70.3 Half Ironman World Champs recap

The last race of the season has come to a close. It was not the day I was
hoping for but I am glad I made the trip out to Clearwater to compete.

The competition this year was amazing and a lot of the pros brought their A
game. The pace of the swim and the bike would have blown up the competition
every other year but for some reason 40 guys managed to hold on for those
disciplines. Which was spectacular as we were riding at 47km/hr (29miles/hr)
for the 90km bike, and this was not because of the drafting, it was a
relatively clean race but the advantage of riding 10meters apart is still an
advantage, but totally legal. It was not until the run where everyone
started to pay, including me... and pay big time I did!

I tried to make a move with 30km to go on the bike but I guess I had a big
target on my back and was not able to sneak away, apologies to the other 3
(Philip Graves, Fraser Cartmel and Andrew starykowwicz) for getting stuck
with me. They were riding strong and I am sure a break would have lasted
under different circumstances.

I was still in contention for a strong top ten finish with 5km to go. The
mind wanted it but the body just wouldn't respond. I suppose Kona was still
a little in my legs and the lack of quality speed work was not ideal given
the speed of the field.

I eventually groveled home because there were no cars in sight to hitch a
ride with and the spectators and volunteers kept my spirits high. My
position at the end of the day, well, it was worse than I thought it was so
let's not talk about it.

Instead we should talk of Michael Raelert of Germany. His older brother
Andreas finished second to me last year at this events and went on to a 3rd
place finish at Ironman World Championships in Kona this year. Michael had a
great race today which he finished off with a 1:09:05 half marathon run that
gave him a finish time of 3hrs 34min, 6 minutes faster than my world record
last year. Congratulation to you both and everyone else who made it to the
finish today.

Oh well, I have packed my bike and sent it off for a courier, so now it is
vacation time for the next 2 weeks.

Thanks to everyone for all the support over the year. For me it has been
exciting 8 months and would not have been possible without all the help and
support from a large number of people. You all know who you are, so thanks
big time.

Until next time,

Terenzo Bozzone, out!

2009 WORLD 70.3 CHAMPIONSHIP PRESS CONFERENCE

70.3 Half Ironman World Champs

Hi guys,

So tomorrow is the Half Ironman World champs here in Clearwater Beach, Florida. I am entering the race as defending Champion with the race number 1 on my back.

Recovery after Kona has gone well and I have managed to get a few speed workouts done so my body should be in shape and ready to go when we kick off tomorrow.

We start at 6:45 Eastern Standard Time, which is the middle of the night back in NZ. You can follow the race on www.ironman.com or my twitter at http://twitter.com/terenzo1. I will also get an update posted as soon as I can after the race.

Well, this is the last race of the season for me, so hopefully I can go out with a bang not a bomb!

3news

Hey guys,

Check out the latest interview from 3 News. it is a small story leading into the 70.3 Half Ironman World Champs next weekend.

Enjoy

T

http://www.3news.co.nz/Bozzone-eyes-up-next-ironman-title/tabid/317/articleID/127671/cat/70/Default.aspx

 

 

Last Race of the Season

I am currently back home in beautiful New Zealand. It is great to be home, even if it is for a short time after a busy year on the road, training and racing. I have just finished racing the Ironman World Championships 3 weeks ago in Kona, Hawaii. It is the pinnacle event on the triathlon calendar and was my debut on the island.  The conditions out there are like nowhere you would have every experienced. The winds can blow you off your bike and the temperatures hit the mid 40’s with 80% humidity, let’s not forget the sharks!

I had spent the 7 weeks leading up to the event training on the island with the 2007 World Champion Chris “Macca” McCormack. His knowledge was invaluable and we had a great time drilling each other into the ground. I was ready for the race and as prepared as I was going to be. Race day soon rolled around and everything was unfolding great.  I came out of the 3.8km swim in a good position, road the 180km bike well and came off with the main group of guys and then it was off onto the 42km run.  I ran the first half in 7^th place and was on the verge of cracking into the top 5 when my body started to shut down and I started to run backwards. The hydration and nutrition was not going through my body instead it was just sitting in my gut. When I eventually crossed the finish line in 11^th position my whole body had swollen terribly.  All in all I had a great time in the race and learnt a lot that will help me in future years to achieve my goal of being the World Ironman Champion.

2009 has been an interesting year. I started off the season with the New Zealand Ironman down in Taupo. This was my first time racing over this distance. I had a great day and came in Second behind 8 time winner Cameron Brown.  From there I went up to America to get out of our Winter to train and compete. Between April and July I competed in 5 events in the USA (3 firsts, a second and a something else) and another Ironman in Germany which also doubled up as the European Ironman Championships.  The competition in this event was great, probably the second toughest Ironman outside of the World Championships, but the spectators where even more amazing. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets and there was seldom a quiet moment out on the course. I ended up having a tough day but still finished 9^th.

A good rest after Germany and I was ready to prepare for the big race in Kona. So after 4 weeks at home I was back on the road and off to the Philippines.  This was one of the highlights of my year.  We were treated like rock stars and the whole event, which was an inaugural event, was put on to a world class standard. The temperatures were a little hotter than the Ironman in Hawaii so it was good preparation. Among the top competitors racing where Cameron Brown and Chris McCormack. I managed to have a great race and come away with the victory.

I have been home for 3 weeks and leave for my final race of the season, the World Half Ironman Championships in Florida. I am returning to the event as defending champion but with the Ironman World Champs being only 5 weeks prior I am a little unsure of my expectations. I will be sure to fill you in on my return.

Regards

World IM Championships - 11th

Hey guys,

What a day! Just a quick update on the race, will have a more detailed one in the next couple days.

It was an amazing day and I loved it from start to about half way through the run, then I started to blow up big time, my pace dropped and every stride was a struggle. Until then I was working my way through the field and had top five within reach. Unfortunately the rest of the guys didn’t struggle home as badly as me and I dropped just outside of the top 10.

It was an unbelievable experience and I learnt a great deal. I left everything out there on the course and when I crossed the line in 11^th Place I was exhausted both physically and mentally. Not to mention the swelling, I looked like an Umpa Lumpa with most of my body swollen up due to my insides shutting down. Thankfully swelling has gone but chaffing and sore muscles are making up for it.

Congratulations to everyone who competed, it was a tough day and just to get through it is a major achievement.

Thanks everyone for the words of support and encouragement.

Already looking forward to next year

Get your engines running

So here we are, 3 days away from the biggest race on the triathlon calendar, The World Ironman Championships, here in Hawaii, Kona. The town has transformed over the past week from a quite, relaxed town with no traffic into a small Triathlon City with hundreds of athletes running up and down Ali’i Drive and cycling along the Queen K Highway… in their lycra and compression socks! I can see the local thinking “what the hell?”

Preparation has gone well over the last 2 months and the last 10 days have been mostly about recovery with a few small hard workouts to keep the engine running. I am fortunate to have one of my massage therapists from New Zealand, Ian McKellar up here with me looking after my body and making sure my muscles are ready to go come Saturday. He assures me my body is in a better place than before IM Germany! My Coach Jon Ackland arrived on the weekend with my folks and Kelly. It is great to have Jon’s help and expertise advice leading into the event and having my folks and Kel fussing over me and making sure I don’t have to worry about anything is the best.

Also a big thanks to Chris “Macca” McCormack for inviting me out to Kona in August to hang out and train. He is a great athlete and top guy who didn’t have to think twice about sharing any information with me.

There are a great number of supporters from back home and around the world coming over to cheer me on so thanks guys. I have also done interviews with TVNZ and TV3 so that should screen sometime this week

You can follow the race at www.ironman.com on Saturday 10^th October, we kick off at 6:45am Hawaii time, which is Sunday at 5:45 in NZ. Hope the coverage is great and you all enjoy it.

Thanks everyone

Kona Camp & Roughwater Swim

Hi,

We are about 3.5 weeks out from the big day and training in Kona has been going great. Chris Macca McCormack has helped a great deal in my preparation and has been showing me the ropes. What to do and what not to do come race day. Hopefully it should cut the amount of learning years down by a couple!

Last weekend we headed over to the main island, Oahu for the infamous Waikiki Roughwater Swim. It is the original swim race that the Ironman was invented from. See, there was and still is a 3.8km open water swim, a 180km around the island bike race and the Honolulu marathon. At a function after the events there where a group of guys debating on whose discipline was the toughest and they decided to throw them all together for the ultimate champion. So there was a lot of history in the event and a large amount of hype as it is world famous. We all crashed at a buddies place, Tim Marr, sleeping on couches and blow up beds was not the ideal pre race routine but we made it to the start line.

I felt like I had a great swim… I did have a great swim. Unfortunately my goal of beating all the girls out the water was not achieved, the first chick passed me at the last buoy and got 20seconds on me. I finished about 10^th in 47 minutes just at the back of a big pack. Just to illustrate the talent of the guys who competed. I am an okay swimmer, I have been brought up in the water, I come out in the front bunch in most triathlons. The young Australian who won was 4 minutes in front of me. That’s 1 minute for every 1 kilometer, that’s 6 seconds per 100 meters. I take my hat off, respect!

I have just finished a big week of training and my tan is coming along nicely. I have a few easy days before a big workout this weekend which will be a good indicator of where I am fitness wise. Macca has left the Island for the mainland for a couple weeks to catch up with his girls… I think he was struggling too much to keep up!!!

One of my training partners from New Zealand, Mark Cross arrives tomorrow. Looking forward to hearing the good old Kiwi accent again.

Will touch base again before the race

The Shiv

So we have been here in Kona for almost a week. Our pad that we are staying in is off the hook, it is right on the water off Ali'i drive. We have Ozo, the guy who is in charge of taking care of the house, who is also a Chef, cooking for us and Chris’s buddy Michael Gillian taking care of our massage needs and hydration while out training.

Our new Specialized S-Works Shiv (TT bikes for the World Champs) were here waiting for us and a team from Specialized, Mark Cote - Engineer and Aaron Vogel – videographer where here to assemble the bikes and film our crossover from the Transition to the Shiv. We had a great time, got some good footage and learnt a heap about the new bikes. The data is incredible, especially in a cross wind which will play huge advantages to us here in Kona where the wind is one of the biggest elements on the bike course.

Recovery after the Philippines 70.3 has been slow. I think the heat of the race up there did damage a bit deeper than expected.

Will keep in touch and fill you in on how the preparation is going.

Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines

Feel it HOT HOT HOT!!!

That basically sums up my trip here to the Philippines. The Weather was hot, the people were great and had warm personalities and this place is amazing. Plus I hate it in cold weather when I can’t feel my toes after the bike, so bring on the heat.

My experience here has been wonderful, we have been treated like rock stars, the venue for the race was beautiful and the event was put on at a world class level which is an amazing achievement for an inaugural race.

Onto a quick summary of the race. The Pro field, although small was definitely high quality with Cameron Brown, Chris Macca McCormack, Pete Jacobs and Tim Mar summing up the male Pros, but with prize money only going 3 deep it was going to be a fight until the end. The swim kicked off at 7am, the pace was controlled as we all knew how hard the day ahead of us was going to be. Jacob’s lead most of the way on the 2 loop course around the wake board park (which we will come to later)! All 5 of us where out together and it was onto the 90km bike. I had a shocker of a transition losing both my shoes getting on the bike. I quickly fixed this and caught back up. Most of the ride was steady except for when Brownie made a break for it at about 30km. He managed to keep away for a good 20km but we soon reeled him back in. The crowds out on the bike and run course where huge. Thousands of locals were out there supporting and cheering. It reminded me of IM Frankfurt where there were half a million spectators.

Then it was off for the 21km run. The course was pretty flat but the temperatures were well over 30’C. Macca left transition at a crazy pace that I didn’t match. He gained a 30sec lead, but was always in my sights. At about 7km I caught back up. We ran together for 5km, Brownie was not too far behind and we were dying. Running through aid stations trying to collect as much fluid and gels as we could to hydrate and cool ourselves down. I got a bit of a gap on Macca and didn’t want to slow as I knew Brownie was close and he looked like he was running fast. I made the last turn around at 15km and was home bound but I really started to struggle now. I managed to hang on for the win, but my insides were cooking. Macca stuck it out for 2^nd and Brownie came in 3^rd. I guess if you count Macca’s Maori heritage you can say kiwi’s 1/2/3. On the girls side we had Lisa Bentley 1^st, Gina Kehr 2^nd and Charlotte Paul 3^rd. www.ironman703phil.com

Once the race was over we all had a go at the wake board park. What fun! I Will get a picture of my insane move that I managed to pull next time (but when shown how to do it by the pros… and governor LRay of Camsur my trick looks almost invisible).

All in all a great trip. The community really got behind the event and put on a awesome show. Can’t wait to get back here next year.

Off to Kona tomorrow, will be in touch once I have settled in

Cheers

T

Australia to the Philippines

I Have just arrived in Camsur, Philippines today. The weather is super hot and humid which is great because the fat is just dripping off my body… or at least the fluid is. The Cobra energy drink 70.3 is on Sunday and although the pro field is not that large the quality is definitely here with Chris McCormack, Cameron Brown, Timothy Mar and Pete Jacobs competing. Check out the attachment and have a look at the race website http://www.ironman703phil.com/tri-tans where you can vote on the Clash of the Tri-Tans (Macca, Brownie and Myself). At the moment I am in second behind Macca, but Brownie could be the man to watch on the day with his great results over the half ironman distance races this year, but you should still vote for me!

The past week I have spent training in Cronulla, Sydney with Macca. What a great place to train and hang out… and who said it was winter, the weather there has been mid to high 20’s every day. Training with the group up there which included Paul Ambrose (who is an up and coming Pro who you should watch out for) we had a great time and drank enough Coffee to last us a lifetime. Chris’s family – Emma, Tahlia, 5 and Sienna, 3 were good fun. Thanks for having me guys.

Unfortunately I finished off the week there training with a bit of a bike crash, actually a pretty bad crash. I was going about 50km/hr and hit a pot hole about 10minutes from home. I did a great superman impression flying over the handlebars. Luckily my head broke the fall and even luckier I had my specialized helmet on. I managed to get a lift back to the house in a kind persons car and got patched up. Then I packed my bags and got ready for the flight up to Manila on Philippines Airlines the next morning.

Things are starting to loosen up. One of Macca’s advisors who is also a muscle therapist is up here with us and he has been looking after me. Should be back in fine form come Sunday.

Will be in touch after the race

T

My Magic Box

Just finished packing and about to head on my way to the airport. I always over pack, but Kelly is not with me this time, so she can bring the kitchen sink in a couple months when she comes to meet me in Kona.

From the above picture I bet you are wondering where my bike is? Well my dad, the legend has just finished Mach 2 of the Carbon Magic Bike Box and my tiny Specialized Transition is hiding in there, along with 2 Specialized helmets, my Zipp race wheels, several pairs of K Swiss shoes and a few other bits and pieces of ARX, Profile-Design, Aqua Sphere and a few copies of the Pure Indulgence Chocolate cook book purchased from the Stellar Trust, www.thestellartrust.org.nz . The case, fully developed and padded weighs in at 5.5 Kg’s and altogether with my gear is an amazing 22kg’s. Bring it on check in ladies, there is no way you are going to charge me for my bike… I hope.

What else do I have – well a big Oakley luggage bag with my Tempurpedic mattress overlay for good night sleeps and recovery along with my clothes, weighing in at 24kg’s. A Zipp Wheel bag with my training wheels and some other small bits that I couldn’t fit anywhere else and my Oakley back pack.

Should be able to get around the airports without a trolley and without a sore back.

Off for a quick stop in Sydney before heading up to the Philippines 70.3 race on the 23^rd August then onto Kona to get fit for the IM World Champs.

Will keep you posted with how things are going, until then T out.

Philippines 70.3 on the road to Kona

After having a good rest after Ironman Germany it is back into the hard yards in preparation for the World Ironman championships in Kona. Surprisingly and thankfully my form did not drop away too much, I put that down to all the millage in the legs from this Ironman training the past few months.

I was a great off season relaxing and hanging out with friends and family. I made it down to the snow a few weeks ago with my girlfriends dad and sister Nikki, unfortunately the weather was not great but we did manage to get a couple half days boarding and besides a few aches and pains from using different muscles I escaped in good nick. I managed to keep relatively chilled out and not too busy, but I am paying the price for that now with a never ending list of things to do before I leave New Zealand next week that just keeps getting longer.

I have also just confirmed that the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines will be a new addition to my race schedule leading in the World Championships. It takes place in Camsur, Philippines on the 23^rd August, so I have another two and half weeks to get on top of my form so I can give Cameron Brown and Chris McCormack a good run for the money. It will also be a good way for me to test the heat and see how my body handles it in preparation for Kona.

I leave NZ on the 12^th August to do a week’s training in Aussie on the way to the Philippines. From there I head to Kona, Hawaii to do a training camp with McCormack. I plan to base myself for the remainder of my build up leading into Kona so I can work on my tan… and learn the course.

Will fill you in after the Half Ironman in the Philippines

Terenzo

Frankfurter Sparkasse European Ironman Championships

Finally we are back home in the freezing cold after a long 3 months of living out of suitcases. Last stop was the Frankfurter Sparkasse European Ironman Championships in Frankfurt Germany on the 5^th July. It was an amazing experience, the course was like nothing I have ever done before weaving in and out of small European towns on the bike course and a 4 lap run on the river banks and bridges with thousands of spectators lining the course.

Before I go into detail about the race I would like to bring your attention to a great initiative by The Stellar Trust, a trust formed to create awareness about the drug Methamphetamine also known as P. I am not asking you for a charitable donation, instead all I want to do is raise your attention to the Pure Indulgence Chocolate cook book where 100% of the proceeds go straight into the charity. I have seen this cook book and the quality is exceptional, the ideas are great and there are hundreds of great meals and desserts involving chocolate… and don’t fool anyone by saying “you are not a chocolate addict!!!” This would be a great birthday or Christmas present or a present for a loved one hoping they will try out some of the recipes on you.

The book can be purchased for $60 NZD plus postage by visiting The Stellar Trust website www.thestellartrust.co.nz or clicking on The Stellar Trust – Rise above P logo on my new website www.terenzo.com . Thank you.

So back to Germany. I was lucky to have one of my massage therapists from New Zealand, Ian McKellar make the trip over to look after my muscles before the race, and boy did I need it, my body was in bad shape from all the travelling, racing and training. Kelly’s sister and husband, Amanda and Karl, who are travelling through Europe also made it up to Frankfurt to help out which was great. The weather race week was rather hot which I enjoyed. We ate at a nice Italian restaurant across the road from our hotel every night which got a bit much but the routine was good and the cooking didn’t make me crook. I had 4 drug tests in 5 days, one urine sample at 9:30pm, and another one at 6:30am two days later, a blood test before briefing on Friday and finally a urine test after the race… luckily I hydrated well.

Every aspect of the event was put on at a top level, we had shuttles to take us anywhere, timing was down to an art, if something was meant to start at 11am it would start at 11am, not 11:02am which just shows how professional everything was run. Along with the professionalism of the event came the Athletes. The toughest Pro field outside of the World Championships in Kona, most of the big names were present and all of the European names were there.

The race kicked off at 6:45am on Sunday 5^th July in a small lake just out of Frankfurt. Andreas Raelert who was 2^nd behind me at the 70.3 World Championships last year pushed the pace and we managed to get a small break of 6 out of the water. The group worked hard on the bike and stayed together for the first lap where we grew our lead up to 3 minutes. Then a motor bike took half of us the wrong way, a mistake that was quickly fixed but with 2 guys getting a bit of a lead and now pushing it to make a break it was difficult to catch back up, something in hind sight I should not have tried to do. I pushed it for 20km to try and bridge back but soon I found myself with blown legs and 70km still to go. Not a position you want to be in for an Ironman. Soon the group that we had 3 minutes on which included MACCA (2007 world champ) and Timo Bracht (who went on the win this race today) caught up and I had nothing to stay with them. I ended up losing about 10minutes by the end of the bike but knew with a marathon still ahead of us anything could happen.

So I went off and tried to find my rhythm, I felt okay but was still struggling too much too early. I ran the 1^st lap well, the 2^nd lap a little worse, the 3^rd lap… well I felt sorry for anyone watching me because I am sure I looked horrible and the 4^th lap was much of the same. Now I understand why people walk through aid stations, they need to get more Oranges and Pretzels, when you are blown they taste so good.

I was at the end of the run in 8^th place and the crowds were wild so I took my time and soaked in the atmosphere, high 5ing as many people as I could and loving every minute of it, then 20meters from the line someone sprinted past me, (I was sure there was no one there). I kicked back and passed him through the finish gantry – a photo finish. He was in front before the line, I was in front after the line but his correct foot with the timing chip put him on the mat in front of me. I had to settle for 9^th. Woops.

What a great race to finish off a great trip and a lot more experience to add to my knowledge of Ironman.

Next stop the Ironman World Championships in Kona in October, should be an exciting day.

Thanks for all you support. Check out my new website www.terenzo.com and check out the Pure Indulgence cook book, you will thank me later

Terenzo

Eagleman 70.3

Hey everyone,

What a day it has been……3.40am start, 4 hour race, packed bike box, packed bags and sat in traffic for 3 hours making our way down to Baltimore, finally making it at 7pm…..wow!!

The day started far too early at 3.40am, after having a restless night sleep with fierce thunderstorms lighting up the sky. Race day had finally come round. Feeling pretty good and having done all the hours of training for the last couple of months I knew it was going to be a good day!!

Raced here at the Half Ironman 70.3 Eagleman in Maryland last year and unfortunately got a drafting penalty of 4 minutes. I finished 2 minutes back in second place….you do the maths!! So I was out to set the record straight today……………

The race start was very interesting……the MC got a little carried away with introducing the pro women that he forgot about the pro men in the water. All of a sudden we hear this ‘GO!’ over the speakers…..15 seconds late and no warning. All of a sudden it was on and the race had started!

After the wary start I managed to get into a good position and find my rhythm early on. I really wanted to push the pace on the swim so I could put myself in the best position possible for the start of the bike. I felt really good out there and exited the swim in second, 20 seconds behind John Kenny.

After a great transition it was out onto the bike in hot pursuit of chasing down John Kenny As I was feeling pretty good I wanted to keep the pressure on as I had about a dozen extremely fast pro men chasing fast from behind. Got into a good rhythm and managed to pass Kenny early on in the bike and now into 1st. Continuing to keep my form strong throughout the bike I managed to put a 3.35 minute gap between me and the rest of the field.

Out on to the run with 3.35 minute lead I tried to get into a good rhythm and keep up a good tempo to hold off the chasing pack. At about mile 9 things unfortunately started to change a little…the legs feeling tired and definitely slowing down……bugger. All I could do was push through this and hope that I had put enough time into the chasing pack during the bike. With about 1.5m miles to go, I turned around just to see if I could see anyone and there was Richie Cunningham who was having a phenomenal run and catching me. With the legs completely finished and feeling like bricks I had to put the hammer down to the finish line. Managed to stay in front and taking the win, with Michael Lovato rounding out the top 3.

Thank you to Luke and Susan for having Kelly and I to stay at your amazing place. We had a great time and hopefully see you again next year.

Heading to Portland, Oregon to hang with my brother Dino and get my final bit of training done before Germany.

Terenzo

Buffalo Olympic distance Triathlon - Minnesota

Hi,

The last few days we have been hanging out in Buffalo, Minnesota with Bret Oden, the race director and his family. Kelly and I have had a great time here, we were expecting it to be hot up here but even though the weather has been freezing the setting here is beautiful and the Oden's have been so hospitable.

Training has been going great the past few weeks, I have managed to get some good workouts done and the form is coming up nicely. Unfortunately we have now left Santa Barbara for this trip, just as we were getting used to the place and I was finding the good hills to train on. Oh well, guess we will have to come back. On Tuesday we are off to Cambridge, Maryland for the Eagleman 70.3 next weekend, then we are back over to the west coast, Portland, Oregon for my final 2 weeks of training before heading over to Germany for the Ironman.

The race today was a good challenge. I really struggled to find my rhythm throughout the race as my body didn't like the icy weather, it was about 45'F/ 6'C a typical winters day back home in NZ, but now I feel soft complaining because I heard that the Nordic skiing team here trains and races in -30'F in the winter…crazy! The pace was on from the start of the swim, but I managed to get away and keep a small lead for the rest of the race to hold on for the win but 2^nd place was under 2minutes back and 3^rd close behind. The course was great as it had a bit of everything, the volunteers and race organizers were awesome and did a great job and to top off my experience here I got to race with a truly inspirational guy with a great team behind him. Paul, who is melanoma cancer patient was receiving chemotherapy 2 weeks ago while the rest of the competitors were out there hitting their hard training and getting ready for the race. Not only did he, his wife and son along with a whole group of supporters turn up and finish the race but he carved it up big time. I saw him out there on the course and there is no way you could tell what he has been through. Congrats Paul, keep up the great fight, you are a true inspiration!!

Along with racing with Paul, the proceeds from the race went to sports teams at the local high school who's budgets have been cut, without this funding the teams would not be able to continue.

Just got back from the movies, saw "The Hangover" an absolute must see, it is hilarious!

Will be in touch

Regards

Terenzo

Columbia, Maryland USA 17 May 2009

Hey hey,

What a great place to have a race, Columbia Maryland is so beautiful, very green with loads of hills… well at least the course had plenty of hills. The weather was a little fresh and a little wet for my liking but with me carrying a few extra kilos (my rubber ring) around the course it meant I didn’t have to worry about overheating. We started at 6:45am and because the water was 70’F (over the 68’ cut off) we were not allowed to wear our wetsuits. Ffffffreeezzzzing. But as we got going and the blood started pumping the cool temperatures made for a fast day. I was second out of the water with a little gap on the other competitors which was nice. I got going on the bike and thought I was riding strong… I was riding strong but Andrew Yoder, a young 19year old who is the bomb on the bike came rolling past me 10minutes into the bike and made me feel like I was standing still. He was the only person I saw out there on the challenging but fast 40km bike. He ended up putting almost 2minutes into me by the end of the bike.

I felt good starting the run and just tried to find my rhythm. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to run back my 2 minute deficit, all I could do was run within myself and hope to see him by the end of the 10km run. I got to half way and still no sign on Yoder. There were was plenty of up and downhill throughout the run so I just keep working it and eventually at about 4.5miles / 7.5km I caught him, but he didn’t give up and pushed me all the way to the finish. I managed to hold him off for the win and we were not too far off the course record.

All in all… besides the travel, our experience here has been great. The Tri Columbia staff and volunteers did a great job in looking after the athletes and putting on and world class event. Also ARX http://www.fastertomorrow.com/ one of my sponsors was an event sponsor so it was great to hang out with them at the expo and after the race.

Back off to Santa Barbara first thing tomorrow to get into some heavy training millage for IM Germany. Right now I have to break down my Specialized bike to fit it into my custom box (made by my dad), dry and K-Swiss race flats and my Aqua Sphere Swim Suit, email the kind folks at Zipp to let them know my Sub 9 Disc with Ceramic bearings must have had a stone flung at it at Wildflower because I found a small crack in the carbon before packing my bike for this trip, and chat with the guys at Plumbing World about the Stellar Trust Ball that was held this weekend in Auckland, New Zealand in order to raise funds for the awareness of the drug “P” or Meth.

Next race on the cards is the Buffalo Triathlon in Minnesota in 3 weeks time.

Until then, Take care

Terenzo Bozzone

WILDFLOWER 4 MAY 2009

So I guess in this line of work or any line or work you have good days and you have bad days. This past weekend at the Wildflower Half Ironman in California was one of those bad days at the office.

Last week started off great, after flying back to the west coast after my race in Florida we headed down to Specialized at Morgan Hill, although I didn't get any product I felt like a kid a Christmas. Hanging out with the engineers and designers looking at the new bikes and equipment that will be coming out later in the year... I can't wait.

Well, The race started off as a good day. I swam well and was out of the water not too far behind Andy Potts (one of the fastest swimmers in our sport), jumped onto the bike and was riding strong, at least that is what my SRM (power meter) said. But for some reason there was a bigger group of guys than usual pushing the pace, and they didn't slow for the whole 90km. We soon bridged the gap to Potts but Bjorn Anderson had started to put some time onto us and was riding into the distance. We got about 75 percent through the course and hit one of the big climbs. To illustrate how fast we rode up the hill - Chris Lieto (a great biker) had put about 1minute into the group in about 10km, half way up the climb we had already caught him, surely he was meant to be riding away from us? These guys were racing up the hill like it was a 40km bike race and I probably should have backed off, but I didn't want to lose time so I pushed it to stay with them.
We soon got off the bike and headed out onto the 21km hilly run. Potts and I were running shoulder to shoulder, It was not feeling great so after a mile I backed off the pace and thought he would come back to me, I was finding my rhythm and my legs were starting to feel okay, that was until I hit the hill at mile 4 and had to slow into a walk. I think the drink bottle I lost at the start of the bike with all my calories in it was a bigger problem than I thought. I tried to keep going the best I could but it was ending up like last year's race where I blew up big time. On the course we passed a road that would lead us down to transition/ the finish, that is where I wanted to go (a short cut to the finish), but I couldn't do that so I just kept plowing through the run, almost running backwards, I went from 2nd place with a comfortable lead on the rest of the field down to 8th place.
This was definitely a race that I would like to forget, but after looking at how last year unfolded after getting thrashed at this same race I am sure the rest of the year will go okay. Maybe my weekend was not that bad after all, Dixie - a great lady who helps organize the event slipped on the grass on Friday and broke her ankle, my buddy Chris Boudreaux was having a great race and it a pot hole at full speed and pulled his back out and couldn't finish, another friend James Cotter hurt his back and was having trouble moving the days leading up to the race and last but not least James Bowstead, he was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the femur 10days out from IM New Zealand and was meant to be up here training and racing with me but is still not back running. Other than that it was a fun weekend, a couple of my sponsors, ARX - Faster tomorrow, Aqua Sphere and Specialized had a presence at the expo and I had a good time hanging out with them.

We are now settled into our place in Santa Barbara with my brother where we will be based for the next month training and working on our tan while swimming in our lycra in the awesome 50m outdoor pool that is pretty much on the beach.Attached are a few pictures from the past week.

Next stop for me and Kelly is the Columbia Olympic distance Tri in Maryland on the 17th May

Thanks
Terenzo

ST ANTHONY'S 26 APRIL 2009

Hey guys,

It is the end of a long day here in St. Petersburg, Florida, even though it was a shorter race than I am used to. It was an Olympic distance race, but non drafting on the bike made it a more fun playing field for me. The race was held about 30 minutes from where I won the World 70.3 Championships last November.... Kelly and I love this part of the world, the sun is always shinning.

The age group swim was cancelled due to the water conditions being really rough, I wish they cancelled our swim and made it a bike run.I lost a bit of time in the swim to the likes of Andy Potts and Matt Reed (2 x winner here) but made up good ground on the tactical and fast bike course and came off the bike in second behind Andy, about 40 seconds down.
I ran most of the run with him in my sights but couldn't seem to bridge the gap... bugger.To round off the top three was Stuart Hayes from Great Britain, also a ITU racer from way back moving into the non drafting scene.
We have had a great stay here in St. Pete's with our home stay, Lisa and Philippe and all our new friends... well actually there friends that we will now claim. They made our stay here relaxing and enjoyable.

Next stop Specialized bikes in Morgan Hill, CA for a couple days before heading down to Wildflower to get punished by the course. This year the race has one of the toughest fields in the history with almost 80 professionals lining up on the start line. Sure it will be good fun as always.

Will keep you posted on next weekends events.

TERENZO

THE STELLAR TRUST APRIL 2009

HI everyone,Please read this email and browse the attachments, if you are unable to help please pass the information onto some of your contacts that may be able.This email probably relates more to those based here in New Zealand but is not to be taken lightly by anyone else. It is in relation to a charity that I am part of and who's aim is to fix issues that most are effected by in one way or another, Drug use, in particular the drug Methamphetamine know on the street as "P". The Stellar Trust (http://www.thestellartrust.org.nz%3chttp/www.thestellartrust.org.nz>) is going to make a huge impact on our society and the issues it is trying to solve is not only a National problem here in New Zealand but escalating on an international level.Methamphetamine is the world's worst drug problem and sweeping the globe at pandemic levels.Below is an extract from the fact sheet attached that highlights the issues here in New Zealand:
New Zealand now has the highest recorded per capita use of P in the world
In 10 years New Zealand came where it took America almost 30 years to get
Over 60 percent of all frequent meth users are in full time employment
P knows no boundaries and is just as commonly used by well educated business people and school students as it is by unemployed criminals
A frequent user of meth may need as much as $2000 a day to support a 3 gram a day habit
On average a P user will commit $24000 worth of crime every 6 months just to support their habit
A P user is thought to cost their employer about $47 500 per year in lost productivity, absenteeism and theft
Almost 60 percent of High Court cases involve meth manufacture or dealing
In 2006 P was thought to cause $554m in social costs, more than any other illegal drug
The purity of methamphetamine has been directly linked to addiction rates and increasing violent crime. New Zealand has some of the most pure methamphetamine in the world
Customs now make up to 4 seizures of crystal meth or chemicals to make the drug a day, but 70 percent of what's found in New Zealand is made from locally madeBasically what we are trying to do now is to raise funds so that we can create awareness about P and its addictive and harmful characteristics. There is a Charity Roast at Sky City on May 16th where Paul Holmes is going to be Roasted! Along with other national and international entertainment. Please see the attached information.This is a problem that we are going to need as much help as we can to fix.On a much smaller and light hearted note I raced Xterra (off road triathlon - 1000m swim, 30km mountain bike and 11km trail run) this weekend down in beautiful Rotorua, it felt like one of the hardest races in a while, I couldn't stop puffing going up the hills and was screaming like a little girl on the inside going down the hills, unfortunately I crashed my new Specialized and broke the frame but managed to finished 5th. Was great fun and I will be back next year to try and get my title back.Thanks to everyone for their support, I hope you all take this email seriously as "P" is a serious issue that needs something to be done about it. If you need any more information please read the attached files or go to > to find out more.ThanksTerenzo Bozzone

PROGRAM FOR 2009April2009

HI,

I have had a good few weeks relaxing after Ironman New Zealand and am now in the second week of getting back into training. The summer in New Zealand is really doing its best to hold on, hopefully it hangs in there and stays warm until I leave for the States on the 21st April. I can’t think of anything worse than riding in the cold and wet, I think I have gotten soft with old age.

My coach and I have decided to slot in another Ironman race before the World Championships in October as I need to try and move forward as fast as I can and we believe the best way to get experience over this distance is to do more racing… within reason. I have chosen the Frankfurter Sparkasse IRONMAN Germany which is on the 5th July in Frankfurt, it also doubles as the Frankfurter Sparkasse IRONMAN European Championships. It is going to be a great race with some of the best Ironman athletes in the world. I have heard great things about Ironman Germany, it is a world class event and the support from the spectators is like the hill stages in the Tour de France. All the top athletes have gone to race there before Kona with the likes of Chris McCormack, Cameron Brown and Peter Reid performing well in their build up for Kona and hopefully I will follow in their footsteps in the near future. I am really looking forward to event, and hope that I can put what I learnt at IM New Zealand into practice.

This is what the next 3 months will look like for Kelly and I – I can guarantee we will be sick of being on the road and living out of a suitcase by the end of it:

18th April – Xterra New Zealand down in Rotorua, I won this event last year and hope to defend my title.
26th April – St. Anthony’s Olympic Distance (non Drafting Triathlon)
2nd May – Wildflower Half Ironman in California (well really in the middle of nowhere, but an awesome place to race… and camp)
17th May – Columbia Olympic Distance (non Drafting Triathlon)
7th June – Buffalo Olympic Distance (non Drafting Triathlon) in Minnesota, a good friend and competitor Chris Leigh has said great things about this race, so thought I had better check it out.
14th June – Eagleman 70.3 (Half Ironman) Maryland, after getting a dodgy drafting penalty here last year and finishing 2nd I have some unfinished business.
5th July – Frankfurter Sparkasse IRONMAN Germany

After Wildflower we are planning on spending a month in Santa Barbara with some training buddies from Portland. Then looking at either Portland or San Diego for the 2 weeks of training between Eagleman and Germany.

For those in New Zealand you can watch the footage from IM New Zealand on Sky this week, below are the dates and time:
7-Apr-09 21:00 SKY Sport 2 8-Apr-09 23:30 SKY Sport 1 10-Apr-09 06:00 SKY Sport 1 11-Apr-09 02:25 SKY Sport 2

I will keep you all posted with results and how you can follow events online.

Kind regards

Terenzo Bozzone


TAUPO IRONMAN NEW ZEALAND 7th March 2009

So on Saturday the 7th March 2009 in my home country New Zealand in front of a spectacular crowd down in Taupo I competed and completed my first full distance Ironman. I now know how it got its name!!! It was one of the toughest days of my life not only cause of the physicality of the event but also because of how the event plays with your mind and tries to destroy you in any way it can.

The day started at 4am for me when I got up, my beautiful girlfriend cooked me breakfast in bed (I can’t get her to do that for me at 6:30am most of the time). I then did a small bike and run warm up from our motel before heading down to transition to get body numbered and put air in my tires. The gun went off at 6:45, 15 minutes in front of the age groupers. I tried my hardest to stay next to Brent Foster who is an awesome swimmer but that didn’t last long. A small bunch of 7 formed and we chugged around the 3.8km swim. Unfortunately Cameron Brown had been working on his swimming and we were unable to brake him, from then I knew it was going to be an interesting day.

Once I put on my arm warmers and socks (it was a little bit cold) we started the journey on our 180km bike. Here is the thing with ironman, the pace actually feels reasonably easy for the first half but the second half feels like death. I was honestly ready to get off my bike after lap 1 and call it a half ironman! Eventually the second lap did start, I managed to get my special needs bag which had a couple drink bottles and a snickers bar in it without too much trouble. There were 4 of us rotating the lead, although we were not getting an advantage from sitting 10-15m behind the person in front it was a great mental break to be able to ride and look at others than riding at the front with only bare road in front of you.

45km to go and Dirk Bockel made a break for it, then at 40km to go Cameron Brown started to pull away and I couldn’t do anything about it, this was my first bad patch of the day. All I could do was concentrate on pedaling and count down the km’s. After eating my snickers bar and drinking 2 bottles of Pepsi I started to climb out of my slump and was able to ride properly again breaking away from the remaining 2 guys in our group. Now the bike was over how the hell am I meant to run a marathon is what was going through my mind. Truthfully it was the crowd that started me off, the cheers were so loud that I couldn’t hear my body moaning at me so all I could do was run. Brownie was 45seconds up the road and Dirk had managed to stretch out to a 5minute 30second lead. For the first 10km Brownie was in my sights, we were both running quicker than we should have been but he wasn’t pulling away, at about 12km that all changed, heading back into town on the first lap I was hurting but I couldn’t give up because my support crew were turning up everywhere and there was no way I was going to walk in front of them!!!

At the end of the first lap, Dirk was still up 4min and Brown had stretched out to just over 2minutes. All I could do was run my pace and keep my rhythm, I guess this is what they call the Ironman shuffle! 10km’s to go and Dirk was only 2 minutes up the road, Brown has taken the lead and was showing his class by not slowing down as all of the grueling 42km. Dirk, also a first time Ironman athlete who was running time into Cam and myself for the first 10km was now starting to struggle, he was walking through aid stations and I could see him coming closer and closer. With about 6km to go I passed him and all I could think about was making it to the last 2.5km where I knew the crowd would carry me home, and that is what they did, the pavement was lined with massive amounts of people, out the corner of one eye I saw Harold, the mascot for Life Education what an awesome surprise. I wasn’t sure how much time I had put into Dirk so I couldn’t slow and start high 5ing people cause I felt like I would trip up or do something stupid in my almost comatose state.

Finally I was in the finish chute and all the pain and suffering from the day was a distant memory, I had done it, I had worked through all the mental barriers and made it to the finish. What a day and 2nd behind Cameron Brown, well that’s ok, for now.

Congratulations to everyone who finished the race, inside or out of the cut off time, you are my inspiration. Seeing you guys out there still giving your all when most people have tucked into bed to call it a day, that is what Ironman is all about.

Thanks to everyone who have been part of my preparation for this event, there is no way I would be where I am now without your help and support.

Here are a couple links with some news coverage and photos for your information.

TV1
http://tvnz.co.nz/othersports-news/brown-storms-eighth-ironman-win-2523604/video

TV3
http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/sports/19321.html

here is a link to some photos
http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/lPgfWBWAUH_/2009+Ironman+New+Zealand/32I0VpWEKiD/Terenzo+Bozzone

and attached are a couple other photos.

Thanks again

Terenzo

NEW ZEALAND 16 FEBRUARY 2009

HI guys,

I hope 2009 has been off to a great start for all of you and you are keeping well and healthy. I am 3 weeks out from my first full distance Ironman event, it will take place in Taupo, New Zealand on the 7th March. Training has been going great, probably thanks to all the good company I have had on all those long and hard days. I can definitely say my buddies have put me in the hurt box more than once!!! On top of that the summer has been really good… touch wood. But for some reason the weather has turned around today and it is bucketing down outside as we speak. Oh well, lucky I have an easy day.

Below are two links from a couple of pre Ironman interviews I did with our National TV stations, the first link is from TV1 and the second from TV2. Hopefully they still connect. In the background of the Photo below is the yellow pages Treehouse Restaurant where I took Kelly for an early Valentines dinner. It was an amazing experience dining 10meters up a tree.

http://tvnz.co.nz/othersports-news/bozzones-hope-1-37-2458707/video

http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/sports/17913.html

I will let everyone know closer to the time how you can follow the event live.

Thanks for everything and I wish you all the best for 2009, I hope you have a great year and you reach all your goals.

Kind regards

Terenzo