New Zealand’s Erin Baker is one of only two triathletes to win all four world championships – IRONMAN, along with the ITU Long Distance, Olympic-distance and Duathlon titles. (The other athlete who won all four during his career is IronmanLive host Greg Welch.) Along the way Baker completed 10 Ironman races with four wins in New Zealand, two wins and two seconds in Kona, two wins in Canada and a win in Australia. Her resume also includes two world duathlon titles, two victories at Powerman Zofingen, four at Nice and two Olympic-distance world titles.
Baker stumbled into the sport as a 24-year-old radiographer living in Australia who was talked in to competing in the Tooheys event in Forster. She had little idea of preparations for the race.
"I knew there was a 180km bike, so I would do two of them each week in training, and there was a marathon run, so I would do that each week," Baker said. "I knew nothing better."
Baker went on to win by 40 minutes, which set her on course towards life as a professional in triathlon.
"After Forster I figured that this might be something I could be good at. I had known John Hellemans from my running days and so went back to Christchurch and formed a relationship with him as my coach."
Baker did not intend to compete at IRONMAN New Zealand in her first summer in the sport in 1986. She lined up in Auckland more because it was good business. She stretched her advantage to more than 14 minutes off the bike and a 2:30:30 effort for the 20-mile run produced a race-winning performance that placed her just outside the top-10 overall. Minutes later she was consuming a beer and an ice cream.
After not finishing in her first outing in Hawaii, she returned home to recharge the batteries for her second IRONMAN New Zealand where she led from the gun, winning by nearly half an hour.
Her 1987 year would prove magnificent, culminating with her brilliant victory at Hawaii, where she ground down the lead of the Puntous sisters and Paula Newby-Fraser with a remarkable display of determination on the run.
It would be three years before Baker returned to race at IRONMAN New Zealand. She and US legend Scott Molina had married two weeks before the race—with Jan Wanklyn and Ken Glah among the guests, and also rivals in the 1990 race.
Her third win in New Zealand, now over the full IRONMAN distance, was to be a renaissance period for Baker. By the end of 1988 she had become disillusioned with the sport and its demanding lifestyle.
"I was in Utah in 1988 and I was on my way back to New Zealand to quit triathlon. The lift door opened and there was Scott (Molina). He asked me to breakfast. Things just went from there. Scott and his triathlon friends had a life in Boulder. Triathlon had become a total lifestyle for them all. From that point I learned that I could have fun and still perform. For the first time I learned to really enjoy the whole thing."
It proved to be some year for Baker. Victory in IRONMAN NZ. Victory in IRONMAN Canada. And her second victory in Hawaii. Oh yes, and she got married to Molina.
By 1993 the Boulder-based Baker had given birth to son Miguel. She did not anticipate a return to the sport. No official retirement. She was just moving on. That was until sponsor Reebok came to her with an offer she could not refuse. Imagine the marketing gurus tapping in on this sporting mum winning a major in Hawaii or Zofingen? The incentive was sufficient motivation for Baker. For her, IRONMAN and triathlon was her occupation. A job she enjoyed, but a job nonetheless.
She returned to finish second to arch-rival Newby-Fraser at the IRONMAN World Championship, before setting herself for New Zealand in 1994. Throughout her career she had been remarkably injury and illness free. But she fell sick in the week leading up to the 1994 race and spent the night before the 10th anniversary of the race vomiting. It was her likely swansong at Auckland. Her sponsors and the fans expected so much. As she did so often, Baker delivered.
She led out of the water and, after being caught on the bike, dug deep to pull ahead on the run for her fourth and final victory by 12 minutes.
Baker went on to win her second Zofingen title that year, giving Reebok their cover picture of super mum and baby.
And then the Kiwi champion moved on. A champion among champions.