Triathlon: Parkinson's sufferer inspires triathlon novices to limber up for great cause

Martin Bennett, front row, fourth from right, inspired the Parkinson's New Zealand group to compete at the Tinman Triathlon. Photo / Supplied

The elite athletes rightly grabbed most of the attention and accolades at the Tinman Triathlon held this month at Mount Maunganui.

The winners of the standard and sprint distance triathlons have their names etched on to trophies and official records forever, but another 64 athletes going at a more sedate pace made quite a different impact at the other end of the field.

The group, in distinctive red shirts with Parkinson's New Zealand proudly emblazoned across their chests, competed in the main events and the shorter super sprint triathlon. Many of them had never taken on a triathlon before but they all gave it a go to raise funds for the charity.

The group was inspired by Parkinson's sufferer Martin Bennett, who came up with the idea with his daughter Stephanie. Their efforts raised $15,000 on the day.

"It went beyond what we dreamed it would do. We got to the event and ended up with 64 people and we were signing people up right up to the day," Bennett said.

"The day before, a girl that friends had met in Holland signed up. She changed her plans to join us because her dad had had Parkinson's. She brought $600 of money she raised into the kitty.

"It was a pretty big emotional experience as well as a fun thing to do. It was a big event for us."

Bennett is an inspirational figure for anyone who knows him or has had the pleasure of meeting him. His personal challenge to take on the super sprint triathlon took 18 months of at times painful training.

"I had never done a triathlon before and it took me a long time to get fit enough. Then, at 5 o'clock in the morning of the event, I had pretty bad cramps so there was a bit of stress and pressure and it wasn't that pleasant," he said.

"I was thinking 'how am I going to get myself to the start line' but you do and you get into it. As soon as you hit the water you are off and the only thing on your mind was finishing.

"Although I was trying to push through Parkinson's to do it, and it was there in the swim and the end of the run, there were a lot of people there who do things for different reasons and to push through their own challenges."

He was determined to finish, not just to raise funds but to get the message out there about dealing with Parkinson's.

"Look, you can try and dominate the thing, and you are not always going to win. The super sprint distance of 300m swim, 9km bike and then 3km run was my monster challenge. it doesn't have to be a triathlon but you can improve your quality of life by doing something."

Tauranga Triathlon Club hosted the event and Bennett is grateful for how accommodating they were to the Parkinson's group.

"They knew we had a cause and a purpose. The way they took it on was amazing. They said we added another dimension and a human face to the triathlon."