QLD Triathlon Series Race 1 Robina , Gold Coast – 3rd

Post Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast just two weeks ago I managed to contract a nasty flu which had really limited my training and might also explain why I had a less than desired performance at IM70.3 Sunshine Coast. With that said I had managed to get in a few good training sessions once I felt a little better but was still struggling a lot with recovery and was far from being 100% physically. It is very hard as a professional triathlete to toe that start line knowing that you are not in the best shape due to sickness. Nevertheless I have always enjoyed racing at Robina on the Gold Coast and decided to give what ever the body and mind would allow me to give on race day and not be too disappointed with the end result.

With a wetsuit legal swim I was excited to wear my new Orca Predator wetsuit which I have been using a lot in training and am feeling very confident in. I started fast and was one of the leaders heading towards the first of 3 swim turn buoys. Rounding the first turn I slipped in behind the first two lead swimmers and felt strong all throughout the 800 meter swim leg. I emerged from the swim and had a great transition out my wetsuit to hit the 32km bike leg in second place. As soon as I slipped my feet into my bike shoes I set about trying to build a solo gap to the rest of my competitors. After the first 8km loop I had around a 30 second lead which I really wanted to extend as much as possible over the remaining 3 X 8km laps. 

Photo: Paul McCarty 

 Photo: Leanne Handreck Photography

With eventual winner Ben Cook having caught up to the chase group he pushed hard to reduce my lead with a small group of chasers latched onto his fast paced cycling effort. Coming into transition I knew that I had my work cut out for me as my solo lead had been reduced down to just 20 seconds. 

 Photo: Leanne Handreck Photography

After two weeks of battling sickness I knew that my run might not be where I needed it in order to win due to the high heart rate zone I would need to hold to keep my lead intact. The run consisted of 3 times 2km laps and I really pushed hard over the first lap to hold onto my lead. Unfortunately as I headed out onto lap two the pass from the lead was made leaving me holding down the final podium position. I crossed the finish line just 34 seconds behind the winner for a hard fought 3^rd place.

 Photo: Leanne Handreck Photography

I always go into races with the mentally that I am racing to win but after a shocking two weeks of being sick I was really just happy to be on the podium. I gave the race all I had both mentally and physically on the day and put in a big effort to race off the front and have a big crack at the victory. As an athlete that is all you can do and sometimes it goes your way and other days it doesn’t quite work out. 

Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast - 8th

Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast was a race that I really wanted to perform well at and my training over the last 4 weeks had all been based around getting me as ready as possible for this event. I had put in some big weeks in training and going into IM70.3 Sunshine Coast I was confident in my ability to perform well on the day. Unfortunately this wasn’t to be the case with a less than desired race day performance netting me 8^th place in the end.

I was looking forward to the 1.9km ocean swim and with the gun start I immediately looked at getting off the line quickly and establishing myself within the front swim group. The pace was quite fast for the majority of the swim and so I felt like I worked hard to keep in touch with the front swim group.

After the aforementioned big training weeks on the bike I felt good about being in the front group and being able to ride strong. The pace wasn’t super quick for the first 25km out to the bike turn around however with Tim Berkel and Luke McKenzie catching the group just after the turn the pace lifted with a few big surges during the ride back towards Mooloolaba. This caught me out big time and heading back towards transition to complete the first 50km lap I started to drop off the back of the group along with Luke Bell. Luke and I spent the next 40kms together and were joined by Todd Skipworth with 20kms left to ride. I was honestly guttered to have dropped off the front pack and was struggling to find my rhythm during the bike leg.  

Going onto the run I thought back to ITU Long Distance World Championships earlier this year where once again, I had a less than desired bike leg however managed to run really well and have one of the quickest run splits of the race. Unfortunately these thoughts were short lived after tapping out the first few kilometers at 3min30sec/per km pace and watching my pace start to slow after that. I crossed the line in 8^th place with a 3hr57min02sec time.

I was really hoping for a much better result at IM 703 Sunshine Coast but was outclassed on the day. There are some positives that I have taken away from the race as well as some changes that I need to make in my training in order to improve for the rest of the season.

Airlie Beach Sprint Triathlon – 1st

This event is one that I really look forward to year after year. The amazingly scenic course as well as the fact that this year marked my 6^th win at the event means that the Airlie Beach Triathlon is one of the most enjoyable weekends away on my triathlon race calendar.

Race Day:

This year the 750-meter swim course was a non-wetsuit affair which didn’t bother me too much as I actually prefer non wetsuit swims, especially over the 750 meter swim distance. The water temperature was perfect and the clear ocean waters made for a fast swim. With a beach start I quickly hit the gas and settled into a good tempo once I hit the water. I emerged from the swim leg with a healthy lead and after a slower than usual transition I headed out onto the bike leg. 

My plan was to push a solid tempo over the two lap bike course paying special attention to the climbs on each lap and working hard up the hills.

Coming back into transition after the bike leg I set out for the 5km, two lap run course. The run course was truly stunning winding its way around the costal boardwalks and down toward the harbor. I enjoyed every step of the 5km run leg and reached the finish line in just under 1 hour overall.

It was a great feeling to take out my 6^th title at this event and a good test of the legs before what is to come. Next weekend I will be racing Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast, which is a race I have been targeting all season.

Ironman 70.3 Cebu - 8th

After finishing 2nd one year ago at Ironman 70.3 Cebu I returned again this year hoping for some similar success. Things this year were a little different as I was coming off the back of my goal race of the year, ITU Long Distance World Championships whereas last year I was heading towards Worlds. Nevertheless this race was something that I was really looking forward to. After experiencing the race for the first time last year I knew that those racing were in for a treat. This race really is the gold standard when it comes to the insane crowd support which lines every inch of the race course. Add a world-class men’s field into the mix and the race was set to be one to look forward to.

Race day approached and with a deep-water start the race was underway just before 6:30AM. I knew that I had to swim hard to put pressure on the rest of the guys and I led the swim for the first 400 meters. Clayton Fettell moved around me at this point and we both swam hard to get as much of a gap as we could to the rest of the main players. Clayton and I emerged from the swim with just over a 1 minute lead to the chase pack.

I had a fast transition and hit the bike leg in first and immediately set about setting a solid tempo. I was surprised not to see Clayton with me and spent the first 15kms or so out front solo. Soon enough the catch came and I settled into the pack. I tried to stay in the front few riders however there was a lot of shifting of positions going on with everyone trying to stay as close as they could to the front of the pack while still maintaining the 12 meter non drafting zone.

Just after the far bike turnaround point a gap opened up 2 riders in front of me and I tried to get across the gap however just couldn’t bridge up to the leaders. I was forced into the chase group and set about trying to limit the gap to the leaders for the remainder of cycle leg. In the last few kilometres I caught Craig Alexander and after transition I hit the run leg holding down 5th place.

Unfortunately it was at this point where my day really came apart and I suffered some bad stomach cramps. Craig Alexander and Mitch Robbins came past me and I spent the first run lap of two chasing Luke McKenzie and trying to hold off Pete Jacobs. Half way through lap two my stomach was in knots and Pete Jacobs made the pass on me to take over 7th place and put me in 8th which is where I stayed until the finish line.

Ironman 70.3 Cebu was a real disappointment for me performance wise as I know that I am better than the performance I delivered on race day. The race is something very special with the amazing crowd support and top notch organization making this a very fitting place for next years 2016 Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships where I look forward to once again tackling this course.

My next Ironman 70.3 race will be Sunshine Coast which I am very much looking forward to.

ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships – 9th

This was the race that I had targeted all year and was the one race of the season where I wanted to base my year around. After finishing 8^th at the World Championship last year I was really on the hunt this year to put myself in the mix to win. Training leading into this race had been almost perfect and during race week I felt ready to go.

Race Day:

Unfortunately the 4km swim was shortened to just 1.5km due to the cold water temperatures. The deep water swim start suited me and I pushed the pace early on to ensure that I stayed with the front runners. 

The shortened swim made for quick swim leg with no one willing to hold back over the short 1.5km out and back swim loop. I exited the swim leg in 6^th position right up with the front group. A quick transition and of course being careful to make sure that my wetsuit and goggles went into my transition box I hit the cycle leg.

As soon as I started the ride the pace was really on and I had to ride harder than I had hoped for to keep up with the pace being set up front. I only stayed up in the front group for 25kms before the pace being set got to me and I dropped off. After riding well in training I thought that I would be fine on race day but for some reason I just couldn’t keep up with the pace on the bike. The wind started to pick up on the 2^nd and 3^rd bike laps and slowly more athletes caught and passed me. For the entire bike course my legs just wouldn’t respond which meant that the race went up the road and I was left to play damage control. I came into transition 14 minutes down on the leader, which was well down on where I had originally hoped to have been. 

Going over this race in detail weeks before race day I set myself the goal to run 3min30seconds per kilometer which I knew based on past results would be what I would need to run to have a shot at winning. This was of course based on if I came into the bike to run transition with the leaders. Heading onto the run I just focused on running 3.30min/1km and after a while managed to get myself into a good rhythm. For the duration of the 30km run I continued to catch athletes and finally crossed the line in 9^th place.

 9^th place at a World Championship isn’t a bad result however it was far from where I had hoped to finish. However, there were a lot of positives to take away from the race which included a 1hr49min20sec run time which was the 4^th fastest of the professional men. Unfortunately it was my bike leg where I lost a big chunk of time and the chance of winning the race.

In other news from the race, I was part of the Australian team which received the silver medal for the elite teams category with myself in 9th and fellow Australian team members Joe Gambles in 7th and Josh Amburger in 18th. 

Regent 5150 Triathlon - 1st

I have been doing a big training block over the last few weeks in preparation for the ITU Long Distance World Championships. It just so happened that the Regent 5150 fitted perfectly into this preparation as well as my travel to Europe for the World Championships. The week before flying out I had pushed the envelope a little more with my training but still felt quite good. With some good work in the legs done, coach Stephen Moss gave me a few days to freshen up for the race which fell in nicely with my travel from Australia to the Philippines.  

Race Day:

One thing you have to expect racing in Asia is that it is always hot and humid and race day in Subic for the 5150 was no different. As soon as the gun went off I swam hard to the first turn buoy hoping to separate the field and ensure that it was a smaller group that hit transition heading out onto the bike course. Unfortunately my efforts was unrewarded with 4 others still in the group after the first 400 meters of the swim out towards the first turn buoy. I swam in front trying to keep things conservative until just before the final turn buoy towards shore when Clayton Fettell took over the lead. Running into T1 I pulled down my HUUB swim skin and pulled up the top section of my Scody AIR race suit in preparation for bike leg. 

The first 10km was held on the Subic Bay International Airport runway and consisted of riding to the end of the runway 3 times. Clayton was riding like a man possessed and I had to really push hard to stay in touch. I was looking down at my bike computer and seeing close to 400 watts during this flat and fast section. This move by Clayton helped to split the group of 5 down to just myself, Clayton and last year's winner and defending champion Casey Munro.

The bike course was very hilly with not much flat after the opening airport runway section. The heat and humidity were building steadily but the 3 of us spilt the workload to extend the lead over the rest of the field. I led for most of the final stretch back into T2 before Clayton picked up the pace hitting transition first with Casey & myself just a few seconds behind in 3^rd and 2^nd respectively.

After some big run weeks in training I really backed myself to run strong and had a very fast transition to hit the run course in first. I went out quite hard keen to build up a lead out towards the first 2.5km turn around point. As I hit the turn I noticed that my lead to Casey and Clayton had extended out to a decent sized gap and I kept pushing to keep my pace high. 

I started to fade slightly with just 4kms left to run but held onto a sizable lead to Mitch Kibby who had run himself into 2^nd place. I crossed line in just under 2 hours to take the win at the Regent 5150 Triathlon. This was a big win for me and more importantly it was so rewarding to see that all of the hard work in training and discipline outside of the training sessions themselves are paying off.  

The Philippines have been a happy hunting ground for me with this win as well as my 2^nd place at last year's Cobra Ironman 70.3. I am looking forward to racing more and more in the Philippines in the years to come and hope my results continue along the statuesque. I now head to France to finish up my World Championship preparation before flying into Sweden in late June.

Ironman 70.3 Vietnam - 7th

After taking 3^rd at the Noumea International Triathlon a few weeks ago I knew that I was swimming, riding and running pretty well. I didn’t feel ‘fast’ in Noumea but I did feel strong so I hoped that this would transfer over to the half distance that faced me in Vietnam. The training in between these two events had been going well and with a strong field assembled for the inaugural Ironman 70.3 Vietnam I was looking forward to testing the legs and having a crack at the podium. With scorching temperatures on race day in the high 30 degrees C and the ‘feels like’ temperature closer to 50 degrees C I knew that this race would test a bigger athlete such as myself. More often than not it is the smaller muscle mass athletes who performance better in the heat which means that hot races are not usually my strong point. Add that to a pinched nerve in my back just before flying out and I knew Vietnam would take a calculated effort to get the performance I wanted.

Race Day:

Race day approached and I felt ready to go and lay my cards on the table. During my pre race swim warm up I noticed that there was a large sand bank to the left of the start line that I planned to take full advantage of. In assessing the swim start area it looked like the quickest line to the first right turn buoy would be to the right of the start area. I was one of the last names to be called out to choose my starting position and it came as a big surprise to me that every one of the pro men except for Trenzo Bonozi, Justin Granger and myself choose the right side of the beach. When the gun went I ran into the water and took full advantage of where I had started. While the majority of the other professional athletes started towards the right side of the start line were swimming I kept running along the sand bank in knee deep water putting at least 20 seconds into the rest of the field by the time I hit the first right turn buoy. Once I was out in front I settled into an easier pace and let Josh Amburger come to the front and take up the pace keen to conserve my efforts. I sat very comfortably on the feet with Clayton Fettell just behind making up a group of 3. Being 6ft4 tall has its advantages when coming out of the swim and I was able to stand up earlier than Josh and Clayton to lead out of the water.

I headed out onto the bike feeling good and ready to ride solidly. Clayton soon took the lead and really put the hammer down over the first few kilometers. Trenzo then took over the lead before Tim Reed managed to bridge the gap to the lead pack making it a group of 5. The ride was pretty solid not to mention hot and I just tried my best to stay cool. I chose before the race to bring my S-Works Evade helmet which helped to keep me cooler over wearing a closed in TT helmet.

Heading into transition and getting off the bike the legs actually felt quite good and I was really forward to the final 21.1km run. This feeling lasted about 1km into the run before the heat caught up to me and I totally fell apart. It was at this moment where I was fighting with myself just to keep going and give the run whatever I could. Every time I tried to lift the pace my body refused. 

I spent the entire 21.1kms in the hurt box, cramping and melting. I crossed the finish line in 7^th place well off what I had hoped and immediately passed out and was put on an IV drip and oxygen apparently. I can’t really remember much between crossing the finish line and waking up in the medical tent.

Vietnam was a hard performance to swallow but I can honestly say I gave the race all I had on the day and left nothing else out there. I couldn’t have done anything differently on the race course and I am satisfied with the fact that I hung tough and got through to the finish line.