Multisport: Quitting was toughest call says Thorpe

Keith Thorpe has made the last hard decision of his 18-year involvement with the New Zealand Ironman Championship with no regrets.

This year's 21st race marked the end of an era for Thorpe, who for the past nine years has been race director for one of this country's biggest international events.

After watching the first three races in Auckland (from 1985), Thorpe stepped in as finish-line director under Dave Currie, responsible for the massive construction task.

He took over as the "big 'nana" at the now Bonita-sponsored event for the last two races in Auckland and held the role for the first seven in Taupo.

While conceding he has had to make some hard decisions - and ones that have not always been popular - Thorpe is well satisfied with the role he has played in building the event to one which wins universal praise.

"No decision was harder than that last year when I closed the course at the midnight deadline with two women within sight of the finish," said Thorpe, 50.

"But what can you do? If you let in someone who is 20s late where do you draw the line?"

He copped flak in 2001 when he hauled wheelchair competitor Randy Cordell off the course after he had taken a wrong turn on the cycle leg and missed the cut-off by 25s.

"I felt terrible. It had rained all day but I had to go with the rules," said Thorpe. "The people of Taupo felt really bad and sponsored him back the following year when he completed it inside the time limit.

"Sadly, we learned a few days ago he had been killed while training in Kona for this year's Hawaiian Ironman."

Thorpe, who has worked closely with event director Jane Patterson, who took over from Paul Gleeson for the past three years, takes pride in the race's special standing. "It is the biggest of 17 ironman races outside Hawaii, attracting the biggest international field every year. The overseas competitors, more than half the field, keep coming back because it is such a good, well-organised race."

With a budget of more than $1 million and with more than 1700 volunteers, the ironman is a huge undertaking with competitors paying between $500-$600 for the privilege of chasing the more than US$50,000 ($68,000) prizemoney and the 70 sought-after spots in Hawaii.

"The field doubled when we left Auckland and switched from a Sunday to a Saturday," said Thorpe. "In Auckland we struggled to get 500 volunteers. Here we turn them away."

While admitting to a handful of inevitable accidents, Thorpe takes some pride in pointing out that none of the 20,000 or so competitors who have set off on the swim over the past 21 years has been killed or sustained life-threatening injuries. "Our most anxious time came when a competitor pulled out after the swim but didn't tell anyone,' said Thorpe. "When his bike and other equipment were still in transition, we feared the worse. He had gone out to support his mates without telling anyone."

Taupo's Wayne Reardon, Thorpe's second-in-command, takes over.