The postponement and cancellation of competitive events scheduled for 2020 hasn’t
stopped aspiring professional triathlete Matt Kerr from staying on track.
Coromandel-based Matt, who is sponsored by Hunter Campbell, placed first in
the 10k run at the Run Auckland series in Waitarua Reserve earlier this month with a time of 37 minutes for an off-road course.
Though it wasn’t quite what he had planned, it was a chance for Matt to take part in an
event after the postponement of three Australian Ironman events he was due to
compete in between May and August this year. Two other Ironman events in the calendar
for Australia later in the year are also uncertain at this stage.
Despite the disruption to his competitive schedule, Matt has been keeping up with a
programme of training 30 hours a week.
Matt says: “Although there is no racing at the moment and no certainty as to when this will commence, all I think about is it will be back… one day.
“Regardless of how far near or far that first start line is away, this is an opportunity that I can capitalise on. I enjoy what I do – I enjoy swimming, cycling and running therefore the training without any races is not a struggle for me.
“Of course having a race does make it that much more purposeful but the disruption now opens the doors to other areas of improvement. Learning and exploring other areas of personal improvement to enable me to be the best individual and athlete I can be is something that I hope will pay dividends when racing commences.”
Lockdown was a great time for concentrated training for Matt, and he discusses his routine
and tips in a video with sponsor Deflina below.
Matt’s next major upcoming race will see him entering into the professional field at the Mount Multisport Festival in late January 2021 where he will compete in the half Ironman distance. This event will attract all of the top professional Kiwi athletes, given no one has had any racing or travel in the last many months.
Hunter Campbell Founding Partner Ken Webb says: “These are certainly challenging times
all around, and we really admire the determination and focus that Matt has continued to
apply to achieving his goals in the face of such uncertainty.
“He’ll be on top of his game for the next big event and we’ll be cheering him on.”
About Matt
Matt has had podium finishes in multiple New Zealand sporting events and is aiming to be a
professional triathlete within the next two years.
In 2019, Matt was placed 1st in the overall Amateur Section and in his Age Group at the
Ironman 70.3 Taupo and 2nd in his Age Group in the Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast.
In January 2020 he was awarded Ironman World Gold Status, an accolade only the top 1% of
triathletes globally achieve.
If you’re interested in supporting Matt from a sponsorship perspective, you can contact
Scott Kerr, Scott@kerrectlogistics.com, and you can follow Matt’s journey on
Instagram and on Facebook.
