NOMINATE AN INSPIRING ATHLETE
The Paul Goodman Memorial Award is presented at the Busselton Festival of Triathlon to a competitor racing in the Busselton 100, Duathlon 100 or Aquabike who demonstrates exceptional courage in competing in and finishing the race. The recipient may have demonstrated persistence and strength in the face of adversity and/or have overcome exceptional circumstances to be able to participate.
How is the Winner Chosen?
Nominations are sought from both TWA members and competitors of the Busselton Festival of Triathlon. Eligible nominees will be presented to a panel of Long Course legends (15+ State Long Course finishers) to determine who should be the recipient of the award. The award will be presented at the post-race awards function, following the Sunday events.
This award need not be presented every year, and non-members are eligible to win this specific award.
What is the Prize?
The Winner of the Paul Goodman Memorial Award receives a special trophy, as well as 1 x free entry to the distance of their choice at the event the following year. We also intend to engrave the names of winners on a perpetual trophy, which will record the names of these incredible athletes in Triathlon WA history.
About Paul Anthony Goodman (1959-1995)
Paul “Goodo” Goodman grew up in Rosebud, VIC, and moved to Perth, WA in the late 1980s. A Collingwood fan and typical footy-mad Victorian, he found a new passion for endurance sports after racing a marathon. Paul quickly dedicated himself to triathlon, earning a reputation in the TWA community as a talented athlete and a lively, much-loved character. His peers remember him as “a friend whether you’d met him only once or a hundred times” and someone for whom “you could write a best selling compilation of his lifelong antics”.
Even after being diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma cancer, he continued to compete with tenacity, placing 2nd in the 30–34 WA State Series in 1991/92. In April 1993, he completed the Forster Ironman in 11½ hours and the WA Long Course Championships at Rottnest in May.
Paul sadly lost his cancer battle in December 1995, passing away aged just 36. A hundred athletes gathered at Point Walter to celebrate his memory and pay their respects on Friday 12 January 1996. This trophy is named in his honour, celebrating his fighting spirit and enduring legacy.
Past Winners
2025 – Nathan Brown
As a teenager, Nathan was a rising star in Australian distance running. Ranked 4th nationally, his elite running career was abruptly halted at 19 years old when he suffered a life-threatening DVT after returning from an international event. Thirty leg surgeries later, including the removal of his ankle joint, Nathan was left with permanent muscle and nerve damage, no sensation in his leg or foot, and a permanent limp. This was devastating for Nathan, who felt a sense of unfinished business with his career having ended not on his own terms. Since the DVT, he also endured a stroke, underwent major heart surgery, and most recently, faced thyroid a cancer diagnosis in May 2024. After being declared cancer-free in December 2024, he set his sights on the Busselton Aquabike as a way to “flip the bird” to cancer and reclaim his power. On race day he powered through the difficult swim and cycle before heading back to transition. As an Aquabike athlete, his race time ended before the bike exit, but Nathan was determined to make it down the finish line. After racking his bike in T2, he steeled himself and began to run. This was Nathan’s first run at an event in 33 years, and his first run ever in front of his family since the DVT had claimed his mobility. He completed the race, and will be racing again in 2026. Read Nathan’s Story Here.
2020 – Robert Van Der Kraats
Robert was a fit and active physiotherapist who experienced a haemorrhagic stroke, mid-consultation with a patient. Before this, he had been training to complete an Ironman triathlon. He woke up in the ICU two weeks later, having been through multiple neurosurgeries and an induced coma. It was 6 months before he left the hospital, and his body, speech, and mobility had been significantly impaired. During his rehabilitation journey, Robert was told more than once that athletic pursuits were no longer possible for him. With support from his rehab team and his brother, Robert competed in the Ironman 70.3 in 2020. Read Robert’s Story Here.
2019 – Kerry Watts
After losing her husband, Kerry focused on raising her two young sons while committing herself to health and fitness. By 2018 she was in the best shape of her life, having just completed an Ironman 70.3. That September, at age 45, she found a lump in her breast and received the devastating diagnosis of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, an aggressive grade 3A breast cancer that had already spread to her lymph nodes. She began immediate treatment, and inspired so many others when she completed the cycle leg of the Ironman 70.3 Busselton in May 2019 despite battling illness. Unfortunately, Kerry lost her battle to breast cancer in February 2020, less than a year after competing.
She was a fighter, a mum, and a fantastic triathlete.
Kerry Watts, 1973 – 2020.
2013 – Kirsten Koh
In a lorry vs cyclist accident, Kirsten broke both her ankles. femurs and pelvis. She also broke her left tibia, fibula, and shoulder. It would be 9 months before she could even walk. Despite the setback, the one-time triathlon fanatic was determined to compete again, even though that meant completely re-learning how to run, swim and cycle. After 19 operations, and a year to the date of her accident, Kirsten completed a whole marathon. In 2013 she then took on the Ironman 70.3 Busselton.
