Hi Neda!
Many thanks for accepting our invitation to be interviewed. We are very happy to have you on board, champion.
When did you join TA?
Tri the Tri #1 in 2018, unfortunately I was knocked out with pneumonia and pleurisy after 3 weeks and ended up discontinuing to restart for Tri the Tri #5 in December
And what made you join?
I attempted my first tri in Feb 2018 and was dnf.
Having had a traumatic experience with the swim (multiple jelly stings), then landing in ED at the Alfred after a bad bike leg – I knew it was time to get some help if I was ever going to finish a triathlon.
I honestly wasn’t sure I was cut out for triathlon, so the commitment free trial was enticing.
What an experience! What races have you done since?
This year I completed my first, second and third sprint triathlons.
I did 2 of the 2XU sprint triathlons and the Barwon Heads mini one in March.
Next season I will try and knock off a few more, maybe an Olympic and then work my way towards a half Ironman if the body can take it.
I am more of a single sport athlete (using that word makes me laugh) with running being my greatest focus now. I did the Portsea twilight, Run for the Kids, corona del mar 5k, GC half, AV 10k and a few APSOC cross country runs this year.
Wow, that’s a lot of running, do you have a favourite event?
Mt Fuji in 2017 is by far my favorite marathon.
An elite athlete in my Cross Country club gave up his spot with 5 weeks left til the race and I jumped on it.
I was lucky enough to get a completely expenses paid hosted trip to Japan, and start with the elites (it was such a joke being asked to start behind the start ribbon! but I did it).
Before Mt Fuji, my favourite was NY – a noisy crowded street festival for 42k but I cant look past the serenity of the japanese mountains.
Swim, ride or run?
Run. No coordination required, no equipment – just me and the road.
We know you recently raced on the Gold Coast and have heard you might have another running goal in the pipeline, tell us more…
Goldie was my stepping stone race in the lead up to the Chicago marathon in October.
Chicago will be my 9th marathon. But it will be my first injury free, with true preparation, planning and coaching.
I’m excited to see what I can achieve.
What do you do when you’re not swimming, riding and running?
I’m studying a certificate in International Relations part time and learning French.
I’m a big Film Festival buff, and don’t mind going alone if I have exhausted all my friends with reading subtitles.
I have 6 brothers and sisters and 7 nieces and nephews, so family time is big and gives me a chance to experiment with my baking skills.
I was born in Shiraz, a city in the south of Iran. My parents left Iran post revolution in 1979 and moved to Singapore, they returned a few years later in hope things had settled. They hadn’t. So they left 6 kids in tow and moved to Australia. I have been here since I was 11 months old and grew up in Mount Eliza.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
Over-prescribing habits.
Sounds deep but it’s not.
Having spent a decade as a pharmacist in a previous life, the only pill I’d love to see over-prescribed is exercise. Unfortunately, those who exercise, exercise a lot and those who don’t, are at the end of the spectrum with multiple comorbidities and repeat hospitalizations.
Besides being great for your body and your mind, exercise is good for the soul, it brings people together it fosters community, social interaction, forces mindfulness, lifts your mood and your attitude to others.
Tell us something that might surprise us about you…
I couldn’t swim til I was 15 and I didn’t exercise until I was 22. As a chubby middle eastern kid, priorities growing up were good food and good grades – so I always had a sick note for sport…
Again, many thanks for your time, Neda, it was super cool to get to know a bit more about you. Have a cracking year ahead, all the best for October – we will be cheering you – and we will see you soon at the next training session 😉
Eddy and Steph.
