We love hearing stories about our community coming together and this one is one of our favourites. Bec and Rachel, Queensland residents, were left accommodation-less after a mishap on route to Huskisson for the Husky Tri. Read about how fellow Catfish Athlete and NSW resident Kim came to the rescue and was quickly coined the 'Hostess with the Mostess', and how a true friendship begun.
Bec, explain how the fun road trip quickly turned into a near nightmare?
BEC: Rachel and I were travelling down to Husky from the Tweed Enduro Long Course Triathlon (Making this the 3 long course tri for me in 4 weeks).
Rachel and I have travelled to many events together before including to the 2017 World triathlon championships. We nickname our trips as the R&R adventures.
As we moseyed down we decided to break our trip up by stopping at Forster and Wollongong as I hear all the legends in tri either race or grew up in these areas (that's how nerdy I am as trip planner).
On the night before our decent into Huskisson we were planning on living our best life playing pub trivia. Shortly before trivia began, I received a phone call from the accommodation/home owner of the house in Huskisson I had booked 5months earlier saying I had been double booked and there was nothing they could do. This was after I had received 4 confirmation emails and had paid in full on booking. I was speechless! Not only was this the worst timing to receive this kind of news but I knew finding accommodation this late in the game at a major event would be.
I put a post out to the local triathlon club and Rachel put a call out to our Catfish family. I messaged every SEQ athlete I knew travelling down to compete.
For the next 18hrs I was sweating bullets whilst Rachel my cool calm and collected in crime insisted, we would be fine what ever the outcome. Our back up plan was to sleep in the car.
Our biggest fear was even if we found a campsite or piece of grass to use we were travelling completely unprepared as I had envisioned the Air BnB lifestyle. What do we need to buy before we leave the big smoke.
Kim, how did you hear about Rachel and Bec's accommodation mishap?
KIM: I was sitting at work and the Catfish Athletes Faacebook notification came through on my phone. We were just finalising all the things we needed to do for getting down to Husky, packing the van and all the gear we needed for race weekend. I saw that Bec and Rachel had lost their accommodation so offered our tent to them to use on our van site. We have been going to the same site for years now and we book adjacent sites so there is always room for anyone who might need a site at the last minute, I called Michael and asked if we could throw our tent in for the girls to use and he said it wouldn't be a problem. He's great like that.
With the help of "the Micks" we had them all settled in by Friday afternoon. A cup of tea and some carrot cake muffins helped them feel like all would be right for the weekend.
How was Kim coined the 'hostess with the hostess'?
BEC: Through god's grace, Kim reached out to us through catfish and not only offered us to share the same turf as her in her caravan site but she packed everything us two girls could ever need. We were glamping with the Rybinski's. She provided everything included the kitchen sink and bottomless cups of tea.
We were and are forever in her favour. And that's how she was quickly coined the "hostess with the mostess".
For Port Mac, you all came back together again with campsites next to each other. Was this planned?
KIM: We have the same accomodation arrrangement at the Breakwall van park each year for Port Mac Ironman and we suggested that they might be able to get a site there in May, which they did.
BEC: We stayed at the same caravan park as Kim at Port Macquarie after having such a nice time in Husky and Kim inviting us - this is where we go to enjoy watch Rachel take on her first 70.3 and Kim in her first Ironman
Any plans for future catch up?
BEC: Not only has Kim visited us in our hometown of Ipswich we are excited to travel to Canberra later in the year to race and visit her home town.
KIM: For November's Challenge race the girls will be staying with us at our home as the race is here in Canberra. It will be fun to host them.
As for being part of the Catfish community, I am a big believer in the pay it forward concept. Throughout our lives, we all have people who have helped us when we most needed it and almost always it has been without expecting anything in return. This was just one of those times when we could help in a small way with little effort. From this our family, are blessed to have these lovely and inspiring women as part of circle of friends.
Anything else to add?
KIM: I raced Port Mac Ironman and missed the bike cut off by eight minutes. After competing in her own 70.3 on the day Bec Ungermann RAN out to Matthew Flinders to encourage me up that bloody hill! I nearly cried when I saw her. Imagine that! Doing a 70.3 Ironman race, then running 7klm out to encourage me! Then I imagine she made her way back into town somehow. It still amazes me even now as I look back on what was not the day I planned but made better knowing someone like that is in the world.
