Crossing the finishing line of the Dirt N Dust Tri in April has only whet 16-year-old Tristan Bowen’s appetite for future sporting challenges. Tristan, who is a Vision Australia client has optic nerve hypoplasia – a congenital condition in which the optic nerve is underdeveloped. He completed the physical challenge with his guide, Steve Carson.
“I met Steve a few years ago. He was already doing triathlons and invited me to go for a ride on his tandem bike. We did a few rides together and decided to do this triathlon in Julia Creek,” Tristan confirmed.
Tristan and Steve worked closely as a team. During the swimming leg, Steve canoed alongside Tristan and during the cycling leg, they rode a tandem bike. They completed the running leg side by side.
“Steve is good company. We work well together and it’s good to have someone to compete with.”
Tristan is building towards bigger sporting challenges. He has just completed half of the Mount Isa Border Ride – a 200km long bike ride to Camooweal, and next year will look to complete the full circuit. In October, he will take on the Tough Mudder obstacle course in Sydney. Again, he will complete half of the course and look to complete the full course next year.
To build his fitness levels and strength Tristan trains in Crossfit, a fitness regimen that combines a range of training techniques. “I mainly use the rower and exercise bike and haven’t really needed any equipment to be adapted. The instructor has been teaching me different ways of doing things and everyone at the gym has been really helpful.”
Tristan also does swim squad and is heading down to Brisbane at the end of the year to compete in the State Swimming Champions.
“Training will start soon and I need to work towards getting good times. Eventually, I would love to go to the Paralympic Games.”
If you’d like to know how to get started in triathlons contact Triathlon Australia.