'Hell of the West' Half Iron Distance Triathlon - 2nd

Having won this race in 2014 I was looking forward to the opportunity of wearing race number 1 and attempting to defend my title in 2015. No male athlete had defended the title before so this added to the motivation. The Hell of the West triathlon is a fitting name for this event as it is held in outback Queensland in often scorching hot and windy conditions. This year saw a milder temperature and unexpectedly light winds which made for some very fast racing.

Race Day:
Due to the high temperatures race start is before dawn at 5AM, which means being woken up by my alarm at 3:15AM. The swim had to be moved from the planned river swim leg to the Botanical Gardens due to high water levels. The 2km swim consisted of 3 laps with a 3km run back to transition before starting the 90km ride. The race organizers had decided that this 3km run would be deducted from the 20 km run leg.

The start was quite fast but never-the-less I soon found myself in the lead. Over the first lap I had a small gap on the pack behind and kept the pace nice and steady without exerting myself too much. By the end of the swim I had built up a small 30 second lead. I slipped on my Saucony shoes for the 3km run and again kept the pace quite steady. I was caught by Lindsey Wall with around 1km left to run with Sam Douglas close behind.

As soon as I got onto the bike I was motivated to push the pace and quickly took the lead and rode within my set power wattage. I stayed in the lead until the turn around point and with the calmer winds I was able to ride the first 40km in just over 56minutes.

Lindsey Wall was the only athlete able to keep up and at the turn I noticed that my hard work over the first 40kms had paid off as I saw there was a big gap back to the rest of the field. I pushed the pace for another 5km before getting Lindsey to take the lead for a few kilometers and then I took over in front until about the 65km mark when Lindsey once again came to the front. Credit to Lindsey as he stayed a good 15 meters behind me, well out of the draft zone for the whole ride. Despite pushing the pace up front I kept well on top of my nutritional needs downing all the water in the bladder of my S-Works Shiv as well as ¾ of a bottle of sports drink and 4 PowerBar gels.

Hitting the run I felt much better than last year and was looking forward to a good battle for the win. I had been doing a lot of work on my run in December and January and wanted to be the one pushing the pace. Lindsey and I went toe to toe for the first 2 of the 3 laps and it really was a solid battle. I noticed on my run watch that we were hitting just over 3:30minutes per/km pretty consistently.

With temperatures rising I kept taking in ice and water as well as 2 PowerBar energy gels during the first two laps. Soon into the last lap the surges started to come and I soon found myself unable to keep up. It was disappointing to see the win running away from me but that’s racing. I came over the line in 2nd place which I was honestly happy with. This race was a great stepping stone for me and with the training I have done at this point in the season it is a good sign that things are on track.

Queensland Triathlon Series Robina – 7th

Since early December I have been putting in a lot a training to get ready for the racing ahead this season. After a good 8 week block I was feeling the training load in the legs but decided to give a sprint race a good crack just to see where I was at. Admittedly I knew I was fatigued going into the race but after winning the event in the past I thought that I would have a good shot at getting a solid result. The race is only around an hour by car from home and so I choose to drive down that morning. After setting up in transition and doing a short warm up I headed to the finish line to hand out the finisher medals to all the kids racing the KoolKids event. It is always good to see the kids racing hard as well as the smiles on everyone’s faces once they cross the line. It is a good reminder that we were all once first timers and the positive effects the sport of triathlon has on the kids.

With the temperature reaching the high 30s this was certainly going to challenge the competitors. Lining up on the start line for the deep water start I positioned myself towards the far right hoping for a clean line to the first turning buoy. Once the gun went off I had the clean start I was after and after a solid 400 meters or so prepared to hit the first turn buoy. Rounding the turn I managed to get tangled up in carnage and dropped back a few spots. The water was very warm and so I tried to keep my heart rate as low as possible and tucked myself in just behind the lead swimmers. Rounding the next turn I felt someone grab my feet and then pull me back in an attempt to move ahead. The swim was pretty intense and rough and I was happy enough to emerge from the water in 6^th just 7 seconds off the lead swimmer.

Hitting the bike I was motivated to ride hard and establish a solo break which was a tactic that helped me to win the race last year. I had a small gap to make up in the first few kilometers of the ride, which I did without too much trouble apart from having one keen athlete decide he wanted to sit right on my wheel and use me to motor pace him back to the front group. Once I caught the leaders I proceeded to put the hammer down and move past the group with my goal being to put enough time into the other competitors as I could by the time we hit the bike to run transition. My efforts to do so were unfortunately not enough to get away as the group were all riding very close together and every time I tried to ride away I had the group sitting right on a wheel. 

For what is suppose to be a non drafting race it is disappointing to see athletes disregard/ignore the drafting rules altogether making it next to impossible for a clean race. After putting in so much effort to break the group apart I was really feeling the burn in the legs and knew that it wasn’t going to be my day. Rounding the final corner I narrowly avoided one competitor who was riding right on my wheel, so close in fact that he rode right into me and almost caused me and him to crash. 

I hit the run totally depleted and struggled just to get to the finish line. After such a big block of training and some decent fatigue in the legs the race went as expected however crossing the line in 7^th wasn’t something I was too pleased about. However, that's racing and sometimes that is just the way it goes.   

Looking at my power meter data I know that the body is in a good place and after 2 more weeks of training leading into my first half iron distance race of the season I can look forward to having what I hope will be a good performance.

2015 S-Works Venge in Rocket Red!

If you follow me on social media you would have read that I have re-signed with Specialized Australia for 2015 & 2016. After riding for Specialized as a sponsored triathlete for the last 4 years as well as riding on Specialized bikes for going on 6 years I was very excited to extend my relationship with Specialized Australia. Their support and passion is truly amazing and I feel very lucky to call myself a Specialized Australia ambassador/sponsored triathlete.  

For those interested I wanted to give you a look at my 2015 Specialized bikes and provide you with the details on what I will be racing and training on this year. First up is my 2015 Specialized S-Works Venge. For those who are wondering the paint work is what Specialized call 'Rocket Red' which is fitting for such a fast bike. This is my third S-Works Venge in as many years and I must admit, my new favourite. The paintwork is stunning and photos really can not do it justice. 

I have had a Specialized S-Works Quarq fitted to provide cadence and wattage data to help me to train smarter this season. I am also riding on the Roval CLX60 carbon clincher wheels fitted with S-Works Turbo tires. I have swapped out the 175mm S-Works crank arms which come standard on the 61cm S-Works Venge for a set of 172.5mm S-Works crank arms which I have found give me a better power transfer. Pedals are Shimano Dura-Ace which I use on both my S-Works Venge & S-Works Shiv.

These new Specialized Aerofly handlebars make the Venge just that much more aero saving a reported 17 seconds over a 40km distance versus the traditional shallow bend shaped handlebar. Very comfortable bars and a great addition to the 2015 S-Works Venge. For those with a keen eye you can see that this S-Works Venge is rocking a Shimano Dura-Ace 11-speed group-set. Personally I love the mechanical feel on the Venge as it is so direct with every gear change. 

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