By Kent Gray/Triathlon.kiwi
Hayden Wilde is the headline act pretty much wherever and whenever he races in New Zealand and it will be no different at Sunday’s Tinman Triathlon. For once though, not even the double Olympic medallist can lay claim to being the biggest drawcard at a home race.
When Tinman entries closed at midnight on Wednesday, organisers tallied up 650 registrations – an impressive 44 percent increase on last year’s 452 entries. Even more impressive was the 69 percent uptick (234 to 395) in registrations for the main event, the Tri NZ Suzuki Series Standard Distance Championships.
The national age group championships over the 1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run distance doubles as the sole qualifier for the 2025 World Triathlon Age Group Championship to be hosted in Wollongong next October.
Entries traditionally spike for a qualifier when the world championships on New Zealand’s doorstep, as was the case at Tinman in 2017 when Gold Coast hosted the worlds in 2018. So for all his undoubted pulling power, it is an event 11 months on the horizon that has led the age grouper stampede to Tauranga as much as Wilde’s keenly anticipated entry.
Make no mistake, the Kiwi No.1 will still enjoy celebrity status when he dives into Pilot Bay.
The Paris Olympics silver medallist is using the race as his final hit out before the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Taupo on December 14 (women) and 15 (men).
Fresh off victories at the WTCS finale in Torremolinos in late October and last weekend’s Laguna Phuket Triathlon, as well as being crowned supertri champion for the second time in three years in between, he’s at unbackable odds for Sunday’s open race.
In-form defending champion James Corbett, Lachlan Haycock, Ivan Abele, Ollie Larcombe and Manawatu-based Czech Republic rep David Martin will offer Wilde some competition while 70.3 worlds bound-Hannah Knighton will look to defend the women’s elite title in a field that features Lulu Johnson, 2024 Junior Worlds debutant Olivia Rooney and Belgium’s Hanne de Vet, the partner of Wilde.
But from a status standpoint, Sunday is all about the battle for spots in the New Zealand Age Group team for Wollongong. There are a maximum of 16 slots per age group, per gender on offer and with some deep fields, the racing is sure to be intense.
Tinman also serves as the NZ Para Triathlon Championships and the start of the 2024-25 Tri NZ Junior Series with an exciting 56 U16s and 25 U19 athletes entered.
Auckland PTS4 athlete Kurt Peterson is back for his third Tinman, Aucklander Bruce Jordan will look to defend his PTS5 title while Guy Harrison, who has a background in para swimming, athletics and golf, will make his NZ Para Champs debut.
“We’re over the moon,” said Tinman Race Director, Paul Miller, of the record entries.
“It’s great that Hayden [Wilde] is using Tinman as his final buildup race for the 70.3 Worlds in Taupo and giving back to the sport in New Zealand like the champion he is. I’m sure the people of Tauranga will show their mutual respect and love by cheering him on loudly.
“We’re also looking forward to some great racing across all our other events and especially the Tri NZ Suzuki Series Standard Distance Championships. I’ve experienced the buzz of the 2017 qualifier here and was a Tri NZ Team manager at Gold Coast 2018 and I think this will easily top that.
“There’s a real buzz in the sport at the moment and this is also great for Tauranga. The influx of travelling athletes is expected to bring in nearly 1000 bed nights over the weekend. It’s going to be busy but a heck of a lot of fun.”
The fun begins on Saturday when Knighton, Corbett and Paris Olympian Ainsley Thorpe lead a ‘ASICS Shakeout Run’ from 3:30pm to coincide with athlete registration. There will be a Q&A with the trio after the light jog and a chance to win some goodies.
The ASICS Shakeout Run will go from the Tri NZ tent at the race venue (36 The Mall).
