Even though Sam Warriner won't be out to win this Sunday's triathlon at Marsden Cove, a new trophy will still bear her name after the Whangarei Triathlon Club renamed the annual triathlon after the inspirational Olympian. Whangarei club spokesman Mike Gowing said Warriner's presence at the club had encouraged the othermembers to reach for higher goals. "It was a way of honouring her for everything she's done for the sport in Northland and hopefully her name will always be associated with the sport in the future," he said. "I look at all our club members now and we've all been inspired by her and although we're small in number you can see how well we do at the national level," he said. Warriner said it was a privilege to have an event named after her while she was still competing: "I'm honoured the Whangarei Triathlon Club have thought to do that." She is unable to compete in the triathlon properly but would participate tomorrow as much as her training schedule would allow. "Me and my partner are going to do the triathlon as a team, purely because I raced last week and I'm racing again in three weeks. But I'm going to be there supporting everyone and helping out and making sure everyone knows what good fun triathlon really is," she said. She plans to complete the swim and then hand over to her partner, Stephen Parker, for the cycle leg and take over for the final run leg, although it will less of a run and more an amble to the line. Warriner is in training for her first 70.3 or half-ironman event in Australia in three weeks. The 70.3 series is an American-branded event that is growing as an international event and Warriner wants to qualify for the World Championships early so she can switch her attention back to the Olympic distance with the ITU World Championship Series starting at the beginning of May. There are four separate races tomorrow. The Olympic-distance race will start first at 10.30am, the winner to be presented with the new Sam Warriner trophy donated by the New Zealand Refining Company. The event briefing for all races begins at Marsden Cove Marina, One Tree Point, at 10.15am.
