Teresa Adam set for Tauranga Half after stellar 2018

Press Release - 10 January 2019

Teresa Adam set for Tauranga Half after stellar season in 2018

This Saturday’s Tauranga Half has drawn an outstanding field in the elite women’s race, including rising star of the sport – Teresa Adam.

Adam has had a remarkable sporting career which saw her represent New Zealand at a young age in waterpolo and triathlon, before injury forced a break from sport for a few years. After letting her body heal, she tried some long distance triathlon events, leading to a remarkable year in 2018 which included victory in the Ironman Cairns Asian Pacific Championships, smashing the course record in the process.

Teresa Adam returns to Mount Maunganui this Saturday for her third appearance in the Tauranga Half. In 2017 she finished third behind Amelia Rose Watkinson and Julia Grant. In 2018, she went one pace better, finishing runner-up to leading Australian long distance triathlete – Melissa Hauschildt.

This Saturday, she would love to finish one place further up the podium, in a race that doubles as the NZ Mid-Distance Triathlon Championship. Adams faces strong competition for the title from two-time race winner – Amelia Rose Watkinson, winner of the 2018 Rotorua Half – Rebecca Clark, and rising star Hannah Wells.

Not that competition is something that Adam focusses on when she is competing, preferring to run her own race in events. In looking ahead to Saturday’s Tauranga Half, Adam said – “it is a very strong and competitive start list, so anyone can have a great day. I try to focus on my own race, and hope to go as fast as I can on the day.”

This simple approach to competing was incredible successful in 2018. Following her second placing in the Tauranga Half, Adam stepped up to the full Ironman distance for the first time at Ironman New Zealand in March. She finished second behind Great Britain’s Laura Siddall, in a world class field, providing her with what she described as “a huge boost”.

If this was a boost, her next tilt at the Ironman distance shot her into the sporting stratosphere, when Adam won the Ironman Cairns Asia Pacific Championship in a course record time of 8:53:16. She beat a star-studded field, which included triple world champion Miranda Carfrae, and took nearly five minutes off the race record.

This break-through victory qualified Adam for the Ironman World Championship at the iconic Kona course in Hawaii. She capped off her remarkable 2018 sporting year with an 18th placing in her first attempt at Kona.

Teresa Adam is looking to continue her success into this year saying – “My key goals for 2019 are to continue to enjoy triathlon and improve as an athlete. I plan to race more Ironman races this year and hope to win or podium in as many as I can.”

Her 2019 racing begins this Saturday at the Tauranga Half, an event that Adam holds in high regard, saying – “ever since I started triathlon I had heard of the Tauranga Half and knew of the history and prestige it carried. I am super excited to come back for my third year and get to race over the famous course against the best long distance triathletes in NZ. The previous winners list is stacked with the best names in the sport and I would love my name to be amongst those.”

In assessing her preparation for the event, Adam said – “my preparation and training for the Tauranga Half has been going very well. I am building up to Ironman NZ in March so this race fits in well. I am enjoying the summer sunshine and looking forward to racing”

Mount Maunganui looks forward to Teresa Adam being back for the 30th Anniversary of the Tauranga Half, in what promises an epic elite woman’s race against the likes of Amelia Rose Watkinson, Rebecca Clark & Hannah Wells.

The Tauranga Half gets underway at 6:30am this Saturday, 12 January. It is the headline event for the Mount Festival of Multisport which includes a range of athletic and community events in Mount Maunganui from 11-13 January.

Website: www.mountfestival.kiwi

© Scoop Media