NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport

Weekend Warrior: Seven knee reconstructions can't hold ironman Te Kapunga Dewes down

NZ Herald
13 Apr, 2018 05:00 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Despite the onset of Arthritis, a slew of injuries​ and 7 Knee reconstructions, Te Kapunga Dewes competes in Ironman.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Te Kapunga Dewes knows a thing or two about knee reconstruction surgeries. He has had seven of them, after all.

"I had my first knee reconstruction when I was about 18. That was a blown knee playing rugby league, both anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments and a good part of my cartilage was removed during that surgery.

"I had four cruciate knee reconstructions on my right knee and three on my left. All my left procedures were only anterior cruciate but three of my right were multiple cruciate, anterior and posterior and one time I had the medial done as well.

"I also had four or five arthroscopies where they do the keyhole surgery and remove the meniscus cartilage between the knee joint. That all culminated in 2007 where I had a bilateral knee reconstruction where I had both knees reconstructed at the same time. During that period, I had MRI's on both knees and they found some advanced arthritis showing."

In 2007, at just 34-years-old, Dewes made the tough decision to retire from the sports.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

From 2007 to 2015, he did very little in the way of exercise. He weight began to increase and his cholesterol began to rise.

"All those indicators for heart disease were going up, it was probably a good time to do something about it," the father of four said.

In 2015, he made a deal with himself – if he hadn't gotten into a sport by his birthday he would begin training to compete in an ironman.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A 3.8km swim followed by a 180km cycle, ending in a 42.2km run. It's a long, demanding sport and not one you'd think someone which knee issues would decide to pick up.

But the flexibility and variety of training methods was a large reason as to why he was drawn to it, so he was able to plan his training around work and family.

He competed in his first triathlon in the same year finishing the TriMaori at Lake Karapiro that November. An Olympic-length triathlon, Dewes swam 1.5km, cycled 40km and ran 10km.

"I think I finished that in just under four hours, I didn't die so that was good."

Discover more

Sport

Oarstruck: The art of rowing from Portugal to Cuba

25 May 05:00 PM

He entered the half distance IronMaori race the year later, finishing in about six hours.

"If you asked me earlier I would have put many thousands of dollars on this not occurring in my lifetime, let alone in 18 months. I was pretty broken at the finish and could hardly move the following day, but it was pretty cool," he said of the race, which was his initial goal in 2015.

But by the time he reached the starting line for that event, he was thinking ahead.
"I was thinking Ironman."

After setting his sights on competing in the 2018 Ironman in Taupo, his schedule became absolutely packed, engaging with a coach to help with the technical side of his training.

Working 55 hours per week as a general manager, which included travelling domestically for two days a week, training during the week would consist of three one-hour high intensity sessions, two during lunchtimes, two one-and-a-half to two-hour recovery sessions.

The recovery sessions would be done in the evenings after his daughters – Atarina, Marirena, Hariata and Raniera – had gone to bed.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Dewes admitted he'd have rather done these sessions before work, but stayed home with the children to allow his wife, Danielle, to go to crossfit in the mornings.

When asked how he ensured training wouldn't interfere with spending time with his family, Dewes was honest and said there was no way around it.

"We just tried to minimise it by doing things when they were asleep and I would try to fit in the longer sessions when travelling. We would always try to be home for after work activities - took them to swimming lessons, martial arts, and my wife took them to crossfit."

During the weekend, training involved four-to-six hours one day, and three-to-four hours on the other. He'd stretch every night, and fit in 30-45 minutes of core work where he could.

In March, he conquered his goal – completing the full ironman race. Understandably, Dewes was "absolutely stoked" with reaching the finish line of the race.

"I am even happier that an unintended consequence includes my daughters wanted to get involved, my wife becoming more committed to exercise and our family eating a little better.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"A couple of my friends and family are inspired by me, have said so, and are doing some positive things with that. I am as stoked about that as I am about finishing."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Sport|rugby

O’Connor returns as Wallabies prepare for British and Irish Lions

11 Jul 07:56 AM
World

Aussie sporting first in racial abuse arrest

11 Jul 04:15 AM
UFC

The story so far: Tafa set to begin new chapter in UFC career

11 Jul 03:35 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

O’Connor returns as Wallabies prepare for British and Irish Lions

O’Connor returns as Wallabies prepare for British and Irish Lions

11 Jul 07:56 AM

The first test against the Lions is set for July 19 in Brisbane.

Aussie sporting first in racial abuse arrest

Aussie sporting first in racial abuse arrest

11 Jul 04:15 AM
The story so far: Tafa set to begin new chapter in UFC career

The story so far: Tafa set to begin new chapter in UFC career

11 Jul 03:35 AM
Premium
All Blacks vs France: Where the second test can be won

All Blacks vs France: Where the second test can be won

11 Jul 02:51 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP