the journey to triathlete
From high school rugby player and gym fanatic to triathlete – not your conventional shift! Brad caught onto the sport of triathlon at the tender age of 19, after his dad entered him and his brothers into the local provincial champs. This was certainly not a ‘holy grail’ of introductions to the sport. There was no miracle first race ‘win’, but he beat his brothers and clearly that was enough for the bug to bite!
Brad has naturally always been a competitive person, and at the time, on the hunt for a new physical challenge, triathlon became the new ‘challenge’ that forced him out of his comfort zone. As most triathlon enthusiasts can relate, he soon become somewhat obsessed with the progress of self-improvement.
Working part-time at a local bike store to make ends meet, there was no ‘hallelujah’ moment where Brad was suddenly convinced that triathlon was what he wanted to do as a career. It was more a case of continuous progression until he reached a point where his dedication to triathlon had gotten him to where he could seriously consider taking a more professional approach to the sport he had grown to love.
The success one achieves as a professional triathlete largely depends on the individuals commitment towards the sport on a daily basis. Brad believes that this is his strongest attribute as an athlete. More often than not, he is not the most talented athlete in the field but his mental strength is something he prides himself, and an area fewer athletes can out compete him.
Brad started racing as a professional triathlete in 2012, focusing solely on XTERRA racing. He won his first African Championship and European Championship in 2016 and claimed his first XTERRA World Championship Title 2017. Since then Brad has dominated the world of off-road triathlon, winning a further 2 African Championships, multiple Asia Pacific Championships, European Championships and claimed his second World Championship Title in 2019.
In 2018 Brad made the progression to on-road racing, with the goal of maintaining dominance off-road. In 2019 he won his first IRONMAN 70.3 Championship race in South Africa, followed by another IRONMAN 70.3 Championship win in Taiwan and a top 10 in his inaugural IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships later that year.
Brad aims to successfully transition to IRONMAN 70.3 and middle distance on-road triathlon racing, while maintaining his dominance off-road, seeking more World Championship titles in the sport with a long-term vision in long-distance and full IRONMAN racing.
Mission
To endeavor to become a leading athlete in the sport of triathlon, through humility, perseverance and clean sport practices.
Vision
To use my voice to unite, challenge, and inspire the next generation of sportsmen, always putting sportsmanship principles and behaviour at the forefront of what we do. To teach the next generation that hard work is more valuable than talent and to encourage humility above all.
Values
- Clean sport principles & sportsmanship
- Honesty; integrity; humility
- Discipline; determination & professionalism;