Shane Robert Reed (16 June 1973 – 30 October 2022) was a New Zealand aquathlete and

triathlete A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between ...

. He won three titles at the ITU Aquathlon World Championships. During his sporting career, he took part in over 65 ITU competitions, winning five medals and achieving thirty-one top ten finishes.

Early life

Reed was born in

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-larges ...

, on 16 June 1973. His father was a painter, while his mother worked as a head nurse. The family relocated to Australia when Reed was eight years old. He studied graphic and design in university, but dropped out to pursue triathlon before he could complete his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

Career

Reed competed in his first triathlon when he was 21. He finished in seventh place at the 2004 ITU World Triathlon Championships in

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Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

. He was also eleventh at the 2005 ITU World Triathlon Championships in Gamagori, Japan. Reed was the gold medallist at the 1998, 1999, and 2004 editions of the ITU Aquathlon World Championships. Reed was selected for the New Zealand Olympic team in the men's triathlon. He qualified for the country's third and final spot at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing by winning the Oceania championships triathlon title in March of that same year. His teammates at the Games were

Kris Gemmell Kris Gemmell (born 28 April 1977, in Palmerston North) is a New Zealand triathlete, and 2002 World Aquathon Champion in Cancún, Mexico. He has also competed in the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games finishing 6th and 5th respectively. Kris Gemmel ...

and Bevan Docherty, who later won the silver medal in this event. Reed's brother Matt, however, became an American citizen just a year before the Olympics and was competing for the United States. In the men's triathlon, Reed led the field out of the swim leg, and ran strongly within the whole course. He expected to reach a top ten finish with his teammates, but he was not able to maintain his pace after being exhausted from riding the bike. Adding to his frustration at not being able to run his own race, Reed was narrowly beaten by his brother Matt, who finished strongly in thirty-second place. In the end, he crossed the finish line by just two places behind his brother, with the time of 1:52:48.

Personal life

Reed married Tammy Kendall, a fellow triathlete from

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. Th ...

, in October 2005. They met in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

, and remained married until his death. Together, they had two children. They resided in Palmerston North, where Reed was head coach at the Kiwi West Aquatics from July 2021 until his death. He was noted for being a gifted cartoonist and illustrated cartoons for triathlon magazines during his early years in the sport. Reed died on 30 October 2022. He was 49, and was diagnosed with

brain cancer A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secon ...

six months prior to his death.

References

External links

ITU Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Shane 1973 births 2022 deaths Deaths from brain cancer in New Zealand Triathletes at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic triathletes of New Zealand Sportspeople from Palmerston North New Zealand male triathletes