Noumea International Olympic Distance Triathlon – 1st

This year marked the 31st 'Noumea International Triathlon'. If you look back through the history books at the past winners over the last 30 years some of the biggest names in triathlon have won this event including Chris McCormack, Hamish Carter, Miles Stewart & Simon Lessing. Add this international prestige to the obviously stunning race location of Noumea in New Caledonia and you have the recipe for an amazing race. After finishing with a 3^rd place result at last year's event I felt like I knew the formula and strategy required for a good result. However knowing and being able to execute are two entirely different things.

During the two lap swim in the calm ocean waters I was keen to push hard from the get go. Fellow Australian Peter Kerr took up the pace up front during the first 750-meter swim lap with myself slotted in just behind. 

I managed to get past Peter and take the lead just after diving back into the water to begin the second 750-meter swim lap. I held my position up front and I hit land in first with a small group of 6 others just behind me. I really put the hammer down on the run into transition in an attempt to get a small gap heading out onto the 40km bike course. This tactic worked exactly to plan and I put the hammer down as soon as I jumped onto my Specialized S-Works Shiv to establish a solo lead. 

I pushed really hard over the entire bike course to keep building up a good lead over the rest of the field who were attempting to close the gap to me. Being that the bike course was a 3 lap out and back course I was able to get time checks of the time gap at each U-turn. I completed the 40km bike leg in 56 minutes and 34 seconds and started the 4 X 2.5km run course with a healthy 3 minute and 15 second lead over the chasing group of athletes.

Like the bike course the run course was a multi lap out and back course which gave me a lot of opportunities to see just how much of a lead I had.  The plan for the run was just to maintain my lead and not go too overboard with running harder than required. 

The temperatures out on the exposed run course were rising to the mid 30 degrees which made each run lap feel hotter and harder. Fellow Australians Cameron Good and Peter Kerr along with New Zealander Graham O’Grady all looked to be running well. However I could see that the time gaps during each lap of the run seemed to stay roughly the same.

I was able to really enjoy the final run to the finish line and was ecstatic to be able to win the 31^st Noumea International Olympic Distance Triathlon.