Two Welcome Bay mums have broken a world record at the Oceania Deadly Dozen Championships in Auckland.

Rise Up Fitness members Megan Behrent and Barb Dunne set the fastest official time in the world for a female pair aged 45–49, completing the gruelling event in 41 minutes and 16 seconds at Trusts Arena on Mother’s Day weekend earlier this month.

Their performance broke the previous world-best time of 42m 24s and placed them fifth overall out of 169 female teams across all age groups.

Deadly Dozen is a high-intensity fitness race combining 12 rounds of 400m running with demanding functional fitness “labours” including lunges, squats, burpee broad jumps and farmers’ carries.

Despite the achievement, both women insist they are simply ordinary working mums who discovered a love for strength training later in life.

“We’re not professional athletes. We don’t spend hours training or obsess over supplements. We just train consistently, trust the process and support each other,” Behrent said.

Behrent, who has always loved running and trail events, said she only discovered strength training in her 40s after joining Rise Up Fitness five years ago.

“It completely changed my mindset about fitness. I realised being fit isn’t just pounding the pavement for hours. Strength training has been hugely important physically and mentally.”

The pair originally had no plans to enter the Oceania Championships after competing in a Tauranga Deadly Dozen earlier this year.

Barb Dunne and Megan Behrent (far left and left) on the podium with their 1st placing. Photo / Supplied

“A few weeks before the event we did a simulation together and got a really good time. That’s when we started thinking maybe we could actually set the world’s fastest time for our age group.”

Dunne said the result was especially meaningful after struggling through health challenges linked to perimenopause in recent years.

“At one point I honestly thought my time pushing myself physically was over. So achieving this now means a lot. It shows me it’s not too late and I’m not done yet,” she said.

Both believe women in their 40s often underestimate what they’re capable of.

The pair train around four to five hours a week while balancing jobs, children and family life.

They credit much of their success to the supportive environment and exceptional programming at Rise Up Fitness, owned by head coach Benji Cottle, who holds a degree in sport and exercise science.

The gym began as a small bootcamp with two members and has grown over five years into a close-knit Tauranga fitness community, with outdoor sessions in Welcome Bay and a gym in Pāpāmoa East.

“We focus on the person behind the membership,” Cottle said.

“We don’t buy into hype or fitness fads. We focus on practical, effective training and creating a supportive environment where people can push themselves.”

Cottle said the achievement was remarkable because of how naturally Behrent and Dunne achieved it.

“To have two mums from Welcome Bay keeping pace with athletes half their age – with almost no event-specific training – is incredible,” he said.

For Behrent, the experience reflects far more than physical fitness.

“Parenting is hard, work is hard, relationships are hard and sometimes you feel like giving up. During Deadly Dozen you have to dig deep and keep going, and that mental toughness is valuable in every aspect of life.”

– Supplied content