IronMaori an event to be proud of

In 2009, I witnessed athletes slugging it out in the first year of IronMaori and was impressed that the event had almost 300 competitors.

On Saturday, I saw them pounding home to the finish line at Pandora Pond in the third IronMaori, and this time there were more than 1500 taking the challenge over two days.

That's phenomenal growth of an event in anyone's language - and there were a number of languages represented at IronMaori, which attracted Maori, Pacific Islanders and Pakeha from around New Zealand, plus multisport competitors from France, Japan and Australia.

Oddly enough, Hawke's Bay Today still receives the occasional text to the editor suggesting that IronMaori is somehow a "racist" event.

We don't publish them because one glance at the field of competitors should be enough to tell anyone that accusations of exclusivity are nonsense.

IronMaori is open to anyone and its worthy ambition from the outset was to improve Maori health, and to see people - any people - achieve fitness goals.

If you want to be involved in IronMaori 2013, don't muck around when the entries open as organiser Heather Skipworth says it is too difficult to manage an event with more than 1500 competitors so entry numbers will be capped.

Hawke's Bay Today has been a proud media partner of IronMaori this year, mostly thanks to the work of deputy editor Grant Harding (who competed on Saturday and with teammate Janet Pease-Watkin and came third in the mixed team category).

We think it has been a huge success story not only for Hawke's Bay and its people but for all New Zealanders who set themselves the challenge of entering and improving their health.

On Sunday, it was not difficult to spot proud finishers around Hawke's Bay sporting their hard-earned IronMaori T-shirts. Many had set their personal goals, trained hard, and achieved on the day. Champions one and all.