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