‘I'm a slow learner', says David Binney, explaining why he is entering his third Coast to Coast triathlon.

David knows many view multi-sports people as gluttons for punishment, but he enjoys running, biking and kayaking in some beautiful places.
The 51-year-old Tauranga anaesthetist started competing in triathlons when he was younger.
'But then career and kids and all that kind of stuff put a stop to it and I got to my mid-40s and decided it was time to get fit again.”
More challenge
He took up rowing for a while and his children also took up the sport but after a few years he needed a bit more of a challenge.
Then a friend gave him a multi-sport magazine.
'And one thing sort of led to another and here we are.”
David trains in two-month blocks, followed by two weeks of rest. The training periods usually involve between 10 and 15 hours each week.
'When training I usually overload and then recover – in other words I'll have a hard week followed by an easy one.”
Most of his training involves running, biking and kayaking, but he also has a gym session each week to build up strength. He trains in beautiful spots such as the Kaimai Ranges and Tauranga Harbour and says the scenic spots are part of what attracts him to the sport.
'I hardly ever run around streets. I like to run in the bush, and the Kaimais are fantastic.
'I've kayaked with orcas, seals, dolphins and you can see a wide variety of fish life around you. It's just a fantastic place.”
As a multi-sports man David has found he doesn't have to watch his diet unduly.
'You can eat pretty much what you want if you're sensible about it. On race day last year I worked out that I had burnt something like 12,000 calories.”
Lack of activity
David believes lack of activity rather than overeating to be responsible for our current obesity epidemic.
'If people exercised and were more active, for the most part, their weight would look after itself. I can run through the Kaimais, which are spectacular, and see nobody, but if I go to a shopping mall I'll see 10 to 15,000 people wandering around buying stuff they don't need. They'd be far better off going for a walk around the Kaimais. They wouldn't spend the money they don't have and they'd be a lot healthier for it.”