This week Anna and Oska sit down with Henry McMecking — one of New Zealand's fastest-rising short course triathletes and the reigning NZ Under-23 Triathlete of the Year. Ranked inside the world's top 75 and New Zealand's third-highest ranked male behind only Hayden Wilde and Saxon Morgan, Henry's had a genuine breakout stretch: an all-Kiwi podium sweep at Oceania Sprint Champs in Napier, the U23 continental title, and his World Triathlon Championship Series debut in Hamburg this year.

We talk through his Christchurch roots — cross country at primary school, watching his mum race at two age-group world championships — and how he balances 21 to 22 hours of training a week with a full geology job and a relationship (with our own Anna, as it happens). Henry's honest about the tough stretch too: pulling out of his planned World Series debut in Quiberon with a bout of tonsillitis, then backing up to actually debut in Hamburg a few weeks later, finishing 41st after coming in ranked 48th. He also tells us about lining up at the NZ Cross Country Championships just for fun — and running his way to 5th in a stacked senior men's field.

We get into how he and coach Tess plan a season, what "making it" in triathlon actually looks like day to day, and the story behind Triathlon Trouble, the YouTube channel he runs with mate Gus Marfell. We close out with a round of quick-fire questions before he heads back to Europe for the U23 World Championships in Pontevedra.

This episode covers:

  • Growing up in Christchurch and his mum's triathlon career
  • Balancing elite training with a geology job and a relationship
  • The all-Kiwi podium at Oceania Sprint Champs
  • Withdrawing from Quiberon with tonsillitis, then debuting in Hamburg
  • Racing NZ Cross Country Champs for fun and finishing 5th
  • How races get chosen, and what "making it" looks like
  • Triathlon Trouble, his YouTube channel with Gus Marfell
  • What's next: Pontevedra and Rome

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