Whakatāne District Council staff, family members and contractor partners made a huge splash at the Sovereign Tinman Triathlon in Mount Maunganui on Sunday.
The 150-strong team dominated the participation rankings, particularly in the shorter distance and fun events, but also posted many creditable performances in the distance events. For many participants the experience was a first, and the Council team organisers are thrilled with the outcomes.
“It was just a fun-filled day, with heaps of camaraderie and whole-hearted support from participants and sponsors,” says Council Tri-coordinator Cashy Ball. “The benefits for the whole organisation are really obvious too. There’s a significant proportion of our workforce who are now fitter and healthier and it’s great to see that a number of people have ‘caught the triathlon bug’, with about 15 confirmed starters in the Kinloch event on 1 February and more to come.”
The Council will also enter a team in the Takapuna event in February 2015, and Chief Executive Marty Grenfell is quietly confident that these additional efforts will go a long way to securing a Whakatāne District Council win in the CEO Charity Challenge, which will see $25,000 donated to a charity of the winner’s choice.
“The challenge is judged on the greatest percentage of staff participating over the whole series, so we won’t know the outcome till next April, but this puts us in with a great show. Regardless of the final result, we’ve already raised a substantial sum for the Kirsty Lang Family Trust and I couldn’t be more proud of the remarkable effort put in by so many Council staff.”
Amongst the highlights were a podium finish – third-placed team overall – for WDC Team 11 (Ian Molony, Kyle Olley and Amy Swann) in the Fun Tri, while a Men’s Team Fun Tri category win went to WDC Pick ’n’ Mix (Wouter Vullings, Matthew Leighton and Councillor Andrew Iles), with Full Circle – featuring the youngest (11-year-old Markus Edhouse) and oldest competitors (77-year-old Councillor George Johnston), plus Hamish Pettengell, finishing a meritorious second. Joe Collier and Dale Glen also won their individual Fun Tri sections. Rex Humpherson took second place in his category in the Standard Distance Individual Tri, and Whakatāne Scream Team (Paula Chapman, Nicola Olding and Meagan Edhouse) placed third win the women’s Standard Distance Team Tri.