In 2007 Constable Jeff McGrath, a New Plymouth-based youth aid officer said he didn’t think he’d run his best race yet at the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii and he was right.
Competing for a third time in 2009 in the grueling 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike and 42 km marathon run over extremely challenging terrain with the best triathletes on the world stage, he trumped his best time to be the 3rd New Zealander home behind Terenzo Bozzone and Cameron Brown. This determination and commitment as an athlete, has seen him run off with NZ Police Association Sportsperson of the Year for a second-time.
Police Association Vice-President, Stuart Mills, who will present the award at a ceremony in New Plymouth today, said Mr McGrath ought to be extremely proud of his successes in the sporting arena, “Our award recognises the outstanding achievements of this police sportsperson. His dedication and determination shown in pursuing his sporting goals are qualities that are highly-valued in members of Police.”
Mr Mills said, “Constable McGrath is an accomplished triathlete, who has competed against his multi-sport peers nationwide in the Ironman NZ to win a position to represent New Zealand in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii not just once but three times now.”
Constable McGrath said he was very humbled and a little embarrassed to win the award for a second time, “With so many talented and high-achieving Police sportspeople, I consider myself to be very lucky to be given this award for a second time. I would like to acknowledge the other nominees and their outstanding achievements too.”
The 1st New Zealand amateur athlete home, Constable McGrath placed 11th out of 206 competitors in his age group. He said, “I’m really proud of my latest result in Hawaii. Perhaps I’m getting old, but of the three years I have competed in Kona, 2009 was the toughest. Parts of the course hit 42 degrees at times and after training in the cold, wet, dark New Zealand winter, to go into that kind of extreme tropical heat and sun, together with the trade winds, makes acclimatising particularly hard.”
Qualifying for Ironman World Championships in Hawaii on three separate occasions is a feat in itself. The Hawaii Ironman continues to be the defining race for triathletes, with tens of thousands around the world trying to win one of the coveted 1800 spots available. To get to the starting line in Hawaii, you must be very talented.
With the demands of his job as a youth aid officer, and being the father of two young children, Constable McGrath tries to train smarter, not longer, working in the 15-25 hours of training per week, so it didn’t impact on his family and work too much. “I squeezed a lot of training in early on weekends or through the week with 5.30am swims and getting on my wind trainer at night when my wife, (also a police officer), was at work and the kids were asleep.” He also appreciates the support he gets from his colleagues, friends and family.
Nominated for 2009 Taranaki Sportsperson of the Year, Constable McGrath was also the overall winner of the 2009 NZ Police Triathlon and placed 23rd in the NZ Ironman out of 1278 competitors. He also found time somewhere to be President of Taranaki Triathlon and Multi-Sport Club; Race Director for the Taranaki Secondary Schools Triathlon and Duathlon events; and was one of five selected by Triathlon NZ to be Team Manager for the World Triathlon Champs on the Gold Coast last year.
