Dominic has a collection of medals at his home from sporting events on the Gold Coast and New Zealand but the Tingirana Noosa Special Triathlon is a special favourite for the Brisbane triathlete who took part in his 12th event on Saturday and Grant was his buddy.
“There’s not a lot of sporting opportunities for people with a disability,” Grant said. “This is one of the best events. It’s the most inclusive. It combines a few disciplines so it’s good for his health. Dominic loves the high fives and cheers.”
Matthew Streeting also travelled from Brisbane for the special Tri, entering the event for his 19th year alongside his buddy and cousin Ivan Corry.
Asked why he keeps coming back Matthew said: “I just do it because I like it”.
Louise Mathewson also “loves it”. Having entered for more than 10 years, her sister and buddy Jane Trotter said so keen was she they’d be “talking about next year tomorrow”.
It was the third Tingirana for Daisy Doherty. Noosa councillor Amelia Lorentson, who was her buddy on the day, said as they progressed around the course she could “feel how much joy Daisy gets out of it”.
With a safe course involving a 100m swim, 3km cycle and 500m run organisers of the Noosa Triathlon created the Tingirana Noosa Special Triathlon to allow people with special needs to experience participating in a triathlon event in a safe and welcoming environment and it has become one of the highlights of Noosa Tri week.
Cr Lorentson praised event organisers for calling for feedback each year, responding to suggestions and continually improving the event.
