AMBITION, PASSION AND GOOD TIME MANAGEMENT
Barbara Kiener had her first contact with triathlon when she was standing at the side of the course with her buggy at the Krems Triathlon. In the meantime, her son is a teenager and she has finished several triathlons over different distances. Her ambition and determination have made her the athlete she is today: a passionate triathlete with goals who lives the sport and especially the spirit. She has two big goals for the 2023 season: Challenge St. Pölten and Challenge Roth.
“I was never particularly sporty. After graduating from high school, I started running as a hobby and watched the Krems Triathlon a few years later. At that time I thought I would never be able to do that,” Barbara says with a smile. In the meantime, everything is a bit different. The lawyer, who lives in Krems and works in St. Pölten, trains ten to twenty hours a week. Her schedule is well planned. There is hardly any room for spontaneous social activities. But her ambition and love of triathlon are what drive her. When she talks about how she started and about her career in triathlon, you can hear in her voice how she glows. Barbara wants to constantly develop and progress. In the beginning, she trained herself and completed her first middle distance in St. Pölten – with success. Her ambition grew, she contacted a coach and trained with Norbert König for more than three years. “Norbert pushed me to new personal best times and prepared me for my first long distance, as well as two more. I learned so much from him and I am thankful for all of that,” Kiener says with satisfaction. In autumn 2022 she switched to Mario Fink because she “wanted to try something new”. Hard work and curiosity are her daily companions.
Speaking of hard work – Barbara was already registered for Roth in 2021. It should have been her first long distance. But the bike course, which was shortened at this year due to corona, was not an option for her. She explains her reasons to us: “So much is said about Roth. The great atmosphere, the event itself and the highlights of the course – I really wanted the whole package and therefore decided against a start this year.” This year, the time has finally come. On June, 25th she will be at the start in the “Home of Triathlon”, the small town of Roth (GER). But before that, there is one race that means a lot to her. “The bike course in St. Pölten feels like home to me. Every day I commute to work and back on the motorway,” she says. Moreover, St. Pölten was her first middle distance and such an experience is not easily forgotten, says Barbara, who has been competing for URC Langenlois for a few years.
She calls herself a ‘zache Henn’, because the long distances are more fun for her and the success is also impressive. She has several podium finishes and victories in her age group to her credit. How long does the late-comer want to continue? “I’ll stick with it as long as I have fun and like to set myself new goals. Ambition is good and important. But the joy of doing should never be neglected.
