiwis in 30th place while Liam Scopes, Tony Dodds, Ben Pulham and Dylan McNeice all struggled to stay with the pace on the run.
New Zealand now lead the overall race for total podium finishes in the World Cup with an incredible 14 (8 women, 6 men), two ahead of Australia.
2007 Tiszaujvaros BG Triathlon World Cup - Women's Results:
1. Samantha Warriner (NZL) 2:00:11
2. Emma Moffatt (AUS) 2:00:31
3. Debbie Tanner (NZL) 2:00:35
4. Yuliya Yelistratova (UKR) 2:00:55
5. Nadia Cortassa (ITA) 2:01:04
6. Wieke Hoogzaad (NED) 2:01:26
7. Marion Lorblanchet (FRA) 2:01:43
8. Kathrin Mueller (GER) 2:01:51
9. Carolyn Murray (CAN) 2:01:55
10. Ewa Dederko (POL) 2:01:57
Also
15. Nicky Samuels (NZL)2:02:26
38. Kelly Bruce (NZL) 2:05:22
2007 Tiszaujvaros BG Triathlon World Cup - Final Men's Results:
1. Javier Gomez (ESP) 1:47:44
2. Kris Gemmell (NZL) 1:47:52
3. Frederic Belaubre (FRA) 1:48:03
4. Volodymyr Polikarpenko (UKR) 1:48:13
5. Reinaldo Colucci (BRA) 1:48:22
6. Dmitry Polyansky (RUS) 1:48:30
7. Claude Eksteen (GER) 1:48:33
8. Jose Tovar (ESP) 1:48:42
9. Christian Prochnow (GER) 1:48:46
10. Brendan Sexton (AUS) 1:48:52
Also
30. Blair Jordan (NZL) 1:50:12
42. Liam Scopes (NZL) 1:51:05
46. Tony Dodds (NZL) 1:51:18
51. Ben Pulham (NZL) 1:51:49
64. Dylan McNeice (NZL) 1:55:49
The world number three from Whangarei simply proved too strong for the field the moment they hit the pavement, powering away to a comfortable winning margin for her second BG World Cup title this year.
"I went from the word go on the run and within a few hundred metres was running on my own and knew I wasn’t going to be beaten," said Warriner.
I felt great coming into this race and that feeling stayed with me throughout, I felt great, really strong and like no one could stay with me all day."
Warriner had to work hard for her victory though with a messy transition from swim to bike almost derailing her efforts.
"Normally my transitions are great but today was poor into the bike. There was such a crowd coming out of the water when I got to my bike my helmet fell off the bike and the straps twisted and I couldn’t get the thing on! This left me chasing hard to stay with the lead group and once I got there despite my best efforts the other girls wouldn’t work together and what was a 50 second lead disappeared on the last lap as the pack caught us before transition."
Warriner credits all aspects of her life and training as responsible for her great form.
"I am an athlete that needs balance in my life to race well. On a personal level the support I am receiving has never been better, my training is going so well and I recovered superbly from Salford. I’ve enjoyed such great support from home too with so many emails and texts of encouragement from friends, family and sponsors. I’m doing everything with a smile on my face and the opposition know a smiling Sam is a dangerous proposition."
Fellow Kiwi Debbie Tanner made it an even more memorable day for New Zealand with a strong third place, running side by side with highly regarded Australian Emma Moffat.
"Overall this was a good race for me and importantly was another non-wetsuit swim in a lake which is perfect preparation for the Worlds and Beijing. I was further behind than I would like out of the water and had to work hard in the chase group but we caught the leaders just before the transition to the run. The course was very much a criterium set up with plenty of corners and changes of pace but eventually we got there. Emma and I were shoulder to shoulder the entire way until she had that little bit extra in the sprint home but what a great buzz, another domination of a World Cup by us Kiwis with two silver ferns on the podium, great to see and be a part of."
Nicky Samuels backed up her recent good form with a 15th place while Kelly Bruce finished an impressive 38th in her debut BG World Cup appearance as she prepares for the U23 World Championships at the end of the month.
In the men’s race a quite remarkable day unfolded for Kiwi Kris Gemmell who despite not having his race bike and arriving only hours before the event after training at altitude, finished a hugely impressive second behind former world champion and current number one ranked Javier Gomez of Spain.
Gemmell overcame those setbacks and the loan of Sam Warriner’s bike to post his third podium of the year and in the process give the sports number one runner a fright as he closed over the closing stages to eventually finish just 8 seconds down on the Spaniard and comfortably in front of two time European champion Frederic Belaubre of France.
The news wasn’t quite so good further down the field with Blair Jordan (Auckland) the next best of the Kiwis in 30th place while Liam Scopes, Tony Dodds, Ben Pulham and Dylan McNeice all struggled to stay with the pace on the run.
New Zealand now lead the overall race for total podium finishes in the World Cup with an incredible 14 (8 women, 6 men), two ahead of Australia.
2007 Tiszaujvaros BG Triathlon World Cup - Women's Results:
1. Samantha Warriner (NZL) 2:00:11
2. Emma Moffatt (AUS) 2:00:31
3. Debbie Tanner (NZL) 2:00:35
4. Yuliya Yelistratova (UKR) 2:00:55
5. Nadia Cortassa (ITA) 2:01:04
6. Wieke Hoogzaad (NED) 2:01:26
7. Marion Lorblanchet (FRA) 2:01:43
8. Kathrin Mueller (GER) 2:01:51
9. Carolyn Murray (CAN) 2:01:55
10. Ewa Dederko (POL) 2:01:57
Also
15. Nicky Samuels (NZL)2:02:26
38. Kelly Bruce (NZL) 2:05:22
2007 Tiszaujvaros BG Triathlon World Cup - Final Men's Results:
1. Javier Gomez (ESP) 1:47:44
2. Kris Gemmell (NZL) 1:47:52
3. Frederic Belaubre (FRA) 1:48:03
4. Volodymyr Polikarpenko (UKR) 1:48:13
5. Reinaldo Colucci (BRA) 1:48:22
6. Dmitry Polyansky (RUS) 1:48:30
7. Claude Eksteen (GER) 1:48:33
8. Jose Tovar (ESP) 1:48:42
9. Christian Prochnow (GER) 1:48:46
10. Brendan Sexton (AUS) 1:48:52
Also
30. Blair Jordan (NZL) 1:50:12
42. Liam Scopes (NZL) 1:51:05
46. Tony Dodds (NZL) 1:51:18
51. Ben Pulham (NZL) 1:51:49
64. Dylan McNeice (NZL) 1:55:49
Rhodes Wins in Switzerland
Bryan Rhodes has a strange way of tapering for big races. The three times Ironman winner likes to "hit out" the weekend before an Ironman race when most others would be wrapping themselves in cotton wool. Should we argue? Perhaps not - he had the fastest Ironman time ever recorded by a New Zealander.
He continued the great news for New Zealand triathletes as they dominated racing in Europe with the Taupo athlete winning the Schaffhausen International Triathlon in Switzerland on Saturday.
In its 24th year, the event is the longest running triathlon in Europe and is raced regarded as a half ironman with a 5km river swim, 90km bike ride and a run, the majority of which is through the forest.
Rhodes a strong swimmer used the longer swim, leading out of the water by two minutes, to set up the race.
"I used today as a hit out for next Sunday's Ironman UK Triathlon were I'm seeded number one and hope to repeat what I did in 2005 were I won this race here and then went on to win in the UK by a staggering 28mins!
"It was a wet and rainy day for the race so I made sure I swam as hard as I could to build a big lead I had two minutes after the five kilometre down river swim. Then on the bike I worked hard on the up hills and descended very carefully as the roads were wet and very slippery so didn't want to come off pushing it to hard.
"The run is 90% forest running and I ran strong, having the second fastest split and coming in the winner by nine minutes, breaking the course record by four minutes in clocking three hours, nine minutes."
Fellow Kiwi Hamish Johnson came home in second place in the shorter Olympic distance race at the same venue.
The women’s Olympic distance race was won by multiple world Ironman champion Natascha Badmann of Germany.
He continued the great news for New Zealand triathletes as they dominated racing in Europe with the Taupo athlete winning the Schaffhausen International Triathlon in Switzerland on Saturday.
In its 24th year, the event is the longest running triathlon in Europe and is raced regarded as a half ironman with a 5km river swim, 90km bike ride and a run, the majority of which is through the forest.
Rhodes a strong swimmer used the longer swim, leading out of the water by two minutes, to set up the race.
"I used today as a hit out for next Sunday's Ironman UK Triathlon were I'm seeded number one and hope to repeat what I did in 2005 were I won this race here and then went on to win in the UK by a staggering 28mins!
"It was a wet and rainy day for the race so I made sure I swam as hard as I could to build a big lead I had two minutes after the five kilometre down river swim. Then on the bike I worked hard on the up hills and descended very carefully as the roads were wet and very slippery so didn't want to come off pushing it to hard.
"The run is 90% forest running and I ran strong, having the second fastest split and coming in the winner by nine minutes, breaking the course record by four minutes in clocking three hours, nine minutes."
Fellow Kiwi Hamish Johnson came home in second place in the shorter Olympic distance race at the same venue.
The women’s Olympic distance race was won by multiple world Ironman champion Natascha Badmann of Germany.
Saturday, 11 August 2007
Make your own triathlon video and win cash!
Tacky headline I know, but isn't this a great idea from TriNZ. Basically they want you to make a short YouTube style video and enter it in their competition. This will be used in various promotions.I think this could be a good thing, however I do have some concerns about its triathlon-only rather than multisport inclusive (don't get me started on those definitions) focus.
Two emails follow - first their promotional one, and second my response to them.
----------------------------------------------------------
Attention ALL New Zealand triathletes!
Show us "Why be a triathlete?" and be in to win $500 Cash
Triathlon New Zealand is giving you the opportunity to create a short
(up to 3 minutes) video on "Why be a triathlete?" and you could win
$500.
Whether it is humorous, inspirational, moving, or fascinating, we want
it. Please tell us in a video "Why be a triathlete?" and get your video
published on www.triathlon.org.nz, 'you tube' and then maybe shown on
our Triathlon TV Show. The aim of the video is to help promote our sport
and the 2007/08 Triathlon NZ My Sport Series. So come on, don't worry
about editing, don't worry if you have to send it in lots of sections,
by post or by email - we can do the editing and get it online.
The best video as voted by Tri NZ will receive a $500 cash prize.
Please send your video on an email or in the post to:
tomm at triathlon.org.nz
Triathlon NZ Inc
Video Competition
67 Davis Crescent
Newmarket
Auckland
Or
Triathlon NZ Inc
Video Competition
PO Box 128-509
Remuera
Auckland
Please forward on those who you think may be interested.
Entries close 15th September 2007, Tri NZ retains the right and
unlimited usage to all videos sent in for this competition and the
judges decision is final. Those persons sending in videos will take
utmost care not to insult, degrade or damage triathlon, Tri NZ and or
its partners and obscene imagery will not be accepted. In the unlikely
event of a poor standard/lack of videos TNZ has the right not to publish
any video and therefore not award a prize.
----------------------------------------------------------
Hi there
I think this is a brilliant idea, and congratulations to whoever's
brain child this is :)
I run a blog at triupdate.blogspot.com which also features in
www.multisport.co.nz. Together they have a couple of thousand unique
visitors (people not search engines) a month, so while small, I do
have a reasonable readership, and it is growing all the time.
I will feature this competition there.
However I would like to make one comment. This would be a great time
to try and get some of the multisport (South Island definition)
community on board. I am not sure on the status of the behind the
scene politics, but if you could extend this to 'Why be a
multisporter' as well, and perhaps get some of the prominent
personalities behind it, it would be great. It would demonstrate the
TriNZ is looking wider than just swim-bike-run.
I think you could up the promotion and the prize money considerably
for this sort of thing. There must be heaps of sponsors out there.
I would also be interested in online archiving a selection of the
videos on my website.
Regards
(The Pink Triathlete)
Two emails follow - first their promotional one, and second my response to them.
----------------------------------------------------------
Attention ALL New Zealand triathletes!
Show us "Why be a triathlete?" and be in to win $500 Cash
Triathlon New Zealand is giving you the opportunity to create a short
(up to 3 minutes) video on "Why be a triathlete?" and you could win
$500.
Whether it is humorous, inspirational, moving, or fascinating, we want
it. Please tell us in a video "Why be a triathlete?" and get your video
published on www.triathlon.org.nz, 'you tube' and then maybe shown on
our Triathlon TV Show. The aim of the video is to help promote our sport
and the 2007/08 Triathlon NZ My Sport Series. So come on, don't worry
about editing, don't worry if you have to send it in lots of sections,
by post or by email - we can do the editing and get it online.
The best video as voted by Tri NZ will receive a $500 cash prize.
Please send your video on an email or in the post to:
tomm at triathlon.org.nz
Triathlon NZ Inc
Video Competition
67 Davis Crescent
Newmarket
Auckland
Or
Triathlon NZ Inc
Video Competition
PO Box 128-509
Remuera
Auckland
Please forward on those who you think may be interested.
Entries close 15th September 2007, Tri NZ retains the right and
unlimited usage to all videos sent in for this competition and the
judges decision is final. Those persons sending in videos will take
utmost care not to insult, degrade or damage triathlon, Tri NZ and or
its partners and obscene imagery will not be accepted. In the unlikely
event of a poor standard/lack of videos TNZ has the right not to publish
any video and therefore not award a prize.
----------------------------------------------------------
Hi there
I think this is a brilliant idea, and congratulations to whoever's
brain child this is :)
I run a blog at triupdate.blogspot.com which also features in
www.multisport.co.nz. Together they have a couple of thousand unique
visitors (people not search engines) a month, so while small, I do
have a reasonable readership, and it is growing all the time.
I will feature this competition there.
However I would like to make one comment. This would be a great time
to try and get some of the multisport (South Island definition)
community on board. I am not sure on the status of the behind the
scene politics, but if you could extend this to 'Why be a
multisporter' as well, and perhaps get some of the prominent
personalities behind it, it would be great. It would demonstrate the
TriNZ is looking wider than just swim-bike-run.
I think you could up the promotion and the prize money considerably
for this sort of thing. There must be heaps of sponsors out there.
I would also be interested in online archiving a selection of the
videos on my website.
Regards
(The Pink Triathlete)
Friday, 10 August 2007
Breaking News: Matt Tuck to actually enter a race
Get Matt Tuck's story about the handing over of Challenge Wanaka on this YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_2ncc7q5xY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_2ncc7q5xY
Challenge Wanaka changes hands
After a difficult but very successful first event Challenge Wanaka has changed hands. Matt Tuck, supported by his wife and team poured their heart, soul, and by all accounts a fair amount of their own cash into getting the event off the ground. The event was always linked to, and supported by TEAMChallenge, owners of Challenge Roth, the biggest ironman distance event in the world. They now take over the running of the event.
Matt Tuck gave the first race its own unique flavour, and his efforts have provided New Zealand and indeed the world of triathlon a much needed alternative to the domination of World Triathlon Corporation's Ironman branded and US flavoured events.
While I am sad to see Matt hand over the reins, I have every faith in the new team. It is afterall my favorite race.
Here is the press release:
TEAMChallenge GmbH and Matt Tuck, founder of the inaugural Orca Challenge Wanaka, today announced changes to the 2008 Challenge Wanaka long distance triathlon.
Event Director, Matt Tuck has come to an agreement with TEAMChallenge to ensure the future of the Challenge Wanaka event. The change in event ownership will see TEAMChallenge own and administer Challenge Wanaka, with the event headed by TEAMChallenge director, Felix Walchshoefer.
"We had a wonderful time planning and executing the first ever Orca Challenge Wanaka, and we poured heart and soul into the event to make it happen", said Matt Tuck today.
"We considered a number of options around the future of the event, but the only real choice was to involve TEAMChallenge as their passion and enthusiasm for triathlon will ensure the Wanaka event goes from strength to strength".
Felix Walchshoefer, who is also the race director of Challenge Roth, Europe's largest triathlon event, is currently visiting New Zealand from Germany and is overseeing the changes in structure.
"Matt ran a very successful inaugural event last year enjoyed by both athletes and spectators," said Walchshoefer.
"We will continue to build on this success and the future of Challenge Wanaka as part of the TEAMChallenge series is assured. We would like to express our thanks to Matt and his team for what they have achieved in the past 18 months, and what they have done for the town of Wanaka."
Walchshoefer went on to say that he expected TEAMChallenge to make an announcement regarding the future management of the Challenge Wanaka event within the next week.
Challenge Wanaka will take place on January 19, 2008 and is part of the global TEAMChallenge series that includes events in Germany, France and Spain. For further information, visit http://www.challenge-wanaka.com/.
Matt Tuck gave the first race its own unique flavour, and his efforts have provided New Zealand and indeed the world of triathlon a much needed alternative to the domination of World Triathlon Corporation's Ironman branded and US flavoured events.
While I am sad to see Matt hand over the reins, I have every faith in the new team. It is afterall my favorite race.
Here is the press release:
TEAMChallenge GmbH and Matt Tuck, founder of the inaugural Orca Challenge Wanaka, today announced changes to the 2008 Challenge Wanaka long distance triathlon.
Event Director, Matt Tuck has come to an agreement with TEAMChallenge to ensure the future of the Challenge Wanaka event. The change in event ownership will see TEAMChallenge own and administer Challenge Wanaka, with the event headed by TEAMChallenge director, Felix Walchshoefer.
"We had a wonderful time planning and executing the first ever Orca Challenge Wanaka, and we poured heart and soul into the event to make it happen", said Matt Tuck today.
"We considered a number of options around the future of the event, but the only real choice was to involve TEAMChallenge as their passion and enthusiasm for triathlon will ensure the Wanaka event goes from strength to strength".
Felix Walchshoefer, who is also the race director of Challenge Roth, Europe's largest triathlon event, is currently visiting New Zealand from Germany and is overseeing the changes in structure.
"Matt ran a very successful inaugural event last year enjoyed by both athletes and spectators," said Walchshoefer.
"We will continue to build on this success and the future of Challenge Wanaka as part of the TEAMChallenge series is assured. We would like to express our thanks to Matt and his team for what they have achieved in the past 18 months, and what they have done for the town of Wanaka."
Walchshoefer went on to say that he expected TEAMChallenge to make an announcement regarding the future management of the Challenge Wanaka event within the next week.
Challenge Wanaka will take place on January 19, 2008 and is part of the global TEAMChallenge series that includes events in Germany, France and Spain. For further information, visit http://www.challenge-wanaka.com/.
Thursday, 9 August 2007
Steve Gurney, the Goon, calls it a day
Steven Gurney, clown, inventor, and sweeper of the boards in multisport and adventure racing both in New Zealand and around the world has finally hung up his bike, boat and shoes many years after hanging up his paddle.
He is best remembered for his nine Coast-to-coast wins. But he will be remembered for everything else as well. It was an injured ankle that has hampered him for the last two years that finally forced him to bring down the curtain on a stellar career. He was quoted as saying it was "tear and not wear". This is typical Gurney.
He has entertained us for years with his comedy that usually made the TV news just prior to the Coast-to-coast. Like the time he suggested he was going to race on a disc wheel penny farthing.
And then were his many little inventions, most of which had many of us saying "I could have thought of that". His most famous was probably the device that attached to his kayak and from which he hung his paddle while paddling so that he didn't have to hold it up.
The intensely human side of Gurney was also visible when won his last Coast and the effort was almost much as he collapsed across the line. And in 1994 the country watched and prayed when he almost died after contracting leptospirosis while racing in Borneo poisoned by bat dung in jungles. He didn't miss the next Coast race.
He raced the Coast-to-coast 19 times, winning in ‘90', ‘91', ‘97', ‘98', ‘99', 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. Going for number 10 in 2004 he came second. He has been part of numerous winning Adventure Racing teams around the world including the Subaru Primal Quest in USA in 2002, Southern Traverse and was the individual winner of the Length of New Zealand races, the Xerox Challenge 1990 and the Mizone in 2001. The race has only ever been held twice.
Rest assured we haven't heard or seen the last of the little man. He will still be active in serving the sport he loves so much, and in teaching lessons he learned on the sports field to the corporate board rooms, writing books, tour guiding, and of course doing what he will never stop doing: inventing.
See more:
http://www.sportzhub.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2600&Itemid=1
He is best remembered for his nine Coast-to-coast wins. But he will be remembered for everything else as well. It was an injured ankle that has hampered him for the last two years that finally forced him to bring down the curtain on a stellar career. He was quoted as saying it was "tear and not wear". This is typical Gurney.
He has entertained us for years with his comedy that usually made the TV news just prior to the Coast-to-coast. Like the time he suggested he was going to race on a disc wheel penny farthing.
And then were his many little inventions, most of which had many of us saying "I could have thought of that". His most famous was probably the device that attached to his kayak and from which he hung his paddle while paddling so that he didn't have to hold it up.
The intensely human side of Gurney was also visible when won his last Coast and the effort was almost much as he collapsed across the line. And in 1994 the country watched and prayed when he almost died after contracting leptospirosis while racing in Borneo poisoned by bat dung in jungles. He didn't miss the next Coast race.
He raced the Coast-to-coast 19 times, winning in ‘90', ‘91', ‘97', ‘98', ‘99', 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. Going for number 10 in 2004 he came second. He has been part of numerous winning Adventure Racing teams around the world including the Subaru Primal Quest in USA in 2002, Southern Traverse and was the individual winner of the Length of New Zealand races, the Xerox Challenge 1990 and the Mizone in 2001. The race has only ever been held twice.
Rest assured we haven't heard or seen the last of the little man. He will still be active in serving the sport he loves so much, and in teaching lessons he learned on the sports field to the corporate board rooms, writing books, tour guiding, and of course doing what he will never stop doing: inventing.
See more:
http://www.sportzhub.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2600&Itemid=1
Wednesday, 8 August 2007
Anna Hamilton in serious accident
In a tragic accident late last week, young Anna Hamilton, one of New Zealand's rising triathlon stars was hit from behind while on a solo training ride at Dairy Flat near Albany.
She is in a drug induced coma and is requiring spinal surgery. It is understood her condition is stable enough to perform the surgery. However the next day or so will be critical to her recovery.
Anna had just been selected for the under-23 Elite team for the World Triathlon Championships in Hamburg in a few weeks.
The former head girl of Rangitoto College is being trained by Chris Pilone who guided Hamish Carter to his Olympic gold in Athens.
Previously the 21 year old Hamilton placed 4th junior in the 2005 world duathlon championships, 13th at 2005 junior triathlon worlds, 1st 2005 NZ duathlon champs, 3rd 2005 NZ sprint distance triathlon champs and 3rd 2006 NZ long course triathlon championships. She has won or placed highly at numerous other races around the country.
She is in a drug induced coma and is requiring spinal surgery. It is understood her condition is stable enough to perform the surgery. However the next day or so will be critical to her recovery.
Anna had just been selected for the under-23 Elite team for the World Triathlon Championships in Hamburg in a few weeks.
The former head girl of Rangitoto College is being trained by Chris Pilone who guided Hamish Carter to his Olympic gold in Athens.
Previously the 21 year old Hamilton placed 4th junior in the 2005 world duathlon championships, 13th at 2005 junior triathlon worlds, 1st 2005 NZ duathlon champs, 3rd 2005 NZ sprint distance triathlon champs and 3rd 2006 NZ long course triathlon championships. She has won or placed highly at numerous other races around the country.
Friday, 3 August 2007
Weekend Roundup - 29 July 2007
Manawatu Triathlon Club Duathlon Championships
Daniel Clout (World Long Course Duathlon) and Mark Leishman (World Triathlon) are both preparing for their respective age group championships in the coming months. And it was clear as they showed the field a clean pair of heels in the club championships. Tama Christensen, the second current member to be on the ITU Elite tour after Kris Gemmel (OK OK, so its my home club, of course I'm going to drop names, but Palmerston North is a hotbed of triathlon - we have 350 members in our club), chose to sit the race out, but was still on hand to help with the marshalling.
Eventually Clout snuck ahead to win. Wendy Teahan, a relative newcomer to the sport had things her own way in the women's event, and it was good to see Grant Spiers back in action to win the vet section from John Thompson.
Results at: http://www.triclub.co.nz/info_page.php?info_id=37
Daniel Clout (World Long Course Duathlon) and Mark Leishman (World Triathlon) are both preparing for their respective age group championships in the coming months. And it was clear as they showed the field a clean pair of heels in the club championships. Tama Christensen, the second current member to be on the ITU Elite tour after Kris Gemmel (OK OK, so its my home club, of course I'm going to drop names, but Palmerston North is a hotbed of triathlon - we have 350 members in our club), chose to sit the race out, but was still on hand to help with the marshalling.
Eventually Clout snuck ahead to win. Wendy Teahan, a relative newcomer to the sport had things her own way in the women's event, and it was good to see Grant Spiers back in action to win the vet section from John Thompson.
Results at: http://www.triclub.co.nz/info_page.php?info_id=37
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