5 February, 2020 FROM THE LETTERBOX TO BAKER IRONMAN 70.3 GEELONG Everyone’s athlete voyage is vastly different but Karen Mays’ journey is simply remarkable and she credits trainer, Brian Curren, with turning her life around because at one stage, her daily athlete achievement was to walk out to the letterbox and back.

Other than riding her horse to school and on weekends, growing up around in ’s Yarra Valley, Karen was never that interested in sport as kid, and sport wasn’t that interested in her.

“I am actually on the autism spectrum, so any group sport, forget it. I was always the last kid picked. If I did a ball sport, I would end up with it in the back of my head because I was always the weird kid.”

As an adult Karen the pressure of being mum to three children, post natal depression, a range of family issues and the impact of the Black Saturday fire storms roaring past her front door, she was just focused on holding the family together and never got it dealt with her own health and well being.

“At one stage I was getting agoraphobic I hated going out, and it progressed to not wanting to leave the house at all. That’s when I realised I need to turn the focus on me before I ended up a real mess.”

“I started off with 10 minute workout CD’s then forced myself outdoors from time to time to the letterbox. Then I started following my husband out on his runs but I would do a kilometre and come home. I didn’t like the running at all, so I tried a few trainers, gyms and groups without success until I started at the local gym and found Brian the Supercoach.”

“Brian’s main aim initially was to get me exercising consistently because I couldn’t even do a couple of weeks in a row. I had depression and stuff and initially he got me doing strength training because it kicks off endorphins and gets you going.”

“Once I felt like I was becoming human again I asked him to give me some run training because running always hurt. Then one day he prophetically said ‘You should do a triathlon’. “Pfft” I laughed. “I don’t think so”.

Karen’s triathlon journey all started after she had taken up photography as a hobby which was another step to getting out of the house without pressure.

“I had photographed a few of the Parkrun events, volunteered to photograph a few other events and workshops and found that sports/events is something I’m good at, and comfortable doing since I can more or less hide in the bushes and catch people when they look their best, doing what they love.”

“I was asked to be a second photographer at a triathlon when the official photographer’s assistant couldn’t do it and I was really excited with what I saw. I had been doing running and didn’t like it and I saw everyone whizzing past and looking happy and no-one was dying at the end and I thought ‘Wow, this is a really great sport’.”

“Later on Brian, who is also involved with Western Suburbs Triathlon Club, mentioned triathlon a few more times saying I would enjoy it. I figured he knew his stuff so if he says to try a triathlon then I should.”

Eventually Karen was convinced to have a crack, but it wasn’t the instant love affair we are used to with new converts.

“I did a Gatorade Enticer in 2107 and I wasn’t really thrilled with it. I wasn’t impressed with my wobbly bike riding and at that stage my running was still unpleasant. I liked the sport, I just didn’t like my lack of skills. So I got Brian to put me on a training program in 2018, to get the basics right so I wouldn’t be hurting, or breaking down.

Karen did three triathlons in the two years she was getting herself together, her second a half IRONMAN distance event, which she now describes now as ‘a little bit over ambitious’.

“I did a half in Shepparton a few years ago and I managed to do a U-turn in the middle of the swim. I was thinking I am sure I swum past here before. I got back to the first turning buoy and thought ‘Hang on, I am lost’, I treaded water for a while there and thought I would have to go back, so it took me an hour and a half to do the swim because I did extra.”

“It was a bit of disaster and I was slow as and got kicked off the course because I was too slow, and I got to the run and only I did half of it. I pulled off the course just before the finish because It didn’t seem right to get a finisher’s medal when I hadn’t done the full distance,” she said.

During this time, the thing that left an impression on Karen was the sport’s inclusiveness.

“I was self conscious for being slow and worried about holding others up but when invited to join a group for training the attitude was generally ,‘We are all were beginners at some stage’. I was especially inspired at one event where a coach from a Facebook page I was following was yelling encouragement to me by my name. I barely knew him and he had taken the time to notice me. That was a real ego boost.”

Thanks to her coach and the crew from the Western Suburbs Triathlon Club, since then Karen’s triathlon journey has been on a definite upward trajectory.

“I have been going to club events there and it has definitely helped. We go down open water swimming at Williamstown once a week and I have improved heaps in the rough water. It is great. I am slowly getting there with my bike and run.”

Last year she completed the Baker Institute IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong and is back this year and raring to go, with a PB in the back of her mind.

“These days the letter box is the reminder to start my watch, whereas it was the full journey a few years ago,” Karen declared.

“I am proud of what I have achieved. Every now and then when I am thinking I want my bike faster, I want my run faster, I think ‘Hang on, two years ago I was struggling to get around and I could hardly ride a bike’. My advice to anyone is do it in baby steps and be consistent. Doing something every day, even a little bit, even it is just to the letter box and back. Just keep building.”

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong is proudly supported by the City of Greater Geelong and the Victorian Government.

For further information contact:

Noel McMahon - IRONMAN Media Manager (Oceania)

M: +61 455 091 476, P: +61 3 9249 7855, E: [email protected]

Tracey Ellis - Head of Public Affairs Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute

M +61 433 781 972, P +61 3 8532 1514 E [email protected]

About Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute

Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute is an independent, internationally renowned medical research facility headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, The Institute has a strong, proud history spanning more than 92 years, with its work spanning the laboratory to wide-scale community studies. The Institute’s vision is for Australians to live healthier for longer, free from the burden of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. For more information about the Institute visit www.baker.edu.au. For information about the Baker Institute’s work in Sports Cardiology, visit https://baker.edu.au/research/laboratories/sports- cardiology

About The IRONMAN Group As part of Wanda Sports Group, The IRONMAN Group operates a global portfolio of events that includes the IRONMAN® Triathlon Series, the IRONMAN® 70.3® Triathlon Series, 5150™ Triathlon Series, the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series®, IRONKIDS®, ITU World Triathlon Series, premier running events including the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon and The Sun-Herald City2Surf® presented by Westpac, Ultra-Trail® World Tour events including Tarawera Ultra and Ultra-Trail Australia™, mountain bike races including the Absa Cape Epic®, road cycling events, and other multisport races. The IRONMAN Group is the largest operator of mass participation sports in the world and provides more than a million participants annually the benefits of endurance sports through the company’s vast offerings. Since the inception of the iconic IRONMAN® brand and its first event in 1978, athletes have proven that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE® by crossing finish lines around the world. Beginning as a single race, The IRONMAN Group has grown to become a global sensation with more than 235 events across 55+ countries. For more information, visit www.ironman.com.

About Wanda Sports Group Wanda Sports Group (Nasdaq: WSG) is a leading global sports events, media and marketing platform with a mission to unite people in sports and enable athletes and fans to live their passions and dreams. Through our businesses, including Infront and The IRONMAN Group, we have significant intellectual property rights, long-term relationships and broad execution capabilities, enabling us to deliver

unrivalled sports event experiences, creating access to engaging content and building inclusive communities. We offer a comprehensive array of events, marketing and media services through three primary segments: Mass Participation, Spectator Sports and Digital, Production, Sports Solutions (DPSS). Our full-service platform creates value for our partners and clients as well as other stakeholders in the sports ecosystem, from rights owners, to brands and advertisers, and to fans and athletes.

Headquartered in Beijing, China, Wanda Sports Group has more than 60 offices and 1,600 employees around the world.