When did you first start competing in triathlons?
While I had done a lot of running and cycling in my 20s, I was never much of a swimmer, (pretty much still the case) and a triathlete girlfriend in the 90’s told me that I would “never make it as a Triathlete”. In 2000 I came over to NZ from the UK for a job interview at Navman and was asked “why NZ?” and I said well I’d like to do some snowboarding and mountain biking and might even give Triathlon a go. I was then introduced to the whole company as “Gareth – who is a Triathlete”. I was kind of stuck with it. My multisport first race was in 2001 at the Takapuna Swim/Run where Garth Barfoot was race director with his wife Judy and my first Triathlon was a sprint distance in 2002.
What’s one highlight of your triathlon journey so far that stands out to you?
My first Ironman in 2005, which was a few weeks after my first Coast to Coast (Longest Day). Finishing both as a rookie was huge for me.
Most memorable moments would have to be cycling up Solarerberg, (Solar Hill) in Challenge Roth, 2018. Running down Ali’i drive in 2022, and to hear Mike Reilly call me an Ironman one more time was another highlight.
Another, of course, would be finishing Powerman Zofingen in 2017 hand in hand with my wife, Thiri. The women’s field start an hour earlier and I spent 9 hours and 8 minutes trying to catch her up. I think Powerman deserves it’s own write up.
What’s your ‘day job’ of triathlon, and how do you balance it with your training and racing goals?
I have managed to integrate a lifestyle of running a small holding farm with Thiri, business and leadership coaching, health coaching. I believe there is a thread and themes connecting all of these.
I call myself a “Kaizen Coach” and spend a lot of time with businesses working with their culture, using Intent Based Leadership which was created by David Marquet, a former US Submarine commander who wrote the book “Turn the Ship Around!” most of my clients are overseas however I am trying to bring this leadership style to New Zealand.
What do you consider the best thing about representing the TRI NZ Age-Group Team?
Wearing the Silver Fern.
I am blessed and fortunate that I was allowed to emigrate to NZ almost 25 years ago and have become proud of my adopted nationality. I raised a few eyebrows with my family when I chose not to represent GB however I consider myself as a kiwi, especially when it comes to who to represent in sports.
How did you feel when you got told you were going to represent TRI NZ Age-Group team?
I started trying to qualify for the worlds back in 2012 but most often struggled to make the cut. I haven’t actually got much faster in the past decade but seem to be higher in the field now. The first time I got the email from TriNZ that I had qualified for the Belfort LD race in 2013 was huge. Unfortunately that race was cut short, and turned into a Duathlong because it was cold. It was actually snowing on the Ballon d’Alsace mountain climb so to race a true LD Triathlon in Townsville is to resolve ‘unfinished business’.
What is your favourite race that you’ve competed in?
This definitely has to be the Kiwiman Xtri Double in 2021, when, on the second day I could barely stand up out of the water. I was shivering cold and blubbing like a baby for the first 30k of the bike but still managed to finish in second place, OK second out of two and there were seconds in it, but it was still a big 2 days.
Here is a video of the race, I had Scottie T follow me around:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5mjC5qbWLE
Do you have any specific goals for the future?
Every year I try to get a slot in Norseman XTri and have entered into the ballot for the past 8 years. Perhaps that or Patagonman.
I have generally shifted my focus away from ultra distance towards Martial Arts over the past few years and have one eye on the Karate World Cup in Japan in 2026.
What’s your top tip for those who are new to Age-Group triathlon?
Don’t worry.
This is easy to say I know. What I notice in most races is there is one big scary thing and people will talk about the big hill, the Energy Lab, the scary descent, or something else, “There be dragons!”. I have always discovered later on during the race that they are never as bad and ask “Is that it?”
Each part of the race will throw something at you, which you cannot control. What you can control is how you respond to it. Anxiety before the race just burns energy. Reframe your thinking to the positive.
For example, this year I had to withdraw out of the Coast to Coast longest day. I had back issues and on the mountain run was unable to run at pace and boulder hop. I knew a few days before that this would be a challenge. As people were overtaking me asking if I was OK, I said “I’m loving this”. I kept reminding myself that, of all the people who I went to school with, I’m probably the only 52 year old amongst them who ‘gets to do this’. I was in beautiful scenery running up a mountain in an endurance event. Sure I didn’t finish and was in a lot of pain, but for me it was still a great experience.
Can you share a funny or memorable moment from one of your races?
Probably Ironman NZ 2009 would be most memorable. It was the last time my father got to watch me race. I had 2 wetsuits, one as a backup as I had broken the zipper on another the previous season. However the bag with both was left in the car and the one I had at the start line had laundry in. I swam sans wetsuit. It was slow and cold.
Is there anyone who has inspired you to pursue triathlon? Are there athletes you admire and think, “Wow, you’re amazing”?
Immediately I thought to mention Cam Brown as he was a legend who had won 5 times at IMNZ when I did my first. However, Garth Barfoot inspires me more. In 2010 he pretty much towed me round the first lap of the Round Taupo Enduro, then gave me a dressing down after the race when I stopped off for a big breakfast at the hotel before doing the second lap. If I could still be racing, as Garth is, at 87 then I would be very satisfied.
Can you share a piece of wisdom that you’ve gained from your triathlon journey?
I have managed to land a book publishing deal to write about my Triathlon journey and how we can apply that mindset to work and life. Resilience , grit, consistency, focus and passion. I have always been motivated about the mental preparation and how to respond to adversity. While I have never been at the front of the field, I am proud that I have been consistent in the sport for well over 20 years having achieved 25 ultra distance races and represented NZ over 10 times.
The things I have learned are
- Deliberate practice: Don’t practice until you get it right, practice until you CANNOT get it wrong. This wisdom was shared with me by Stephen Farrell
- WIN: What’s Important Now. I heard this from Moss Burmester. Focus on the specific issue you are presented with and don’t get overwhelmed with everything else.
- Mike Reilly at IMNZ 2005 said that everybody had their own reason for being at the race. We will all face challenges that we cannot control, however the one thing we can control is our attitude and response to it.
- To have grit you need goals. I have a passion for racing and for me it has purpose. I try and set long term audacious unimaginably impossible goals (Double XTRI), and then set smaller daily goals to tend towards them
- Kaizen. This concept is the foundation on everything I do from sport to work to life. I call myself a Kaizen Coach for this reason and have immersed myself into the essence of it. Consistency beats intensity every time.
I wrote an article on it and how I apply it to work and life, here:
POWERMAN ZOFINGEN:
In 2013 I was fortunate to qualify for my first Traithlon world champs at the Port of Tauranga Half. I had a mere seconds to spare to be within the 20% of the winner but that was enough to qualify me for the LD Champs in Belfort, France.
At the race it was bitterly cold, a weather pattern had descended upon Europe which caused the Giro d’Italia to have a stage cancelled As we landed in Paris, in June, it was 3 degrees. I hadn’t packed for that and had to do last minute shop at a bike shop for gloves and a jacket. The organisers decided to cancel the swim and turn it into a LD Duathlon. If I’m honest I dodged a bullet as I wasn’t in the best shape for a 4km swim. This got me thinking whether the ITU had other Duathlons and I remembered Mark Bailey going over to Switzerland and Melanie Burke winning a race over there a few years prior. There are other New Zealanders who have won in the past including the legend Erin Baker.
So, the following year, I raced in the Duathlon Nationals in Christchurch, qualified and packed my bags for Powerman Zofingen 2014. I have since raced in 2015, 2017 and last year – 2023.
This race often only has a few kiwis, it is quite a distance to travel and we get a mention in the race manual as being the furthest travelled.
Being more of a runner than a swimmer this plays to my strengths, or at least plays away from my weakness. It is a serious race and while not quite as long as an Ironman has many hills and is a tough 30k run at the end. I particularly like the atmosphere there, it a little less “Boo Yah” pom poms and the circus of an Ironman and has a more Euro feel with spectators calling a more mellow “hup-hup-hup-hup”. The road surface is smooth and the scenery is spectacular. I love the many small Swiss villages we pass through. And then there are the hills. Many hills, long grinding out of your seat hills. For three laps.
I have to give mention to my best race in 2017. There were only 2 Kiwis racing. Both had “HOLEBROOK, NZL” on their suit. The womens field start a full hour before the men. I was expecting to see Thiri on the bike and was surprised that she still had about 20 minutes on me in the run. It took me the whole 4 laps to catch her up, which I did as we both hit the blue carpet together finishing hand in hand. What are the odds? Having her ahead of me gave me reason to push the last 10k she was desperately trying to stay ahead.
One lesson I ought to have learned but seem to forget is not to fly there with only a few days to overcome the jet lag. I’ve done that 3 times now and it has had an impact on the result. It is a beautiful area and well worth visiting. Here is a Youtube video of Aarburg which is where I stayed last year. I didn’t have permission to fly my drone in Zofingen proper which is an amazing town.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPX7pC–O6E
