“My husband won the overall men’s in the 50km cycle, and I won the overall women’s in the 50km cycle,” Mrs Mulkearns said.
The pair were ecstatic about winning the event, which raised money for the Cohuna District Hospital.
Everyone who signed up to race in the event was required to pay an entry fee, which essentially ended up as a donation to the hospital.
Participating in the Bridge-to-Bridge race and supporting the Cohuna community meant a great deal to Mrs Mulkearns, who grew up in Cohuna.
“I grew up on a dairy farm in Cohuna where myself and four siblings were all born,” she said.
“Mum and Dad still live on the farm but it’s now wagyu beef rather than a dairy.”
In 2020, the Mulkearns family moved back to the area after Aaron received a job opportunity with Tobin Brothers Funerals.
“We moved back to Echuca from Melbourne with our two small children,” Mrs Mulkearns said.
“We absolutely love sharing the country life and the community with them.”
Mrs Mulkearns is not new to competitive sports, having previously won the triathlon race at the Bridge-to-Bridge event.
She runs her own coaching business, Complete Per4mance Coaching, which supports, educates and coaches endurance athletes who wish to take part in triathlon, cycling and running events.
“What I do on a daily basis is I help other people to be able to get out there and race as well,” Mrs Mulkearns said.
She is also secretary of the Echuca Moama Triathlon Club.
Her husband had never participated in the Cohuna Bridge-to-Bridge but has regularly taken part in similar competitive sporting events.
Mrs Mulkearns said it had been great to participate in the event together and now celebrate a win together.
“It’s been a great chance for both of us to be on the start line together,” she said.
The couple came into the race with a plan for both of them to win.
“After the first lap, I knew that I was well-ahead of the females,” Mrs Mulkearns said.
“I only found out once I had crossed the finish line that he had won, which was just great.”
Mrs Mulkearns explained that training for the same event meant that they were able to motivate and provide helpful advice to one another.
“It’s a bonus to be able to go out and train together,” she said.
“It’s kind of a novelty now, given that we have two little kids.
“Having my parents in Cohuna means that they are able to help out and look after the kids while we both go out and train or race together.”
As to how they stay fit while still being parents to young children, Mrs Mulkearns said they make it “a priority to exercise”.
“We literally tag-team,” she said.
“If I’m on the exercise bike in the morning with the kids at home, Aaron will be out on the road. Then when he gets home from work, we will switch over and I’ll go for a run or a ride while he has the kids.”
“Every day we’re exercising, and we just love it.”
Sometimes they even bring the kids along for the ride.
“We have little shotgun seats on our mountain bikes that the kids come out on,” Mrs Mulkearns said.
“They’ve also got their own bikes set up on little training wheels as well.
“They love it, they love being active. They just see us doing it all the time, so for them it’s just normal.”
In terms of future events, Mr Mulkearns has the Mansfield tour coming up, which is a two-day cycling event, and Mrs Mulkearns has a half-ironman event in Port Macquarie.
They also participate in numerous local events and races held by the Echuca Moama Cycling Club and the Echuca Moama Triathlon Club.
“I just love being involved in the community and the sporting community,” Mrs Mulkearns said.
“Having family up here helps me to be able to do that so a big thank you to Mum and Dad for supporting us.
“I’d encourage anyone within the community to get involved with any sports events that are in the area.”
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