John Maclean shows true grit to complete Nepean Triathlon
John Maclean has walked across the finish line of the Nepean Triathlon holding the hands of his wife and son, cheered on by thousands.
Local
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local. Followed categories will be added to My News.
It was an emotional day at the Penrith Regatta Centre on Sunday when former wheelchair athlete John Maclean walked across the finish line of the Nepean Triathlon – just like he said he would.
It was a gold medal moment in the extraordinary life of a man who has spent the last 26 years in a wheelchair after being hit by a truck on the M4.
“There’s a combination of things when I think about what happened. It was a really big achievement that took 26 years to unfold,” Maclean told the Penrith Press.
“I always dreamt about wanting to get back and it took a long time for that to happen.”
John Maclean completed the 1km swim, 30km cycle and 10km run/walk in 5:16:54, and was the 978th to cross the finish line.
RELATED: Miracle man John Maclean to walk across finish line at Nepean Triathlon
RELATED: John Maclean discusses finishing the Nepean Triathlon
“From the swim perspective that was really enjoyable and a nice thing to be a part of. I had Ky Hurst on my left and Craig Alexander, three-time Ironman winner, on my right, so I was in royal company,” Maclean said.
“The bike was so much fun. It was a perfect day and to be able to go out for a ride with my mates was just extraordinary.
“With the walk, every step of the way hurt, but I crossed the finish line holding Jack and Amanda’s hands, and that was the special moment, it made all the pain worthwhile.”
Surrounded by his family, friends and supporters, and cheered on by the thousands in the stands, Maclean said his emotions were running high all day.
“The emotions kicked in 2km from the finish line, I was crying then,” he said.
“My wife was with me every step of the way, and having them at the finish line to cuddle, we really shared it as a family moment.
“I hadn’t ridden 30km on a bike until yesterday (Sunday) and the most I had walked was 5km. I had to stop quite a few times to adjust the leg braces.
“It wasn’t very pretty with all the blisters and the blood. But the job had to get done.”
The John Maclean Foundation again attracted great support with celebrities and local sporting heroes joining the final charity wave of the triathlon.
Cricket legend Steve Waugh, Olympian Jana Pitman and rugby league stars Freddy Fitler, Luke Priddis and Panther Robert Jennings joined the cause.
“To have all those people there, great Australian icons, every single person who was part of that event brought me to the finish line,” Maclean said.
“And we gave five families scholarships with the foundation, which was the icing on the cake.”
Overall, this year’s triathlon was contested by almost 2000 competitors with Aaron Royle taking out top honours for the second consecutive year.
Royle completed the 1km swim in 12 minutes and four seconds, the 30km cycle in 40:28 and the 10km run in 31:16, for an overall time of 1:25.32, 48 seconds ahead of the second-placed competitor Jacob Birtwhistle.
Ashleigh Gentle was the fastest female competitor. She completed the triathlon in 1:35:06, placing 16th overall.
Penrith Tri Club athletes Andrea Forrest and Sam Appleton also competed strongly again this year.
Forrest was the 6th fastest female while Sam Appleton placed ninth overall.
NEPEAN TRIATHLON RESULTS
Open Men:
1. Aaron ROYLE
2. Jacob BIRTWHISTLE
3. Ryan BAILIE
4. Peter KERR
5. Cameron GOOD
Under-19: Sam LEWIS
20-24: Reece EDWARDS
25-29: Nick NORTH
30-34: Travis SHIELDS
35-39: Drew MILLAR
40-44: Anthony PARKER
45-49: Peter WALKER
50-54: Beven ERNST
55-59: John O’CONNELL
60-64: Robert PICKEN
Sponsors Challenge: Leigh CHAPMAN
JMF Wave: Carter JACKSON
Open Women:
1. Ashleigh GENTLE
2. Emma JACKSON
3. Gillian BACKHOUSE
4. Felicity SHEEDY-RYAN
5. Sarah CROWLEY
Under-19: Phoebe SAVAGE
20-24: Georgia STOTT
25-29: Kym IRELAND
30-34: Rebecca MORONEY
35-39: Nikkola BRIAN
40-44: Dayna DAVIDSON
45-49: Christine WOLFSON
50-54: Jenny HENVILLE
55-59: Helen STURMAN
60-64: Belinda SOSZYN
JMF Wave: Sheila O’REILLY
Councils cry poor while sitting on tens of millions of dollars
Councils with cash reserves of up to $50m are claiming to be in dire financial straits and slugging ratepayers with huge rates rises.
600 homes to replace classrooms in massive housing proposal
Medium and high density housing is set to transform land once occupied by a prestigious agricultural high school in southwest Sydney. Find out the full details here.