Multisport athlete Patrick Johnson is representing New Zealand at the 2023 World Triathlon Multisport Championships Ibiza. Johnson is racing in the Sprint and Standard Duathlons, Cross Triathlon and Long-Distance Aquabike events. If that’s not enough, the New Zealand athlete is also stepping up to the challenge and racing in the IRONMAN 70.3 Mallorca a few days after the World Multisport Championships. Johnson said the timing and destination were too hard to resist the urge to want to try and race it all.
A few years ago Johnson found himself at a low point in his life, he had a poor lifestyle, felt stuck and lacked motivation. After seeking the right support, he improved his nutrition and wellness regime, he began exercising and found the motivation to turn his life around in a meaningful and better way. It was at this point in his life, he started in triathlon.
“Triathlon can be lonely as it’s not usually a team sport and it’s just you against yourself, but it doesn’t always have to be that way. I’ve found that by sharing the journey with my family and friends it just adds so much more value to the experience and enriches my life and hopefully the lives of the people around me. Thanks to Triathlon New Zealand for giving me a shot at representing my beloved country. I will do my very best to make everyone proud.”
Johnson will make his debut on the world stage in Ibiza. Being selected to represent New Zealand as an Age-Group Multisport athlete in Ibiza is an honour for Johnson, who was born in Mexico but moved to New Zealand to live.
“This will be my first time competing as part of Team NZL and wearing the national colours, and I couldn’t be prouder of representing my adopted country (I’m originally from Mexico but now also a proud Kiwi citizen). It’s a feeling that before getting into Triathlon I was struggling to find: just feeling proud of myself and accomplished.”
THE LIFESTYLE SWITCH TO TRIATHLON
“It wasn’t until relatively recently when I discovered Triathlon, some 3 years ago, that I finally saw the light per se, and understood the value of putting in the effort and being consistent. This is when I developed a real passion for the sport.
I remember I was going through a real low point in my life, I felt stuck: overweight, constantly over drinking, with terrible eating habits, at a job I didn’t like; and as a result I was depressed, unmotivated and not managing to do almost any exercise; I just couldn’t get out of the rut.”
“So one morning, after a big night out drinking and feeling atrocious, I looked at myself in the mirror and thought to myself “That’s it, I have to change now!”
To my fortune around the same time I got invited by the Nutritionist I was seeing at the time to join a healthy eating challenge which also included exercise as a part of the programme. One thing led to another, and over the course of a few months, I started improving my nutrition, lost weight, started moving; and suddenly it all clicked!”
“My wife had done triathlon in the past and somehow planted the seed in my mind (inception style), so I decided to give it a go and immediately got hooked!
Since then, I’ve just been living and breathing the sport. It absolutely changed my life, and not to be overly dramatic, but I like to believe it might have even saved my life or at least extended it by a few years that’s for sure! With the lifestyle I was leading, not sure where I would have ended up. “
REPRESENTING NEW ZEALAND
“I started with the People’s Tri Series, my first race ever was the Olympic distance at Maraetai. Raced in a surfing wetsuit, a commuter bike, and some old trainers I had lying around. I just remember having this massive smile on my face all throughout the race. Despite the horrendous chafing from the oversized wetsuit, the hard climbs on the heavy bike and the hot and humid run, this was something like I had never experienced before. Just crossing the finish line and having my wife and friends waiting for me there and cheering me on was just something else!”
“Fast forward a couple of years, after trying out the Mid-distance Tri and Sprint Duathlon, I received an email from Tri NZ saying that I had qualified to represent New Zealand thanks to my result in the Pukekohe Duathlon. I just couldn’t believe it! I had just been doing this for a short period and was just doing it for health and fitness, so this was beyond my wildest dreams! At the time, I was in Mexico visiting my Mum who was very ill, and I told her that I had been selected to represent New Zealand at an international event and she was so very proud and happy for me. It wasn’t long after then that she sadly passed away, and have been missing her every day, but at least I got to tell her this was on the cards and now I intend to follow it through and make her proud.”
Johnson says that one of the best things about Triathlon is the supportive, welcoming community and how the sport strengthens relationships and friendships.
“For a newbie like me, the whole journey of going overseas with the NZL Team has been fabulous. I actually haven’t met Mel the Team Manager or almost any of my fellow athletes in person yet, but online everyone has just been so helpful, friendly and welcoming; which is one of the things I love most about this sport: this real sense of community and the selfless offers to support someone that you haven’t even met. It just comes to show the amazing people that are part of the Tri community. It’s also quite impressive how the sport strengthens relationships and friendships. I’ve felt that I’ve gotten closer to the mates that I train with after, especially after a good workout moreover than after the big drinking nights we used to have before. Nothing beats a heartfelt chat over coffee after a long ride or a Run & Brunch session; everyone is just so cheerful, open and naturally happy. Plus you can actually remember what you talked about, as opposed to a drunk chat!”
YOUR SUPPORT CREW
“My wife Alex is my biggest supporter and teammate. She’s the one who got me into the sport and we are very lucky we both like Triathlon. This way we can train together and we understand the struggles and joys of the crazy things we do!”
TO NOW
“My wife and I have formed a Tri team, with a total of 2 members; the A&P Triathlon Team we call ourselves! We’re also very proud members of the Auckland City Tri Club, an amazing bunch of people there. With the high demands of long training sessions, we’ve had to find a way to combine fitness and social gatherings. Thankfully, we have a great circle of friends with who we do social fitness such as Run & Brunch sessions, ocean swims and urban or long rides out to the Hunua Ranges. The community that the sport has given us is priceless!”
WHAT ABOUT IBIZA
“When I first found out I had qualified for the Sprint Duathlon event, I was definitely thrilled but also thought ‘now that’s a long way to go for such a short event.’ So I reached out to Mel and asked if there was any chance that I could do a couple more races to make the long haul trip worthwhile. To my surprise (and delight) she said I could do as many as I wanted and if I actually completed 5 in total I could qualify to achieve the Multisport Legend title!”
“So crazy little me signed up for both the Sprint and Standard Duathlons, the Aquathlon, the Cross Tri and the Long Distance Aquabike, just to mix it up a bit.
And if that wasn’t enough, I’ve also signed up for the Mallorca 70.3 less than a week after the last event in the Championship Series, but it was just around the corner in terms of time and location so I just couldn’t resist myself!”
WHAT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED
“That’s the million-dollar question! The ‘Why’ we do the crazy things we do, clock incredibly long hours on the indoor trainer, go to bed early on the weekends, wake up even earlier than during work days to go out for a bike ride, etc. So, finding your Why and your motivation is critical to keep you going and still make it enjoyable.
For me it’s the true sense of achievement, seeing tangible results after putting in the work, getting faster without getting injured thanks to your consistency; being able to feel proud of what you’ve done day in and day out. And this permeates to every other aspect of life; I personally feel like I’m a better person than before doing Triathlon: more dedicated as a partner, more disciplined and meticulous as an employee, and even a bit more forgiving to myself when I don’t perform as I wanted because I now understand that I’ll do better next time if I just keep at it.”
FAVOURITE MEMORY IN SPORT
“My favourite part of every race had always been getting on the phone with my Mum after the event, sending her photos and chatting away about how the day went. The last few months without her have been quite tough and emotional. But I still think of her and feel her presence and everlasting love in every stroke on the swim, every turn on the bike, every stride on the run and across the finish line. So I guess she’s still accompanying me, just in a different way.”
World Triathlon wishes all athletes, competing in the 2023 World Triathlon Multisport Championships (29 April – 7 May), all the best! For the elite races, TriathlonLive.tv will have full coverage of the Duathlon (including mixed relay), Aquathlon and Long-Distance Triathlon events, and extended highlights of the Cross Duathlon and Cross Triathlon and with over 3,000 athletes from 61 countries competing for world titles, all age group races will have a finish line camera watchable on the platform.
