THE BEGINNINGS
An excerpt from the 25th Anniversary souvenir booklet (2014)
Organisers, however, didn’t consider the triathlon boom was about to sweep New Zealand, or how one local’s mad-cap ideas would morph into a race that would eventually enthral a city.
When the gun went off at 7am, January 2, more than 230 individuals and 80 team swimmers plunged into the tide and headed off into the maze of boats clustered in the mist.
“We thought if we got 100 people in total, we’d be going ok,” inaugural race director Bruce Trask said. “It pretty much went off without a hitch – even though it rained like hell. Looking back, it seemed pretty casual but in reality, that was because we’d done the work beforehand, there were no injuries, no accidents and everyone had a really good time.”
The seeds of the race were sown six months earlier, when local adventurer and multisport athlete Troy Griffin approached then Mount Maunganui Borough Mayor Wayne Moultrie with an idea for an event. Griffin, an original from the Kiwifruit Coast Triathlon Club (now Triathlon Tauranga), competed in Ironman Hawaii in its early days and returned home enthused about its potential……
CURRENT COURSE RECORDS
Female
4:10:47
Samantha Warriner (2009)
RECORDS OVER THE YEARS
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
2006
2009
2013
2017
Scott Ballance 4:16:51
Dave Bradding 4:04:45
Tony O’Hagan 3:57:15
Tony O’Hagan 3:50:24
Walter Thorburn 3:48:47
Nathan Richmond 3:47:54
Graham O’Grady 3:47:54
Bradon Currie 3:45:38
Karen Williams 4:53:53
Cori Lyons 4:49:18
Megan Robertson 4:48:04
Sue Clark 4:27:59
Sue Clark 4:22:06
Jenny Rose 4:13:21
Sam Warriner 4:10:47
PORT OF TAURANGA HALF WINNERS
| Year | Male | Time | Female | Time | Male Team | Time | Female Team | Time | Mixed Team | Time |
| 1990 | Scott Balance | 4:16:51 | Karen Williams | 4:53:53 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1991 | Dave Bradding | 4:04:45 | Corie Lyons | 4:49:18 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1992 | Tony Ohagan | 3:57:15 | Megan Robertson | 4:53:20 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1993 | Frank Clarke | 4:00:09 | Megan Robertson | 4:48:04 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1994 | Tony O Hagan | 3:50:24 | Sue Clark | 4:27:59 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1995 | Scott Balance | 3:57:35 | Sue Clark | 4:22:06 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1996 | Walter Thorburn | 3:48:47 | Jenny Rose | 4:13:21 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1997 | Tony O Hagan | 3:51:45 | Karyn Mills | 4:25:04 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1998 | Cameron Brown | 3:56:31 | Heidi Alexander | 4:28:42 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1999 | Cameron Brown | 3:55:00 | Karyn Mills | 4:20:34 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2000 | Cameron Brown | 3:49:12 | Robyn Roocke | 4:14:21 | Port of Tauranga | 3:40:07 | Kerryn Gardiner Lifestyle | 4:53:02 | Heb Contractors | 3:45:49 |
| 2001 | Cameron Brown | 3:51:57 | Nicole Cope | 4:23:30 | Mark Watson Nike One | 3:41:25 | Mark Watson Nike One | 4:17:15 | John Ledger Team | 3:59:10 |
| 2002 | Cameron Brown | TBC | Rebekah Keat | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| 2003 | Cameron Brown | 3:49:49 | Rebekah Keat | 4:13:36 | Mark Crowther Team | 3:41:09 | Sarah Ulmer Team | 4:03:44 | Robbie Johnson Team | 3:52:52 |
| 2004 | Cameron Brown | 3:51:08 | Rebekah Keat | 4:21:13 | Craig Kirkwood Team | 3:39:50 | Shanelle Barrett Team | 4:02:18 | Anne Maree Johnston Team | 4:05:04 |
| 2005 | Craig Alexander | 3:49:16 | Samantha Warriner | 4:28:58 | Team Cervelo | 3:36:30 | Team Asics | 4:13:00 | Team Orca | 3:44:02 |
| 2006 | Nathan Richmond | 3:47:54 | Joanna Lawn | 4:14:39 | Team Rehab | 3:36:44 | The Sue-Perbs | 4:40:03 | The Bod & The Blokes | 4:15:19 |
| 2007 | Cameron Brown | 4:00:05 | Joanna Lawn | 4:24:26 | Balance 1 – Sports Nutrition | 3:49:02 | Balance Girls – Sports Nutrution | 4:46:59 | Rehab Physio | 3:53:30 |
| 2008 | Kieran Doe | 3:56:41 | Kate Bevilaqua | 4:17:54 | Balance Elite Mens | 3:46:27 | Balance Elite Womens | 3:23:32 | Balance Elite Mixed | 3:55:10 |
| 2009 | Duncan Milne | 3:56:55 | Samantha Warriner | 4:10:47 | Balance Nutrition Elite Men | 3:46:58 | Cute But Deadly | 4:29:20 | Performance Bicycle Tuning | 3:57:09 |
| 2010 | Michael Poole | 3:56:33 | Samantha Warriner | 4:17:04 | Rehab Physio | 3:37:09 | Balance Nutrition Elite Women | 4:19:54 | Blue Seventy | 3:38:29 |
| 2011 | Callum Millward | 3:49:55 | Joanna Lawn | 4:15:38 | Capp/McCauly/McDonald | 3:37:09 | Vitasport | 4:09:44 | Performance Bicycle Tuning | 3:53:19 |
| 2012 | Cameron Brown | 3:53:42 | Joanna Lawn | 4:22:54 | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| 2013 | Graham O Grady | 3:47:54 | Gina Crawford | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC | TBC |
| 2014 | Cameron Brown | 3:54:11 | Catriona Morrison | 4:11:22 | Rehab Physio | 3:41:56 | Vitasport | 4:17:04 | Foglongs | 4:15:44 |
| 2015 | Craig Alexander | 3:48:03 | Gina Crawford | 4:22:05 | Rehab Physio | 3:48:43 | Waiariki ‘91 | 5:03:36 | Triathletes Corner Profile Design | 4:04:23 |
| 2016 | Braden Currie | 3:52:26 | Amelia Watkinson | 4:16:26 | Rehab Physio | 3:52:09 | Waiariki ‘91 | 4:52:25 | Sports Lab | 3:56:28 |
| 2017 | Braden Currie | 3:45:38 | Amelia Watkinson | 4:16:30 | Blue Seventy Bandits | 3:39:05 | Move to Auckland, Jessi | 4:41:08 | Team Gizzy | 3:58:30 |
