UPLIFTING GUITAR MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES Captions by Tom Wilson. Edited by Desney Shaw. www.tvnz.co.nz/access-services Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. TVNZ Access Services 2013 Hi, I'm Buck Shelford, and I know that losing weight can be a daunting process. But Harley Thompson faced the scales telling him that he weighed 240kg. So Harley went for a walk then a swim, and this led to a small triathlon. Now Harley is training for Iron Maori, a half-Iron Man, all because Harley Thompson decided it was time to put one foot in front of the other. I wanna be the best 154kg athlete there is, and I'm sure I could be a world champion at that category. GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC I left college when I was around 100 K. I didn't have much fat on me ` I was rather lean ` and over the next 21 years, managed, somehow, to peak at 240 K's. Looking back to childhood, um, that, you know, McDonald's was a treat. And it was a` It was a, um` a feel-good factor, and` and it was a treat. And, so, like, um, obese people, typically` Well, for me, um, if I wasn't feeling too flash, I would, um` I would pull into` pull into McDonald's. I didn't realise I was that heavy. Um, as long as I could find clothes that could fit, then it was about, 'Oh, Jeez, I need to buy some more clothes.' There was a time where I didn't have the flexibility to be able to wipe my backside. And so what I did is that I trained myself to eat, uh, during the morning, so I would go to` um, only. And so I'd go, um, to the bathroom in the early evening, and then, um` and then I'd shower, um, so` because I, um` because I was unable to do that. Um, and, um, yeah. And you'd think that even then that, uh, at that stage, that you'd go, 'Oh Jeez, I need to do something,' But, um, I was like that for, uh, probably nine months. I've gone to bed, and I've got a fright and woken up and been on the side of the bed, and` and just said to` to the higher power, whoever that may be ` or she, maybe ` that, um, you know, if I make it through the night, I will change my ways in the morning. I call it obesity logic. If you're waking up the next morning and you're feeling a little bit better, you go, 'Oh, yeah, everything must be right.' When we were married, he was still` you know, he was weighing in at 130 kilos there. That's not a small man. (LAUGHS) That's not a small man. You know, and it kind of just` he just started getting bigger and bigger and bigger over the years. It was at his 40th birthday, and, um, basically when his friends said to him, 'Bro, we're really concerned about you. 'We don't want to come back and see you in a box.' And he said it just snapped, and, um, it was like, 'Yes, I'm 40 years old. 'I want to see my daughter have her 21st. 'I want to see my grandchildren and her get married and all of those things,' you know? Tohungia ra matou me enei kai kua homai e koe kia ora ai matou. Ma to matou... Whanau's probably the most important thing in our lives. It makes us who we are. ALL: Amene. ALL: Amene. Here's your tea. Go sit down. But it is one of those things about families. Often with him,... (SIGHS) what do you do? (INHALES) Oh, you get together, you catch up,... and you eat. We knew that we had to do something. 'Please don't keep feeding him.' You know? The son comes home, and the mother puts the food on the table and expects the son to eat it. (SIGHS) You know, it's like, 'Yep.' And, you know, and then the son goes to the auntie's, and the auntie expects the same thing. And then to this one, and it's like, 'Actually, you've sort of just had three meals in one night.' Here you go. Come and get yours. Well, I was looking at all options. There's gastric bypass, and a gastric bypass is that, uh` uh, in the old days they'd call it stomach staple. For myself, I would suggest I was certainly turned down because I was too heavy, and there was, um` nobody would put me under. So I went on a regime to` to lose an amount of weight that would enable me to do it. (GIGGLES) > I ended up studying hypnotherapy to try and work out, uh, why I was doing things. As an obese person, I've leaned on excuses a lot. So it was a huge honesty call, really. I was really going from couch, and so I had to be quite structured in the way that I'd prepared. We're not just like, 'Oh yeah, you need to lose 5 kilos,... (LAUGHS) and then we'll be all good.' It wasn't something like that. It was more... I... I dunno, 60 kilos. Generally, Monday to Friday, I don't eat bread, I don't eat cereals. So I look at some food. If it hasn't had a life force, I shouldn't be eating it. So what I mean is, like, you know, fruit has a life force; it's lived. Vegetables have had a life force lived. I realised that I needed to be progressive but start slowly, and just to` you know, put one foot in front of the other. Um, don't decide to change lifestyle, and then that ends up putting you in the ground because you go and, uh, overdo it. By the time Harley had lost all that weight so the anaesthetist would actually put him under, he said to him, 'You know what, mate? You don't need me. You don't need this.' Oh, I'm just fortunate that I` I came to a place where I could do that, um, because, uh, you know, a lot of people don't get that opportunity. They end up, um` They end up carking it, so... Yeah. Welcome back, everyone. Good to see you all. Um, I think there was a bit of apprehension initially about the weather, um, but Tamanui's come out, and it's, uh, looking like a stunner. Having an issue with your weight and having health problems, you know, people can be really cruel. People will just stare at him, like, 'Oh my God.' You know, and that used to` it used to drive me insane. I'd wanna, you know, take out` take them all on. It's like, 'Well, you know, he's` we're trying. He's trying.' With the TriPoneke group, it was, 'All fitness levels are welcome to come, 'and, um` and let's train together and do it safely,' Whenever you're ready, mate. Go. Go. I've got a` a goal body-fat percentage, and that's around 14%. That's` That's what I wanna get to. I don't weigh myself, um, regularly at all, uh, because I can` scales can be a` actually be a deterrent. For me, I've just got a string, and, um, I'll put it around my waist, and then once I've had, uh, three weeks' consistent,... uh, that the string's getting smaller, then I'll cut the end off of it, and that's how I work it. And so, um, I only jump on the scales if I have to for a doctor's appointment or so forth. Because now it's actually not about a weight-loss journey. It's about, um` It's about a health journey. My heart rate has come down 40, 45 beats a minute. And so I had a resting heartbeat of, um, 162. And so it's, um` you know, it's` it's still not flash at the moment. The other kaupapa that he loves is One Heart Many Lives Kaupapa. For him, that's all about actually, you know, Maori men and Pacific Island men actually taking more responsibility for ensuring that they get their health checked. Fantastic. Fantastic. Kei te pai. Kei te pai. We can move on now. (CHUCKLES) Any first-degree whanau that have had a heart attack or stroke? Yep. Um, grandparents. Yep. Um, grandparents. Your grandparents? Yep. Um, grandparents. Your grandparents? Both grandparents. My heart forecast wasn't flash. I think it was a life expectancy of` of early 50s. Uh, and that was more about, um` was a combination of history in the family of, uh, cardiac disease, and` and, um, you know, being 240 K. It's, uh... Yeah. Yeah, so it's, um` The forecast wasn't flash. Mm. I lost my father to` um, he had a heart attack when I was 12 years old. And I used to say that to Harley. I said, 'Do you want Tereihine and Jesse not to have a father?' And that's naughty of me to say that, but do you not want them? Do you not want to see your grandchildren? Cos if you don't, you're going the right way about it, mate. # He honore nui. # He kororia # ki te Atua... # 'He used to tell me that, you know, "I'm doing this for you` for you and Mum," 'stuff like that, and I'd be like, "I don't even see why you need to change. (LAUGHS) '"You're` You're awesome just how you are." 'I remember one of the things he first told me is that' he wanted to actually not sit in the car and watch me play at the park and wanted to actually get out with me and, you know, like, play with me. Cos he never used to be able to do that. This journey is about Tereihine, is about Carolyn, is about, uh, Jesse, our oldest girl. Uh, but I brought it back to, 'Actually, I gotta do it for myself, 'and if I do it for myself, well, then I'll be all right with them.' Yeah. And I had to accept that there were going to be people that are going to think that, um, there was no way that I could, uh, go forward and` and do a` a Half-Iron. And, uh, but I just` I know that wasn't about them. Oh, gidday. Oh, no, I had a bit of an accident. Uh, twisted my knee. Got out of the cab and, um` and rolled my knee in a drain. I was pretty confident that there wasn't any, uh, major damage, but, uh, there was certainly some deep bruising there. And, um, so I needed to ice it straight away, and, um, the timing of it, uh, being two days out from the event, uh, certainly added... added a fair amount of, um` a fair amount of pressure. CROWD CHATTERS Kia ora, Elise. Kia ora. Harley Thompson. Harley Thompson. Harley Thompson. The journey to the start is` is the hardest part. OK, Harley, take your number around here to the lady, and she'll give you your timing chip, OK? Kia ora. Thank you very much. Kia ora. Thank you very much. Great. All the best for tomorrow. 263. z UPLIFTING MUSIC I've got a huge respect for, um, people that do multi-sports, triathlons, uh, Coast to Coast, Iron Man, because the amount of, um, grief that they put their body through is, um, pretty amazing. It's a bizarre sensation when you're gonna go and hurt yourself purposely, but it'll be a good day. And the weather's good. Napier's put it on, and, um, there's not too much of a breeze, so,... yeah, ready to roll. HORN BLARES CROWD CHEERS, CLAPS You always think that you can do it. Um, and you always have that constant battle, going, 'Oh, what are you doing this for?' There's numerous times that you want to give up, but I know that I'm not going to. I didn't even know that Maori people would be interested in doing some form of triathlon event. I was blown away by` by it completely. It changed my, uh` my view and perspective about actually, you know, what type of activity anybody can do. ANNOUNCER: Harley Thompson. They're all promoting, you know, being active and being healthy, and, man, you know, it's people of all shapes and sizes do it. And it's not about winning. That's the thing. You know, for him, it was not about winning. 'I just need to finish it.' He just needed to finish it. We've got Tirohia Bridger from Radio Kahungunu, supported by her whanau. The race organiser, she's like the mother. She's like the mother of the day. And for her, it's not over until the last person comes home. CROWD CHATTERS Why Iron Maori's worked is people have seen people that look just like them from the sideline. And then the next year they've thought, 'Right, I'm gonna do it. If he can do it, I can do it.' And usually it's people that are bigger than them, and they're thinking, 'Well, look at my size. You know, what's my excuse?' It's not about the beautification of your body. It's about keeping your weight at a healthy range so that your` your organs are not stressed. Chain slipped. It's on now. CALM MUSIC I suppose the word 'role model' is a bit difficult for me, because I've got, um, a long way to go where I want to be, uh, in terms of, uh` in terms of fitness and in terms of, uh, health. Sometimes, um,... you know, when you're` when you're hurting, um, and people give encouragement, it's awesome. But sometimes when you're in that dark place,... it's annoying. (LAUGHS) CROWD CLAPS UPLIFTING MUSIC When you invite the pain, well, then it's your friend. You know it's gonna come, and as one area of your body gets sore, that will go away, because somewhere else will get sorer. And so it's pretty much just, uh, keep going, and it's part and parcel of what we do. I'm happy I've decided to take this journey. It's opened my world, and my family are benefiting from it. (LAUGHS) 'And, uh, Carolyn, she's quite a remarkable woman, so...' Well done. Well done. Cheer, bro. 'Yeah, I'm very` I'm very proud of her`' very proud of her for sticking by my side over the last... 22 years.' He kinda knows how far he can push himself and, um` and his own body. You know, he's lived in it long enough. He gets jet planes today. Lots of jet planes ` as many as he likes. As many as he likes. He's just gotta finish. Yep, hopefully he'll finish. And I said, 'Then you can have whatever you want to eat as well!' 'My nephew Michael, he stayed with me for the` supported me through the entire walk. 'We were talking rubbish half the time, but, um` but it was nice just to take the` uh, 'the thought patterns away from the different` different aches and pains.' My nephew Michael has been going, 'How's the knee?' And I just wanted to say to him, 'If you ask me how that knee is again, my knee's gonna end up in your` your back.' But anyway, nah, it's, um... Yeah. It's... It's a bit sore. Little bit sore. For those` those that, um, are obese at the moment, um` Oh, let's call it fat. Let's call it what it is. I know what you're going through, um, and just make the decision. Um, you gotta make some changes. You don't have to map out everything straight away, but just do something, um` something small. WOMAN: Victory is sweet. Last lap. Last lap. It's a wonderful way to spend weekends as well, training for 'em. It's better than treating a hangover. That's for sure. Today is certainly` certainly a... a day that I'll remember for... I'll remember for a long time. It's, um, another event that I can tick off. To be completely honest, if he had've started and got halfway through something and had to pull out, that would've hurt him more. He was broken, but nothing was going to stop him crossing that line. Even if it had taken him another day, he was gonna do it. POIGNANT MUSIC Kia ora, whanau. Kia ora, whanau. CROWD CHEERS, CLAPS Kia ora, whanau. CROWD CHEERS, CLAPS Harley Thompson. Kia ora, brother. Coming into transition for the last time. It was really emotional, really, coming around the bend and... But it was a remarkable way to` to end the day, to be... to be welcomed in by... by the whanau and mates. Yeah. And, uh, to have Carolyn there, um, was a special moment as well and, um, something that I'll cherish forever. Mm. < MAN CHANTS: A toia mai. < MAN CHANTS: A toia mai. < CROWD CHANTS: Hi, te waka! Ki te urunga. Ki te urunga. Hi, te waka! Ki te moenga. Ki te moenga. Te waka! Ki te takoto rungai, takoto ai. Te waka! < Te waka! < Te waka! < Ki te moenga. < Te waka! < Ki te moenga. < Te waka! < Ki te takoto rungai, takoto ai. < Te waka! < Hi! He was, um, so taken by that and so incredibly humbled by the fact that these people waited for him and that they would do this for him. You know, cos it` it was about` Yes, he was the last person. There was no one else around. He was the last person that came in to cross the line. And, um, you know, as he came in and the haka was going, it was like, 'Wow, that's pretty amazing.' I don't know if there's any other triathlon event in the world that would allow something like that to happen. And they did it. I'm so proud. Very proud of you. And, um... And I'm so grateful that you decided to do` uh, make` make the change, um, so that you could be here with us, um, for a longer period of time and, um... and that we can continue to enjoy your sense of humour. (CHUCKLES) Um, but you have been, um, a rock for me, and, uh... and you are my heart. And I love you. So thank you for not giving up on yourself, um, and not giving up on this family and, um, for being the man that you are. POIGNANT MUSIC I would give up every single thing, every positive experience I've had from the earthquake if it was to return the city back to normal. There's people who lost their lives, people who have been through an awful lot of heartache. But you'd give up any of it in a heartbeat