Erin Baker

0 Erin Baker
Personal information
Date of birth	23rd May 1961 (age 59)
place of birth	Kaiapoi , New Zealand
societies
successes
1987, 1990	2 × Ironman Hawaii winner
1988/91/93	3 × Second Ironman Hawaii
1989	World champion triathlon short distance
1991	World champion Duathlon short distance
1992, 1994	2 × world champion duathlon long distance
status
Resigned in 1994

Erin Margaret Baker (born May 23, 1961 in Kaiapoi ) is a former triathlete from New Zealand . She is world champion in triathlon (1989) and duathlon (1991, 1992 and 1994). She won the three most important competitions of the 1980s and 1990s, the Triathlon Longue Distance de Nice (1985 and 1989), the Powerman Zofingen (1992 and 1994) and the Ironman Hawaii (1987 and 1990) twice each . She is included in the best list of New Zealand triathletes on the Ironman distance .

Career

Erin Baker grew up with seven siblings in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island . When Baker was ten years old, her family moved to Christchurch , where they attended Sacred Heart Girls College . Her younger sister Philippa Baker (* 1963) was three times world champion in rowing , her sisters Kathy and Maureen were both New Zealand champions in swimming and aerobics . In 1984 Baker lived with her older sister Alison in Sydney , where she saw a triathlon in Royal National Park - it was her first triathlon. She was motivated to do this by a report from the 1979 Les Mills Triathlon in Auckland , which she saw on television while visiting Christchurch. This was followed by the Coral Coast Triathlon in Cairns , and she won her third triathlon in Noosa Shire . Baker moved back to Christchurch and started training for her first long-distance triathlon, the Tooheys Great Lakes International Triathlon - in which she was also the fastest woman.

Athletic career

In 1985, Erin Baker won the Longue Distance de Nice triathlon, which was then endowed with $ 75,000 in prize money - at that time the best long distance triathlon in the world. When she defended her title in 1986, Baker ran over ten minutes ahead of second-placed Linda Buchanan (USA), but was disqualified at the finish for accepting unauthorized assistance because she let her sister pass her food on the bike course. Three weeks later she started at Ironman Hawaii, which for the first time also paid out prize money to the top runners, but got out on the bike course. It was her first start in a competition in the USA, previously she had been banned from entry for four years by the US Department of State as an "undesirable person". The reason was a conviction for throwing a dust bomb during an anti- apartheid demonstration as part of a rugby tournament in Springbok .

In 1987, Baker was able to collect $ 30,000 in prize money for her victory at a triathlon in Fremantle , the highest prize of her career up to that point. Like many other organizers in the 1980s, the organizer had even elevated this triathlon to a self-proclaimed world championship - it wasn't until a good two years later that the national associations agreed on the establishment of an international umbrella organization that laid down the regulations for such a title. In 1987 she was able to triumph there in her second start at the Ironman Hawaii and even undercut the course record by over 14 minutes. Although she undercut her own course record by more than 23 minutes when she tried to defend her title in 1988, she had to admit defeat to Paula Newby-Fraser .

Baker, who in interviews made no secret of the fact that the Ironman Hawaii was not one of their favorite races, then suspended more on the sport of running, with the perspective in the marathon m or or about 5,000 to 10,000 m for the Olympic Games in Barcelona to to qualify. She ran her first pure marathon at the Pittsburgh Marathon, which was endowed with US $ 153,300 in prize money for women alone, and came third in 2:36 hours. Baker did not start in Nice or the Ironman Hawaii in 1989, only started in triathlons over the short distance. In 1989 she won the first official triathlon world championship (Olympic distance with 1.5 km swimming, 40 km cycling and 10 km running) in Avignon, four months after the founding of the global umbrella organization ITU . Her focus was on the Chicago Marathon , in the preparation of which she set her personal best over this distance in 32:51 minutes in the Tufts Health Plan run over 10 km in Boston . The Chicago marathon did not go according to plan, however, the goal of a sub-2:30 time proved to be unrealizable early on and she came in twelfth in a disappointing 2:39 hours.

In the following year, she therefore increasingly relied on triathlon again, starting at Ironman New Zealand, Ironman Japan, Ironman Canada and again at Ironman Hawaii, where she was able to record her second victory.

After she won the Duathlon World Championship on the short distance in Palm Springs in 1991 , she won the Powerman Zofingen in Switzerland in 1992 and again in 1994 , at that time the official Duathlon World Championship on the long distance. In total, Erin Baker won 104 of the 121 triathlon competitions in which she participated. Erin Baker was trained by John Hellemans, a doctor, multiple age group winner at the Ironman Hawaii and trainer of the Dutch triathlon squad, which, in addition to Baker, has already included numerous prominent triathletes such as B. Andrea Hewitt , Britta Martin and others looked after.

Personal

Erin Baker was one of the pioneers of an equal division of prize money for men and women, on the grounds that the training effort for the top placements is independent of gender. It was important to her that her contracts with organizers always included the wording of payment of the same prize money regardless of gender.

1988 as part of the Heritage International Triathlon 1988 met Baker at their hotel in Provo on Scott Molina , the albeit it for already from previous competitions. B. in Nice and Hawaii, where they had both been in solid relationships. Baker canceled her planned return flight to New Zealand and went to Boulder (Colorado) with Molina . The couple married in 1990 and their first son was born in 1993. Erin Baker ended her active career as a professional triathlete in 1994 and moved with her family and Molina's daughter, who was born in 1981, from an earlier relationship to Baker's hometown of Christchurch, where they still live today. Their second child was born there in 1996. In 1993, Baker initiated and organized the Weet-Bix Try-athlon Series in New Zealand for a number of years from then on, especially for children aged seven to thirteen.

Baker served as one of thirteen councilors in Christchurch City Council from 1998 , where she was one of two representatives for the suburb of Ferrymead , and was a member of the Canterbury District Health Board . She also served on the boards of Jade Stadium Ltd and Christchurch and Canterbury Marketing Ltd, a local company of the Christchurch City Council. Baker initially worked as a sales representative for orthopedic products such as prostheses and the like. since 2010 she has been the managing director of a trading company in this branch in Christchurch.

Awards

• As part of the 1993 New Year Honors , it was on 31 December 1992 together with her sister Philippa of Queen Elizabeth II. As a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) as members of the Order of the British Empire appointed.
• In 1989, Baker was honored with the Westpac Halberg Award as New Zealand's Sportswoman of the Year ,
• In 1995, Baker was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame .
• American special-interest magazine Triathlete named Baker Triathlete of the Decade . The magazine commented on her success with "We've stopped trying to figure Erin out, we just accept her as the best female triathlete that ever lived" ("We stopped trying to understand Erin. We just accept that she is the best." Is a triathlete who has ever lived. ”).
• For the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney Baker was one of the relay runners with the Olympic flame.
• In 2014, Erin Baker was inducted into the ITU's Hall of Fame in recognition of her athletic achievements .
• In October 2018 it was announced that Erin Baker would be honored with the admission into the "Ironman Hall of Fame" .

Sporting successes

Web links

• Profile for Erin Baker at the Institute for Applied Training Science , accessed May 13, 2014
• Profile and results of Erin Baker in the ITU database at Triathlon.org , accessed on October 9, 2018 (English).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Joseph Romanos: New Zealand's top 100 sports history-makers . Trio Books, Wellington 2006, ISBN 0958245584 .
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Betsy Delcour: Twenty Questions with Erin Baker ( English ) In: Xtri.com . Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ ^{a b} Lee Benson: The way to the heart for Scott, Erin was training ( English ) In: The Deseret News . July 1, 1989.
4. ↑ Glenn Thiele: Athletes suffer in Triathlon ( English ) In: The Sydney Morning Herald . April 21, 1985.
5. ↑ Herbert Krabel: few thoughts from Mark Allen ( English ) In: slowtwitch.com . April 13, 2009.
6. ↑ ^{a b} 30 ans de Triathlon de Nice ( French ) In: www.ligue-ca-triathlon.com . Archived from the original on July 1, 2015. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
7. ↑ US lift ban on Kiwi ( English ) In: The Sydney Morning Herald . August 8, 1986.
8. ↑ ^{a b c} Kiwi pair dominates world triathlon ( English ) In: The Age . January 19, 1987.
9. ↑ Women's record eclipsed in Ironman ( English ) In: Eugene Register Guard . October 11, 1987.
10. ↑ ^{a b} Dan Empfield: Erin Baker (Interview) ( English ) In: slowtwitch.com . October 1999. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
11. ↑ Ken McAlpine: Erin Baker becomes a woman on the run ( English ) In: Sports Illustrated . April 30, 1990.
12. ↑ Pittsburgh Marathon is growing on female runners ( English ) In: Observer-Reporter . May 4th 1989.
13. ↑ Allen wins world triathlon ( English ) In: New Straits Times . August 8, 1989.
14. ^ Runner profile of Erin Baker . Association of road racing staticians.
15. ^ Training at 60: The Doctor Comes Full Circle . In: ironman.com . August 20, 2013.
16. ↑ Erin Baker: Column: 'Tryathlon' good for the soul - and kids ( English ) In: The New Zealand Herald . June 30, 2000.
17. ↑ Nick Munting: New Zealands Wonder Women ( English ) In: ironmanlive.com . April 24, 2001. Archived from the original on October 29, 2006.
18. ^ Baker's future on Canterbury Health Board uncertain ( English ) In: The New Zealand Herald . April 13, 2003.
19. ↑ Report For the Year Ended 30 June 2002 ( English , PDF) Canterbury District Health Board. Archived from the original on September 26, 2006.
20. ^ London Gazette  (Supplement). No. 53154, HMSO, London, December 30, 1992, p. 30 ( PDF , English).
21. ↑ 1989 Halberg Award Winners ( English )  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
22. ↑ Erin Baker - Member of the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame ( English )
23. ^ Ron Palenski, Joseph Romanos: Champions: New Zealand sports greats of the 20th century . Hodder Moa Beckett, Auckland 2000, ISBN 1-86958-813-4 .
24. ^ 'Toddy' among residents to carry Olympic torch . May 2000.
25. ^ ITU Hall of Fame ( English ) International Triathlon Union .
26. ↑ Former IRONMAN World Champions and leaders honored for their dedication, passion and contributions to the sport. (October 1, 2018)
27. ↑ Baker Inductee into Triathlon Hall of Fame ( English ) September 2, 2014.
28. ↑ Dan Empfield: Summer of '92 ( English ) In: slowtwitch.com . 18th November 2013.