Whitehaven Beach 2km Ocean Swim – 2nd

After finishing 2nd the day before in the triathlon I was keep to have a good crack at the 2km Whitehaven Beach Ocean Swim. This swim is part of the ‘Great Australian Swim Series’ which also includes other events such as the 2km event in the Sydney Harbor held right next to the Sydney Opera House. I had the opportunity to run the Hamilton Island Golf Course that morning which was is very hilly 11km run with some of the most amazing views of Hamilton Island and surrounding ocean. Not the best preparation for a swim race but something I just couldn’t miss. Below is my view from the breakfast table.

Australian surf ironman and open water swimming legend Kye Hurst was without question the favourite to take out the event and my plan was pretty simple. Stick with him for as long as I possibly could. The water was very choppy with strong winds making for some very rough seas.

I postioned myself right next to Kye on the start line and as soon as the gun went off tried to match his pace. We turned the first swim marker with Kye having a small lead on myself and several other swimmers in tow. After a about 100 meters Kye and myself pulled away and I tried desperately to stick on his feet for as long as I could. I managed to stick with him for around 500 meters before he pulled away from me leaving me to swim along for the rest of the 1.5km’s.

The out and back swim alongside the beach was amazing to be apart of and I crossed the line in 2nd place a few minutes down on Kye in 1st. This was actually my first ever open water swimming race and to finish 2nd to one of the worlds best was a pretty good feeling.

My 2014 race season is now finished and I plan to have a few weeks off training before getting right back into it come early December. Thank you to all the team at Hamilton Island for an amazing weekend as well as to all my sponsors and supporters. I have been so happy with my year and am looking forward to stepping up to another level in 2015.

Hamilton Island Triathlon – 2nd

Hamilton Island is a race that I have been meaning to do for a number of years now. The amazing location was something that really drew me to this event and this year I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to end my 2014 race season with this stunning race destination. Hamilton Island is a short flight from where I live in Brisbane and so I choose to fly in on Friday, the day before race day. First and foremost I must give a big thank you to Stephen Jackson and the entire race organisation as well as my amazing home stay family for hosting me over the race weekend.

Race Day: After a good nights sleep I woke up on race morning to an amazing view from my bedroom over the water where I would be swimming in a few hours time. Being that this would be my 3rd race in 3 weeks I was unsure on how my body would respond to the intensity of a hilly and hot sprint triathlon. I started towards the right side of the beach at the swim start and had a great run into the water. I even had the chance to spot a nice big stingray on the ocean floor less than a meter below me within the first 50 meters of the swim.

The first few hundred meters of the swim usually gives me a good indication of how I am feeling and I was somewhat surprised to be feeling as good as I did and leading 2 time Australian Olympic triathlete Courtney Atkinson. I continued to push the pace in the swim, feeling good and keen to capitalize on this. I emerged from the water with Courtney right on my heals and made a quick dash up the beach and into transition where I swapped goggles and my HUUB swim skin for my Specialized S-Works Shiv and Evade helmet. I hit the bike leg with Courtney and over the next 20kms we extended our leg over the rest of the field. The Hamilton Island Triathlon is quite unique in the fact that the bike course in held over 3 laps along the airport runway. I must say that I did enjoy pushing the pace along this section of the course and rode extra hard to keep the speed high. The rest of the ride course is very hilly and technical which makes for a very interesting bike course. Coming into transition for the second time I made sure to push the pace and emerge onto the run course in first making Courtney chase. This was short lived and Courtney pushed the pace in the first kilometer over the hills out towards the flatter middle section of the course.

I pushed myself to keep up with his pace however just couldn’t keep up and dropped off after the first kilometer and a half. I continued to push to limit the gap however hit the wall on the final uphill section of the run course and lost some decent time. The final beach run to the finish was pretty special, as I don’t know many races which finish on the beach. I was pretty happy to finish second to Courtney as he really is a world class athlete and I was proud of myself of pushing hard and giving the race a real crack. Another bonus for my riding efforts was that I also picked up the prize for the fastest ride time for the airport runway section of the course.

Challenge Half Forster - 6th

After finishing 7^th at Noosa Tri over the very fast Olympic distance course just one week earlier I was feeling very good about my chances of a podium performance at Challenge Forster. I had raced hard at Noosa and I had the feeling in the week of the race that I had a good shot at the win but unfortunately this ‘feeling’ didn’t end up translating over to my race day performance. Ultimately I did what I could on race day and 6^th was all that I had. No excuses needed.

Race Day: I was very relaxed for what was my last half iron distance race of the year. I know that when I am relaxed it usually means that I am ready to race hard and am confident in my ability to perform well. 

The swim was two laps over a rectangular course and I had a great start and clear water. Not surprisingly super fish Clayton Fettell hit the lead early leaving myself and Sam Appelton to lead the front pack. Going onto the second lap of the swim I kept the pace up and moved in front of Sam keen not to let Clayton put too much time into me. I hit dry land in second place not too far off Clayton and with a small group in tow behind me. Running into T1 I unfortunately struggled to get my wetsuit off and this extra time moved me from the front of the lead group out of the water to being the last of this group out of transition. 

I chased hard early on during the ride however just couldn’t catch the trio of Clayton Fettell, Sam Appelton and Casey Munro up front. This was a pretty decisive move and I was angry with myself for not being in this group. I am in the front group 99% of the time on the bike so this was unknown ground. I kept trying to reel in the group up front with next to no luck. I had one athlete with me during the next 50km’s and we exchanged a few turns trying to limit the time lost. After the first 50km lap we were joined by a few other athletes which meant that heading into T2 I was in the second group of 3 athletes. I hit the run and pretty early on felt terrible and unable to find any kind of running speed. Over the first 7km’s I tried hard to keep focused and by lap two of the run started to come good again. I found myself catching athletes who had passed me during my bad patch at the start of the run which keep me motivated to run hard. In the last kilometer I ran past Sam Appelton to run into 6^th place.

In a nut shell I swam great, had a shocker T1, rode very average and had a very up and down run. It’s races like these where you really find out what long distance racing is all about… just sticking at it and giving what you’ve got. I had a shocker of a day but still managed to hang tough and find something in me to give what I had and finish in a respectable 6^th. At the start of the run I thought that I would be lucky to finish let alone finish in the top 10.

It’s been a long season and I am looking forward to heading up to Hamilton Island this weekend for one final sprint distance race before having a few weeks break from training and racing.

Thanks to Elite Energy/Challenge for a great event in Forster and as always to all of my amazing sponsors and supporters.

Noosa 5150 Triathlon - 7th

I have raced at Noosa since I was 15 years old and since then (I am 26 now) I have experienced some massive highs and huge lows. This year I am happy to say was a positive experience with a 7^th place finish. Because I am now targeting long course racing I knew that Noosa would be a tough ask. Competing over the shorter Olympic distance against Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games, short course specialists was sure test my leg speed.

Race Day:

Admittedly I put no major pressure on myself for the race and just wanted to race smart and have fun. My plan was to use this as a solid ‘speed’ hit out before the following weekend where I will be racing Challenge Forster (half iron distance) which is one of my major goals for this season.

I started next to the 2013 champion Aaron Royal in the swim and planned to use his swimming speed to carry me to the front of the swim pack, which worked perfectly. The start was very fast and I was happy just to stay up in the front swim pack and conserve some energy. On swim out to the turnaround the pace was on and I had to push hard to hold my position in the front swim pack. During the last 600 meters or so the pace seemed to slow up quite a lot and then quicken again during the final turn before the swim exit.

I emerged right up with the front pack and quickly went about pulling down my HUUB swim skin and then pulling up my Scody A.I.R Tri suit on the long run to transition. I knew from previous years that the pace would be on right from the start of the bike leg and so I made the decision to leave my HUUB swim skin pulled down to my waist and save some precious seconds in transition in order to ensure I made the front ride pack. This proved to be a smart decision as I was the last athlete in the group of 8 to establish myself in the lead group. I sat tucked away in the front pack for the majority of the cycle leg, noticing that a few athletes dropped off the pack unable to keep pace. Just before the turn around Casey Munro managed to attack the group and put some time into the pack, which was no surprise as he is a very strong cyclist. However I was pretty content to just sit back and save my energy for the run leg.

Heading into transition after the bike leg I quickly took off my HUUB swim skin and slipped into my Saucony race flats. I was positioned just off the back of the rest of the athletes who I had come in with due to having to spend some extra time taking off my swim skin. I knew that I wouldn’t have the run speed of the short course specialists and so I settled into my own rhythm trying to maintain my position in 9^th. On the way out to the turnaround I was passed by a few other athletes and rounded the 5km turn around point in 12^th position. On the final run home I battled with myself to keep pushing as hard as I could and with just 1km left to run surged with everything I had left, passing some of the athletes who had passed me minutes earlier. I moved from 12^th to 8^th with less than 500 meters left to run and then surged again just 100meters from the line to catch another athlete and crossed the line in 7^th.

To run from 12^th to 7^th in the last kilometer of the race was brutally tough and I crossed the line totally spent. Being totally honest I get a lot of satisfaction with races like these where I can find that extra something to push myself beyond what I think I am capable of and finish strong. This result gives me a lot of confidence going into Challenge Forster this weekend and I know that I am ready to race hard and fast.

Images: Lucas Wroe

Moreton Bay Olympic Distance Triathlon – 2nd

This race was a late addition to my 2014 race plans however the opportunity to race a fast Olympic distance triathlon which is just a 30min drive away from where I live was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.

The 6:30am start meant a very early morning and after a quick double Bare Coffee espresso and my banana and toast pre race meal I felt like I was in decent enough shape to have a real crack at this race. The goal was to get the win and use this race as my final hit out before Noosa 5150 Triathlon in a few weeks time.

I started the swim quite fast and soon established a good gap over the rest of the field. My HUUB wetsuit was great at doing what it does best…. swimming fast! Towards the end of the swim I felt a touch to my right hand, which of course was from a jellyfish (a common occurrence at this event). A few minutes later it was my left hand and then just a few strokes later I copped one to the face. If you have even been stung by one of these creatures before, you know the pain that these sea devils can inflict. I spent the rest of the swim trying to keep my head above the water to reduce the odds of another jellyfish to the face. I was very pleased to hit dry land even with a painfully red face from the sting.

I tried to forget about the terror of the swim and hit the bike with a small lead on the chase pack. The ride was 4 by 10km loops, which meant I could get a time check on my lead after each 5kms.

Despite riding quite hard, young gun cyclist Ben Cook caught me with just 5km’s left to ride and I let him hit the lead and tried to get my legs as ready as I could for the final 10km run. Kye Wylde who had been sitting off Ben during his chasing efforts put in a late surge and hit transition in first with Ben and myself right on his heels. 

Going onto the run Ben put a small gap into me that I tried desperately to shut down. Unfortunately for me my run legs weren’t up to the task and I found myself loosing a few seconds to Ben over each of the 2 by 5km run loops. I crossed the line in a comfortable second overall happy enough with my race effort.

This race was (hopefully) the perfect hit out before Noosa Triathlon in a few weeks time. After looking at my ride power numbers I know that I am pretty much right on the money at this stage of the season.

I can’t finish this race recap without saying a special thanks to everyone who cheered me on while I was racing. It was a very humbling experience and it really does make a huge difference to me when I am racing.

ITU Triathlon Long Distance World Championships 8th

This race had been on my mind since late last year. I always knew that for 2014 this would be my major race focus and understandably I wanted a good result. I have always performed well in China and actually won my first ever ITU Olympic Distance here many years ago.

Leading into the event I had finished 2^nd at Ironman 70.3 Philippines, 1^st at another half iron distance triathlon in Samoa (setting a new course record) as well as another win over the sprint distance in Airlie Beach. The form showed it was there and I felt confident going into the race. I knew that the only thing working against me would be the longer distance. Racing for close to five and a half hours especially over a brutally hilly ride course and with a world class field of athletes was always going to be a good challenge however I felt confidant that my training had me well prepared to go the distance.  

Race morning came soon enough and I felt ready to go into battle. The race started from the beach and was held over two by two kilometer loops making up the 4,000 meter swim course. I started well and tried to stay comfortable swimming in around 7^th spot. Going onto the second lap a small gap opened up in front of me and I lost touch with the front group. I didn’t panic and stayed comfortable swimming at my own pace just off the back of the group. 

I put in some effort on the run from the swim to the bike transition and reduced the gap before eventually catching the lead group at around 10minutes into the bike leg. Soon after a big surge came from two of the French athletes which I was tempted to go with however I choose to hold back with the group and settled into my own tempo. After this another few athletes tried there luck in breaking up the group and also disappeared up the road. Just before the end of lap two of three of the bike leg I made the call to put a small surge in and distance myself from the group. I jumped away with a Russian athlete who stayed with me until about 20 kilometers to go. The bike course was hilly, hot and windy and I honestly just didn’t get comfortable at any point. In hindsight I probably should have made a move earlier on to stay in the hunt for a medal.

I came into transition off the bike in 6^th place and hit the run feeling every minute of the race which had so far gone past. The run leg was four by five kilometer loops over some decent hills. On the first lap I struggled to find any kind of speed and honestly felt shocking. During each lap I started to feel better and better and slowly found my running legs. I had Craig Alexander pass me at the half way point of the run who was tearing up the field with a blisteringly fast run leg. I tried to stay with him, which happened for all of ten meters before I felt like my heart was about to explode out of my chest.

Crossing the line in 8^th was honestly disappointing. I went into this race with the expectation of being in the hunt for a world championship medal. The race panned out a lot differently to what I was expecting with the bike leg sorting out the medals. I can honestly say that I stuck to my race plan so I can’t be too disappointed with the final result on the day. I learnt a lot about this 4k/120k/20k race distance which no doubt will put me in a lot better position come next years ITU Triathlon Long Distance World Championships if I choose to race this event again.

Airlie Beach Sprint Triathlon – 1st

Airlie Beach always holds a lot of found memories for me. I first raced here as a junior many years ago and managed to win on my first outing. Since then I have been back to Airlie Beach for this race many times adding a victory each year. It’s hard not the come back to any race if you are the defending champion and a race in Airlie Beach which is quite possibly one of the most beautiful places in Australia is what keeps me coming back. I must say that having my name next to previous winners of this event such as triathlon greats Luke McKenzie, Courtney Atkinson, Miles Stewart amongst many others feels pretty good as well.

With the ITU Long Course World Championships two weeks after the Airlie Beach Sprint Triathlon it seemed to be the perfect preparation leading into my ‘A’ race of the year. Training in Airlie Beach is awesome and always amazing. Below are a few snaps of what I got up to in the days before and after the race.

Race morning approached and I felt ready to go. To be honest I felt a little sluggish in the swim but still hit dry land with a small gap on 2nd place. The bike leg has been changed over the years to 2 by 10km loops with some decent climbs and a short amount of flat. Years ago the race use to be a straight 10km out and 10km back and the new course really test the legs and doesn’t give you much of a chance to get into a good rhythm. During the first lap I built up a decent lead on my next competitor and proceeded to increase this going onto the second 10km lap. Some light rain had started to fall so I kept my wits about me and took it pretty easy on the descents and corners.

My legs felt good hitting the run and with the lead I built on the bike leg I kept it in 3rd gear for most of the run not wanting to extend myself too much with World Championships just 14 days away. Overall I was very happy to take my 5th win in 5 starts at the Airlie Beach Triathlon.

Up next is ITU Long Course Worlds Championships in China on September 21st

Samoa Warrior Half Iron Distance Triathlon – 1st (Course Record)

When planning my race calendar at the start of this year I must admit that I had never planned to race this event. A chat another athlete several months ago during my time up in Cairns for Coral Coast 5150 (2nd place) and Ironman 70.3 Cairns (5th place) sparked my interest. 13 days prior to this event I finished 2nd at Ironman 70.3 Philippines in very hot and humid conditions and so I thought that another half iron distance event in the heat and humidity would bode well for my ITU Long Course World Championship preparations.

I had heard what lay in front of me from those who raced the event last year and was looking forward to racing this very challenging course. Tim Berkel and Cam Brown had raced this event last year with Tim suffering 3 flat tires and Cam with 2. After hearing this I made sure that I was very well prepared and chose to ride my Specialized S-Works Shiv with Roval CLX60 wheels front and rear. For racing I almost always use the S-Works Turbo clincher tyres however with rough roads ahead I swapped these for a brand new set of Specialized Roubaix tyres which I hoped would provide just that little extra security of the added puncture protection.

Race Day:
The swim course was held over two by 1km loops on a triangular shaped course. I knew that last year’s winner and course record holder Graham O’Grady would be the man to watch in the swim and sure enough Graham joined me at the front end of the field early on. The water temperature was very warm and so I didn’t swim particularly hard due to the fact that I didn’t want to cook myself too early on in the race. I exited the water right on the feet of Graham and made the call to put on running shoes for the 600 meter run into transition. Over this run I pulled up my Scody A.I.R tri suit which I had tucked into my HUUB swim skin during the swim leg. I have been loving racing in my custom Scody A.I.R sleeved raced suit as I feel like it actually keeps me cooler by keeping the sun off my back, shoulders and arms.

I came into transition in first and hit the bike leg with a small gap over Graham O’Grady and Ollie Whistler. The ride consisted of four by 5km loops in town before heading out onto the very rough roads of Samoa. I felt strong early on during the bike leg and so I pushed the pace and established a small gap within this first 20kms. The rest of the 70kms was out and back over some of the worst roads I have ever ridden. The entire ride was littered with potholes making it very hard to keep a high average speed. I went through the first hour with an average speed of 39.7kph and keep the pace as high as I could. The heat and humidity were now starting to take full effect and I made sure to keep on top of my hydration. I had some good company during the ride in the form of two police motorbikes (one in front and one behind) which came in handy as they helped to flag motorists off the road that I caught which gave me a clear path. The added bonus was that they also helped to stop the many dogs and one large pig from crossing the road in front of me. The last 4kms towards the bike turn around was up a very steep mountain road and with the humid and hot weather it was quite tough and a total sweat fest. I had a chance to recover on the downhill before the final 30kms flat section back into town over the pothole filled roads. I got off the bike with numb hands and sore shoulders due to holding onto my bars so tight during the ride. The entire ride I pushed as hard as I could to build my solo lead and so I finished the bike feeling quite spent.

At the half way point of the first of four by 5km run loops I had my first chance to see what kind of lead I had on second place. Ollie was looking strong holding onto second place with the gap being around four minutes. The run was scoring hot and reminded me a lot of my race at Ironman 70.3 Philippines just 13 days earlier. I made the most of every aid station grabbing ice and cold sponges to cool my core body temperature down. If I have learnt anything about racing in the heat it is that keeping your core temperature down in extreme heat is by far the most important factor in getting to that finish line.

So in saying this my goal on the run leg was simply to stay as cool as I could and hold onto my lead (two of the pro men were forced out of the race on the run leg due to heat exhaustion). Over the four out and back laps I was able to get a good idea of my time gap to second place and managed to keep this at around four to five minutes for the entire run. I was very happy to hit the finish line and take the title of 2014 Samoa Warrior Half Iron Distance Champion in a new race record time. This course was totally brutal and one of the most honest and hardest courses that I have ever raced on and well and truly worthy of the ‘warrior’ title given to this race.

 Results

1. Sam Betten, 4:20:26

2. Ollie Whistler, 4:25:48

3.Stephen Farrell, 4:49:11

4. Jared Bowden, 5:24:58

5. Darren Young, 5:33:28

*Photo Credit MeadNortonPhotography *

Specialized 2015 Product Launch

A few weeks ago Specialized Australia asked me if I was interested in coming along to their 2015 dealer event/product launch held on the Gold Coast. After a massive day of travel back from Ironman 70.3 Philippines (where I placed 2nd) I landed in Brisbane on Wednesday morning at 7am and then drove down to meet up with the Specialized Australia team. The entire event was professional, informative and not to mention massive! Having the chance to checkout the new products for 2015 was an amazing opportunity and there are already a few Specialized bikes, apparel and accessories that I have my eyes firmly fixed on for 2015! For those interested I thought that I'd share some of what I saw at the event and what I am excited about for 2015.

This S-Works Venge is totally stealth and the paint work is even more amazing in person

 New Specialized Venge bikes all lined up

 The new S-Works Tarmac is truly amazing. An incredible amount of r&d went into the new Tarmac.

 The S-Works TT helmet is something that I can't wait to get on my head. Matt black is my pick! 

 Just one of the outdoor setups. A full demo area was also going on. 

New S-Works Amira has one of the coolest paint jobs i've seen.

 Always so good to catchup with the man himself Mark Cote (aero r&d for Specialized). 

A big thank you to Specialized Australia for supporting me for close to 4 years now. It was very cool to be given the opportunity to attend this event and keep your eyes out for when the 2015 range hits your LBS.