👋 Nǐ hǎo. Today is National Dumpling Day and it appropriately comes with a side of lycra and lactic acid. Weihai hosts the penultimate round of the WTCS this afternoon (yes, on a Friday because why wait for the weekend?) and while the seaport city locals are busy perfecting nearly two millennia of folding the tasty little morsels, Saxon Morgan is poised to unleash some serious watts from 1pm NZ Time. Call it fate, call it fuel but we’ll be smashing dumplings for lunch and praying our chopsticks can keep pace. – Kent Gray 🥟 🥢
In this Issue
• Has Morgan finally rediscovered his run mojo?
• McPherson leads NZL cause at Xterra worlds
• An honouree Kiwi’s courage captured on film
• A zero guesses required Triathlete of the Week
💬 Who Said That?
“I can only control my performance. If I do my best, then I can feel good at the end of the day”
McMecking’s Maiden Medal
🥉 A big, belated Full Send shoutout to Henry McMecking, Tri NZ’s unsung hero from the past week. While Hayden Wilde was doing Hayden Wilde things in the T100 and Tayler Reid got plenty of screen time in Supertri, the youngster quietly went about claiming a career-best result, finishing just behind silver medallist and Canterbury Triathlon Club mate Saxon Morgan at Asia Cup Gamagori.
“Super happy to come away from Gamagori with my first elite podium🥉! Even better to share it with @saxonmorgan_ 🙌,” McMecking wrote on social media.
As the 21-year-old also highlighted, the result is timely with the U23 World Championships just three weeks hence in Wollongong. It also saw McMecking jump 20 spots to 93rd in the official World Triathlon rankings.
“It’s also the first time I’ve cracked the top 100 in the world rankings, so thanks to all the people who have got me to where I am today 🙏.”
Singapore-based Aucklander set to live out dream at T100 finale in Doha
🇸🇬 🥝 Given his perfect record thus far, promise of more regular season dominance to come and almost unbackable odds for the decider, it’s no surprise Hayden Wilde will be the Kiwi headliner at December’s T100 Qatar World Championship final. There’ll also be Hannah Berry and Kyle Smith to cheer on to top 10s (and thus contract renewals) but the pro trio won’t be the only Kiwis doing the hard mahi in Doha.
Singapore-based Aucklander Briar Johns will represent NZL in the 45-49 division after qualifying for the inaugural T100 age group worlds via the season-opening Singapore T100 in April.
Johns has lived abroad for the past 14 years, the last 12 in Singapore where she’s now the Head of the Physical and Health Education Department at Stamford American International School. Her husband also teaches there and their son is a student at the school.
The Kiwi age-grouper has been a triathlete since her varsity days, inspired with a friend to take up the sport by the “old Stroke and Stride series along Kohimarama Beach.”
“We decided to give it a go, starting with short-distance triathlons, then some half IM which eventually led me to complete my first full Ironman in Taupo in 2010, a race I absolutely loved and repeated the following year,” said Johns, picking up the story of her intro to swim, bike and run.
“After moving overseas, I took a short break from triathlon but kept running and competed in numerous marathons. Following the birth of my son in 2019, I returned to triathlon and when the T100 came to Singapore, I was eager to step up to longer distances. In 2024, I competed as the runner in the team event, where we were the first female team to finish. This year I raced the full event and qualified for the World Championships in Qatar.
Johns cannot wait to don the black tri suit in the Middle East finale.
“I’m incredibly excited about the opportunity,” she said.
“The build up and training are going well, and it’s a huge honour to represent NZ…a lifelong dream of mine. It’s also been a wonderful chance to be a role model for my son and for my students at school.”
McPherson Ready for One Last Dolomites Dance
⛰️ After 25 years in its spiritual home of Maui, off-road triathlon’s biggest day moved to the quaint Italian village of Molveno in 2022. Now, for the 4th and final time before a return to the US next year (Ruidoso, New Mexico if you want to book early), the Xterra World Championships will be fought out beneath the Unesco World Heritage-listed Brenta Dolomites on Saturday.
Matamata world No.7 Kieran McPherson is the sole Kiwi in the elite fields for the 1500m lake swim, 32km mountain bike and 10km trail run test, though New Zealand is well represented in the age group races. More on those dirt loving Kiwi weekend warriors below.
WATCH LIVE: 29th XTERRA World Championships, 7:45pm Saturday (NZ Time)
McPherson was 11th the last time he raced the worlds in 2023 and 13th the previous year. He entered this weekend fresh from a 5th at World Cup Germany, which doubled as the Xterra European Championships, last month and warmed up for Saturday with 7th in Thursday’s short track in Molveno. That result, in what was the final round of the Xterra World Cup (not to be confused with the world championship) for 2025, saw the Kiwi pro finish 6th in season standings.
New Zealand will be represented by four seniors and three juniors in the age group racing at the 29th Xterra worlds:
Full distance, Saturday
Age Group
• Emma Rauhala (F25–29)
• Hamish Bolland (M18–19)
• Warwick Tuffnell (M50–54)
• Rob Gemmell (M60–64)
Juniors, Sunday
Youth A (14–15)
• Jacob Williams (M, 2011, NZ)
Youth B (16–17)
• Eden Uren (F, 2009, NZ)
• Jyde Low (M, 2008, NZ)
Visit XterraPlanet.com’s event hub here.
Adopted Kiwi’s Small Screen Debut
🦈 Here at The Full Send, we like to think of Els Visser as an honouree Kiwi. Not only is the Dutchwoman a former Ironman NZ (2023) and Challenge Wanaka (2024) winner, the PTO world No.54 has a deep bond with Aotearoa after surviving a shipwreck off Indonesia in 2014.
Visser’s story, which includes swimming eight hours in shark-infested waters (all salt water has sharks after all!) with a Kiwi woman named Gaylene, is now the subject of a documentary.
That (and Xterra) is our triathlon-related, weekend viewing sorted. You can watch the Red Bull TV doco, ‘Resilience’, here.
T100 Rookie Impresses Again As Kona Looms
🍓 If it weren’t for Hayden Wilde’s heroics, we’re sure more would have been made of Hannah Berry’s thoroughly impressive debut T100 Triathlon World Tour campaign.
The Mt. Maunganui 34-year-old added a fourth successive top 10 – 6th to be exact – at Oropesa del Mar last weekend and the consistency sees her 8th in the overall standings.
It’s even more impressive when you consider Berry spent the fortnight or so before Spain prepping for her third successive Ironman World Championships in Kona next month where she’ll be joined by countrywoman Rebecca Clarke. On current form, it wouldn’t surprise TFS if Berry eclipses her 11th and 10th placings at the 226km worlds the past two years.
Post Kona, Berry’s attention will return to securing a top 10 finish in the T100 to secure a full contract for 2026.
“Happy with another solid day out to round out my ‘European T100 tour’ [London, France, and Spain]. I feel like I am still learning a little more each race and am happy to put together a good race after a couple weeks of Ironman focused training.
“I had a little mishap on lap two of the swim almost missing the last turn buoy, but thankfully spotted it before I had completely missed it and was able to get back on course not losing too much time.
“Had pretty good bike legs and a run solid for me. Hit a rough patch half way through both the bike and run but managed to take on a bit more nutrition and get myself back together each time… good practise for Ironman racing!”
Actually…’Lucky to Walk Away with Only Minor Damage’
🚴♀️ Nicole van der Kaay’s innate ability to accentuate the positive was to the fore again following a frustrating and premature end to her top flight comeback from a foot injury at Supertri Jersery.
The Taupo 29-year-old, roped in by Podium Racing for the penultimate round, was going great guns in the rapid-fire enduro [three back-to-back-to-back triathlons] until she wasn’t.
“…things started great with a strong swim. But in an instant it changed – the slippery roundabout on lap one claimed me as one of its victims. I kept fighting, but the race was effectively over in that moment.
“After a 30 hour trip from Barcelona to Jersey, it’s tough for the race itself to last only 5min 🫠. Still, I’m grateful for the opportunity, proud to represent, and lucky to walk away with only minor damage.”
NVDK’s positivity after her elimination before race end in Jersey earned the respect of none other than Jeanne Lehair.
“Warrior 😍”, the Luxembourger world No.4 wrote on social.
We look forward to the gritty Kiwi’s next start as she builds towards November’s Ironman 70.3 worlds in Mabella.
• Pontevedra to host 2026 World Triathlon Championship Finals
• ICYMI: The Tri Hawke’s Bay 1st XV headed to the 2025 WT Finals in Wollongong
• Check out the club connections in the Team NZL Mixed Relay teams confirmed for the World Triathlon Age Group Championships in Wollongong. TFS couldn’t help noticing a crack North Harbour Triathlon Club quartet featuring two Tri NZ staffers/national champs, Community Manager Anna Russell and Performance Op’s Manager Peter Kadar. No pressure guys!
• Pro field for Women’s Ironman World Championships Kona unveiled
Flying Solo in China
🏃 Has Saxon Morgan finally cracked the code in his search for a 10km split that does his talent justice?
The 25-year-old will find out soon enough with Friday afternoon’s WTCS Weihai his third start at World Triathlon’s highest level this season. The form leading into the Olympic distance test is encouraging, a silver medal at Asia Cup Gamagori last weekend a nice wee confidence boost.
Morgan ran a 14:58 5km at the Japan sprint. Friday is double the distance and an almighty step up in class but he’s happy to be trending in the right direction after a long, slow fightback from a pelvic bone injury.
WATCH WTCS WEIHAI: Triathlonlive.tv, 12:45pm Friday (NZ Time)
Typically, Morgan has been placed well enough out of the water and off the bike in racing this year, only to understandably fade on the run. But a lot of hard work with coach Mark Elliott appears to be paying dividends.
With none of the top three in the WTCS standings – Matt Hauser, Miguel Hidalgo or Vasco Vilaça – racing Weihai and Hayden Wilde and Alex Yee still elsewhere occupied, this shapes as an excellent opportunity to eclipse his previous WTCS best of 25th in Hamburg four years ago.
He went within a whisker of matching that result at WTCS Alghero in late May – missing by a single place in fact – but ran a 33:20 in Sardinia when something closer to 32 minutes was the goal.
“Mark [Elliott] and I have been putting a fair amount of race-specific work into action over the last two months in New Zealand, especially with targeted runs off the bike,” Morgan told SBR-Tri.com
“It’s an area I’ve been working hard to improve. It seems to be translating really well now with the 14:58 5km… that’s a big step forward from some of my run times earlier this year.”
All that despite a less-than-ideal buildup to Gamagori.
“I came into Gamagori after a solid training block back home following Europe but unfortunately, I picked up a small hip injury, so I didn’t run for 10 days leading into the race apart from a short jog the day before. Thankfully, it felt fine during the race and my body has pulled up well the morning after.”
It will be fascinating to see what Morgan can produce off the bike in China.
“Coming off the bike [in Gamagori], I had great run legs and settled into pace early. There were a few attacks in the first half of the run that I knew wouldn’t stick, so I held my rhythm and then pushed with about 800m–1km to go. Really happy to cross the line in 2nd behind [Takumi] Hojo, with Henry [Kiwi team-mate Henry McMecking] hot on my heels in 3rd.”
Henry Graf, the German star in making who will wear the No.1 bib. Morgan is seeded 19.
“Weihai is my second to last event before finishing the year at Wollongong World Championships. I’m excited to close out the season with a couple more strong performances and to carry the gains from the big training block back in NZ into race day results.”
Scotswoman Beth Potter, fresh from victory in WTCS Karlovy Vary, is top seed in a women’s race likely to feature countrywoman Lisa Tertsch, the American Taylor Spivey and a number of lesser lights looking to take advantage of the absence of Cassandre Beaugrand, Jeanne Lehair and Leonie Periault.
🇨🇳 Alex Yee (GBR) and Lisa Tertsch (GER) won at last year’s WTCS Weihai.
Question: Can you name the two Kiwis in the top 10 in the men’s race. Bonus points for correctly guessing their finishing positions.
Answers in the footer
MVP – Hayden Wilde
💯 Hayden Wilde’s perfect T100 form in 2025, improved by his thumping of Jelle Geens at Oropesa del Mar last weekend, is remarkable in and of itself. That he’s gone four from four after missing a good chunk of the year recovering from his horrific Tokyo training ride crash in May – smashed left scapula, five broken ribs and a punctured lung for those living on Mars – makes it, in our world, other worldly.
An athletes’ top four regular season results plus their performance in December’s T100 final in Doha count, so Wilde cannot better his position heading into the Race to Qatar decider. Time to put his feet up and prep for Doha? Not on your nelly. The Andorra-based 28-year-old has made it his mission to go seven for seven so will toe the line in Wollongong and Dubai in addition to Doha, all things being equal. Not only that, the Kiwi talisman intends racing the WTCS finale in ‘The Gong’ a day after the T100. That’s an Olympic distance race a day after a mere 100km effort.
The bloke is a freak. And we love him!
Maybe Next Year…
🚲 We feel your pain @jjones.mtb
📺 WATCH: The fastest bike at the IM Worlds
👁️ LEARN: Beginner’s Guide to triathlon race day essentials
🎧 LISTEN: How your brain impacts performance
Who said that? American swimmer Michael Phelps who, with 28 medals, is the most successful Olympian of all time.
Trivia: Hayden Wilde and Dylan McCullough were 7th and 8th respectively at WTCS Weihai last September.
Kiwis Around the World
🥝 TASTE OF KIWI: The weekend that was for New Zealand triathletes around the globe was indeed a good one. (Top, from L to R): Saxon Morgan and Henry McMecking claim silver and bronze at Asia Cup Gamagori; The pair go pedal stroke for pedal stroke in the sprint; silver the next day for the NZL relay quartet of Grayson Westgate, Phoebe Carter, Amara Rae and James Corbett in Japan; Supertri Jersey start; Nicole van der Kaay sadly crashed on the bike early en route to being eliminated but it was good to be back; Tayler Reid also crashed at the same slippery roundabout but recovered to hold on to 5th; Hannah Berry ran to 6th at T100 Oropesa del Mar; Hayden Wilde made it a perfect 4 from 4 in Spain to go top of the men’s standings.
Till next week, Full Send it New Zealand!
Click on the infographic for entry details or here.
