Timaru, South Island, NZ Triathlon Development Camp

Waitangi Weekend – What a Weekend

The NZ Triathlon Development Camp in Timaru brought together motivated young athletes from across the South Island for three days of purposeful training, honest feedback, and proper multisport learning. Organised by John Newsom (Triathlon NZ) and supported by Canterbury Triathlon Club, the camp delivered exactly what a skill development environment should: clarity, challenge, and progression.

Thursday – Speed at Levels Raceway

We opened the camp at Levels Raceway, a perfectly controlled environment for bike race simulation. Athletes worked on:

• Pack positioning

• Cornering at speed

• Acceleration out of turns

• Tactical awareness

Closed-circuit racing removes traffic risk and allows athletes to learn how to ride aggressively, but safely. Watching confidence build across the session was excellent.

Friday – Run Mechanics & Hills at Ashbury Park

Friday morning shifted focus to run development. The session included:

• Hill repeat work

• Stride pattern correction

• Video analysis of run mechanics

• Posture and arm carriage adjustments

There’s nowhere to hide on hills. Combined with video feedback, athletes could see what they felt - and fix it immediately. Small technical gains now pay off significantly in two to three years’ time.

Open Water Skills – Caroline Bay

Open water confidence is non-negotiable in triathlon. Athletes worked on:

• Entry technique

• Controlled exits

• Sighting under pressure

• Drafting awareness

• Group starts

Conditions were ideal for learning — safe, but realistic. Calm swimmers become fast swimmers.

Transition & Track Skills – Caledonian Track

Back at the track, we drilled:

• Flying mounts and dismounts

• Mount-line discipline

• Team pace lines

• Rotational efficiency

Transitions are free speed. Some athletes ignore them — we don’t. Repetition builds confidence. Confidence builds race composure.

Saturday – Indoor Swim & 40km Bunch Ride

Saturday began indoors refining swim technique:

• Breathing and body position

• Glide, catch, pull and recovery

• Stroke timing

• Efficiency over effort

We then rolled into a disciplined 40km bunch ride through the Timaru countryside. Proper group riding, steady rotation, communication, discipline — and a few laughs. It was great to see athletes take ownership of pacing and group safety.

Sunday – Race Pace & Mini Triathlon

Sunday returned to Caroline Bay for open water race-pace intervals — learning to swim hard, settle, and change gears. The weekend finished with a mini triathlon around the Bay:

• Open water swim

• Technical bike

• Controlled run

And pizza.

No medals. Just execution. That’s what development should look like.

Why Camps Like This Matter

This wasn’t about training volume or simply “building the engine”. It was about learning:

• To swim and race confidently in open water

• To handle a bike properly in race conditions

• To run efficiently

• To transition smoothly

• To train with purpose

Development isn’t glamorous (not for the ‘gram). It’s consistent, technical, and disciplined.

Huge credit to the athletes for leaning into the work; to John Newsom (TriNZ) for organising; to coach Tess Mattern for her support across the weekend; and to Andy and Steve for their backing — not least the snacks, and the home-cooked lasagne;)

Awesome to see the next generation taking shape.