Oamaru must have been the last place Andrea Hansen thought her comeback trail would lead her.
In fact, she did not even know there was a triathlon happening there at first.
But as events continue to fall over due to Covid-19 restrictions, it has become a case of taking whatever opportunities present themselves.
That is how the three-time Olympian ended up among the entries for tomorrow’s Oamaru Triathlon.
The event is being run alongside the South Island secondary schools championships, having been added to the annual schools event to give elite athletes a chance to gain qualification points.
Hansen (nee Hewitt) is one of 12 athletes aiming for representative honours at the event, her goal to make it to this year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
At 39 years old and one year on from having a baby, she said her fitness had returned well over the past 12 months.
She has done a handful of races, those that have gone ahead, in recent times.
While Oamaru may seem a long way from the Olympics, she was looking forward to racing in the town for the first time.
"I’ve always enjoyed racing in New Zealand and doing local events," she said.
"It’s hard when most races are international races and that’s the focus ...
but I always like to be able to come and race at home. This is a great opportunity."
"Having some time off with a baby was a big change for me, so it’s good to just be able to race again."
Hansen had been racing in Australia when the Covid-19 pandemic hit in March 2020.
She had plans to continue overseas, but returned home as the world began to shut down.
Pregnancy followed and she has not planned on going overseas since then.
There was still motivation to compete, though, and she admitted to being surprised at how well motherhood and training had fitted together.
"I definitely still enjoy it," she said.
"My parents help out a lot, so I can get out pretty much twice a day. I’m still enjoying it. So if everything goes well so I’ll head to the Commonwealth Games."
Hansen won an individual bronze at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, before being part of the bronze medal-winning relay team in 2018.
Her Olympic appearances had all resulted in top eight finishes, although she was making no commitment to the Paris Games in 2024.
"I haven’t thought that far," she said with a slight laugh.
"I don’t know how the body’s going to hold up. I’m not doing a complete season or anything, I’m not going back into that.
"I’m just focusing on Comm Games at the moment, then we’ll see."
Otago’s Janus Staufenberg, Brea Roderick and Saxon Morgan are among the other elite athletes entered to race in Oamaru.
The capacity of 100 athletes had been reached in the junior and intermediate grades, while there were limited spots left in the senior and elite races.
The elite race begins at 9.50am.
