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