Ashburton Farmer James Beattie Tackles ANZCO Foods IRONMAN 70.3

Ashburton beef farmer James Beattie will be competing in his first ANZCO Foods IRONMAN New Zealand 70.3 in March 2026. James is fitting training in alongside his commitments to farm and family, fuelled by premium New Zealand beef and lamb.

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Q. James, tell us about your farm and day-to-day operations.
My wife and I manage an integrated dairy-beef system on a coastal farm north of Ashburton. Every year we raise around 300 beef calves through to finishing, which is an important part
of our business and something I’m proud of. It has been a great way to keep more of our calves on the farm and make the system more efficient. We also oversee a dairy herd of 1,350 cows and raise all our own young stock in a fully in-house operation. It’s busy, but having the mix of dairy and beef gives the farm a nice balance.

Q. What does supplying beef to ANZCO Foods mean to you?
Knowing the beef we produce is going somewhere where it’s genuinely valued makes a big difference. When you put the time, care, and effort into raising animals well, you want the end product to reflect that. ANZCO Foods has always been good to deal with and there’s a high degree of trust there. I know our
cattle end up in high quality markets, and that’s something I take pride in.

Q. Have you always been into sport, or is IRONMAN a completely new challenge?
I’ve always been reasonably active. I played rugby for the local club for years, but a shoulder injury last season meant I had to hang up my boots. A fewmates and I completed the Coast to Coast as a team and that lit the fire for endurance sport. Running is easy to fit around my daily tasks on the farm, butI’ve had to commit to finding the time to add cycling and swimming into the mix. Joining the Mid Canterbury Triathlon has been a great help to get me up to speed.

Q. Finding that time must be a challenge, how do you balance farm work, family life, and training?
It’s definitely hard. I’ve got a very supportive wife and a young son at home, so I try to make sure I’m not missing out on family time. Morning is for farm work, so I train during lunch breaks or after my son goes to bed. The key is finding the right balance. I give training everything I can, but I’m also realistic about what I can do. I’m not a pro athlete - just someone who enjoys pushing myself. The 70.3 distance (1.9km swim / 90km cycle / 21.2km run) is perfect, as it is definitely challenging but also manageable alongside real life.

Q. How important has nutrition been as you have started to increase your training volume for Taupō?
Nutrition is huge. It’s probably the most important part of the sport outside of the training itself. Between early starts and long days, I rely on good fuel to keep me going. For me, that means plenty of beef and lamb, which gives me the protein and nutrients I need and fits naturally into how we eat as a family. We focus on clean, simple eating — quality protein and whole foods — but you’ve still got to enjoy yourself and have a social life!
Again, it’s all about finding the right balance.

Q. What excites you most about the prospect of lining up at ANZCO Foods IRONMAN New Zealand next March?
It sounds like the professional field in Taupō this year is going to be pretty top-notch, with the race included in the IRONMAN Pro Series for the first time, so it will be great to be out on the course with some of the best IRONMAN athletes in the world and see how our home grown champions like Hannah Berry and Mike Phillips go. At a personal level, I’m looking forward to seeing how all the training comes together on the day. The swim will challenge me, but the open water sessions run by my local triathlon club have helped a lot in building up my skills and confidence. I’m ready for a tough day up at Taupō, but I’m determined to be fully prepared and in the best position to give it everything I have. If I cross the finish line knowing I have done that, then it’s a win regardless of the time. Having my wife and son there for race day will also mean a lot, as they are sacrificing a lot to let me do this. Finally, making sure I am as fit as possible and committed to getting to the finish line is also my way of saying thanks to ANZCO Foods for the opportunity and the support they are providing, which has been awesome. I feel lucky to be part of their team.