On Saturday, Kiwi Ironman athlete, Braden Currie crossed the finish line in first place in what could be his first and last New Zealand race of the 2022 season.

Braden finished ahead of Jack Moody in second place and Sam Osbourne in third place in the iconic Tauranga Half saying he wanted to make the most of the day after government announcements earlier in the week around planned Omicron protection restrictions and the impact it will have on events.

'This race meant a lot. New Zealand is my favorite place to race and it may be the last time I stand on the start-line here for a while with the inevitable move to Red,” says Braden.

'Once Omicron is in the community - many events will need to cancel so I wanted to make the most of today and really enjoy it. The next time I race will likely be overseas unless Omicron stays at bay until April.”

On Sunday morning the Prime Minister announced that NZ would be moving to the Red setting in the Covid-19 Protection Framework from 11.59pm on Sunday.

Braden Currie. Photo: Sally Currie.

In addition to winning the race on Saturday, Braden also took home the title of 2022 Long Distance Triathlon Champion and arguably broke the current course record which was set last year by Kyle Smith at a time of 3 hours 39 minutes and 43 seconds. On Saturday Braden finished 32 seconds short of this, however the bike course was 2km longer compared to last year. Can he claim it? Perhaps unofficially, but thirteen-year-old Tarn Currie - Braden's son - sure thinks so.

It wasn't just Dad hard at work on Saturday as Tarn made his podium debut in the 5km running event coming third and leaving people wondering - will he follow in Dad's footsteps?

'He's determined, but I'm trying to tell him to do something more exciting like mountain biking but he's a pretty talented runner so who knows?” says Braden.

The Tauranga Half has been part the Mount Maunganui summer since 1990, making it one of New Zealand's longest running and most popular triathlon events in New Zealand.

'It was a good day - I don't feel as tired as I normally would,” says Braden. 'I had a great swim – it's not often I get away from those guys in the swim so it was nice to get clear which meant I could do my own thing for the first hour at least, until Mike Phillips caught me on the bike.

'I knew Mike would ride well, but I knew as long as I stuck with him, I was confident my run would take me where I wanted to be. It's a good start to the season and I really appreciate everyone's support on the sidelines. It was awesome out there.”