Jodi Reymer celebrates after one of her races.
Sixteen medals were claimed by Waipā at the Firefighter Challenge World Championship 2025 in Farmers Branch, Texas last month – almost half of the New Zealand tally.
The Hard Ducks Combat Challenge team – Jodi Reymer (from left), Dave Shaw, Kelly Bennetto, Rob Willey and Scott Stapleton. Photo: Jeffery Jones
Te Awamutu Volunteer Fire Brigade members Kelly Bennetto, Dave Shaw, Scott Stapleton and Rob Willey made the journey alongside Pirongia Volunteer Fire Brigade’s Jodi Reymer.
Stapleton was the only first-time competitor from the Hard Ducks Combat Challenge team.
Four hundred people from 20 countries took part in the six-day event, four days qualifying and two days of finals, at Dallas College Brookhaven Campus.
The event is designed to showcase the strength and readiness of the fire service, inspire the next generation of firefighters and promote the physical, mental, cardiac and respiratory benefits that result from routine exercising, good nutritional habits and job-based training processes.
“It was originally designed by an American doctor as a pre-entry test but then they found that firefighters get quite competitive and it turned into a competition,” Shaw said.
Jodi Reymer was the third fastest woman overall. Photo: Jeffery Jones
New Zealand placed third on the medal table for most medals with 34 across individual, tandem and team categories.
Shaw and Reymer were among the individual medallists, while the others received team medals.
It was Shaw’s third time attending and he said it’s a great way to keep fit.
“You also meet a lot of cool people from all sorts of different countries that you wouldn’t normally meet,” Shaw said.
“I got second in the 55-59 male category. Then two more silvers and three bronzes in the team categories. Rob got two third places in the teams and Kelly got a third in the teams.
Deemed by ESPN as “the toughest two minutes in sports”, the series has been in action for more than 30 years.
Reymer said this year’s course was much more taxing than usual.
“This year a new tower and an uphill, grippy surface making an extra heavy hose drag, meant that times were much slower.
“That together with some health issues tested me to my max. It was a great opportunity for me to fall back on my training and prove how much hard work can pay off.”
Reymer said she was incredibly happy to win gold in the individual category for her age at her third event and be the third fastest woman overall. Less than one second separated the top three.
She also collected silver in the female pairs with Nicole Paulin, silver in a department team with Claire Jones, Paulin, Nikita Watt and Nikki Butler, a fourth place finish for CoEd pair with Aidan Grant and a gold medal for international team with women from Ukraine, Poland and Germany.
Fire3: Jodi Reymer celebrates after one of her races. Photo: Jeffery Jones
