For Erin and her family, triathlon is more than a sport. It fast became a saviour. After suffering the tragic loss of her brother in a workplace incident, the family struggled to come to grips with the pain.
Until one day a throwaway comment from a couple of her dad (Dave White’s) friends – Mark Foster and Anthony Hopewell – sparked the beginning of a new venture.
Dusting off the bike, swimwear and running shoes triathlon became the new mode of moving forward.
That was 5 years ago.
Dave has now become a regular at the Hamilton Triathlon and is gearing up for his fifth appearance. But it was no easy feat. The decision to get involved only took a little bit of convincing and with only 6 weeks to prepare for his first race there was no time for mucking around.
“They got back from their Europe trip and locked in for six weeks of hard training. They completed their first triathlon in Hamilton,” Erin explained.
Triathlon truly has become a full family affair. In fact, Erin often wonders where they’d be if they hadn’t found the sport.
“What triathlons have done for just not our family, but for my dad is just unbelievable. And it’s the whole community, everyone’s so supportive of each other. You know, it’s not even about winning, it’s just about that feeling of crossing that finish line.”
“Dad starting these triathlons just completely changed his life and his mentality and on how to look forward, especially after, losing his son at 24.”
For Erin and the family it’s not just about racing and the competitive nature, it’s knowing you can push yourself further, push through the pain and fight to see another day. In her words, they’re “doing it for Joel.”
“We always wear bright yellow fluoro t-shirts that say doing it for Joel.” And with a group of 20-30 people decked out in fluoro tops it’s fair to say they’re hard to miss out on course.
Recounting the first time she saw her dad cross the finish line was a moment Erin will never forget.
“I was just bawling my eyes out. I was just so proud. I’m getting emotional now thinking about it. It was the most incredible thing to see how that hurt pushed him further.”
“There were so many times after he was finished that he was saying, I wanted to finish. I wanted to quit and all he kept thinking about was, I’m going to do this for Joel.”
“And it was just it was the most emotional thing. We were all just there cheering him on.”
It has almost become a triathlon pandemic in the family, with just about every member competing in some form of triathlon. And while Erin jokes that she doesn’t do the longer distances, but she has competed in her fair few shorter ones, including the Tri Pink alongside her sister, mum and aunties.
“At first I couldn’t understand what made them want to go back every single year to do something that was so hard,” she chuckled.
“But when I finished my first triathlon, which is again was short, it was 200 metre swim, 6km bike and a 2.5km run, the feeling of accomplishment just helped numb the pain of losing Joel.”
“And remembering those things when you’re doing that, just to push yourself that little bit more is nothing compared to the pain that we’ve been through,” she said.
Triathlon hasn’t only been a saviour in the physical sense but so too mentally and emotionally – providing a sense of belief, perseverance and calmness in the midst of the gruelling challenge.
Every year family and friends descend on Hamilton Island to take on the annual triathlon to remember Joel and whether they race harder, faster or better, the outlook never changes. It’s about honouring their beloved brother and son and encouraging others to find silver linings along the way.
“Triathlon gives us a way to remember him in like where it’s not only centred around sadness, it’s a celebration.”
“It’s an honouring feeling when you see all our family and friends like wearing the doing it for Joel shirt and cheering everybody.”
This year however is even more special. Much like her father Erin’s sister Cayla is also racing. And racing for another cause.
At her routine 34 week ultrasound her daughter was diagnosed with a heartbreaking and rare condition called Tuberous Sclerosis Complex where benign tumours grow in different organs throughout the body.
Doctors discovered lesions on her brain and tumours on her heart and once she was born Alexia started having silent seizures. Fast forward nine-months and ‘she’s absolutely thriving,’ ‘reaching all her milestones, laughing, giggling and loves playing with her, her older sister’ Erin details.
But TSC doesn’t got away, it’s a lifelong condition. So this year to raise awareness and funding for research the family are once again taking to the streets of Hamilton Island to share their message.
If you would like to support the family you can donate here.
A family galvanised by tragedy finding a common ground to remember, inspire and continue to live through using triathlon to spread the message. A family that has truly found their unstoppable.
