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 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.