PEOPLE » NATIA VAN HEERDEN
You first raced tri as a school girl
back in 2007, and I first met you
at Warmwater Weekend in 2010,
when you came with Richard
Murray. Did Rich inspired you to
excel in the sport, or was it written
in the stars being the daughter of
two triathletes? I think both played
a big role. Growing up in the very
sporty and competitive Van Heerden
family, I always dreamed of doing an
IRONMAN and qualifying for Kona.
As far back as I can remember, it was
normal for us to go for a long run on a
Sunday morning.
Starting at shorter tri races and
watching the elites compete was
extremely motivating and I always
dreamed of one day being able to
race like them as a professional
athlete. I remember Richard,
who was still struggling to get
sponsorships at the time, getting
knocked back – either by not placing
as well as he had hoped or having
another sponsorship request
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rejected. But what I remember was his
resilience to not sit back and accept
failure. And this still motivates me today
– to keep going, and to keep trying. One
day, the hard work will pay off.
Speaking of the Van Heerden family,
you and your twin brother – trail
running and triathlon ace Antoine –
are blessed with good tri genes from
parents who raced in Kona. Has there
been a family expectation to get to
the Big Island, or has it just been a
natural progression for someone
who grew up inspired by Ilse and
André, both legends of the sport? It’s
definitely been a natural progression. My
parents are huge role models in my life.
They are very supportive and have never
placed any pressure on either Antoine or
I to perform. But I don’t think it came as a
shock to them when I told them I wanted
to race triathlon professionally!
Their love for the sport has definitely
rubbed off on us, and I am very
fortunate to be in a position to be able
to pursue this dream.
We ran a feature on your close and
talented family back in 2015 after
all four of you made the podium
at IRONMAN 70.3 South Africa,
which may have been a world
first! Tell us about your folks and
growing up on a rose farm, among
game reserves and aeroplanes,
and travelling with them on
countless adventures. My parents
raised us to be fearless, disciplined
and hardworking. And then showed us
that life is about experiences shared
with the people you love. We are very
fortunate to have been exposed to
so many epic adventures with my
parents from a young age. I have done
countless MTB and trail stage races
with my brother and dad. My brother
was the youngest boy to summit
Mount Kilimanjaro at the age of nine.
My mom and I travelled to many
international races for gymnastics and
triathlon. All of these were amazing,
but what made them a thousand
times more special, was sharing the
experiences as a family.
“GROWING UP I
ALWAYS DREAMED
OF QUALIFYING
FOR KONA”
You’re an organic chef who
creates fine-dining experiences.
Where did that begin, and how
did late nights in a five-star
restaurant combine with dawn
training sessions with your dad?
My love for food has always been
there, and I got into very healthy
eating as an elite gymnast. I started
cooking for our family from my
mother’s cookbooks because I
couldn’t stand eating another dry
chicken prepared by our domestic. I
really enjoyed cooking and decided
one slot was allocated to my age group at
IMSA this year as there have been two in
the past few years. Having had two really
good races, against strong world-class
athletes (both in the top 10 in Kona), I was
ecstatic to have placed well in the overall
AG rankings, not to mention just my AG.
I feel that I am definitely moving in the
right direction, that I am improving at a
constant pace and that I have finally found
a coach who’s programme works really
well for me.
After my disappointment in
Busselton in December, where I was
heartbroken to have missed out on a
Kona slot, I was determined to work
hard towards IMSA. I was fit and ready
to race, and I raced a massive PB. I
was on a high from my performance
and I was certain I would get a slot.
But again, my heart sank when I
looked at the single digit ‘1’ next to
the strongest AG of the entire race.
Luckily, I am surrounded by super
supportive family and friends, and I
have managed to take the positives
from this race to fuel my training for
my next qualification race. I simply
believe that I am not strong enough
yet, and when I am, I will be ready to
win, and I’ll be ready for Kona. This is
what motivates me every single day.