It doesn’t seem that long since I raced this event for the first time 7 years ago. My first outing at the Dirt N Dust Triathlon I finished 2nd to one of the greatest triathletes Australia has ever produced, Brad Bevan. Having won the event for the last 4 years I was excited at the chance to add win number 5 to my résumé.
Race Day:
Diving into the muddy waterhole I started on the inside and had a good start. I swam the first half of the swim quite hard and then settled into a good tempo for the second half of the swim leg. Getting out the water I saw that I had built up a nice lead and started the bike ride with a good gap over the rest of the field.
I have always enjoyed the tough 25km ride back into town braving the headwind. Every year there has always been a strong headwind which means a consistent tempo is required if you are after a fast bike time.
This year the first few kilometers were faster than usual with the headwind not having a big effect. This meant I could ride at around 45-50kph for the opening stages of the cycle leg.
After the opening section of the cycle leg the headwind picked up which was as expected and I settled into a good rhythm. I finished the ride with a nice 361 watt average showing on my bike computer.
Dismounting off my S-Works Shiv I started the 5km run leg through Julia Creek feeling quite good. The temperature at this year’s event wasn’t as hot as it has been in previous years with a ‘cooler’ 36 degrees. I really enjoyed the final 5km run and just keep ticking the legs over at a good tempo.
It was a nice feeling crossing the line just under the hour mark in 59:40 and with my 5th win in as many years at the Julia Creek Dirt N Dust Triathlon.
Photo Credit: Tom Adam / North West Star
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