Challenge Rimini Half - 6th

I just finished the Challenge Rimini Half here on the beautiful Adriatic coast in Italy. I raced the world junior duathlon champs here in 2001 and I was hoping to relive the magic from 13 years ago but I will have to settle for another 6th place finish after a tough closing 10km of the run where everything seemed to fall to pieces pretty badly. It may have been all the travel and crossing time zones but I felt great through to the half way point on the run so I am going to put it down to the epic crash I managed to get myself in at the 45km mark on the bike. The road rash on my arm was not too bad but it wasn't until after the race that I managed to assess the damage to my hip and there was some pretty good damage. 

It has been a great week here in Rimini and I have really enjoyed the change in pace. It seems Italy time is a lot like "island time" and when it comes to meals this place is off the chart. I love good food and there has been plenty of it the past few days, but I have been hanging out for some good italian wine so as soon as I finish this update …

The race was put on by an old italian legend triathlete – Alessandro Alessandri who I used to race with back in the ITU days and he did a great job organizing a tough and challenging course and making it a great race for the spectators. I must admit I did like the leisurely race start time of 11am, it was a nice change to the system but I still managed to seem to run out of time before the start. 

Beach start for the swim which I always like and this seemed to go very smoothly and soon we were onto the bike. The front group seemed to stay pretty tight until about 25km where we started climbing, first gradually into a head wind then not so gradually. There was a group of 4 of us that got away but just before the turn around we were joined by ex pro cyclist Dominico Passuello who would go on to win the race and he blasted to the front and picked the pace right up. My goal was to bridge back up on the downhill section, but my mistake was thinking bridging a gap to a pro cyclist on a descent was easy and trying to close the whole 10seconds in 1 corner, not the smartest move of my career. I was so so close to coming out the other side and if I did who knows what would have happened but after a good slide on a good European road there was no doubt in my mind about getting back on the bike and I managed to do this in good time, the 2 guys who were just behind me a minute ago passed me as I was mounting my reliable stead. I could feel my hip was sore but I tried to put that behind me as much as I could and focus on the job at hand and things were going okay.

Off the bike 2minutes down and soon we were closing the gap, after 7kms I was on the chase by myself and had brought my deficit down to 90seconds, I didn't think this was the best it was going to get but it seemed as each kilometer went by my pace slowed and I wasn't able to hold my stride together, quite possibly from the damage to my hip as using your gluts and core are essential. Ritchie Nicholls – another one of the fastest runners in our sport on his day, caught and passed me at 11km, I tried to go with him but could not change my pace and this was the start of a line of 3 other guys who paced themselves well and chewed me up and spat me out. I was now on Italian time… And soon fellow kiwi athlete Gine Crawford who was on her 2nd of 3 laps ticked past my with here beautiful cadence – I did manage to get back past her before she turn for her last lap and I turned for the finish but it was great to be racing with another Kiwi.

A great experience, one I wish I could have shared with Kelly, counting down the weeks until I see her – at 2 now.

Next stop Barcelona for the new 70.3 race next weekend. Looking forward to a nice relaxing week and all going well I should arrive on the start line with no aches and pains and 2 solid races under my belt. Again it is going to be a stellar field with the winners from this weekends Challenege Rimini and Malorca 70.3 taking to the start line.

Until next time – stay upright

Ironman 70.3 St. George - 6th

This weekend was the Ironman 70.3 St. George race in UTAH, it doubled up as the US Pro championships and was my first race of the Northern hemisphere season. Only being back into training the past 6 weeks from a small recovery period after Kelloggs Nutri-Grain Ironman NZ my goal going into the race was to test the body, see where the fitness was and test that against most of the best athletes in the world. All in all it was a very tough day but I am please to walk away after a solid race finishing in 6th Place. This was my first trip to UTAH and to be honest I wasn't sure what to expect coming in, but the truth is St. George has such amazing scenery and very friendly people I will definitely be coming back and exploring the area a little more.

The course has to be one of the toughest I have ever competed on, add to the course the stellar field and the slight altitude of the area it was sure to be a hard hard day at the office. My feel in the water has been good plus I had a brand new Aquasphere wetsuit on so I was glad that I managed to put together a good swim and come out of the water near the front of the lead group. Andy Potts had a little gap coming out of the swim but with the large lead group we would catch him at some stage during the bike. Getting started on the bike my toes were a little numb from the cold swim and the the chilly air, very interesting though that the temps rapidly went up through the day and by the end of our race it was everything but cold. The guys were riding incredibly well, my power was definitely higher than it has been in a long while and being able to hold off the uber bikers like World Champ Sebastian Kienle chasing us down for the whole duration of the bike had to say something about the pace we were setting. At the 40mile / 60km mark we hit Snow Canyon which was a solid 5mile climb and was sure to be where the the race would be separated. I just hung onto the lead group and was thankful for the super aerodynamics of my Argon 18 on the long decent back into town. The climb did some damage to field and Jan Frodeno who is having a great year got dropped from the group. I half thought we could count him out of the running for the top spot but he proved the lot of us wrong coming away with the fastest run of the day and bridging back across to take the win.

The run was going to be interesting, there were no flat sections at all and the first 2.5miles was straight up hill. Defending champion Brent McMahon who would go on to take the silver set a pace that I struggled to match running out of transition, soon Tim Don who would later take the bronze came trotting past and again I couldn't change gear to hang with him, Gambles, Potts and Collington, all great athletes came past and again I could not find that next gear, my legs felt good, my heart rate was well within myself but I was noticing the altitude of 3000feet when it came to sucking in Oxygen, I just couldn't get enough in and now a day after the race my throat is killing me, I guess from breathing too hard! I still wanted to see what I could do out there and knew that the tough course may come back and bite a few guys in the but later on so I just kept my focus and kept the guys in front within my site. Unfortunately I was passed by Ben Hoffman at mile 8 and still could not change gear to stay with him. A couple miles later I knew we a long 2.5mile downhill stretch the finish and managed to bridge back up to 6th and 7th place. We were moving pretty well down the hill and knew we had to as Bevan Doherty was hot on our heels and closing the gap. It has been a while since my last sprint finish and while it would have been great to be sprinting for the podium it was still pretty cool to be able to be a part of the action and help put on a show for all the specters watching live and online.

I guess all those years of running on the track back in high school are still paying off…

In case you are wondering – I wore a black band around my arm in memory of good friend and amazing massage therapist who took his life 6 weeks ago. Ian McKellar was great person and will be missed greatly.

Back to LA for a couple day then I am off to Europe for the Challenge Rimini Half distance race next weekend followed by Barcelona 70.3. My last trip to Rimini was in 2001 where I won my first world title so I am looking forward to revisiting those memories and experiencing my first Challenge family race. I just hope my legs can recover in time from that downhill sprint! I have not taken off my 2XU compression socks and quads sleeves since the race.

So this weekend was a great test of my fitness, it was good to see where things are at for everyone and what needs to be done before the business end of the season and World Championships.

Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman NZ - 3rd

This weekend was the Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain New Zealand Ironman down in Taupo. It was a very tough day but I am pleased with my 3^rd place finish behind Marko Albert and Cam Brown. It was also a great way to mark the end of my Pre Season base training and put to rest some monsters that have been hiding in my Ironman closet.

Taupo put on a superb week with great weather leading into and on race day. I was happy with where my fitness was across all 3 disciplines and I was looking forward to testing the waters and seeing how far I had come since my last Ironman finish in 2011. 

Marko set a fast start to the 3.8km swim and soon a small group of us had a break. We quickly navigated through the waters to come out with a 2 minute lead over the chase pack which included Cam Brown.  Last years winner, Bevan Docherty along with several strong bikers made up the front group and I was sure we would work well together to slowly build our lead over the 180km, 2 lap bike course. Unfortunately by the 80km point Brownie had bridged the gap across and the whole dynamic changed.

Marko put in a small surge through the special needs section at the half way point and we soon noticed he was moving away from us. His lead would grow through the remainder of the bike to over 6 minutes. This was really impressive, as we were not wasting anytime riding home.

I love starting the marathon in the middle of Taupo, the crowds are so amazing and your spirits and adrenaline levels are lifted immediately. Soon it was Brownie, Docherty and myself on the hunt for the Estonian up the road. We were moving along very well but for some reason we were not taking any time out of our 6minute deficit. Lap 1 done and I was feeling okay, heading out onto lap 2 and things started to happen. Docherty dropped off at 16km, at 20km my legs decided they were not happy with the pounding I was giving them and I spent the next 4km yo-yoing off the back of Brownie trying my best to hold it together as long as possible. In the last 4km of lap 2 I lost over 1 minute. Things were turning to custard and fast! The final lap was the true test, would I be able to hold it together and stay positive? It was tough but I managed to hang in there and soon the battle would be to see if I could hold off 4^th place Tim Van Berkel who was slowly closing the gap.  The finish line could not come soon enough and I was elated to cross in 3^rd place behind Marko who had an absolutely amazing race and Cam Brown.

In the woman’s Meredith Kessler defended her title and Gina Crawford and Candice Hammond rounded out the podium.

Kelly and I are in a mad rush now to unpack, wash and repack before heading off on our 14 month overdue honeymoon to Hong Kong and Vietnam. We are both looking forward to some well-earned time off.

  

Photos thanks to Darryl Carey – darrylcarey@me.com 

Ironman 70.3 Auckland - bronze

So this weekend was the Ironman 70.3 Auckland Asia Pacific Championships, the first big race of the 2014 season and to kick things off everyone did a great job.  I was blown away with how stacked the professional field was. You wont see another pro field with this many big names in it until the World Championships later in the year. The race was put on to an unbelievable standard thanks to the organization, the volunteers and Auckland city and not to mention the great crowds of spectators out there making the hard racing so much sweeter, and last but not least the weather Gods were good to us giving Auckland an absolutely amazing day to showcase the sport and the great city I call home.

With not being able to stand on the start line last year after being taken out by a car door 2 days before the race which resulted in a slow start to my 2013 season due to a concussion I was very grateful to be a part of the action this time around.

I took the bronze which I will be happy with as it is still early in the season for me and I am just getting back into some good training. I am really pleased with how my body responded so to finish on the podium in one of the most stacked fields outside of world champs is very satisfying. I had a great time racing in front of my home crowd on an absolutely stellar day here in Auckland. Right from the start of the race I was excited and loved every minute of the action. The pro field did a great job putting on an amazing show for those watching and whilst I tried unsuccessfully several times to split the group I loved this challenging Auckland course which took in some pretty cool sights. It is not every day that you are allowed to ride over the harbor bridge and the North section of the course went around the roads I used to train on as a beginner. Put all this with the huge crowds, the multi lap course and an unbelievable back drop and I was in my element.

Olympic gold medalist Jan Frodeno took line honors with seasoned pro Richie Cunningham showing he has stepped up his game to a whole new level of racing to take the silver. The other names that were in the top 8 included 2 x Olympic medalist Bevan Docherty, home favorite Cam Brown, 5 x world champion Craig Alexander and super runner Tim Reed. The girls podium was Cat Morrison, Annabel Luxford and Jo Lawn.

A week of recovery ahead before getting back into the serious miles in my build up for Nutri-Grain Ironman NZ on the 1st March.

Until then, keep safe

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Hi all,

Just a quick note to wish you and your families all a very Merry Christmas and the happiest of festive seasons!

I hope that we all finish off 2013 pleased with how things have gone and ready to keep moving forward after the haze settles in the new year. 

Timing of my off season was very unfortunate as I started back in heavy training last week, but thankfully my coach Jon Ackland has found it in his heart to give me a few easy days which I will be enjoying with my family between Waiheke Island and Auckland. 

Early in the New Year I will be racing the Auckland 70.3, this race also doubles as the Asia Pacific Pro Championships. Unfortunately due to the car door incident at the beginning of this year I was unable to be on the start line for the inaugural race but I am determined to make up for it. Then at the beginning of March I will be returning to Nutri-Grain Ironman New Zealand in Taupo. This will be the extent of my New Zealand racing for this season and I am looking forward to another exciting 70.3 campaign in the US and Europe over the summer.

Keep safe and have a great Holiday

Shepparton 70.3

I have just finished my last race of the 2013 season and managed to do so on a very high note at the Ironman 70.3 Shepparton race this weekend. I was coming into the race after a great victory last week in Mandurah at the Aussie Pro Champs and was hoping I could defend my title here in Shepparton. I knew it was not going to be easy with some strong competition, but I felt like my legs had recovered well through the week and I was determined to round out the year with a “W.”

Kelly and I had a fun few days in Perth early on in the week catching up with old friends and taking in the sights but it was a little tough to stay focused on the job at hand this close to the end of the season. We got up to Shepparton with a couple days to spare and stayed with the Griffin’s, a great family I stayed with last year.

This years race had 3 gun swim/ bikers in the field. Josh Amberger, Clayton Fettel and James Hodge. I was a little worried the boys would team up and work together to put some good time into me, but fortunately they split up very quickly and soon it was each man against the clock. No tactics, we were just fighting to time trial as fast as possible to the finish line.

I was just over 1 minute behind the 3 of them coming out of the water, by the end of lap 1 on the bike, I was in 2^nd place but Amberger’s lead had grown to 90 seconds and I was starting to feel a little fatigued. I managed to hold it somewhat together on the 2^nd lap of the bike and was hoping to limit my deficit to within the 2 minute mark. Running out of T2 to start the run, I was only 75 seconds down, which was a pleasant surprise.

 

Being the last race of my season, I wanted to make sure I gave it a good push. I passed Amberger at 4kms in but decided to keep the pressure on until about the 15km mark. It was a great feeling being able to run the last few km’s taking in all the cheering from other athletes and all the spectators and volunteers.

Another couple nights in Melbourne to finish our Australian adventure, now back to New Zealand to enjoy a few weeks of R & R, which will more than likely include some home renovation activities.

All in all 2013 was an extremely successful year for me. Since August 2012, I have been on the podium in all 17 races I have finished. Nine 1^st place finishes, five 2^nd place finishes, including 2^nd at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships and the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships and three 3^rd places, to round things off.

I am looking forward to a good off-season to recharge the batteries and hope to take another step up next year.

Thanks everyone for all the support and encouragement throughout the year.

Mandurah 70.3

This weekend was the Mandurah Ironman 70.3, the race also doubled as the Australian Pro Championships and was one of the higher tiered races on the 70.3 circuit, so to be able to come away with the win of this prestigious event was great (as you can see by my finish line picture).

Travelling to new places is one of perks of my job and with never having been to Western Australia it is the perfect way to experience this side of the country.

The race was top notch, firstly with some of the best Athletes in the world standing on the start line, to fight for the bragging rights of being the Aussie pro champion, and while I am not Australian, I definitely wanted to claim this title. Some of the guys set for the battle included Tim Reed, Tim Berkel, Greg Bennett, Brad Kahlefeldt. The race was also put on to a world class standard with great organization and an amazing army of volunteers. Big thanks to everyone who made this event possible.

We started with a different swim to usual, we were in the water ways around Mandurah which was a cool course but a little tough to navigate at times. Sam Appleton set a good pace early on but unfortunately took a wrong turn and went around a buoy in the opposite direction. With all the confusion I soon found myself leading the pack, not a situation I am accustomed to but I thought I would make the most of it and led the last portion of the swim.

Off onto the bike and defending Champ Tim Berkel set a solid pace. The bike was pretty flat, but we did have to contend with some strong winds out there. At about 30km in, I tried to break the group but came up short of getting away solo time after time. The heated pace did help separate out some of the guys and I think took a little zap out of the faster runners legs.

Finishing the bike portion of the race in just over 2hrs and we were off onto the 2 lap run. I took off at a quick tempo to keep the pressure on and soon found myself with a little gap. On the charge behind me was Benno and Berkel and they seemed to be moving well. I kept the pace up as much as possible for the first 10km to help build my lead and after lap one I had a good 90 second buffer. This was a nice relief, as now I could enjoy the 2^nd lap without having to worry too much about digging myself into a hole, which would be hard to get out of by next weekends race in Shepparton.

Miami 70.3

This weekend was the Ironman 70.3 Miami and also my last event in the US this season. I was coming into the race as defending champion and the tough pro field really made me dig deep to defend my title. 

I love racing in Florida, and Miami brings a whole new element to the table with its amazing food and large cultural diversity. The South Americans would have to be some of the most passionate triathletes and supporters in the world and they helped make this weekend extra special.

So here’s a brief summary of how it went down. I started the swim on the wrong side of the group which left me playing catch up for a good portion of it, the pace was hot for the first half then settled right down and a larger than normal group formed.

Taking off onto the bike there must have been close to 30 guys who made up our group, which was fine, but the sad thing was that the space between cyclists (the draft zone) I felt was not being enforced strictly enough which caused the group not to separate with a pace that would usually spread the field thin. Ben Collins finally got a little gap on the way out to the turn around which he quickly grew to a 90second lead. On the way back it was time to drop the hammer so I made my move, but unfortunately with the large group behind me I really struggled to get any distance from the group. It wasn’t until we hit an aide station half way home when a gap formed and we started to cause some damage. Nils Frommhold anticipated my tactics and worked with me to grow our lead from the chase group and limit the deficit to Collins up ahead. Hats off to Collins for a gutsy move on the bike that paid off as he came off the bike 40seconds ahead. 

I was surprised how good my legs felt heading out onto the run but I knew there were several fast runners in that chase group who would be gunning for the number one spot. I caught Collins at mile 1 and was now leading the race. At the 1^st turn I saw Osplay running lightning fast and Frommhold not far behind. At the end of lap 1 I had only a 20second gap and was doing everything I could to hold onto that lead as long as possible. Thankfully it was enough and at the turn with 3 miles left to race my gap had grown to 90seconds.

I am looking forward to getting back to NZ, it has been a long time on the road and I cannot wait to sleep in my own bed, even if only for a few days. Next stop is the Australian 70.3 championships in western Australia in 2 weeks time, then back to Melbourne for the Shepperton 70.3 to wind up my season.