IronMaori is a race unlike any other, giving Maori from around the country an outlet to create healthier lifestyles.
The next IronMaori event takes place this Saturday December 4th in Napier and consists of a 2km swim, 90km cycle and 21.1km run.
It’s a challenging distance that will be a tough slog for many of the competitors, but it is guaranteed that everyone crossing the finish line with feel a deep sense of achievement.
You see while IronMaori is a fun-filled race event open to everyone and anyone, it also serves as a way of promoting healthy lifestyles within the Maori and Pacific Island communities.
Along with a pack of friends, Henry Tohu (pictured above) will be one of many lining up to race this weekend.
Having completed IronMaori in the past, Henry was shocked when several of his mates came to him and asked if he’d be their mentor for the race.
"I'd been on their case for the past two years to get them into triathlon so I was surprised five months ago when they contacted me to give them some guidance,” Henry says.
"They aren't hardcore trainers but the goal was for them to complete three training sessions of each discipline each week. They did say after their first month that although it was tough, they enjoyed the physical challenge.
"Obviously as they became more at ease with the sessions and the more consistent they became, they started changing shape. Some of the big fellas have dropped between 8-12kgs, but as I say it's a lifestyle change not weight watchers.”
One of those being mentored by Henry, Taff Wikaira, told us the story of how he and his mates decided it would be a great idea to compete in IronMaori as a way to get healthier and act as good role models to their kids.
Taff has already seen some great results and is feeling fit and healthy thanks to a solid training regime along with his mates.
"When we first started we couldn’t even swim two laps of a pool and now we’re swimming 2km and all that sort of crazy stuff.
"Health wise you can really see the benefits it’s had on some of the bigger boys. None of us have even done a little 100m swim and 1km bike event or anything, we just decided to go all out.”
Taff is targeting a finish time between six and seven hours and says the event is hugely positive for all Maori around the country.
"It’s a really positive event. It galvanises a lot of Maori to get out there and better their health which is awesome.
"It’s also a great place for a lot of Maori to converge and share stories with each other. For us it will be a great weekend away with mates.”
