FROM being a world champion in a hyper competitive environment to simply aiming to finish a race – Renee Covington’s association with sport has undergone a massive change and she couldn’t be happier.
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The former masters track cycling world champion is one of the increasing number of women who have taken up triathlon.
It has not been easy – the swim leg in particular being a challenge – but after racing at a Bathurst Wallabies Triathlon Club event, its women’s only race and now tackling the super sprint at Forbes on Sunday, she is loving it.
“It’s the only sport where being a beginner is fantastic,” she said.
“It’s the most unique environment to be in at that club because there are all different women from all different backgrounds and different social issues like childcare and whatnot, but everyone is high-fiving each other and saying good job.
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“It’s weird going from a cycling really hyper competitive environment to something that everybody is just happy for you to be there. It’s so supportive.
“It’s liberating. I’ve come in at the bottom end, but I love learning new stuff and listening to other people and get pointers on how to do things.”
It was Ali Corcoran who first ‘sowed the seed’ that triathlon could be good sport for Covington and a handful of other women who had meet through cycling to take up.
“We all went out to dinner about seven months ago and Ali said that we all needed to do something and how about we do tri? Ange [Jones] and I both can’t swim and said ‘Hell no, we’re land people, so no’,” Covington said.
But two bottles of wine later Corcoran had sold the others on the idea, Covington joking: “We went from no, to maybe, to yes.”
The group worked amongst themselves, had lessons from instructors at the Bathurst Aquatic Centre and took part in the Women in Tri training sessions.
While still struggling in the pool, they found that they enjoyed the challenge and made their triathlon debuts in Bathurst. Covington’s daughters and 67-year-old mother also got involved.
On Sunday a number of them headed to Forbes, Covington and Corcoran placing first in their categories in the super sprint, while Jones also enjoyed a success of her own.
“Ange Jones couldn’t even put her face under water in the shower, that’s how bad she was at the start. But she said she was going to give it a go – she’s the epitome of a fantastic female, determined and fearless, she’s wonderful,” Covington said.
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“At Forbes, she did an open water swim in a wetsuit with no flippers whereas six months ago she was swimming in the inside 25 metre pool with a snorkel, flippers, the lot and still couldn’t do 25 metres.”
As well as embracing the challenge of a new sport, triathlon has served to rekindle Covington’s enjoyment for cycling as well.
“I’m absolutely enjoying again. I’ve started to get back on my bike whereas I really battled with that for the last 12-18 months, my bike was attached to everything I didn’t like about the world,” she said. “I didn’t like hyper competitiveness, I didn’t like the judgement, the microscope on you.
“Now it’s like going back to uni and learning again. It gives you a wonderful sense of youth, it’s like you are reinventing yourself.”