 at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships on the Gold Coast.){kind=link}
On Sunday 30 March, 2025, Pixie Hanson won the 2km Beach Run (U14 Female) at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships on the Gold Coast. Pixie raced some of the best track, cross-country and beach running athletes in the country, and stormed home to a convincing 12 second win. Pixie competes for Warilla Barrack Point Surf Life Saving Club, and the Australian Championship completes her rise to the top of the event, after winning the NSW Championship over four consecutive years from 2022-2025.
It was a high pressure week for the 14 year old from Lord Howe Island (who is currently at school in Bowral NSW). Prior to her race on the Gold Coast, she competed in Perth, WA, as part of the NSW Team at the Australian All Schools Triathlon Championships. In the Junior Female (U15) Triathlon, Pixie finished in 5th place overall. After a set-back in the 300m swim, she exited the water in 18th place, and then charged through the pack over the 10km bike and 2km run to snatch 5th place on the line. It was a gutsy effort. Two days later, Pixie was selected in the NSW All Ages Mixed Relay Team, along with Maddie Platt from Newcastle, Ben Devries from Wagga, and Leif Ingwersen from Sydney, and together they claimed a 2nd place podium behind Victoria.
Pixie’s coach, and former World AG Ironman Champion, Ben Bell from the Illawarra Academy of Sport said “Pixie’s effort to finish 5th in the Australian Championship is remarkable given she’s only been competing in triathlon for two seasons”.
Ben said “triathlon requires supreme fitness, technical expertise in racing, and a unique ability to suffer through long fast races”. “Pixie is developing all of those attributes and she’ll go a long way in the sport in the years to come”.
Pixie arrived home after an 8000km journey across the country, with an Australian Surf Life Saving gold medal, and an Australian All Schools Triathlon silver medal to add to her collection from 2025. After some injury and sickness in 2024, which ended her cross country running season, Pixie returned to form in early 2025 with a win in the NSW Aquathlon Championship (U20 Female) and a win in the NSW Billigence Pathway Triathlon Series (U16 Female). She also won the 2km Beach Run at the NSW Surf Life Saving Championship, and finished 2nd in the NSW All Schools Triathlon. It’s been a busy summer season for the young athlete.
Pixie is proudly following the path of former elite endurance athletes from Lord Howe Island, including Cam Wurf, Tim Reid and Ollie Whistler. Lord Howe Island Central School boasts a large number of Australian Champions and professional athletes from it’s relatively small number of students.
