Triathlon: Race is just what the doctor ordered

Former world duathlon champion Matt Brick made a low-key return to compete in the Coronation Classic at Mount Maunganui on Sunday. Photo / Stuart Whitaker

Possibly unnoticed by many, one of the entrants in Sunday's Coronation Classic sprint triathlon was a former professional triathlete and two-time world duathlon champion.

In his own words, a "bung hip" had kept Dr Matt Brick away from competition for six years. Back in Tauranga at the weekend with his sons who were competing in the Oceans 15 surf lifesaving event, the former Tauranga athlete decided it was time to make a return.

"It was fantastic to be running again. The hip's not up to the standard of everyday running, but it's fine for something like this," he said.

"I had an old bike with me, with no aero bars so I did it old school - it was like going back to the 80s."

An orthopaedic surgeon now based on Auckland's North Shore, his description of the injury that has stopped him fronting at the start line for so long, it turns out, is a little simplistic.

His acetabular labrum, a shock absorbing ring of cartilage that surrounds the socket of the hip joint, was shot.

Luckily for Brick, he knew exactly what was needed to fix it. Unfortunately, he had to travel to the US to have it done.

"I'm the only surgeon in New Zealand who does the operation, and I couldn't do it on myself."

Not a common operation, the labral restoration was carried out using a graft from his leg.

What is becoming more common is keyhole surgery to correct the problems that cause the damage in the first place.

"Most hip arthritis in younger people is caused by it. It's caused when the hip socket is too deep or the sphere is actually slightly egg shaped. Or both. That's what causes the damage, but it can be rectified if it is identified early enough - if not, the hip joint destroys itself."

Brick has helped pioneer the keyhole surgery to correct the hip joint, and many of his patients are sportsmen and women.

"In a large number of athletes, groin pain is actually caused by the hip."

As a sportsman and a surgeon, Brick feels he has the trust of athletes.

"I'm lucky because athletes generally listen to me because they think 'Matt has been there and knows what he is talking about'.

"And it's easier for me to understand the disappointment and grief of someone who is injured out of sport, or who loses a season or two seasons because of injury."

Although he hasn't competed for many years, he still attends events with his sons and says it is rare for him not to meet some of his patients.

"I love running and I also love seeing younger ones coming through. My life now revolves around my daughter who is in Melbourne, and my three sons who are still at home - we train together on the surf, ski, paddling, biking, running - I do it now because I know in five or six years time they will be off to university."

Now 52, he still enjoys being physically active.

Brick was the world duathlon champion in 1991 and 1992. On Sunday, he completed the course in 1h 10m 10s, 10 minutes behind the winner Aiden Dunster.