TRIATHLON: Granny's sea-going angel

ANENDRA SINGH
"Swim, Sandra, swim!" someone hollered at Westshore Beach, Napier, but Sandra Kappely's brain froze as she watched other triathletes thrashing about in the water.
The 57-year-old grandmother from Waipukurau was about to throw in the towel in the Contact Energy-sponsored Tri Mysport segment of the TriathlonNZ National Series in Napier on Saturday.
Just then she heard the soothing voice of "a chap with a surf board" ask: "What's the matter, mate?"
Kappely: "I don't think I can do it. I've never swum in the open sea before."
With a little coaxing and reassurance from "the chap," Kappely, the manager of Brooker's Furniture, in Waipukurau, was burning up the 750m swim - her first open-sea swim ever - with the man not far away as peace of mind.
"He stayed with me all the way. I don't know who he was but he was so wonderful. I only started swimming two years ago and when the gun (last Saturday) went I hesitated. I was so freaked out because it was my first swim in the open sea," Kappely told SportToday after she cycled 20km and ran 5km to finish runner-up in the 55-59-year-old age group.
The Palmerston North-born woman, who moved to Waipukurau with husband Russell in 1989 as angora goat stud farmers, started triathlons just five years ago and now she's hooked on it.
"I was 36kg overweight, weighing around 95kg, so I joined (the defunct) Major Fitness Centre in 2001."
Gym owner Sherry Majors took her under her wing and together they did half-marathon walks. In 2003 Kappely did her first triathlon, Special K, in Napier.
"I've been bitten by the bug ever since," said Kappely, who last year competed in the World Triathlon in Lusanne, Switzerland, with Majors.
On Saturday, Majors, 51, won the 50-54-year-old category of Tri Mysport. Kappely said husband Russell often liked running but was a very busy farmer. They've sold their goat stud farm. farm works for a company.
"He and my two sons (Brendon, 34, and Hayden, 29) are very proud of me and very supportive."
She was overwhelmed by the support, especially from the younger members of the Hawke's Bay Multisport Club, which she joined eight months ago.