World Triathlon Cup Napier event director Shanelle Barrett at Perfume Point in Ahuriri ahead of the huge event. Photo / Paul Taylor
World Triathlon Cup Napier event director Shanelle Barrett at Perfume Point in Ahuriri ahead of the huge event. Photo / Paul Taylor
After more than a decade in New Plymouth, the country’s premier triathlon event is gearing up for its Napier debut.
The 2024 World Triathlon Cup Napier will be staged this weekend at Ahuriri, attracting international Olympians and Olympic hopefuls.
It is the only World Cup event to be held in New Zealand and is part of World Triathlon’s annual circuit.
Kiwi triathlon star Hayden Wilde, an Olympic bronze medallist and current world number two, will head the field during the men’s elite race on Saturday evening.
Event director Shanelle Barrett said it was “a big coup for Napier” and doubled as a qualification event for the Paris Olympics in July.
Barrett said the event had been held in New Plymouth for the past 13 years but moved this year “for commercial reasons” as well as it being time for a change.
“Ahuriri Beach is stunning and it was a no-brainer to come over to the East Coast,” she said.
“Triathlon is all about location and venue, and weather makes a big difference. We are hugely excited bringing it to the East Coast with some stunning sunshine.”
She said the forecast was fantastic for this weekend and the event would provide “awesome spectator viewing”.
The women’s elite race gets under way at 4.15pm on Saturday followed by the men’s elite race at 6.15pm, with the winner from both races pocketing US$7500 ($12,000).
An elite mixed relay race will be held on Sunday (at 12.30pm), which is another Olympic event and will be hotly contested.
Kiwi triathlon star Hayden Wilde will be in action as part of his build-up to the Olympics. Photo / Tommy Zaferes
Plenty of other races will also be staged, including Oceania age group races.
Barrett said it was a later start for the men’s and women’s elite races on Saturday to best “work around the businesses” in Ahuriri, and not cause too much interruption.
Napier City Council events manager Kevin Murphy said the council had worked closely with Triathlon New Zealand to bring the event to the city.
“Tri NZ were keen to try and look at a different location and we have been able to work with them, and the location of Ahuriri is going to be spectacular from a spectator point of view,” Murphy said.
“The races are not long races so it is spectator-friendly - it will be an amazing couple of days.”
He said there would be a great atmosphere down at Hardinge Rd in Ahuriri over the weekend and races would last just over an hour.
“It is certainly going to be a hive of activity and the spectators and the athletes, I think, will really enjoy the landscape and the buzz around that part of town.”
There will be a temporary stand set up but Murphy said people would likely spread out and find a spot to watch.
The 2024 Napier World Triathlon Cup is a sprint distance triathlon including a 750-metre swim, 20km cycle and 5km run - which is half the distance of the Olympic distance. World Cup events vary with either sprint or Olympic distance races.
Racing will be based around Hardinge Rd and stretch from Perfume Point to Napier Port, with the start and finish line next to Ahuriri Beach.
Road closures will be in place from Thursday to Sunday for the event, including along Hardinge Rd. For all road closures visit the Napier City Council website.
Gary Hamilton-Irvine is a Hawke’s Bay-based reporter who covers a range of news topics including business, councils, breaking news and cyclone recovery. He formerly worked at News Corp Australia.
