General News
3 December, 2022
Local triathlon squad wins big
THE TriMotivate Cairns Triathlon Coaching squad was the big winner at the Cairns Crocs Triathlon End of Year awards, taking first place overall in the male category and winning over 10 awards for the squad.
With the arrival of Ironman to Cairns this year, triathlon keeps becoming a popular sport in the region. However, for some, this passion has been there from the beginning; that’s the case for founder and head coach of TriMotivate Cairns Triathlon Coaching, Renee Ker.
Ms Ker founded TriMotivate nine years ago; she was already a seasoned triathlon and Ironman competitor when she became a coach.
“I’m a performance coach, I studied at the Australian Institute of Sport, and I’m also an accredited Ironman coach, the only one in Cairns with that mix of credentials,” she said.
“We are a multisport triathlon group that caters to anything from beginners to athletes wanting to qualify for the world championships.”
Ms Ker is TriMotivate’s head coach and has the support of two other coaches, Damian Coad, ex Ironman representative in Kona, and Mandy Anderson, a swim coach.
The team has a range of athletes from the ages of 14 to 68.
“We have a very diverse crew,” Ms Ker said.
“But what I’m most proud of is our squad’s incredible culture; everyone is very supportive, we have a lot of fun, but we work hard at the same time.”
Annually, the Cairns Crocs Triathlon Club runs an award ceremony at the end of the year to celebrate the achievements of the best athletes in triathlon.
To do so, they adopted a point system for each category, from teenagers to adults, to ensure the best of the best receive the praise deserved for the year’s hard work.
Athletes gather points throughout the year (Cairns Crocs Triathlon Club season) based on the competitor’s position; they receive 10 points for first place, nine for second place and so on.
The final point allocation is based on a competitor’s top four results from the season (from six events), with the athletes having to compete in at least two events.
Ms Ker said this year, the TriMotivate squad had reached new heights, and it was directly reflected in the awards.
“I’m incredibly proud of how the crew has done, last year, we did quite well, but this has been the best year yet,” she said.
“It’s mainly because our athletes train consistently; they don’t think – oh, I’m just going to train for six months do 70.3 Ironman, and then they fall off the way.
“We keep our athletes engaged by training for other events; we go out of Cairns for other events too.
“We mix it up, we go up to the Tablelands, we do ocean swimming, we do trail running, so we mix it up, and it keeps people engaged,” she said.
TriMotivate Cairns Triathlon Coaching is currently taking recruits for 2023, and Ms Ker said she wanted to encourage people in Cairns to leave their fear of triathlon behind and join the squad.
“A lot of people think triathlon is really daunting,” she said.
“We start everyone with baby steps; even if you’re a non-runner, we start with walkrun sessions, and we build you nice and slowly into a little bit of endurance.
“Triathlon has so many different distances; you’ve got the enticer distance, sprint, standard, 70.3 Ironman and full Ironman, so there’s a distance for everyone and every fitness level.”
For more information about TriMotivate, visit: www.trimotivate.com.au/
TriMotivate’s awards at the Cairns Crocs Triathlon Club were:
• 1st overall club champion male - James Ogilvie
• 1st age group champion 30-39 - James Ogilvie
• 1st age group champion 20-29F - Bea Carter
• 1st age group champion 20-29M - Cody Williamson
• 2nd 14-15 age group - Josiah Dixon
• 2nd 20-29 age group - Sumbul Ari
• 2nd 50-59 age group - Deb Steinhofer
• 2nd 30-39 age group - Eliza Camac
• 2nd 20-29 age group - Robbie Lee
• 3rd 40-49 age group - Joanna Fack
