Ruminations on a social mini triathlon by Team Theresa, Paul and Eric

When the possibility of participating in a social mini-triathlon recently presented itself I jumped at the opportunity. Before remembering that I had neither a bicycle nor had I ventured into the sea in the past few years to do anything more strenuous than wallow in the shallows and half-heartedly engage in a bit of body-surfing. And so when the option to enter as part of a team was offered, I was first in line. Because, as the saying goes, a burden shared is a burden halved. Or in this case “thirded”.

Thankfully my extensive contact list of elite, world-class athletes included two fellow FHAC members who were equally game to partake as a team. Veteran cyclist Paul Kearns would tackle the wheeled leg and seasoned swimmer Theresa Parsraman would handle the aquatic leg. Leaving me to do the running. Together we formed an unbeatable trio with countless podiums between us. “Between” being the operative word as none of us had ever managed to actually step onto one. But that would all change soon…

In the weeks leading up to the highly-anticipated event we collectively engaged in rigorous personal training regimes interspersed with a barrage of media interviews and publicity photoshoots. Paul simultaneously pulled off a record, hitherto-unheard-of rapid recovery from appendix surgery whilst Theresa deftly brushed off the malicious, tactical rumours that were being spread of icy waters supposedly forecast for the event.

When the big day finally arrived, I awoke to find that not only had I dreamt some of the above but that my legs were a little tired from running a half-marathon the preceding day. I took consolation from knowing many participants’ legs would be feeling the same way. At Long beach Simon’s Town a short safety & procedural briefing was given whilst throngs of onlookers jostled for glimpses of the competitors in the muted dawn light. At 6am the swimmers gingerly entered the water and, to deafening cheers, the long course mini triathlon (1km swim, 20km cycle, 8km run) began followed minutes later by the short course (500m swim, 10km cycle, 4km run).

Before long the swimmers were striding out of the sea to clamber onto their bicycles or tag their team-mates for the next leg, the cycling. Theresa glided across the beach and, once marked off by the officials, Paul raced off, tyres screeching. (See Paul’s contribution below). After what felt like mere minutes Paul completed his arduous leg and came to a spectacular precision stop mere millimetres from where I was poised to launch into the 8km run.

For highly complex and technical reasons beyond the scope of this short article, Team Theresa, Paul & Eric were not in the lead at this point. Nevertheless, despite having to side-step some paparazzi waiting on the main road, I managed to gain on the other runners and overtake enough of them to help our team claim the coveted third place in the long course.

Throughout the morning competitors and officials were able to replenish their energy with mouthwatering home-made brownies & crunchies (reason enough to enter again next year) and to round off the event an informal prize-draw was held. All agreed that the event was a huge success and that it should be added to FHAC’s annual event calendar. See you all there next year!

Paul’s cycle (in Paul’s “own” words 😉):
What a ride! My leg of the race was the 20km stretch from Long Beach to Bluegums on the Smitswinkel return, and let’s just say it started with a bang—straight into a hill right out of the Long Beach car park! Nothing like a little uphill warm-up to get the legs fired up. 😆

Theresa absolutely smashed her leg and got us into a fantastic position, so as soon as she checked in, I was off! The road ahead was a dream—open stretches, little traffic, and loads of like-minded adventurers running, cycling, and even having a blast out at sea. It was one of those classic Cape Town summer days: hot, windy, and absolutely stunning.

Now, here’s where I got tricked—I was convinced the ride back would be a breeze (literally) with the wind at my back. Ha! Joke’s on me. The wind had other plans and decided to turn right into my face just to keep things interesting. But hey, that’s all part of the fun! Pushing through, soaking in the electric atmosphere, and feeling the team spirit made every pedal stroke worth it.

Huge shoutout to FHAC and all the legends out there making it such an epic day. What a vibe! 🚴‍♂🔥