Triathlon Triples Harmony

Climbing Black Mountain the hard way.

In a display of international harmony suitably fitting of the ANZAC spirit first forged on the beaches of Gallipoli over 90 years ago, members of the New Zealand Sri Chinmoy Centre will be joining their spiritual brothers and sisters "across the ditch" for an ocean-shrinking display of selfless service, giving up their time and energy freely to help put on the marathon event.

Full-time Kiwi Centre member and part-time cameraman and video editor John Gillespie will be on hand to lend a hand in his specialist discipline, shooting video for the Triple Tri website, and maybe even hitting the trails around Black Mountain as well?

"Two years ago I was fortunate enough to be able to attend this amazing event, where I volunteered for the job of sweeping the first mountain bike leg," John enthuses.

"My task then involved cycling at the pace of the slowest competitor 40km up and down the hills of the nation's Capital, staying in last place, and signaling the final competitor through to all the marshals and aid stations along the way."

"While we New Zealanders like to joke about Australia's mountains, or rather lack of them, I have to admit that I was humbled by the muddy slopes of Black Mountain, a deplorable situation assisted somewhat by my missing a crucial turn at the beginning of my sweeping leg, and aided and abetted further by the fact that I was following hard on the heels not of a part-time athlete, or even better a full-time sofa dweller there just to make up the numbers, but rather a highly rated team competitor who had been delayed on the start line by mechanical failure."

With a glint that looked suspiciously like a tear in his eye John continued, "Yep, two years on I reckon I'm ready to take up the challenge of being a trans-Tasman Triple Tri helper once more. And my hamstrings are too."