about
All smiles during a triathlon event
Martin Chimes
Looking strong at the Canberra 70.3 in 2011
Inspired by Martin Chimes
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Forever a proud son of South Africa, Martin Chimes emigrated to Australia to build a life for his children. South Africa’s loss was Australia’s gain. A man of great mental strength and self-discipline, yet kind, generous and a patron and sponsor of many less fortunate. When Martin came to these shores, Australia had imported a true South African diamond into our midst.
Of the many measures of a man -- communal influence, invention and creation, generosity, leadership, love by and to family, business success and charity ... Martin Chimes scored high on all such lists and indeed special lists need to be created to properly recognise Martin.
An author, an entrepreneur, a benefactor of animals and people, Martin was always achieving and using those achievements to better others and enrich the lives of his family and friends. His efforts as a triathlete are a case in point.
Martin was not a supernatural athlete but he always pushed himself to be the best that he could be and encouraged those around him to get in the thick of it and put their best foot forward. He organised the challenging and memorable Cottage Point Triathlon in 2010 for this very reason.
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His physical strength was impressive, but it was his mental
stamina, both in and out of sport, that people admired most and that which ultimately inspired those who knew him.
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Martin was a big believer in the benefits of all types of exercise and he used it as a form of meditation and stress relief, which put him in good stead to fight cancer later in life. He even ran soft sand laps during chemotherapy in his battle against mesothelioma.
Evolution of the Event
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In 2013, Martin's training pals (many of whom have trained together for more than 30 years!) came together to compete in the first Christmas Day Tri started by Jonny Kallmeyer and co-directed by Mark Davis. Martin's great mates honoured him by renaming the Christmas Day Tri with his name from 2016 onwards. In 2018, the training session evolved once again to enter the fold of the Maccabi Triathlon & Cycle Club and is now known as the Martin Chimes Maccabi Tri (MCMT).
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Simply put, this training session is about friends coming together to remember and celebrate Martin and to draw on his inspirational qualities to push oneself that little bit harder than you thought possible and to have fun! Embrace the struggle and trials and tribulations of a taxing triathlon, and let your pathway to performance be inspired by following in the wake of a man who fought every fight head on with courage and dignity.
