Six First Nations IronMob athletes complete challenging Ironman triathlon

Rhiannon Clarke Published May 21, 2024 at 12.00am (AWST)

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Nat Heath and Koorinya Moreton with her nephew Luther at the finish line.(Image: Korupt Vision)

Six IronMob athletes participated in their inaugural Ironman competition at Port Macquarie on the New South Wales Mid North Coast on May 5th.

Noongar man and seasoned Ironman competitor, Nat Heath, who resides in Sydney, took the initiative to establish IronMob 18 months ago.

The group aims to foster a sense of community among First Nations athletes, enabling them to train collectively, exchange valuable resources, and ultimately triumph in an Ironman race.

Mr Heath expressed his astonishment at witnessing the triumph of his inaugural IronMob group, buoyed by an "immense" wave of support throughout the course.

"The finish line was the cherry on top," he told the ABC.

"Bigger than that was a sense of pride in the six [IronMob] individuals and the obstacles they've overcome.

"The number of cheers we received at Ironman and other athletes coming up to us and saying, 'We love what you're doing, your athletes are the best thing to happen to triathlon'. It's been incredible."

IronMob six athletes finished the Port Macquarie event. (Image: Korupt Vision)

Indigenous athletes excel in various sports, yet their participation in triathlons, particularly challenging Ironman events, is still relatively low.

However, there is hope for a transformation as this month all six IronMob athletes successfully completed the challenging 3.8-kilometre swim, 180 km bike ride, and 42.2km run

Mr Heath said the increasing prominence of IronMob athletes is serving as a source of inspiration for others to participate, and he has already commenced training his next set of individuals.

He said that prior to the Port Macquarie event less than 20 First Nations athletes had successfully finished an Ironman race, primarily due to the significant financial burden it entails.

"If you look at the average income of someone who does triathlon, they are up around $90,000 annual salary and First Nations people on average don't sit within that band of average income and we don't come from communities with generational wealth," Mr Heath said.

"First Nations people also haven't seen the older generation doing the sport of triathlon.

"So one thing we have focused on is taking an individual sport and making it more of a team mentality...and that creates huge visibility at events...it shows Indigenous people they can do the sport."

One of the six IronMob athletes, Yuin and Bundjalung women, Koorinya Moreton from the Gold Coast, said she has received numerous supportive messages following the race.

"The on-course support was insane…I think on the run, every person I passed was yelling out 'Up the mob' and it was just so nice," she told the ABC.

"People are talking about, 'What race is next?' or, 'Maybe I should do my first event' or, 'Do I want to go for a bigger event?'"

Ms Moreton says she plans on taking part to encourage First Nations athletes.

"I'm registering to be another person there wearing the IronMob kit and getting amongst the community," she said.

"Especially getting that next group in and helping them settle into what will be an 18-month journey."

Koorinya Moreton embraces her nephew Luther at the end of the Ironman line (Image: Korupt Vision)

Ms Moreton's completion of the Ironman Australia triathlon not only marked the accomplishment of a challenging personal objective, but also served as an inspiration to fellow Indigenous athletes, demonstrating the endless possibilities within reach.

"It was so special when I finished," Ms Moreton.

"My little nephew was there at the end and put my medal around my neck … I was just over the moon."

Mr Heath has announced that eight IronMob athletes are preparing for the Cairns 2025 Ironman, with their focus on Ironman Western Australia in Busselton for 2026.