🤯 “They’ve seen me have seizures, they’ve seen me bedridden…but they’re being taught that no matter what, I get back up and keep trying.”
If there is one thing, among an exhaustive catalogue of examples, that Tamsin Horne is particularly proud of as she reflects on a tough 18-year battle for health, it’s how she’s teaching her young children the noble art of “resilience.”
The Kerikeri personal trainer and mother-of-two will give her family and friends more pride fuel on Sunday (NZ Time) when she competes in her maiden Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.
Horne qualified for Kona by finishing 4th in her age group at ANZCO Foods Ironman NZ in March but that cherished moment barely scratches the surface of her journey to the holy grail of long distance triathlon.
When the Bay of Islands fighter was just 15, her world changed forever. A life-threatening brain bleed caused by an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) left her temporarily blind and fighting for survival. Two intensive brain surgeries followed, along with a diagnosis of chronic epilepsy, PTSD, and depression. Doctors told her she’d never run long distances again.
The thing was, Horne refused to accept that diagnosis.
“Movement became my anchor,” Horne told Ironman Oceania’s Ruth Bowerman.
“It allowed me to process a lot of the negativity and setbacks I was facing and allowed me to rediscover who I was after my brain haemorrhage and two intensive brain surgeries that followed. When everything around me felt extremely broken, movement helped me piece things back together.”
What began as walking evolved into running, and eventually triathlon – a sport that not only reignited her joy but also helped reduce her seizures.
“When my mental health was at its all-time low and my seizures were at their all-time high, I remember thinking, ‘what do I have to lose? It can’t get much worse than this.’
“When I tested the waters with a few longer runs in secret, I realised for the first time in a long time I felt alive… I felt like me.”
Slowly, Horne craved more, to push herself. Ironman scratched that itch.
“I found Ironman and absolutely fell in love, and for the first time in a very long time, I felt proud of myself and who I had become despite a decade of being pushed down by my health. I’d found my happy place, my community, and my other love.
“Ironically, the more endurance fitness I gained, the less seizures I started having. I truly believe triathlon saved me in more ways than one.”
Triathlon hasn’t been without it’s hiccups. In the space of just 13 months, Horne underwent six significant surgeries, including a clavicle reconstruction after a bike crash. Yet just 11 weeks after her shoulder surgery, she crossed the finish line at Ironman Cairns, the duel Asia-Pacific Championship in June 2024. It was a moment she describes as euphoric.
“It ignited so much self-belief within me,” she said.
“I realised in that moment that hardship never defines us, how we choose to respond to that hardship does. I was so unbelievably proud of myself because I knew I had chosen to never give up and by doing so, I found my own personal victory.”
Now, as she prepares to represent New Zealand on the global stage, Horne reflects on how far she’s come.
“This achievement eliminates all those years of self-doubt. It’s a beautiful reminder that I am capable of so much more than I ever imagined,” she said.
“Triathlon allowed me to see myself in a different light. I am not weak or broken, but instead I am fierce, powerful and determined. Triathlon gave me purpose and allowed me to believe in myself to strive for endless opportunities despite being told I couldn’t.”
