“It gets harder every year” and “It was one million degrees outside and the water was like minus seven.”
Those were the assessments by Nelson relatives who cinched their third and fourth Nelson Sanitarium Weet-Bix TRYathlon medals on Sunday.
St Joseph’s School’s Emma and Sophie Fitchett and Birchwood School’s Lottie Brown were three of the 1536 tamariki aged between six and 15 who daubed Tāhunanui Reserve in blue, red and white, for a great start to their day with a 100m swim, 3.2km cycle and a 1.5km run.
The promising veterans of the Kiwi summer mainstay, who vow to give it a try for the fun aspect until the event’s age limit, said this year’s temperatures made for trying conditions.
“It gets harder every year but it was better, it was just the heat [that made it harder],” Emma says.
“It was one million degrees outside and the water was like minus seven,” Lottie chimes in.
“It’s still good to know that heaps of people can do it and you can make new friends,” Sophie says.
The girls had trained for the showpiece at their grandparents’ home pool in Stoke and cycled and ran around the neighbourhood.
Henley School siblings Danielle, Barend and Stefan Powell captured the essence of the ‘Give it a TRY’ slogan.
Six-year-old Danielle opted for the shorter no-cycle Splash and Dash course. Her brothers were a tag team with Barend taking to the water, paying his dues by overcoming the stubborn shells on the seafloor, and Stefan enjoyed the cycle and run.
Impressed with their debut and the event serving up somewhere for them and their friends to be active, healthy and jaunty, the Powells might return in 2026.
Tākaka Primary School students Tor Stilwell and Jack Orange stayed in Motueka overnight for a head start.
It was their second undertaking of the event, and although the course was strenuous at times, Tor and Jack said their hip-hop dancing at school and their prowess on wheels and foot got them over the finish line.
“I liked biking the most because my legs could relax and get more extendable to get ready for the run,” Tor says.
Sanitarium HR business leader Debbie Wilson, who was at Nelson’s event, says compared to the 10 other TRYathlons nationwide over its 2024-2025 season, the reactions from caregivers and supporters and the whistle-stop movements by participants were the standouts.
“The thing that stands out for me is the grandparents, seeing the sense of achievement and them being more excited, probably more than what the children are when they come over that finish line,” she says.
“Some of the parents that are running [to see their kids on the course], it seems that they’re more puffed than their children are, so it’s really special.
“I couldn’t believe how quickly the kids came through, I think with this one in particular, having the beach makes such a significant difference because you’re pretty much with the tide.”
Debbie says “without a doubt” the ‘Give it a TRY’ slogan also rang true.
“It’s amazing to be able to have that experience of watching kids come over the finish line… it doesn’t matter what physical fitness or sporting ability they have,” she says.
“Those big smiles, that’s the most humbling part.”
Local sporting heroes Alex McNaught and Sam Dempster from the Nelson Giants and Volley Fern Holly Chandler awarded the medals at the finish line.
