Brief Biography (from 1991 to 2003)

I’d like to share with you how I came to be an elite age-group triathlete in a very exciting, challenging and competitive sport.
I first came to Australia in 1982 on a one year working/holiday visa to experience the sunshine and relaxing lifestyle I had heard so much about.  I had traveled to other countries, South Africa, South America, United States but it was Sydney’s outdoor lifestyle and warm sunny climate which lured me back in 1985.  Another reason was my current boyfriend had gained permanent residency and was moving to Sydney.

From 1985 to 1991 I worked in Sydney, traveled in Australia and overseas and frequented many Sydney nightspots.  I had no idea that the sport of triathlon existed.  My form of exercise at that time was dancing at all night parties, aerobics and lap swimming, doing breaststroke I might add, at Bondi Icebergs.  Remember, I was born in the UK and back then swimming was not high on the activity list in UK schools.  Unlike Aussies who are thrown in the water at 18 months of age and so quickly become water-babies.

By the time I had reached 33 I was all partied out and having done a couple of fun runs, one being the City to Surf (in fancy dress), I was starting to really enjoy running.  I was reading through a sports magazine and saw an ad for a ‘sprint’ triathlon.  It was out at Botany Bay called the Botany Bay Classic and I do believe it was Michellie Jones’ first triathlon.

I knew I could swim (breaststroke), I hadn’t ridden a bike apart from a pink three-wheeler when I was a tiny tot and I knew I could run.  In fact, when I was a teenager, I was a track runner in the 100m, 200m and 400m events.  I did actually bring home some medals (well they were colored ribbons back then) from track meets where I represented my local County.  So I hired a bike on the Saturday, went for a quick spin to become familiar with the gears and off I went.

So there I was, at the young age of 33, participating in my first ever triathlon.  I found myself addicted to the sheer excitement of the event!  In the early nineties there were lots of ‘sprint’ and ‘Olympic’ distance races more so than now.  It wasn’t hard to fall victim to the triathlon bug!

In 1992 I was competing at the Nepean race, a very popular and the oldest triathlon race in Australia.  It was also my favourite race because the swim was only 1k and the run was 12k.  Being a runner, the distances were very much in my favour.  Post race in transition I got talking to a fellow triathlete, who said he was in training for the Forster Ironman in May.  “What’s this?” I asked, having no idea that Ironman existed.  He replied, “Why don’t you come up and see”. That’s exactly what I did.  I headed up to Forster to find out.

I was warned that being a spectator at such an event would inspire me to want to do one.  Whoever it was who told me this, was right. I wanted to know how it would feel crossing that finish line.  I wanted to be cheered on by hundreds of people.  That was all I could think about.  It didn’t occur to me at the time how much training I would have to endure or the commitment and sacrifices I would have to make.  I just kept remembering the glazed eyes of those athletes crossing the finish line.  They all looked on cloud nine.  It was such a huge achievement!

The step up to Ironman came in 1993.  I was on the start line at Forster, my first Ironman.  I recall the scary thoughts running wild in my head at the swim start.  “Will I be last out of the swim?  How long will it take me?  Will I finish?  What if I don’t finish?  How embarrassing.”  I always think it incredible how self doubt can creep in to our thoughts at the time you least need to hear it!  However, when the starter horn is blown, those thoughts soon disappear and your mind focuses on the tasks at hand, swimming 3.8k, cycling 180k and running 42.2k.

I completed my first Ironman.  The emotional ups and downs I experienced throughout my race, the feeling of being a movie star for a day and the cheering from the spectators was amazing.  There were many times during the race where I asked myself, “why am I putting myself through this?” and “will I do another one?” but a few hours later I was thinking of ways I could shave minutes off my time, learn to swim better and ride/run faster.

A new chapter in my life was about to begin; a healthy and exciting lifestyle.  I also had no idea that for me, these were the beginnings of my becoming an Olympic Distance World Champion (in Perth 2000) and Ironman World Champion (in Hawaii 2006).

My focus then became intense.  With every race came a new experience.  I gained knowledge from being coached; reading articles in the Tri mags and taking advice from the current veterans in the sport.  In 1997 I took on a new coach and he coached me until 2003.  During that time, I won several Australian Ironman titles and I was voted Australian age-group triathlete of the year and NSW age-group triathlete of the year.  I was age-group World Champion at the Worlds in Perth 2000 and age-group winner in Roth Ironman.  I also won the Forster Half Ironman outright and achieved 3 podium spots at the World Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.

2004 was a year of change for me and it seemed I needed a break from triathlon and serious competition.  The disciplined and rigid lifestyle I was sustaining, the 5am starts every morning for several years and trying to train like a pro and work a full-time job at the same time started to take their toll.

Something had to give; my health and sanity were at risk. Here is a favourite quote of mine, Benjamin Franklin’s definition of insanity: “Doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results”.  And this applies to all aspects of life.
It was time for change, fresh goals; a different training environment, new coach and a new hair colour!  I set my sights on some new events such as the Six Foot Track, Gold Coast Marathon and the challenging Oxfam Trailwalker 100k run, a 4 person team event.  One of the greatest days in sport I have experienced.

With a year out from the sport of triathlon and some considerable life changes, I came back invigorated and my batteries had been recharged.  I was ready for an ‘old’ challenge in a new body and mind.  It was time to work towards a goal I had wanted to achieve since 1997; winning my age division in the World Ironman Championships in Hawaii.

In 2005-2006 I launched into doing things differently.  I engaged a new coach, trained overseas, quit my job of 20 years, enrolled in study to change my career and set about changing my outlook on my life and the sport of triathlon.

In October 2006, I achieved my goal of becoming age-group champion at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.  I never dreamed that I, who began triathlon with breaststroke in the swim, would become an age group Ironman World Champion!
If you browse the pages in this site, you can follow my exciting adventures and progress for 2007.

Yours in triathlon, Teresa Rider