When Maureen Cummings lines up for the Noosa Triathlon next month, the race will hold special significance for several reasons.
The 62-year-old, who first started doing triathlons in 1988 and competed at the Commonwealth Games, will be doing her 25th Noosa race.
It will also be her first Noosa Tri since the passing of her friend, coach and mentor Jackie Byrnes earlier this year.
Miss Cummings, from Buderim, revealed to Sunshine Coast News how she got into the sport.
“In 1986, I was named the Queen of Sport in Sydney, which was 12 different fun activities. One was a 7km run, and we had to swim from the Sydney Opera House to Lady Macquarie’s Stairs and back,” she said.
“Somebody noticed my running and my swimming and said ‘have you ever thought of doing triathlons?’. That got me interested and in 1988 I started.”
She became an elite athlete and competed in the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games.
“Prince Charles came down and stood on the side of the helicopter, which I’m sure workplace health and safety would not allow him to do these days,” Miss Cummings said.
“He held onto the helicopter while it was still going and he said ‘on your marks’ and fired the gun.”
Ms Byrnes was a national-level athlete who went on to coach Olympians including Melinda Gainsford-Taylor and Jana Pittman, among thousands of others.
She was bestowed with life membership of Athletics Australia in 2010, and recognised with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2002.
“She was a one-of-a-kind and one of a million really,” Miss Cummings said.
“She just knew stuff. She knew if you were tired, if you were cranky, you have to rest, and it didn’t matter.
“You didn’t question Jack, you just did it. She was an amazing coach. She was an amazing friend and she was a people person.”
Miss Cummings has been a long-time sport teacher at Sunshine Coast Grammar School and this month was awarded life membership of the Sunshine Coast Independent School Sports Association (SCISSA), which she was a founder of in 2003.
She continues to compete in triathlons because of her love for the lifestyle.
“It’s just such a good balance of muscle groups and if you’re injured for one thing you can usually do another,” Miss Cummings said.
“I like being active, I like being fit. I take a rest every eighth day but I find that difficult – most athletes do!”
She said the Noosa Triathlon was one of her favourite events to compete in.
“Noosa’s been a favourite and it’s easy to get to, and the atmosphere is amazing,” she said.
Following Noosa, Miss Cummings has other triathlon events planned.
“I’ve got world championships next year. I’ve raced one qualifier and I came second to the world champion,” she said.
Miss Cummings is looking forward to racing for as long as she can.
“It’s quite phenomenal to see the growth of the sport and I think being one of the pioneer women, one of the original five or six pioneer women, I feel quite privileged and honoured to still be in the sport,” she said.
The Noosa Triathlon is on November 3.
Kelsey Reid is a journalism intern with Sunshine Coast News.
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