My happy place is running and riding in the Whakarewarewa Forest in Rotorua, near where I live. I can get there really quickly and just be in my own space. You don't have to worry about anything else, or anyone else. You just ride the tracks you want and have the freedom to do what you want.
When I was really young, about 5, my Dad used to take me into the forest. I'd have the training wheels on my tiny bike and he'd take me down the easy learner tracks. It could be a bit dodgy on the training wheels with all the roots and everything, which made it a bit more fun.
I've always been quite competitive. I started mountain biking when I got to high school, and racing a little bit, and then I heard about Xterra, and started racing that when I was 15. I'm 21 now.
I did other triathlons, but I always seemed to do better in Xterra, and just enjoyed the racing more. Xterra is an off-road triathlon, so you start with a swim, then do mountain biking, then a trail run. Every race is different. The course always changes, the track's never the same, the terrain's never the same, the conditions change, so people's strengths and weaknesses change. There can be so many variations. It never gets old.
Every day I'm in Rotorua I'll be in the forest. I'll spend between 15 and 20 hours there in a normal week. I'll train, and I'll also go in there if I want a recovery day or just to have fun.
