General News
5 September, 2025
World Champs await Ironmen
BEST mates Andrew Nadaraj and Ian Barnes will represent Warrnambool in one of the toughest sporting events on the planet.
The pair will compete in the Ironman World Championship in Nice, France on Sunday, September 14.
The race includes a 3.8km swim in the Mediterranean, a 180.2km ride through the rugged mountain roads of the Alpes-Maritimes and finishes with a full marathon - a 42.2km run along the sun-drenched French Riviera.
Both Andrew and Ian are making their World Championship debut, and it’s the first time Warrnambool will have two competitors in the same Ironman World Championship event.
“The excitement level of having both of us out there will motivate us,” Ian said.
“It’ll just be so great to be able to do it with my best mate.”
Andrew agreed that working with a friend to prepare for such a gruelling physical challenge had helped a lot.
“It gets us both motivated,” he said.
“If one person is feeling a bit underdone on the day, we can push each other to get going.”
Andrew qualified for the event at the Busselton Ironman in December last year and said that Warrnambool makes a great base for triathletes.
“As well as the ocean, there’s really good infrastructure here,” he said.
“There are plenty of good pathways: the promenade, along Russells Creek. There’s some good riding areas and some relatively good hills around the place.
“The facilities in terms of AquaZone and the 50m pool are also handy so it’s been pretty good to train in.”
Ian qualified at the Cairns Ironman event in June, and at the time, just finishing the event was his goal.
Each Ironman event has a certain number of World Championship slots for each age group, which are offered to finishers in order.
If someone declines, the offer rolls down to the next fastest finisher, and so on, until every slot is accepted.
After finishing outside of the automatic qualifying spots, Ian watched as his name got closer and closer to being called out.
“Nadaraj pushed me on stage and made sure there was no second-guessing,” he said.
“It was a bit hard to get straight back into the training, but he pushed me along.
“It’s a wonderful thing that I always wished would happen but I never thought would.”
Ian competes with one kidney, and he said that it doesn’t impact his performance.
“I probably take a little bit more care in making sure I stay hydrated… but from a health side there are no impacts at all,” he said.
“I think it shows that if you have the opportunity to donate to a friend or family or a loved one, it doesn’t impact your life afterwards.”
Both local athletes have successfully applied for a $700 grant via council’s Individual or Group Assistance Fund to help offset some of the costs incurred in competing overseas.
The fund provides grants for local athletes and teams competing in national and international events.
A mutual friend and 2018 World Ironman Championship competitor Andy Ryan let the pair know that the grants were available, which Ian said were a big help.
“Thank you to the Warrnambool City Council for offering these important grants,” Ian said.
“It’s a really great help.”
Warrnambool mayor Cr Ben Blain congratulated Andrew and Ian and wished them all the best for the big race.
“It’s really exciting to have not just one, but two locals competing in the Ironman World Championships,” he said.
“Whether you’re training for a triathlon or you’re looking for something a bit more leisurely, there are lots of really good places in Warrnambool to go for a run or a bike ride, and of course, we’ve got beautiful Lady Bay on our doorstep.
“Warrnambool has a really strong triathlon club with Andrew and Ian and so many other people who make it the success that it is.
“Best of luck to both Andrew and Ian. Warrnambool is behind you.
“We have grants available to help people competing in national and international events, so if that’s you or someone you know, visit our website to find out more and to apply.”
To find out more, visit www.warrnambool.vic.gov.au and search ‘Council’s Individual or Group Assistance Fund.’
