Faces of Nice Part 2: Father-Son Duo Turn Near Tragedy into IRONMAN Inspiration

Travis and Brayden McKenzie will be racing together in Nice on Sunday. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

On Wednesday, we told the stories of two incredible athletes who are in Nice to compete at the 2025 IRONMAN World Championship, and today, we have another. Six years ago, Travis McKenzie and his then-12-year-old son went out for a bike ride. They often rode together, just six miles in those days, as Brayden was still rather young and growing into his cycling legs. This particular ride quickly turned into a nightmare, and it nearly ended in tragedy for the McKenzie family.

“We were hit by an out-of-control van,” says Brayden, who is now 18 years old (he will be the youngest athlete in the field in Nice on Sunday). The driver had a “medical episode” and swerved off the street, tragically hitting and killing a pedestrian before carrying on toward the McKenzies. With next to no time to react, they weren’t able to get out of the way of the charging vehicle.

“I gave Brayden a bit of a shove and then I went under the van,” Travis says.

The push from his father wasn’t enough to clear him from danger, and Brayden was hit and shot down the road, where he landed on a patch of grass. The impact left Brayden with a fractured hip and a concussion, as well as multiple abrasions from skidding on the street. Travis’s injuries were even worse.

“I was dragged underneath the vehicle,” Travis says.

He required two back operations and two leg surgeries, and he now has a 16-millimetre rod in one of his legs, stretching from his knee down to his ankle.

“Our journey started when we got out of the hospital,” Travis says. “We made a pact that, if we can, when Brayden is old enough, let’s have a crack at doing an IRONMAN.”

Brayden notes that triathlon was “a big part” of their lives before the accident. Travis had competed in IRONMAN events before, and Nice will be the 11th of his career. His 10th came in Cairns in June, which is where the pair officially followed through on their pact and raced together.

The McKenzie family. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

“We just wanted to do our best at Cairns and see what happened,” Brayden says. Their best ended up being pretty good, with Brayden crossing the line in 10:01:53 and Travis finishing just an hour later in 11:07:32.

“Brayden had a great day,” says Travis, turning down the opportunity to touch on his own race.

“He’s very humble,” says Brayden. “He doesn’t talk about himself much, but he did amazing to get there and amazing to finish it, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”

Brayden points out that a main theme that IRONMAN has pushed out for this year’s world championship is resilience, and he says his and his father’s story reflects that perfectly. On that note, Travis adds that he wants to remind others that “anything is possible.” Coming from someone in his position, it’s hard to argue.

“If you put your mind to it and support each other, you can achieve a lot of things in life,” he says.

Their pact didn’t necessarily include a second race together — and especially not so soon after the first one — but after making it to Nice, both Brayden and Travis say they are eager to start another IRONMAN one side by side.

“Coming here is a dream come true,” Brayden says. “It’s an extra step to the story and journey that we’re on.”

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