Mornington Peninsula Magazine continues to follow Team Barefoot’s progress
Team Barefoot is the brainchild of Triathlon
Australia Hall of Fame member Stephen
Foster and currently has seven sponsored
athletes and is in the process of expanding.
The team has already won numerous
events in both Open Elite and Age Group
categories, including state and national
titles. Team Barefoot is well supported by
a network of skilled health professionals;
masseurs, naturopaths and physiotherapists.
This coupled with great training facilities that
include a swimming pool, athletics track,
gymnasium, open water swimming venue
and arguably the best riding in the state
means that the team ha s all an athlete could
want on the doorstep.
Along with the sponsored team, there is
also the Team Barefoot general squad, which
is open to all people wanting to have a go.
They have expert technique coaching in
swimming, cycling and running and training
sessions are held seven days a week.
Team Barefoot is also associated with
OZCHILD children’s foundation and help
organize fundraising events each year in
support of this wonderful organization.
For more information about Team
Barefoot and their squads logon to www.
teambarefoot.com.au
STEPHEN FOSTER - THE MAN BEHIND THE TEAM
TRIATHLON TEAM 2013 -2014
Thanking our sponsors for
another successful season
Mornington Peninsula school boy, Stephen
Foster, regarded himself as an ‘abstract
failure at sport’, but a ‘light bulb went off
in his head’ when he watched television
footage of Julie Moss crawling across the
finish line at the Hawaiian Ironman in
February 1982.
Stephen runs the Mornington based semi
professional triathlon team called Team
Barefoot.
In his first attempt at a triathlon, the 1983
Nautilus Triathlon, he was the first junior
home, and 15th overall. That was enough –
he was hooked.
At the age of 18, he competed in the irondistance 1984 Triple M Triathlon. He finished
third behind 1982 Ironman World Champion
American Scott Tinley, and one of Australia’s
top athletes, Marc Dragan. After another busy,
successful season, with numerous wins at
races across Victoria, Foster finished third in
the 1985 Great Lakes International Triathlon
behind Grant Boswell, an American athlete
who had finished third at Hawaii, and Marc
Dragan. He went on to win at Devonport,
which many retrospectively classed as the
1986 Australian championships.
Foster peaked just as the national circuit
began to take shape. Although he suffered
serious injuries in a cycling accident in
November 1988, and took a full year to
return to his winning form, he was named
Triathlon Sports Triathlete of the Year in 1987,
1988, and 1990, won the official Australian
Championships in 1987, 1988, 1990 and
1991, and also claimed the Australia long
course title in 1988 and 1996.
Following his early success, an encouraging
win against Scott Tinley at the 1986 Big
Apple Mazda Triathlon, and a sprint for
second place with Tinley and European
Champion Rob Barel at the 1987 unofficial
World Sprint Triathlon Championships in
Perth, Foster began to dream of competing
overseas. He finished third at the unofficial
world championships in Kelowna Canada in
1988, and won at the famous USTS Chicago
Triathlon. Foster was unable to contest the
first official world championships in 1989, but
placed third the following year at Orlando,
and fourth in 1992. In 1993, he won the
Embrun ITU World Cup. Foster gradually
transitioned into coaching and age group
racing in Victoria, where he continues to
frequent the podium. Stephen also runs a
semi professional triathlon team called Team
Barefoot which is based in Mornington. On
March 20 Stephen joined 7 other current
Hall of Fame Inductees including Brad
Beven (2013), Emma Carney (2012), Jackie
Fairweather (2012), Loretta Harrop (2012),
Michellie Jones (2011), Miles Stewart (2011)
and Greg Welch (2011).
Results Ironman Asia Pacific 2014 for Team Barefoot, each in their Age Division:
Jon Hewitt Time 10.40:54 70th
Stephen Foster Time 9.33:53 12th
Steve Foster Swan Time 9.42:20 35th
Michelle Blake Time 12.14:08 18th
Robyn Metcher Time 12.21:04 5th
Jason Nelson Time 11.02:55 174th
( 26 The peninsula’s favourite funky SQUARE magazine
Steve White Time 12.24:45 175th
Tyson Mann Time 11.49:54 231st
Tony Briglia Time 13.34:54 2nd
Paul Cooper Time 10.46:42 76th
Scott Carson Time 12.05:74 246th
Judy Allen-Graham Time 11.38:31
14th
Ben Vercoe Time 11.15:45 197th
Mark Flavell Time 11.08:53 44th
Matt Jensen Time 10.34:41 96th
Josh D’Sylva Time 12.40:10 204
Mike Salisbury Time 10.54:41 786th
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