Moreton Bay Draft Legal Sprint Triathlon - 1st

After a week off racing last weekend my coach Stephen Moss decided that 'rest is for the weak' and told me to enter for what would be my 4th race in 6 weeks.

Triathlon Queensland put on a stunner of a race for what also doubled as the Queensland Triathlon Championships for the age group competitors. The format of choice for yours truly consisted of a sprint draft legal triathlon. Adding to the mix was several international competitors and a nice pay check for the top 3 across the line. Somehow the event organisers managed to close the bridge between Sandgate and Redcliffe for the bike & run legs which I gather was no easy task and help make the course one of the best in Queensland. Full credit to the entire Triathlon Queensland team! 

After a quick chat with the coach before the start it was decided that the race plan was to 'Russian it' which quickly translates to swimming & biking your gluteus maximus off to build a solo lead big enough to take the win. If you don't know it by now its really the only way I like to race... even in draft legal events. 

After several encounters with some jellyfish I emerged from the 750 meter swim with a sizeable lead on the chase pack. With a quick T1 I charged onto the road and never looked back building a solo lead on the chase pack which, by T2 grew to around 1 minute and 10 seconds. The run was quite tough with the majority of the course being held on the long straight road over the bridge and back which meant that the chasers got a good look at the gap they were trying to close down. Having spent a decent amount of gas on the bike I really had to dig deep to hold off the boys who were running with fresher legs than mine from sitting in the chase pack on the bike. I was able to enjoy the last few hundred meters and claim another win for the year and pick up a nice pay check in the process. 

Winners are grinners 

ITU Premium Asian Cup, Chengdu - 16th

With some solid results behind me I left Australia with the confidence of being able to perform at what would be my first ITU race of 2012. This would also mark what would be my 4th race in 4 weeks after having raced a Ironman 70.3, sprint triathlon, cycling crit race and now an Olympic distance triathlon. The body felt ready and so did the mind.

After spending 3 days scouting the course and eating not a lot other than rice (such is the case when your racing in China) race day soon approached. To be honest I just had one of those days that you dread as a professional athlete. I struggled just riding the 25 minutes down to the race and all through my warmup with the body feeling very flat. None the less I had a solid swim leg and emerged from the water in around 6th place and right in the mix of the front group. The swim felt quite slow but I just played it smart and sat in the pack.

Once on the bike I quickly hit the front and tried my best to get away solo or with a small group but every attempt kept getting shut down by the pack. Finally in the last 3km's I got away solo and put around 20 seconds into the chase pack by T2.

The run was one of the longest and worst of my life. The only way to describe it was that it felt like I couldn't even get out of 1st gear let alone into 5th gear. I came home a disappointing 16th by the time I crossed the line. Looking back all the racing in the last few weeks just took its toll on the body. Its often good to see where your limit lies and I well and truly found mine when it comes to how many races my body can handle at the moment.


Run turn

Some of the other Aussie athletes and our translator