Tri Wellington

A huge congratulations to all the athletes selected to represent New Zealand at the 2026 World Triathlon Junior Championships in Spain! 🇳🇿

A special shoutout to Tri Wellington’s Theo Bray and Connor Kemp, who have both been named by Tri NZ works to secure additional start slots for Pontevedra this September.

Being selected in a New Zealand World Championship squad is a fantastic achievement and reflects the hard work, dedication, and talent both athletes have shown throughout the season.

We’re incredibly proud to have Theo and Connor representing our club on the international pathway. Best of luck to the entire Kiwi team! 🖤 💛

🇳🇿 New Zealand's team for September's World Triathlon Junior Championships in Spain has been announced 👏

🔗 Four have locked in starts for Pontevedra, three more are travelling reserves chasing invitations. Get the full details in the comments 👇

King’s Birthday Weekend? More like a King Debut Season 👑🏊🚴🏃

This long weekend we’re celebrating 1 of our newest Tri Wellington youth legends, Mason Kyle.

Mason is also a recipient of the Tri Wellington Youth Fund, made possible by this incredible community. Every donation, every fundraiser, every bit of support helps young athletes get to races, gain experience, & discover what’s possible.

And what a first season it’s been! From the pool deck to the triathlon start line…from Splash n Dash to Secondary Schools…frm “let’s give this a go” to standing on the podium.

Not bad for a rookie season.

Mason’s Race Report:

This season I competed in my first year of triathlon, & I couldn’t be happier with how it went.

I started by entering several events in the Splash n Dash series, where I really found my feet. The 400m swim was my favourite distance, & I was fortunate to win each time I raced it. Coming from a swimming & water polo background, I’ve always felt most confident in the water.

Later in the season, I decided to step up & enter my first full triathlon at the Wellington Secondary Schools event held at Scorching Bay.

I surprised myself by coming out of the water in 1st place, which was an awesome start. After a quick transition, I got onto the bike & worked hard to stay competitive, coming back into transition in 2nd place. I gave everything I had on the run & crossed the line in 3rd place overall.

I’m really proud of that result, especially in my first season in the sport. It’s given me a lot of confidence & motivation moving forward.

One of my biggest takeaways is that I want to focus more on improving my cycling. Over the off-season, I’ll be working on my cross country running & continuing with water polo, which I know will help build my overall strength & endurance.

I’d also like to thank Tri Wellington for their support & guidance throughout the season. A special thanks to Deb & Sierra for the training day in Wellington. It was a really valuable experience heading into nationals.

***

1st season. 1st full triathlon. 3rd overall.

That’s a seriously impressive effort.

We love Mason’s willingness to learn. He knows where his strengths are (that swim 👀), but he’s already looking ahead to how he can improve his cycling & become a more complete athlete. That’s the sort of mindset that takes athletes a long way.

And let’s be honest… having older brother Casey setting the pace probably doesn’t hurt either! The Kyle brothers have been absolutely giving it heaps this season & have become a big part of the Tri Welly community.

We’ll see you back soon, season 26/27.

🙌 Big congrats to Nic Hankinson who has been selected to the Triathlon New Zealand Board - a well deserved appointment! Go Nic!!

A new President, a financial surplus and growing momentum across the sport.

Tri NZ’s 42nd AGM Saturday painted a picture of a federation building strongly from grassroots participation to LA 2028 and beyond.

Full story in the comments ⬇️

🌧️🏃🚴 Big shout out to Casey Kyle, one of our recipients of the Tri Wellington Youth Fund for 25/26. This fund exists because of the incredible TriWelly community helping young athletes get to races, gain experience, & keep chasing big goals.

And this is exactly why it matters…

Because sometimes races don’t go to plan…
sometimes the weather turns to 👖 …
sometimes your transitions absolutely betray you 😅. But the best athletes adapt, dig deep, & carry on.

***
Casey’s Race Report – Tauranga 2026:

After a very wet Nationals, we decided to stay on in Tauranga & line up for Marra. Due to the conditions, the race was changed to a duathlon, definitely something different!

Running is my strongest leg, so I was happy to come out of the first run in the front pack. I had a solid T1 & got onto the bike with the chase group, which is a big step forward for me this season as I’ve been working hard on my cycling. We worked well together & brought it home strongly.

Unfortunately, my T2 didn’t go to plan, my shoes were too tight after the first run, which cost me some time. That said, I backed myself on the final run, made up ground, & picked people off to finish with one of my best races of the season.

I ended up 2nd in the U19 category & 3rd overall, which also meant taking home some prize money.

A key takeaway for me is to be better organised in transition, small details make a big difference.

Now that the season is wrapped up, I’m shifting focus to cross country running, & I’ve just picked up an indoor trainer to keep building through winter.

Huge 🙏 to Tri Wellington for their continued support & guidance, it makes a massive difference.

***
2nd U19. 3rd overall. In brutal conditions.

Love this mindset from Casey. Honest reflections, learning from the details, & backing himself when it counted.

Massive congrats Casey.

Big ups also to Casey’s brother Mason, who has absolutely been giving it heaps all season too. Awesome seeing both brothers putting in the mahi, racing hard, supporting each other, & being a big part of the Tri Welly youth crew. The future is looking strong as 🙌