Former football international finds new IRONMAN challenge

Former football international finds new IRONMAN challenge

12 January 2015, 4:14PM
Sports Media NZ


Pip Meo
Pip Meo will chase age group glory at the IRONMAN 70.3 Auckland triathlon on Sunday. Credit: Finisherpix.


Former Football Ferns winger Pip Meo believes no challenge is insurmountable and is gunning for age-group victory in her new passion when competing at the IRONMAN 70.3 Auckland this Sunday.

Meo, who was capped six times for her country and once played against US soccer icon Mia Hamm in front of 30,000 people, quit the sport after missing out a place in the New Zealand squad for the 2008 Olympics.

“Devastated” to miss out on selection - having been measured for her Olympic suits only three months before the Opening Ceremony - she sought a fresh challenge.

“I decided I needed to do a sport where if I was good I couldn’t be ignored and I would be in complete control of how good I could be,” said Meo, 30. “I watched the Olympics and triathlon popped up. I thought that sport looks extremely hard and no one is born naturally great at all three sports, it looks like you just have to work really hard; perfect.”

Having honed her football skills by practising on her front lawn lit up by her dad’s car lights until 1am at her Masterton home as a youngster, Pip is never one to shy away from the total commitment needed to excel.

She later developed her game in the US collegiate system under a tough system “I’m talking old school knuckle push ups on concrete floors hard”, she adds.

Yet IRONMAN was far from an easy challenge. She only learned how to swim as an adult and had little previous cycling experience, but since teaming up with leading New Zealand triathlon coach Murray Healey the Auckland-based healthcare executive has started to flourish.   

“Murray believes he is capable of turning my soccer speed into triathlon speed,” said the Mt Albert resident. “He has this unshakeable belief in me which gave me the confidence to complete IRONMAN New Zealand Ironman and three IRONMAN 70.3 races including the World Champs in Mont Tremblant in Canada last year.”

Meo placed sixth in her age-group (30-34) and 24th overall in the 2014 edition of the IRONMAN 70.3 Auckland and has set a target to win that age group and place in the top 10 overall this weekend.

With her local knowledge and genuine passion for the race anything is possible.

“I bike to work on the same streets that the race is on and every day I visualise myself in the race,” she explains.”Before last year’s race during my lunch break at work I would walk down to the waterfront visualise myself swimming on the course. I recorded my fastest 1.9km swim ever in that race. Biking over the Auckland Harbour Bridge is an unreal feeling. I drive over it almost twice a week and to have the opportunity to bike over it once a year is something quite special.”

The race on Sunday, which doubles as the official Asia-Pacific Championship, comprises a 1.9km swim in the Viaduct Harbour, 90km three-lap bike over the Auckland Harbour Bridge and 21km two-lap run along the waterfront.

The event carries a NZ$90,000 prize purse for professionals and qualifying places for age group contestants for the 2015 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship, and is based at the Viaduct Events Centre, with action beginning from 6.15am.

For details: www.ironmanauckland.com

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