Check back soon to view details about which celebrities will be attending the Weet-Bix Tryatlhon events.
Hamish Carter
Hamish Carter has been involved with the Weet-Bix Tryathlon for a number of years and is a strong supporter of the event as well as the Weet-Bix Tryathlon Foundation. Hamish won gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics in Triathlon, his second Olympic games. Hamish Carter competed on the International Triathlon Union world cup circuit for many years, and officially retired from the sport in 2007.
Hamish Carter will be attending:
- Wellington
- St Heliers
- Tauranga
Alison Shanks
Alison Shanks played competitive netball for 12 years, and represented the Otago Rebels for 5 years in the national league. But in 2005 she wanted a new challenge so she began cycling. As an individual sport it gave her control over what she was doing - what she put in was what she got out and the harder she trained the fitter and stronger she got and it has all paid off.
In 2008 Alison represented New Zealand at the Beijing Olympics finishing fourth in the 3000m Individual Pursuit. Following that success, she went on to become the World Champion at the 2009 World Champs in Poland. This January, Alison again made us proud, winning Gold in the individual pursuit on the opening night of finals at the track cycling World Cup meet in Beijing.
The Weet-Bix Tryathlon provides that same opportunity for kids to challenge themselves and enjoy being active. She remembers her Weet-Bix Tryathlon in Dunedin, 1994. The event had such an exciting buzz and it provided an awesome opportunity to get out there and compete with other kiwi kids. Who knows, it might be the starting point for some more New Zealand Champions.
"So get out and start practicing kids. Give it your best shot and enjoy the race day experience. Push your body and find out just how fast you can go. See you there!"
Alison Shanks will be attending:
Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell
Caroline and Georgina Evers-Swindell have won gold for the womens rowing double sculls event at both the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Their 2008 gold medal was won by 1/100th of a second, narrowly beating Germany. Following a dedicated career of over 13 years rowing and such amazing achievements, Caroline and Georgina announced their retirement in October 2008.
"In Beijing we went out there and gave it our all. We had to pull on all our training experience and mental strength to win and it paid off. Give it your best shot when participating in the Weet-Bix Tryathlon series. Being active and finishing the Tryathlon is such a rewarding experience, make sure you give it your all."
Caroline Evers-Swindell will be attending
Georgina Evers-Swindell will be attending:
- Hastings
- Nelson
- Dunedin
- New Plymouth
Corney Swanepoel
Corney has had a spectacular career so far. He swam in the 2008 Olympic Finals, and also won Bronze in the 2008 World Short Course Championships and fourth at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. His winning stroke is Butterfly. He wants to share what he knows about swimming with the kids participating in the Weet-Bix Tryathlon, and can’t wait to see them getting involved in the sport that he loves so much.
"Being involved with Weet-Bix Tryathlon is a chance for me to share a bit of my knowledge and enthusiasm for sport with the future champions of NZ"
Corney Swanepoel will be attending:
Debbie Tanner
Debbie's career in triathlon began with the Weet-Bix Tryathlon when she was just 9 years old. Debbie has now been a professional Triathlete for the past 4 years, over which time she has been ranked in the top 10 female triathletes in the world. She has won and placed at World Cup events and has represented NZ in the Commonwealth and Olympic Games, most recently the Beijing Olympics.
"I love coming down to Weet-Bix Tryathlons because I get to see kids of all ages having fun doing such an exciting sport. I get such a thrill watching them swim, bike and run and then finish with the biggest smiles on their faces. Some of them even look like they want to do it all again! It's awesome!"
Debbie Tanner will be attending:
- Manukau
- Wellington
- Hamilton
- Christchurch
- North Shore
- New Plymouth
Melissa Ingram
Melissa has had an amazing few years, winning silver at both the 2005 and 2007 World University Games and Bronze at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Her favourite swimming style is backstroke. She looks forward to seeing Kiwi kids work hard at achieving their goals and be involved in something that encourages them to be outside and active.
"I love encouraging and supporting kids to get out there and give different sports a go. It's important to me that Kiwi kids are fit and active, and I want to help them achieve that."
Melissa Ingram will be attending:
Valerie Vili
Valerie's career in shotput began at the World Youth Championships in 2001. Since then she has improved every year winning the 2007 World Championships in Osaka, and then the 2009 World Indoor title. The pinnacle of her career was winning a Gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games in August, 2008. Valerie then further cemented her place as number one in the world by winning the Gold Medal at the World Athletic Championships in Berlin in August 2009.
"I look forward to being involved with the Weet-Bix Tryathlon because I see it as being important for the successful sports personalities of today to encourage those of the next generation. The Weet-Bix Tryathlon is a great way for children to get a feel for what it is like to take part in a sporting event, and a great place to start for an active, healthy lifestyle."
Valerie Vili will be attending:
Maddie Dillon
Maddie completed her first triathlon as an 8 year old at the Weet-Bix Tryathlon in St Heliers. She became serious about competing in triathlons at secondary school and in 2007 she won the National secondary school triathlon, duathlon and Multisport as well as 3 cycling titles. 2009 has been another successful year for Maddie. She won the Auckland Secondary school triathlon and national secondary school under 16. She also qualified for the world champs in the gold coast winning the 16 -19 yr age group and coming in second overall. She has also won a number of cycling titles. Just recently Maddie was selected for the Triathlon New Zealand high performance squad. She is looking forward to 2010 triathlon season.
"To be involved with the Weet-Bix is such an honour as it is such an awesome opportunity to encourage kids to get involved in the sport that I love. It will be such a rewarding achievement to see the kids finishing the race and giving their all"
Maddie Dillon will be attending:
Sophie Pascoe
Sophie Pascoe has become one of New Zealand’s most successful amputee swimmers. In 2009 alone she won the Parafed Canterbury Sportsperson of the Year award, the IPC Best Games Debut from the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, the Sir Richard Hadlee Trust Canturbury Sportsperson of the Year Award, Swim Canturbury Swimmer of the Year, and many other prestigious awards. And that was just 2009! She holds the World Record for 1 long course and 3 short courses, and has Paralympics New Zealand National Records for 11 long courses and 14 short courses. Sophie lost her leg when she was 2 ½ years old, because of an accident with a lawnmower, but she hasn’t let that stop her from achieving her potential and being the best that she can be.
"I am excited about being involved with the Weet-Bix Tryathalon. The Weet-Bix Tryathlon means getting New Zealand kids involved in sport and seeing the up and coming stars of New Zealand pursuing their goals and dreams. I will be cheering you all on at race day and giving your medal at the finishing line."
Sophie Pascoe will be attending:
Temepara George
Mother-of-two Temepara George is a battler – having to toil hard to win back her place in the Vodafone Silver Ferns line-up. George knows all about patience, waiting four years from the day she was first selected for New Zealand until she made her on-court debut against Australia in 2000. The shortest of the Silver Ferns (at 1.7m) makes up for a lack of height with her explosive speed and stunning aerial skills. Clark - of Maori, Samoan and European descent - describes the highlight of her netball career as beating Australia, any time.
Temepara George will be attending:
- North Shore
- Palmerston North
Andrea Hewitt
Andrea Hewitt is one of thousands of kiwis who grew up with Weet-Bix and
the Weet-Bix Tryathlon. Today she is one of the World's best Triathletes
winning bronze at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, placing 8th at
the Beijing Olympic Games and in 2009 she finished ranked 3rd in the World.
"One of the great things about the Weet-Bix Tryathlon is that everyone is
smiling - family, friends, competitors and volunteers. It really is one of
those special events where you can't help but enjoy yourself and that's
what sport is about, enjoying yourself."
Andrea Hewitt will be attending:
All Blacks
The All Blacks really enjoy supporting the Tryathletes and have given out countless medals to past participants. This year we are hoping to have them return to many of our events! Keep checking back closer to the event date to see when this has been confirmed. We will be advising one week out from each event whether All Blacks will be in attendance.
All Blacks will be attending (subject to change):
- Wellington
- St Heliers
- Nelson
- Christchurch
- North Shore
- Tauranga
Please note: The above represents the planned celebrity schedule of appearances at the Weet-Bix Tryathlon events. This is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, such as illness or other. In all cases, Weet-Bix Tryathlon will endeavour to ensure the published celebrity presence at events.
