Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 116, March 2019 | Page 44

MULTISPORT
THE VENTERS’ TRI VENTURE
Our journey into the wonderful world of triathlons really began with us signing up with Modern Athlete’s Dare To Tri
programme. Now the bucket list items are being ticked one by one. – BY VAUGHN & NICOLA VENTER
Tri’s were a complete unknown, and so the search for a group to train and learn
with started. As luck would have it, Vaughn came across Dare To Tri advertising one
of their club meetings, on introducing beginners to tri’s. After attending that intro
meeting with wife Nicola and two-year-old son Dean in toe, Vaughn decided to join
the club and training started for the Bela Bela 5150, taking place in August 2016.
Race day arrived and the family were present to offer support (although Dean and
his cousin spent the day at the pools). Vaughn had a rough day out, but managed
to finish.
READY FOR MORE
After digesting what he had accomplished, Vaughn entered the Durban Ironman
70.3, taking place in June 2017. It was at this point that spectating became rather
overrated for Nicola, who decided to take the plunge and join Dare To Tri as well.
When there were no ‘Dean-sitters’ available, he would come with Mom and Dad for
a training session, be it a swim in the gym pool, a training ride in the Cradle hooked
up to the back of Dad’s bike (nice resistance training for dad), or a run being
pushed around in a pram. Training became such a routine that even Dean would
ask what was to be done for the day, and the countdown of sleeps until the family
could go to the beach started.
Race day arrived and with it came perfect conditions for the event. The water was
calm and the swim went well, the ride went according to plan and by the time the
run arrived, the atmosphere created by the spectators was electrifying. The red
carpet arrived and Vaughn had finished his first 70.3 Ironman Durban in six hours
45 minutes.
After a little rest period, training commenced for the Bela Bela 5150 taking place
in August 2017. This would be the first tri event that Nicola would take part in, and
Vaughn’s second outing at Bela Bela. Nerves can get the better of one, but Nicola
was with fellow club member Melanie at the start, and chatting to all the other
ladies calmed the nerves. And if that didn’t work, the freezing cold water certainly
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ensured she got a move on! The ride was extremely challenging, but fellow athletes
cheering her on as they passed each other on the run route helped inch Nicola to
the finish and earn her first tri medal.
FOUND OUR NICHE
At this point it had become apparent that the Venters had found their sport.
Sitting in front of the TV at home was something of the past, and much more time
was going to be spent out training, be it swimming, riding or running events with
newfound friends sharing a common interest. Unfortunately, due to illness, Vaughn
had to withdraw from Durban Ironman 70.3 in June 2018, but this only made him
more determined for Bela Bela in August 2018. He completed the race, but Nicola
unfortunately missed the cut-off for the bike, due to a puncture on the ride that
took longer to fix than it should have.
Now 2019 has started with a bang. Nicola took part in a Trinity Duathlon and
completed it within the goals she set for herself. East London (Buffalo City)
Ironman 70.3 was extremely tough, with the swim being shortened and the wind
so strong that you had to pedal on a downhill, but even with the tough conditions,
Vaughn completed the race and earned his second 70.3 medal.
So what’s in store for the rest of the year? Ironman in Nelson Mandela Bay is in April,
and Vaughn is hoping to hear those famous words, “You are an Ironman,” said to him
as he crosses the finish line. (Get the tissues out – tears are guaranteed.)
TICK THEM OFF
We often get asked, why do we take part in
triathlons? Our response is why not! We have one
life and we need to find a balance between
work, play and family. Having a common
interest that both of us enjoy is an added
bonus. So draft that bucket list of items
you want to list under “I did that,” and start
ticking them off one by one. You don’t
want to one day regret not
doing something. And we
hope to see you at a tri
event soon.
I
t all started the day Vaughn switched on the TV and highlights of a full Ironman
event were on one of the SuperSport channels. Seeing athletes from all different
walks of life arriving on that red carpet and being told that they are an Ironman,
that planted the seed, and so triathlons were added to the bucket list that had been
made with friends a couple years before.