Triathlon star to compete in TriRock-Durban

Words: 369Communications

KZN multi-sport super athlete, Donvan van Gelder, has confirmed his entry into the inaugural edition of TriRock-Durban, a half iron distance triathlon happening on the Durban beachfront on the 22nd September. Van Gelder keeps young at heart through his sport, but has maintained a prolific set of results in the sport including being SA Duathlon Champion (2003), SA Powerman Champion (2003) and SA ½ Ironman winner in 2001. Since 2003, he has shared his knowledge and experience with other athletes through his business CyberCoach. He has still managed to compete while working and has achieved victories such as the KZN Elite Time Trial champion and overall event wins in national cycle events and Tours.

At 43, van Gelder is still competitive, but tries to remain realistic about his approach to races and the results that ensue. Now a father and husband, time is not as readily available as it once was. Of finding the time to train, he says, “Proper planning is the key and making the most of the time available. No junk training.” He manages his time to suit his training needs and this experience has aided him giving invaluable advice to others who seek to keep a healthy balance between work and training.

 

Donovan has always been sporty, playing club football from the age of 5, running and cycling whenever he had the opportunity. He participated in cross-country and swimming at school, cycling to and from school each day, so in many ways was training for his first triathlon without even realizing it. Triathlon first came onto the scene in South Africa in the early 1980’s and that’s when he started competing. Since then he has maintained his motivation through having events as a goal to prepare for.

 

With regards to his goals for TriRock-Durban, van Gelder says, “At nearly 43 I need to be realistic when setting positional goals. If the conditions are good I will be aiming at doing a time under 4:10 and if that is only good enough for top 20, then that just means that the other guys were faster and I’ll know I went as fast as I could.”

 

With profile triathletes entering the event, it certainly appears that TriRock-Durban is gaining instant credibility amongst the sporting community in South Africa. Interest and traction from the Durban fans has been immediate with many clubs, teams and individuals having confirmed their entries for the race. All ages are catered for, with the KidzRock catering for the youth on Saturday 21st September. The ladies are entertained with a novel ChiczRock 10km on the Friday evening.

 

Entries for the event are still open; see www.trirock-durban.com for entry details and event information. The event caters for relay teams so any athlete wishing to complete an individual leg of the triathlon can do so as a team of three. Corporate teams and corporate challenges in the relay are welcome, with all sponsored teams receiving exposure and recognition for their participation. Corporate sponsored teams can ask for hospitality areas to entertain their teams and clients, should they wish to do so.

 

Topic: 
Triathlon
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