Triathlon: Baker's racing return a one-off

Erin Baker on her way to victory in the 1987 Hawaiian Ironman. Photo / Supplied

If you blinked, you missed it - but don't you dare call it a comeback.

While race organisers have lured triathlon legends Rick Wells and Hamish Carter out of retirement for next week's ITU World Cup in Auckland, they've narrowly missed recruiting a third legend of the sport.

The first lady of multisport - Erin Baker - raided the wardrobe to bring out her togs and running shoes for a rare outing at Noosa two weeks ago, clocking 2h 32m over the 1.5km swim/40km cycle/10km run Olympic-distance course and finishing fourth in the master women's category.

It was her first competitive effort since retiring in 1994.

"And there definitely won't be another one," she insists. "There's no doubt - this was 100 per cent a one-off."

Now 50, the two-time Ironman world champion has maintained her fitness through her passion for cycling and has regularly biked the Tour de France course over the years.

Husband Scott Molina, also a former world champion, still coaches and competes in triathlons but Baker has never been tempted - until this year. Friend and former international swimmer Melanie Jones decided she would try to qualify for her age group at next year's world championships.

Would Baker come race with her?

The Auckland promoters were keen to have her but Baker was reluctant to step back into the spotlight.

Instead, she hauled Jones off to Queensland, where she had won 27 years ago.

"I was far stronger on the bike than I expected and slow on the run, like I thought I would be," she reflects. "But I really couldn't have cared less about the times.

"I love exercising but hate training and felt that way about Noosa. I love biking but hate the thought of having to do it if it's cold - I'm done with that.

"I swam once a week to prepare for Noosa and I run slow these days. I lost all my running speed the day I retired."

Baker will be in Auckland next Sunday, partially to support Molina, but mainly to sample the city's restaurants.