The 2008 Vegan Triathlon - 24 February 2008

As I ordered (and indeed did last year), a sunny day dawned for the Vegan Triathlon (the fourth to be exact). I must admit to being (among others I’m sure) extremely hot by the end of the day, but also very very thankful for the fine weather.

This year registration, tshirts etc were even easier to organise (we learned a lot last year) and we even had a marquee (thank goodness, as it was SO hot!!).

The plentiful (nearly as many as the athletes!) and wonderful volunteers had their briefings, the contestants were registered and it was all on! The Triathletes started in the pool, swimming 6, 12 or 24 laps of the 25 m pool) in the training pool at QE11. They were watched and encouraged by the (and I must say it again) wonderful volunteers. Once finished in the pool, contestants moved to the bike (10 km) and then to the run (1.5, 3 or 4.5 km).

About 4:30 the vegan children’s events started first a trike/bike/scoot-a-thon, followed by a wheelbarrow race (which was absolutely hilarious!) and then all the children did a 1.5 km walk/run. Well done to Asher, Neve, Jasper, Lily, Renee, Alexa, Alannah, Te Koha, Liam, Oliver, Connor and Dylan!!! I must stress that these kids are aged from 2-10, had waited around (and behaved brilliantly) while all the adults finished and competed admirably, with tons of energy! Special thanks must also go to Andy, who kindly piggy-backed a few children (two of mine included) when they were a bit behind!

The athletes were all amazing competitive but great sports as well - and they all should feel very very proud of themselves. The supporters were fantastic, and a great combination of the two is a must for any successful sporting event.

The triathlon ended with many happy but tired people (including the volunteers … we worked hard too you know !!).

To celebrate/reward all involved, dinner was held at Govindas Restaurant. We feasted on pizza, chips and lovely apricot crumble and ice cream (all vegan of course and very delicious). As it was last year the company was lovely, the spot prizes fantastic (although I must admit to being disappointed at missing out this year ?) and it really was a lovely ending to a lovely day.

The recipient of sponsorship raised by the athletes was the stray cat rescues of Sacha Dowell, vegan triathlon participant 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Over $800 was raised by the tri for their work. What Sacha and Cat Rescue achieve is amazing and she really needs more support in the form of time, donations etc. For more information about Sacha’s stray cat rescues, go to: http://www.cisforcats.co.nz/rescue/cat_rescue_christchurch.htm

Huge thanks must be given to Yolanda and the Vegetarian Society committee who did an amazing job organising the vegan triathlon. This is Yolanda’s last year of organising the triathlon (she has done 4 after all, and much of the hard work is now done!) and the society is VERY hopeful that some enthusiastic, energetic vegan (and we know there are PLENTY of those!) will put up their hand to organise it next year. I can assure anyone interested that you will have lots of help

Finally, two extra special mentions need to be made:

1) The amazing vegan teens (and proud members of the Vegetarian Youth Group) - Rachel (the first competitor to complete the entire triathlon), Ella, Amber, Ingrid-Anna and Kirsten who competed at an incredibly high level along with the adults.

2) Very proud vegan (and amazing friend) Annie, who could not participate for health reasons but still raised money for Cat Rescue, by asking people to sponsor her NOT to participate in the Triathlon!

Enjoy the photos:

2008 Pre-Triathlon Information

The 2008 Vegan Triathlon will be held in Christchurch on Sunday February 24th at 3pm.

We hope participants will collect sponsorships for their efforts for the Cat Rescue group which is led by long time Vegan Triathlon participant Sacha Dowell. CLICK HERE to download a sponsorship form.

Email us to register for the 2008 triathlon and for planning updates. CLICK HERE to download a copy of the 2008 registration form.

For information on how to order a t-shirt, please CLICK HERE.

The organisers of the Vegan Triathlon would like to acknowledge Avatar Web Promotions for their generous donation towards the costs of the 2008 event. Thank you!

Pictures and reports from the 2008 triathlon will be posted on this page after the event. Watch this space.