IRONMAN Insights - meet Peter Conley

Pete, tell us about your history with IRONMAN.

After completing my first triathlon in Wellington in 1992, I stepped up to complete my first marathon in Christchurch in 1999. This developed a passion for long distance running that continued when I lived in Chicago working for ANZCO Foods twenty years ago. During my time in Chicago I suffered a shoulder injury that forced me back into the pool as part of my rehabilitation program and from that it was a natural evolution back into triathlon. I did my first IRONMAN races in the US before moving back to Christchurch in 2010. I kept it going through the local events here in New Zealand, which obviously included the pinnacle event of IRONMAN New Zealand in Taupo.

What's kept you in the sport for so long?

I've always enjoyed the physical and mental challenge of taking on events like marathons and IRONMAN and the process of staying fit in the lead up to those races. Having an event to focus on, particularly when work and travel can be pretty all-consuming, makes sure I find the time in my day to get that exercise in, which is really important for my general wellbeing.

It has also been about people and relationships. I have made a number of good friends and met lots of interesting people through IRONMAN over the years, many of whom I still keep in contact with and catch up with at events like IRONMAN New Zealand. It is a great community and it’s been nice to see our own ANZCO Foods IRONMAN community build over recent years.

How's your training gone so far this summer?

Pretty good. I have managed to stay injury free, which has made a big difference. Work has been pretty busy over the last two months, which has made it challenging to find the time that I'd like to put into my training,  but I've always been a pretty good swimmer, so I'm confident I can get out of the water in a decent time, and while I haven't done the miles on the bike that I would like to have done, I should be okay in that part of the race as well. Running has become a bit more challenging over recent years and that will again be where my race really begins, but I will no doubt manage to get myself around the course, and it will be great just to be out there and see so much ANZCO Foods branding and so many of our athletes doing their best for themselves, their families and our company.

What's your perception of how the partnership with IRONMAN New Zealand has gone since we took on the title sponsorship?

I think it would be fair to say that it has become far bigger than what was envisaged when Rick presented the concept to me four or five years ago, and a lot of credit has to go to our fantastic marketing team – notably Louisa Hurst, Ange Gordon, Lori Graham and Fleur Cerecke – who do so much work to make sure the event is a success every year.

I think it has been a great way of building awareness of who ANZCO Foods is across New Zealand. It has also been great to support athletes like Hannah Berry and Braden Currie, who are world class triathletes and have represented New Zealand and ANZCO Foods with a lot of integrity. But the biggest win from my perspective has been how the business has embraced the event. To go from five ANZCO employees racing in our first year to twenty-two just four years later, is the real sign of success from my perspective, and I hope that number continues to grow in the future.

What are your goals for race day this weekend?

For me personally, it's really just about getting around and completing. My real hope for this weekend is more related to the wider ANZCO Foods race team.  It’s been amazing to see the courage and commitment of so many of our people who have stepped up to the challenge. I just want everyone to be safe and to see everyone cross that finish line.

You can't underestimate how significant the achievement of finishing an IRONMAN can be for people, and I know there will be a lot of stories told next week once the team returns to reality and they reflect on what they have accomplished. It's going to be a great day, and I'm so grateful that I can be part of everyone's experience.