Tauranga triathlete Jenny Bradley and her son Shane Bradley at the Ironman 70.3 in Taupō in December 2023.
Tauranga triathlete Jenny Bradley has always loved sports.
But having a young family and business, “sport was put to the side”.
Bradley, 69, competed in her first triathlon in Mount Maunganui when she was 61 and came third in her age group.
Now she has been selected to represent New Zealand in the World Triathlon Championship finals in Wollongong, Australia, on October 17.
“I could not believe it,” Bradley said of the moment she found out in April.
Bradley, who is competing in the 65 to 69 age group, said she was one of eight from New Zealand in her race.
Bradley splits her time living between Mount Maunganui and Rotorua and said she did marathons and half-marathons in her late 40s and 50s.
She had always watched her two sons doing triathlons and followed the Ironman 70.3 – also known as a Half Ironman.
Bradley said she wanted an Ironman 70.3 T-shirt, which has all participants’ names on the back of it for that year’s event.
In February 2023, Bradley started training for the Ironman 70.3 – a 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride, and 21km run.
In December that year, she came second in the event in Taupō for the 65 to 69 age group.
Her son Shane was with her “every step of the way” and the pair crossed the finish line together, she said.
In 2024, Bradley told her coach she wanted to qualify for the world championships.
In November 2024, she said, she did the Tinman triathlon in Tauranga, where her time qualified her for the world championship finals.
Bradley said she had a bad bike accident in December 2024, which took four months to recover from.
Training had taken “all my resolve” during the winter’s rain, wind, and cold.
She is training for the sprint distance triathlon in Wollongong – a 750m swim, 20km bike ride, and 5km run – and has been training for about 10 hours a week.
That’s been “considerably less, and more manageable” than training for the Ironman 70.3.
She said she felt “a little anxious” ahead of the triathlon, including getting her gear to Australia and complying with 84 pages of “very strict rules”.
“We are even told what running shoes do not comply.”
Bradley said she hoped her story inspired others to do something “outside the square“.
“If you show up, put in the work and keep believing in yourself, you are doing something amazing.
“And it’s worth celebrating because on the day, it’s only me out there. No one can help you, so it all comes back to your hard work and commitment.”
Bradley thanked her coach, the Rotorua Aquatic Centre, My Ride in Mount Maunganui, Cyclezone in Rotorua, her osteopath, strength trainer, masseuses, and the encouragement from her family and friends, including her husband Paul, who had ridden “thousands” of kilometres with her on their bikes.
“I am lucky he is very supportive.”
Bradley said representing New Zealand was a “highlight” of her year.
She said her son Shane had represented New Zealand in cycling; and her mother, Jean, had played outdoor bowls for NZ.
A Triathlon New Zealand spokesman said more than 5000 athletes were participating in the international event in Wollongong, including 266 from New Zealand.
The event runs from October 15 to 19.
The spokesman said Tauranga was set to host the 2028 World Triathlon Championship finals – “the equivalent of Wollongong”.
Tauranga would host a World Triathlon Cup in 2026 and a World Triathlon Championship Series race in 2027, ahead of the 2028 Grand Final as part of a three-year deal, he said.
“Wollongong is a mere prelude to very exciting times ahead for triathlon in Aotearoa.”
He said there had “never been a better time to give the swim, bike and run a crack”.
The spokesman said anyone interested in following Bradley’s footsteps was encouraged to visit the Triathlon NZ website.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.