By Margaret Maccoll
Despite their combined age of 233 years, two Noosa Triathon legends and a Noosa Tri first timer have teamed up to tackle this year’s competition under the title Bloody Old Buggers.
Markus Hanley, 85, thought he’d retired from triathlons after 25 individual Noosa Tris, the first of which he attended at 58 years of age and the last on his 83rd birthday in 2015.
However this year he decided to give it another try, but not alone.
It took little convincing to enlist fellow legend Jan Picton, 81, who will take on the cycling leg and compete in her first Tri in five years.
The youngster of the group at 67 years is Rod Brown who will tackle the 10km run.
Markus entered his first Noosa Tri when a friend suggested they take a look at the event that was then a “newfangle thing”.
“I did my first Noosa Tri and I was hooked,” he said.
Jan’s last triathlon was at Mooloolaba five years ago when she was 75 but it was marred by a cycling crash two weeks later.
The crash may have caused a few difficulties for the woman who founded the Mooloolaba Sunshine Coast Triathlon Club in 1990 and worked with Garth Prowd to support the Noosa Tri but it hasn’t slowed her.
Jan rides 50km from Mooloolaba to Caloundra and back three times a week.
A home economics teacher in her younger days, Jan also coached students in sports, joined in the running and, having also taught physiology, she knew how to keep her body healthy.
“I fed it well and exercised and I’ve just kept going,” she said.
“I don’t feel any older. When I had the accident they tested my bones and said they were like those of a 40-year-old.”
This will be Rod’s first triathlon in 30 years although he had competed many while living in Mackay.
He didn’t expect to compete in a Noosa triathlon but took up the opportunity when Markus put it to him. He just hopes he doesn’t slow his team mates down.
“I’ve been a runner all my life. I go for a run three times a week for about an hour so I can handle 10km,” Rod said.
“I’ve never done a team triathlon before. It puts more pressure on you. You’re running for other people.”
The Noosa Triathlon on Sunday 5 November is the premier event of the five-day Noosa Triathlon Multi Sport Festival running this week from 1-5 November.
