Its really hard to believe that it was 24 years ago that this amazing event, in memory of a more amazing person took place.Richie Walker and Peter Brunker my two very close friends were a threesome looking for an Ironman finish way back in 86 when we did ridiculous training sets.

It was all to chase a dream...a dream of Richie's, to compete and conquer the worlds greatest Triathlon, The Gruelling Hawaiian Ironman.
 
We trained as much as we could, actually Peter and I trained very little, while Richie secret trained, taking advantage of his lifeguard job to the fullest, like a few others I know!! ( No Names Wilko, Pring and the rest of you guys, you know who you are, including you Pinhead :)         

We travelled to Queensland, ( my first out of state race) to compete in the Great race.
For people who dont know, this was the race where Richie first fell ill.
 
After returning to Sydney after a brief stay in Hospital, it was diagnosed that Richie had a heart condition. Richie had a pacemaker implanted and recovered.A few months later and a clean bill of health Richie started to resume his training, but at a much more leisurely pace.
A few more months down the road and the new triathlon season knocking on the door, it was time to start racing, well for Peter and I anyway, oh, and Mick Maroney and the Southwell boys, and JB and Greggy Miller.... you get the hint, the mob from the club.Peter, Richie and I decided to kick it off at Nowra.
 
It was the Thursday night before the race, and also Richie's 21st birthday. I asked Richie what he wanted to do for this once in a lifetime night... he replied, Welchy, take me to the track and teach me how to be a better runner! Much obliged, but Richie, dont you want to chase some tail mate? NAH, Richie was hell bent on becoming a better athlete over hooking up ;)
The next day we got our crap together, well Peter and I, Richie called us and said he was going to Tamworth instead. I was ok with this but I really was looking forward to us all being together. 
Richie was so competitive that he was looking for a result already, little bugger.
Peter and I competed in Nowra and had a great time. We travelled home with some bad news, we had found out that Richie had some trouble in the swim and was taken to Hospital.
Peter and I travelled back to the Shire in a really somber way, we were later to find out that we had both lost our best friend. We were really upset and at 21 you can imagine that Richie was just tapping into a lifestyle that suited him to the ground, it was his life.

I don't mean to write this to make you cry or feel sad, I write this to educate you on one of the finest humans that ever breathed the Sutherland Shire air!
Richie came from a family that breathed sport from his father David, a very accomplished Rugby League player.
Elizabeth AKA Liz, his mother, an incredible swimmer, and Jen, his younger sister, well, Jen was good at everything, including Squash, a favourite of mine too.
It was an incredible and very heart felt loss around our community, also to his family, but the Triathlon world lost a competitor that would have made us proud. Richie was a great friend, a role model for anyone who needs to learn what a sportsman is, and how a sportsman acts, a true class of his own, a class act.

The Richie Walker memorial now hitting 24 has gone a long way.
I remember the first year as Peter Brunker and myself camped in Gunamatta Park the night before as security, race directors and loving mates, only hoping that our new race in memory of our best friend go off with a bang!

It did, and now celebrating 24 great years.
Enjoy yourselves if you are competing, enjoy yourself if you are volunteering.

In memory of Richie, my brother, I dedicated my career to you and my Ironman win in Kona would only have been possible with your foresight... you are gone but never forgotten.
 
Greg Welch