Hellemans aiming for iron man success

Press, 26 November 1982, Page 19

Hellemans aiming for iron man success

By

GLENN HASZARD

John Hellemans, the first New Zealander to finish in the Wilson Neill Wine and Spirits national biathlon in Christchurch last year, will cap a successful sporting career with an attempt to win the New Zealand iron man championship at Auckland on Sunday. Hellemans, a general practitioner at Shirley, has been training for the last four months with the iron man title firmly in his sights. Now 29, he thinks that it might be the last time that he will put so much' effort into tile three sports — cycling, swimming and running. The task he faces on Sunday is to swim LOGO metres in the sea at Mission Bay, ride 32km around Auckland’s pretty waterfront drive, then I put on his road running shoes ■ and run for 15km. • . The iron man. contest, in its fourth year, is organised by the Les . Mills World of

Fitness Centre. More than 100 potential iron men and women have entered the championship, but the winner for the last two years, Richard Faulding, of Auckland, has not entered. He competed in the more gruelling Hawaiian triathlon earlier this year, he finished 97th, and is still recovering. That event, televised in New Zealand last year, includes a marathon run after a 3km surf swim and a 190 km cycle ride.

■'Hellemans said he looked at the possibility of compet-, ing in Hawaii, but was daunted by the fact that he would have to spend six hours a day for six months in preparation. “I’d have to quit my job or divorce my wife and I don’t intend to do either,” he said. "A few months ago, he took one of 'his friends, a New Brighton Harrier. Club runner, John Docherty, on one of his training exercises.

Docherty said that they cycled from Queen Elizabeth II Park tb the Sign of the Kiwi, then ran around the 30km Gebbies Pass circuit which takes about two hours, then cycled back to the park. Hellemans said his training has averaged one and a half to two hours a day for the last four months. Even without Faulding, the contest will •be tough. A World of Fitness spokesman, Mr Bruce Cameron, said from Auckland that many of the men who competed last year had set their sights on training throughout the year fpr Sunday’s event. The two toughest competitors are expected to be Tony Wilson (Auckland) and Kim Harker (Otago), though Harker is in doubt because of examination commitments. They were second and third last year. Mr Cameron said that the contest was taken seriously. The competitors would be

using racing cycles rather than ordinary ten speeds. The winner is expected to take about 2hr 15 min. Hellemans said that he regarded the championship as the end of his competitive career, though he intended to continue running. Hellemans is a former Dutch water polo representative, won the Christchurch iron man contest organised by the St Martins Harrier Club recently, and won the inaugural Steine Run Ski race at Mt Hutt in the winter.

He holds the lap record for the hill lap of the Takahe to Akaroa road running relay, the uphill lap record for the Port Hills relay, and the title for the inaugural Boulder Bay Classic 16km road race. He is also the titleholder for the King of the Mountains race from the Sign of the Takahe to the Sugarloaf and return and for the run up the steep Soleares Avenue.