Whakatāne medic inspired by NZ Army training to become ironman athlete
Few sporting events push the human body like an ironman triathlon. But digging deep is something all too familiar for New Zealand Army medic and ironman athlete Private Caroline Paulsen, from Whakatāne.
02 August, 2024
“I came back from a NZ Army exercise in Tekapo and thought if I could get through that, then what else can I achieve,” Private Paulsen said.
Her most recent achievement is graduating as a medic from the New Zealand Defence Force’s two-and-a-half year trade course, the longest on offer in the Defence Force.
Having previously been part of the NZ Army Reserve Force while she juggled a Bachelor of Science degree at Otago University, she said she was well placed to tackle the training.
“I really loved being in the Army reserve. It built up my confidence, opened up so many doors and provided networking opportunities. I wouldn’t have thought about being a medic in the military if it wasn’t for that,” she said.
“It was an interesting switch too coming from university; the class sizes were so much bigger, compared to the 18 that were in my university class.
“We studied, trained and lived together so you really are building lifelong friends. It’s been so valuable to have that support around me.”
Private Paulsen is gearing up for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Taupō later this year
Beyond the medical experiences of the course, she said it was the grueling field training which gave her the inspiration and drive to start competing in ironman races.
At high school she’d always been a keen swimmer and was already doing a decent amount of running as part of her physical training in camp - so she started incorporating some bike training and hasn’t looked back since.
She’s now completed three Ironman 70.3 races which comprise a 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and a 21.1km run.
“I finished my last one in five hours and 43 minutes which was about half an hour better than I had planned,” said Private Paulsen.
Her efforts have secured her a spot in the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, which is fortunately being held in Taupō this year.
Private Caroline Paulsen during field training on their Defence Medic course
She said there was no doubt her training outside of the classroom has also helped her with her trade, especially when she’s out in the field.
“The military and combat element adds extra pressures you wouldn’t normally think about,” she said.
“You are navigating weapons and working with radios in dangerous environments. By day three or four in the field, you were mentally and physically exhausted.
“You look back on it now and it was such a fun experience, but at the time it can be very stressful to keep up the high standard of care when they threw different scenarios at you.”
Now she has graduated, Private Paulsen is completing a service change to the Royal New Zealand Air Force and will be posted to Base Auckland in Whenuapai.
It comes with the bonus of being based close to her ironman coach.
“So I am looking forward to continuing my training as I prepare for the upcoming Worlds race in December.”