Improving physical condition for the upcoming rugby season, lending a hand to a counterpart and setting their sights on “a medal that is shiny”.
Nelson 13-year-old twins Thor and Matilda Hutterd are two of the more than 1500 tamariki tackling the Sanitarium Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon at Tāhunanui this Sunday.
Matilda is hooked on Surf Lifesaving and she’s not bad in the swimming pool either.
She would also gravitate to track and field events during the family’s eight or nine years in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The family then resided in Christchurch for four years before moving to Nelson in 2024.
For Thor, his hammer is rugby, a sport he’s been enamoured with since he was four, and all his fitness centres around preparations for it.
Grit and determination are Thor’s hallmarks as he lives with a rare genetic disorder called Baraitser-Winter syndrome which, in Thor’s case, affects brain development and could lead to serious heart conditions.
Thor wants to use the TRYathlon as a fitness platform for this year’s season with Stoke Rugby Club, and Matilda is supporting his cause, just as she does for his other endeavours.
Because of his condition, Thor’s concentration in long swims could prove tricky, therefore he has enlisted his sister to do the swim leg for him this Sunday at their inaugural TRYathlon, before he takes over to complete the course.
The twins have been getting match fit all summer at Tāhunanui and while Matilda admits she’s not keen on Weet-Bix and scuttles breakfast altogether, she’s described by her father Rob as a “phenomenal” Weet-Bix slice maker.
Thor on the other hand is “addicted” to the breakfast cereal with banana, yoghurt and brown sugar heated in the microwave for breakfast and plain with brown sugar in the afternoons.
Their 10-year-old brother Magnus will be an individual competitor in the TRYathlon, and their whānau will be on the sidelines to rally behind them.
TRYathlon registrations for six to 15-year-olds remain open until race day unless sold out prior.
Visit www.tryathlon.co.nz to register.
