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