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.”