Terenzo Bozzone talks to Clif Bar about his plans for the future, with some great Insight from Chris "Macca" McCormack.
Kona update
HI guys,
On this past weekend I raced the European 70.3 championships in Wiesbaden Germany. It was an extremely tough course and I was looking forward to testing my fitness. I had run everyday for the two weeks leading into the event and while my achilles was not 100% it was manageable and it didn't seem to be getting inflamed by the running. Unfortunately in the race the pain was unbearable, maybe due to the 400 meter uphill run on soft sand into transition. My Achilles started hurting on the bike which was unusual and by the time I started the run every footstep was a sharp pain. It is the only race I can ever recall pulling out of.
The event was amazing, the Germans do a great job putting on world class events and I really enjoyed being a part of it and hanging out at the finish line and cheering the last competitors home.
I received my invitation to compete in Kona at the World Ironman Championships on the Thursday before the race, so thankfully I scrapped in with enough points. I didn't need to start the race but I thought it would be a good test to see where things were at.
So this is where the tough decisions start.
After long consultations with my Coach and Doctors we have decided that the best course of action moving forward is to go back home to New Zealand and look into different treatment options and get my achilles back to 100 percent before any long term damage is caused.
Unfortunately with this injury being around since the beginning of April I have not been able to get the crucial early season training done that is required to build a solid base of fitness. I have taken medical advice and to cram the amount of training now required to be competitive in Kona is taking a significant risk on suffering longer term injury.
This is one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make but deep down I know it is the right move for my future. I am only 26 years old and if all goes well I still have another 13-15 years of being at the top of my game. I know I will bounce back next year stronger than ever.
I will be making the trip to Kona this year to cheer on my fellow athletes and watch the race closely with a different point of view which will be beneficial for when I come back next year.
I thank you all for your support and understanding through this tough time.
Kind regards
Terenzo
Kona Qualifying
Hi guys,
I just wanted to give you a quick update on my immediate race schedule leading into the Ironman World Championships in Kona.
With the new Kona points qualification schedule no one was really sure how each athlete would go about qualifying for the World Champs. I was sure if I had a few solid races under my belt I would make the cut off no problem, but with the achilles problem I haven't been able to do all the races I wanted to race and get the results I had aimed for. That being said I have still had a pretty good season. 20th in Kona last year, 2nd at Ironman New Zealand, 4th at the US 70.3 champs, 5th at the New Orleans 70.3 (high points race), and 9th at the Eagleman 70.3. Outside of the World Triathlon Corporation races that count for points I finished 2nd at the Rev 3 Half Ironman and 2nd at the Kemah Olympic distance triathlon.
The top 50 male athletes on points will compete in Kona. At the end of July the top 40 men were given their spots and at the end of August the next 10 qualifying athletes will be selected. Currently I am sitting in 50th position, but with 3 full distance ironman races and 3 more 70.3 races in the month of August other athletes will move forward on points and there is not much of a guarantee I will make the cut off.
This is part of the reason why I have decided to compete at the European 70.3 Champs next weekend in Wiesbaden, Germany. The points on offer are high but with the large points and the prestige of being the European Champion comes a large number of the best athletes in the sport racing. Hopefully I will be able to get a solid result and secure my spot for Kona
Training the past couple weeks in Switzerland has been great… Tough but great… Oh yeah, and also at altitude. We had a camp with one of my sponsors, Biestmilch in St. Moritz, then a few days in Davos with the Swiss triathlon team. I have never ridden hills so long and suffered so much in all of my life. Coming back down to a normal altitude earlier than expected was a smart move and I am starting to feel ready to race.
Anyway, I will report in after the weekend.
Regards
Terenzo
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