For the last 3 years I have begun my season with what is
dubbed as one of the hardest long course triathlons in Australia, the ‘Hell of
the West Triathlon’. The race is known as such a tough race due to the often
extreme heat and outback roads which provide little relief from the often
brutal winds and make riders feel like a jockey aboard a bull at a rodeo with
the rough road surface during the bike leg. The 2km swim, 80km ride and 20km
run is a good challenge and has seen Pete Jacobs and Luke McKenzie as previous
winners with Luke McKenzie holding the course record.
I have really changed my training over the last few months
with a more strategic approach designed to improve on my weaknesses with the
aim of becoming a much stronger athlete. With this different approach came a
nervousness to see how I would translate this new training into a race
performance. With a 2nd in 2015 & a 1st in 2014 I had
some good benchmarks to gauge a 2016 performance by.
Race Day:
The down and back river swim provided a fast first stretch
with the current and then a hard fought battle against the current on the
return journey. In previous years I have been able to get a good gap over the
rest of the field. However this year I was unable to establish a solo lead out
of the water despite leading for the entire swim leg and reaching dry land first.
In tow were 3 other of the pre race favorites which meant a good group went
onto the bike leg together.
With an early surge the group was quickly down to
just three athletes which included Giles Clayton, Michael Fox and myself. The
out and back cycle course, despite being flat is quite taxing over a rough road
surface meaning that you really need to consistently keep the power down to
maintain a high speed. On the outward trip the three of us shared the pace
making. Giles was riding very strongly and Michael really put the hammer down
particularly on the homeward journey.
Photo: FinisherPix
With around 10km left to ride I came to
the front and put in a big surge to establish a gap which I committed to
extending all the way back to transition. Going out onto the run I managed to
build up a nice 1minute 45second lead which I planned to extend during the
first run lap. I was able to settle into a good rhythm quite quickly holding a
solid tempo. With the 3 lap run course I could see my lead extending over my
competitors at each of the turn around points. After the second lap my lead had
extended out to just over 5 minutes and I maintained a good tempo throughout
the last lap of the run unaware that I was so close to the course record set by
Luke McKenzie. It was a really great feeling to run down the finish shoot to
win the 25th anniversary of the ‘Hell of the West Triathlon’ and be
just 36 seconds shy of the course record set by Luke McKenzie. One consolation
was that I managed to break the bike course record also set by Luke McKenzie in
2010.
Photo: Wayne Pratt
My performance was something that I was really proud of and
I honestly felt solid all day out there racing. With this being the third time
in as many years that I have kicked off my year with this event the times were
the quickest I have ever produced on this course while still feeling like I was
racing well in control and not having to go into the red zone.
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