Hosoda allowed the race to unfold in front of him, biding his time. It was teammate Hirokatsu Tayama who surged on the second lap of the swim to enter T1 first, an entire 10 seconds ahead of his nearest threat Ju Seok Kim

A lead pack of seven emerged soon after the first lap on the bike containing four Japanese and three Korean athletes. The group stayed together until the final lap where Hiroki Sugimoto

Hosoda made his move, powering out of T2 at the head of the group with Ju Seok Kim, Tayama, Heo and Ryosuke Yamamoto

Elite Women's Review
In the elite women's race that followed, Akane Tsuchihashi and Mariko Adachi exited the swim together with Korea's Eun Kyung Sung and A Reum Jo along with Tomoko Sakimoto next into T1. A sluggish swim by Ai Ueda

The nine strong leading bike pack made up of Japanese and Korean athletes including Yun-Jung Jang

Junior and Under23
The junior and Under23 races took place in the morning with the juniors up first on the sprint distance course.Takanori Sugihara won the junior men's race, Shiruba Taniguchi with silver and Ryosuke Maeda in third for bronze. It was all Japan again in the junior women, as Yuka Sato, the Youth Olympic Games gold medallist, was crowned 2011 junior Asian champion, Fumika Matsumoto took silver and Karin Chibana

I had my first race of an 8 week block in Europe here in Aarhus, Demark this morning.

It was a disappointing start to the Euro campaign finishing 15th after losing a chunk of time on the side of the road changing a flat tire.

The puncher came at 60km into the 90km bike over a section of cobble stones through a small Danish town. However we actually had some more misfortune earlier in the bike. After about 5 km a race referee stood a group of us down for a ‘start-go’ penalty for drafting. It was on a super technical piece of road – almost impossible to control the spacing between the rider in front on narrow, wet and winding roads. However the referee saw it otherwise. I suppose drafting is drafting no matter how technical the road.

They let us go again at 30sec intervals. I am not sure how they decided who got to go first? It was a frustrating wait.

So I was forced into chase mode then but felt like I was riding well. I was still fairly happy with how the race was going prior to the puncher. The Scandinavian boys were flying on the bike up front, but I was with a good group on guys the were making time on some of the other pro men up front. I was pushing some good wattage on the bike and was feeling pretty comfortable. This was slightly surprising how good I was feeling after what has essentially been a 4 week recovery phase after the Challenge Cairns Ironman.

Then come that dreaded noise that no cyclist like hearing. To the side of the road I went for my first time having to change a tubular tire in a race. Some work to do on my changing skills. Seemed to take a lifetime.

The last 30km solo back to town wasn’t much fun. Once back at T2 I found out how far back I was, 19th place. Pretty disheartening.

With 10th place a long way up the road there was little chance of making it into the prize money slots and it crossed my mind to call it a day. But I had been looking forward to this run all week here in Aarhus. It is a beautiful old city and the run was three laps winding its way past all the sites through the narrow streets. The crowd support was amazing, so I stayed out there and just enjoyed it. I was actually feeling pretty good running a clocked an okay run split considering I took a relaxed approach to it. Very enjoyable run and glad I stayed out there.

So disappointing outcome to the first race here in Europe. Will put it down as experience and get well prepare for the remaining three races up here.

Off to Germany tomorrow. Talk again after the next race in two weeks.

Best regards, Jamie Whyte

The inaugural Challenge Cairns iron distance triathlon race took place today in sunny North Queensland. There was a quality men's field lining up with current World Ironman Champion, Chris McCormack and a host of other top athletes from around the world.

It was perfect calm conditions for the start of the race, and with no sign of any crocs or stingers, we chopped out the swim with Graham O'Grady leading out with Clayton Fettel and the World Champ close on their heels.

I exited the water with Matty White and Tim Berkel and was joined by two others, David Dellow and Britain's Jonathan Hotchkiss, to form a chase group of five. It would stay that way for the entire bike leg with the gap between the two groups holding around 5 minutes.

The mercury was climbing into the high twenties by the time we ditched our bikes for running shoes. The run started extremely fast but I knew that there was still a long way to go and that the hot weather would likely take its toll. So I controlled my pace early in the run and in doing so, slipped back to 8th but slowly started to pick them off in the second half of the run. I moved into 4th with 5ks to go and   dug deep to see it through to the finish.

McCormack showed why he is a 2 x World Champion by clearing out to take a comfortable win. Matty White and Tim Berkel ran strongly from the chase pack to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively.

The Challenge Family have once again run a superb Iron distance event. Amazing effort by the team to get this stunning race up and running. I would highly recommend it!

It's been a fantastic four weeks of training in beautiful Cairns hosted by local triathlon identity Greg Wilson. Massive thanks to coach Gordy Walker for laying out a great training regime to prepare me well for the race which has been rewarded by a solid result in my 3rd iron distance race. Finally thanks to my crew, Mum, Dad and Fiona, for their amazing support today - I couldn't have done it without you!

Best regards,
Jamie Whyte

It wasn’t until about 3 weeks ago I made the decision to compete in the Huskisson long course triathlon. It was a late decision helped made by training partner and professional triathlete Adam Holborow. Only just have turned 18 years old I was a bit nervous about the fact that I was going to be competing in the open category in my first every long course triathlon. In the process of preparing for this event I made a very big move to Sydney to start university which was a real shock training wise. Conditions where a lot different to my home town Port Macquarie but I had to get on with it and deal with what I had.

As the race weekend approached the nerves started to set in after seeing some big names competing in the open field such as Pete Jacobs, Adam Holborow, Tim Reed, Jan Rehula and Ollie Whistler. I didn’t want to make myself look stupid in front of so many spectators and triathlon companies at the event as the move to Sydney made me feel a bit under done. Not having much idea on nutrition in these longer distant events the guys at SIS helped me out to give me a greater understanding on what and when to take during the race.

Race morning we where told it was a non wet suit swim for the open field athletes. Not really a concern to me I made my final adjustments in transition and made my way to the swim start to warm up. As the swim commenced I knew I had to swim with a group, sitting on the front packs feet out to the first buoy put me in a great position. Letting the big hitters go ahead Lindsey Wall and myself swam side by side, stroke for stroke just off the back of the lead pack for the rest of the 2km swim. Exiting the water in about 8^th place I was quite surprised to be only be 55 seconds down on Pete Jacobs and the rest of the contenders in the front group. Entering transition I actually threw up a bit as I swallowed a bit of water in the swim, this being out of my system made me feel a lot better and ready to hit the 3 lap, 83km bike course. As we went through the first few km’s my legs where feeling great and straight away put a SIS GO gel down. Within about 5km I had dragged Lindsey and myself up to Tim Reed and Matty Pellow. Having lived in Port Macquarie (home of half and full ironman) I knew what Reed was capable of and was quiet surprised to have rode up to him. For the first 40-50km it was Reedy and myself pushing the pace off the front with Matty and Lindsey sitting off the back. It wasn’t until then Reedy decided to speak up and tell the boys to pull their fingers out and have a go on the front. This only lasting for about 15km so I knew we had to keep the pace rolling as there was a group about 2 and a half minutes up the road. Hitting the last lap of the bike I decided to take charge on the front and keep the pace moving, with once again Reed coming through and sharing the load. Dragging the front group in by around a minute on the final lap we entered transition only to hear that the front group had only just hit the run course. Completing the 83km bike course in 2 hours 3 minutes and 5 seconds which gave us an average of 40kmph which was solid considering the bike course was fairly undulating.



This stage of the race being very surprised with my performance I knew I had no experience in this distance of racing so I hit the 20km run course at a pace that was comfortable. Maintaining nutrition was always on mind and straight away I had a SIS smart gel which defiantly lifted me with the caffeine hit in it. It wasn’t long though until I started to get cramps in my quads and had to stretch my legs out a bit. Not being the only one to be experiencing the cramps I found myself running up to Holborow who was struggling with cramps himself. The cramps didn’t last long for him as he started to feel good again and ran of into the distance. Unfortunately, the cramps hung around for me and so I just carried on at a pace that could get me to the finish line before other open males and most importantly before the 1^st female. Finally getting myself to the line in 4 hours 6 mins and 13 seconds placing me 11^th in the open field and beating the 1^st female. The race gave me a very positive view on my future in long course triathlon with my swim and bike being at the top of the field with my run lacking simply because of cramps which I feel is acceptable as I have never done a race of this distance before, with some work I feel this can be fixed in no time. As a full outlook on the race I couldn’t have asked for much more really, especially nutrition wise as I kept it going all day with the gels from SIS which I feel worked really well for me, defiantly a product to consider for all long course athletes.

Now with a long course event under my belt I feel I am more prepared for the Port Macquarie 70.3 in 7 weeks time. This positive result would not have been possible without my coach Grant Giles, his work is brilliant and I am excited to keep working with him as I take on the greater distances of triathlon. Also the elite energy group put on a well organised, family orientated event that everyone can enjoy. I don’t think much more could be done to make it any better. Finally for all event images go to www.nashyspix.com

All pro images from wwww.nashyspix.com
 

Well it was a week of highs and lows. As some of you may already know I had a DNF beside my Taupo Half Ironman result from Saturday. It was my first DNF in 6 years of racing - I just hope it is at least another 6 before the next one as it wasn't a pleasant experience!

However the week did get off to a good start. As can be found on the attachments, New Zealand Multisport and Triathlete Magazine asked me to do an article for the magazine. This in itself was a terrific opportunity, until they then requested a few more images that could be used on the front cover!! This is unbelievable for me and I consider myself extremely fortunate just to have an article in the magazine, and the cover is an another huge privilege.

Then the next big news...Fiona and I got engaged on Monday night!!! It was a great night and we are both very very happy. I look forward to filling you in on the details in the near future.

Then Tuesday, I picked up my brand new Cervelo P3. Huge thanks to Mark Little at Sola Sports for providing this opportunity to continue riding the bike that set the bench mark for Time Trial design! Big thanks to iBike for getting her set up and making some emergency amendments during the week.

Things then took a turn on Wednesday - during the first ride on the brand new machine, a pedestrian decides to step out onto the road from behind a parked bus. I didn't even get a chance to try and avoid them. Fortunately the bike didn't get a scratch on it - just me (and the pedestrian)

Two taper days for Taupo Half Ironman followed, hoping the body would recover in time. I got through the swim in a good position but as the bike went on things weren't working as well they usually do and the body was hurting. I reluctantly pulled the pin at 70km on the bike. A day to forget.

So 5 weeks to Wanaka Challenge. The injuries are being treated and and I am looking forward to nailing the training leading into the big race for summer.

Everyone have a merry Christmas and happy new year. I will be in touch with some more positive race results in the new year!!

Be well, Jamie.

By Rebecca Wiasak


Name:

DOB: 11 March 1992

Favourite leg: Run

Favourite piece of kit/equipment: Bont cycling shoes

Favourite sporting cliché: What the mind can dream, the body can achieve.

Drink of choice at the post-ride coffee stop: Iced-chocolate at Koko Black

One thing we don’t know about you: I work at Australia’s best running and multi-sport store The Runners Shop – Canberra.

Michael Gosman scored his first green and gold uniform earlier this year – aged 18. He is a new breed of junior athlete where you have a background in all three sports, then put them all together. In the past the philosophy in many high performance programs has been to develop athletes who might have excelled in one or two of the disciplines and teach them the third. But triathlon is now so competitive that with athletes like Alistair Brownlee who became the ITU Triathlon World Champion at 21, you can’t afford to have a weakness. Gosman collected a silver medal representing Australia at the Youth Olympics in Singapore in August and then a second silver at the ITU Duathlon World Championships in September. He talked me through his breakthrough season that included a stint at altitude in the Swiss Alps.

TT: Let’s start at the beginning. What inspired you to take up the sport?

MG: I had always done each of the disciplines and never put it together and because my Dad had always competed in them, I guess it was just natural to start doing it. And once I did, I really enjoyed it so I just went from there.

TT: How much of your success can you attribute to good genes – your dad Alex and older sister Hayley both compete as age-group triathletes so they must have been fairly influential.

MG: I am pretty competitive so I always wanted to beat them so that helped. At swim squad I wanted to swim in front of them and in races I wanted to beat them. That kept me progressing forward. They still work hard, so it still means I have to keep working hard.

TT: You had a breakthrough year in 2009, starting the season with a win at the Sri Chinmoy Sprint Triathlon in Canberra and finished at the ITU World Championships in Budapest. Did that progression surprise you?

MG: I didn’t really expect it, but I had been training really hard so I guess I earned the results I got. Because coming from Canberra you’re not really racing most of your national competitors, it can be a bit of a mystery how your form is going.

TT: Most of the high performance programs are based in Melbourne or Queensland and the strongest athletes are from those states. What have been the barriers to your development training in Canberra?

MG: I actually prefer training with different people, not against your competitors and not having every training session turn into a race. As long as you get spotted and get supported, that’s all you need. You don’t need to have this great big group of juniors around you. Canberra is really moving ahead with the work that Corey [Bacon] has been doing with juniors. There is a big squad now so it is not such a small triathlon junior community.

TT: Do you think there are any disadvantages being in Canberra?

MG: Probably just winter but if anything that does toughen you up. I really like Canberra as a training location.

TT: A lot of your progress could probably get put down to a change in training environment. You changed coaches to Darren Smith and joined his international squad of athletes who based themselves in Canberra last season. What changes did you make to your training last year?

MG: There is a lot more finessing of technique so I went from being a bit raw around the edges to a more complete athlete. There were a lot of one-percenters that I wasn’t doing right. I was training a lot on my own and the squad environment just helped a lot – the support and pushing yourself in training. Just how you approach a race and your mental attitude so pretty much everything got an overhaul.

TT: He seems to place a big focus on the right attitude and being professional in your approach to training. Is it mentally draining to be so focused all the time?

MG: I don’t find it too bad. Because it is something I enjoy, I don’t find it hard to do. He finds ways to make it interesting and fun, even if it is still hard work. Instead of saying you’re doing 100x100m in the pool, we’ll do squad races and open water which makes it a bit more enjoyable.

TT: Most of the athletes in the squad are older than you. What has been the most challenging aspect in trying to adapt to the new squad environment?

MG: Just consistently turning up to each training session ready to go and ready to perform 100% because you can’t really have a bad training session.

TT: There are some top internationals in your squad including Lisa Norden, Barbara Riveros, and Andi Giglmayr. Did you constantly pinch yourself when you were training alongside them?

MG: Even at the start, not really because they were all so inviting and open. They were all so happy and nice people to talk to. Part of being in the squad is you can’t really have an ego. Most triathletes you’ll find don’t have egos and are really down-to-earth. It’s not like a soccer player who gets paid a million dollars a year. It’s a bit different to that so I found it fine. Everybody is so supportive in the group and through facebook even when I’m back in Australia and they’re overseas, it is a good group to be involved in. There’s not many like it in the world.

TT: What did you learn from each of them?

MG: Just their attitude and preparation for each training session and race and how they would adapt their technique if Darren says they’re doing something wrong, how they’re going to change it and how they’re going to apply it.

TT: It was great to see Darren and his athletes out at some of the local Triathlon ACT events last year including the All-Stars where we got to race against Barbara and Andi.

MG: He wanted to support the local events and give them a hit-out. They’re not just going to do a race because there’s a big pay packet or they’re being paid to do it. They’ll do a race because they want to do it, which is good.

TT: There is a rumour about some unusual training methods including stripping down to your undies at a training camp. Can you explain the science behind this, or did you just want to even up your tan-lines?

MG: It was actually a teams’ competition at the end of the camp to see who won by the most points and I was dared to do it. I ended up with quite a lot of points that my team won so it did help in the end. It was pretty good fun.

TT: You had the opportunity to travel overseas with the squad to their European base in Switzerland. What was it like to experience living as a full-time athlete?

MG: We were based in Davos. It’s in the Alps so it’s quite a small town. It’s Switzerland’s version of Thredbo or Perisher. It’s a very upper class, very rich sort of town, and pretty amazing ski-slopes. It is totally different. The riding was amazing going up the mountains, over the passes. Being such a small town, you can train at whatever time because the roads are totally empty and you can totally focus just on training. There are not too many distractions in such a small town. It was great fun. I really enjoyed it so I definitely hope to go back there again some time.

TT: You finished first in the youth category at the ITU Oceania Youth Olympic Qualifier in January, and fourth overall. Do you think you had a home-ground advantage or were you just in ripper form?

MG: I almost got lucky in that race that the bike packs came together because I had a really bad transition and missed the front bike pack. To be honest I had a good swim and was okay on the bike but it was probably one of my worst runs. If it had been a bit later in the season I probably would have gone a bit closer to winning it overall. It was good racing at home with the support so that definitely made me want to hold on for that spot in the Youth Olympics.

TT: Did you know during the race who you had to beat to get that spot?

MG: At about 4km I realised, just as I was really starting to tire and there was a guy closing on me from behind. So that’s when I really had to stick it out and hold my position.

TT: Soon after you won the junior Oceania Triathlon Championships in Wellington. Would you rate this as your career highlight?

MG: It was probably a big breakthrough. The training had been really good leading up to it. I had really good sensations. The race went really well and I felt in control the whole way. I expected to win and I did which was good. It felt like I had fully reaped the rewards from my training over summer.

TT: In August you competed for Australia for the first time at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. It was a sprint distance (750m swim, 20km cycle, 5km run) but your race was pretty much over in the swim when you had an issue with your goggles. What happened?

MG: I used to have a habit of losing my goggles anytime I dive into a pool. My dive technique is probably not right and in Singapore I probably didn’t put my hands in front of my face and took the full force of the water on my goggles unfortunately and they came off. It lost me quite a lot of time and any chance to really make that front pack. And then on the bike we weren’t working that well together so it was really no chance of winning, straight away.

TT: Was it devastating to know then that there would be no chance you could chase them down?

MG: You never know during a triathlon, so even after we got off the bike about a minute and a half down, I thought I could still get close to a top-5 or podium, but then it just didn’t really happen on the run. So it wasn’t until after that I thought it was a bit disappointing that I missed out, but during the race I still thought I was in with a chance.

TT: Will you wear a double swim cap next season?

MG: I use two now so hopefully I won’t make that mistake again. Darren will probably kill me if I do. So many races have dive starts now you can’t really afford to do that, so I guess I have to keep practicing. It was a pretty rookie error.

TT: To your credit you came out of the water in 24 (out of 32 competitors) and then finished 12th. It must be good knowing you can run down most athletes in the field.

MG: Is it good to know because there is no point having a good swim leg, because people are just going to catch-up to you on the bike. And there’s no point having a good bike leg because it takes up so much energy to stage a breakaway. So having a good run leg is something you can always rely on and you can just wait right until the end until you unleash it. So it does give you confidence and it is the easiest way to win, on the run – compared to the swim and bike.

TT: Despite the disappointment in the individual race you were able to pick up some bling in the mixed team relay with Ellie Salthouse and a pair from New Zealand. How exactly does that work in triathlon?

MG: It goes girl-boy-girl-boy, each doing a mini-triathlon, and then handing over to the next team member. It’s all draft-legal so it is very fast, fun and exciting. I find it’s a different experience doing it as a triathlete, because you’re so used to racing as an individual. When you do it in a team it is totally different. The IOC president was there in Singapore seeing it, so I think they’re pretty confident it will be in by the time Rio comes around.

TT: What was it like being on the podium with a silver medal around your neck?

MG: It’s not as good as the individual medal but I still wanted to come away with something from there, a medal, a mascot and a little collectors box. That made it good but I definitely would have preferred an individual medal.

TT: You were then selected to again represent Australia at the ITU Triathlon World Championships in the junior elite race but had a quick trip to Edinburgh and raced the ITU Duathlon World Championships placing second. Did this give you a bit of confidence leading into Budapest?

MG: The whole overseas trip was all just about gaining international experience. I went to Edinburgh just to really have a hit-out because it was the World Champs and it worked in well being the week before. It did give me confidence that I was in good form. It still didn’t really give me swim confidence, but bike and run I knew I was going to be up there in Budapest.

TT: Can you describe your World Championships experience?

MG: I didn’t find it overwhelming. It was big, but I guess because I had done the two previous races I got this international experience and I didn’t feel like I was under pressure at all. I didn’t find it that much different to just national races.

TT: You placed 13th in that race. Were you happy with that result?

MG: Yeah, definitely. I’ve still got lots to improve on and hopefully challenge for a medal next year in Beijing.

TT: What do you think you need to work on?

MG: Just all-round, general, improving everything and not stagnating. I need to be a comfortable front-pack swimmer, keep my bike where it is so I can comfortably sit-in, and then making sure I have the run to challenge for the win.

TT: There were whispers that the team managers wouldn’t let the junior athletes out for the after-party but I heard you got to meet Alistair Brownlee so it must have been a good night being around all those athletes and seeing that they race hard and party hard.

MG: From what I can remember it was a good night. I had one of my mates from Canberra, Richard, over there so we had a really good time. It really shows just how good triathlon is as a sport, where you can hang out with World Champions at a party and they’re not in the VIP area or in their own private nightclub. It really made it memorable.

TT: You seem to have the respect of a lot of the local distance running community. Do you think this is because you started out as a runner or because you can compete with them at their 400m repeats session at the AIS on Tuesday nights?

MG: You do have to prove yourself more as a triathlete, especially as we do have a bad reputation with our Fuel Belts and visors and compression socks but at the end of the day, runners don’t really judge you that much – as long as you’re not running in Newtons. If you’re still giving it your all, and you are running quick, they’re not going to disrespect you at all. I guess it’s probably worse with cyclists not respecting triathletes.

TT: What is the most challenging aspect of being a junior athlete? It tends to be harder to get the support, recognition and rewards that open elite athletes have.

MG: When you finish school you have to decide whether you go to uni or whether you take a gap year or whether you pursue it full-time and really back yourself. Or whether you just want to do a back-up plan first in case triathlon doesn’t come off. Some people just go half-hearted both ways and that’s probably not the right thing to do. You either want to go one way or the other.

TT: What are your ambitions?

MG: I still want to have a balanced life with work, study and training. At the end of the day I always want training to come first so that I have no excuse for my results then, I can’t blame it on too much work commitments or uni commitments. I always like pursuing something, just one single thing, I never like branching out really, that’s just my personality. I think you need something on the side to keep your brain stimulated and keep you busy a bit, but not to take away from the training at all.

TT: Athletes seem to spend a lot of time sleeping. In all of your online profiles I have read you rate sleeping as one of your favourite things. Do you feel like you are napping your life away?

MG: I am always scrambling to find answers on most of those online profiles. I see training as a way to sleep at night. If I don’t train, I can never sleep. I enjoy thrashing my body so that at night I collapse into bed and go straight to sleep and have a really deep sleep.

TT: You have been pretty fortunate not to have any injury concerns.

MG: With Darren it’s a lot of technique work that irons out any problems that could occur. He’s pretty focused on massage and physio so the problems don’t occur because it is just so important to get those consistent blocks together.

TT: We all have weaknesses – especially in a sport like triathlon where there are three sports to train for. What are yours?

MG: Definitely my swim still is a bit of a weakness. Sometimes my transition skills can be a bit dodgy. I don’t want to say too much to give away to my competitors. It is impossible to be a perfect triathlete and that’s why most triathletes do the sport, because they always want to keep working to get better. They never want to reach a 4-minute mile. It’s about creating your own path and doing your own milestones. It’s not time-based objectives you are after. You either want to win a World Championship in ITU, or Ironman or do the 70.3 so you can choose whatever you want.

TT: Is the pinnacle Olympics?

MG: Yeah. Definitely Olympics. I really like watching Ironman Hawaii every year but you’ve got to go short first, you can’t go straight to Ironman.

By Rebecca Wiasak

Michelle Wu had her photo in The Canberra Times newspaper for the first time on 22 August 2005. The opening paragraph read, “You could argue that Michelle Wu trains twice as hard as most athletes”. She had just won the ACT duathlon championships and as the journalist that wrote that story, I thought it was pretty impressive that she trained for two sports. In February the following year she was back making headlines after a win in the Canberra Capital Triathlon. Michelle was visibly distressed after the race. I could not quite make out if it was from the strain of the race or because there was a real-life journalist there, shoving a microphone in her face. Either way I gave her some time to collect her thoughts and gain some composure. Ten minutes later she was no better, so I interviewed a very nervous Michelle Wu. Her answers were strained and brief.  In the past two weeks Michelle has collected a second place at the Yeppoon Half Ironman with the fastest run split and backed-up last weekend with another podium finish at the ITU Asian Cup in Korea. This week she is back in Canberra and this time when I pulled out the microphone, her answers were polished and very professional.

Name: Michelle Wu

DOB: 3 March 1983

Favourite leg: Run

Favourite piece of kit/equipment: Felt DA

Favourite sporting cliché: Never give up!

Drink of choice at the post-ride coffee stop: Chai Latte

One thing we don’t know about you: I love crossword puzzles

TT: I can remember that I was nervous when I first interviewed you face-to-face, because you were so nervous. Can you believe how far your triathlon career has progressed in the last four years?

MW: I have probably progressed quicker than what I expected. After my first race I had no idea what I’d just done to my body. I think I’ve got that body type which is probably just suited to the sport, so I picked it up really quickly. I grew up as a swimmer and played basketball, and running has always come naturally to me so I just had to learn how to ride. I spent basically the first four years just racing age group and going to a couple of world age-group champs. The past two years I have been racing elite so it has definitely been a steep learning curve all the way. I suppose the Vancouver World Champs in 2008 probably would have been the turning point where I really thought I could do quite well at this sport.

TT: There is no doubt that you’re a high achiever. You were awarded a UAI score of 98.5 and then graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Physics) from the University of Wollongong. Was there any parental pressure to build a successful career rather than pursue a sport where you have no money, no recognition, and no real long-term prospects?

MW: Not really, but I’m sure my parents wished I had picked Golf or Tennis! Because I didn’t start the sport until quite late, it was pretty much all an academic focus until the end of uni. My parents never pushed me into doing anything that I wasn’t comfortable with. Their primary aim is to make sure I’m happy with what I’m doing. As long as I enjoy it and I’m having fun and doing quite well at it, they will continue to support me all the way with whatever I choose. However, they do keep telling me that wherever triathlon takes me, I have to keep my job! They’ve been really good parents. I certainly can’t fault them in any way. They’re always there for me. They’re always behind me and Mum always travels with me to races, so she learns a lot too. They’re definitely my number-one fans.

TT: You are still living at home but I couldn’t imagine my parents putting up with my bad moods after 5-peaks on a Saturday morning and then a 7-8km swim set on Saturday afternoon. Just how important is their support?

MW: With every elite athlete, there is a strong support team behind them and it’s usually parents who are on top of that list. My parents aren’t any different. Mum came to the Gold Coast with me when I moved there to train last year. Having meals cooked and clothing washed is definitely a bonus. Living at home also saves a lot financially, not having to rent. They have definitely played a huge part in my career. They will continue to support me as long as I am doing triathlon.

TT: Would you ever push your children into triathlon?

MW: I’d like to see them active. It doesn’t necessarily have to be triathlon. That would be nice though because then they can experience what I have been through! Living an active lifestyle is definitely a number-one priority for me. That’s what I’ve spent my life doing, even as a kid. I wouldn’t be surprised when I do have kids, they will do some sort of sport.

TT: You have been training with coach Ben Gathercole since 2004. The Tridents Triathlon Club has produced some talented athletes including Olympian Simon Thompson, Jesse Featonby, Jemani Francis and Kat Baker. Do you find you are racing every single session just to keep-up?

MW: That’s definitely one of the benefits of being in a squad. I actually do quite a bit of training on my own as well. I have probably got a good mixture of half-half with the squad, and on my own. With the squad there is always that bit of competitiveness. If there is someone next to you in the lane swimming and you’re doing a hard set, you want to always keep up – you don’t want to get dropped. It’s the same thing on the bike. So it’s a good thing but it can also be a bad thing as well if you do it too much. A lot of the time I try to stick to my own heart rates and my own intensities rather than trying to kill myself in a training session and not being able to back-up the next day. I consider myself fairly disciplined to hold back when I need to and not race my training partners. When I do need a bit of a shove then Ben is usually there to kick me up the bum!

TT: Many athletes get to a point in their career where they get a bit stale and need a change of scenery. You moved to Queensland last year to escape the debilitating Canberra winter. Would you consider another move to take that next step in your triathlon career?

MW: Funny you ask that because it’s certainly something I have been thinking about recently quite a fair bit. I have been in Canberra pretty much my whole life. I grew up here and have been training in this environment for six years now. Just recently I have been thinking of places which I might want to move to, just for the change of environment, change of scenery, change of running locations, change of riding routes, maybe a beach to swim in. An outdoor 50m pool would be nice. It’s certainly something I might consider for next year. The Gold Coast last year was awesome. I really enjoyed it. It opened my eyes to a lot of new people, new friends, and new training methods. It’s certainly something I would like to do again.

TT: You had a lot of success as an age-group athlete with wins in the Canberra, Hobart and Geelong Olympic distance races in 2006. Every time I called for an interview I must have quizzed you about getting your pro licence. From what I recall your coach Ben kept holding you back. When did you know you were ready to turn pro?

MW: I don’t think it was really Ben holding me back. It was just more myself actually. I wasn’t sure if I was ready yet to make the leap into elite racing, even though I had quite a lot of success racing age group back in 2006 and 2007. Ben certainly did have input. He basically said it’s a big step, a very big step, so you have to think about it quite carefully before you actually make the decision. That was pretty much enough for me to delay things and keep on getting experience racing at the age-group level. I was doing quite well and continued that until 2008 and then I went to Vancouver Worlds and won the age-group race outright there. As I said before, that was a pretty big turning point. I really didn’t have too much more to achieve in age-group racing. I had done everything I could. I had won an Australian title and then a World title. That race in Vancouver told me it was time to step up and start racing elite.

TT: You won the 2007 Canberra Half Ironman at your first attempt. There are two very distinct paths in triathlon. One is the sprint distance format and ITU racing with the potential to compete at the Olympic Games. The other is the Half and Ironman distance which probably has more money and more exposure. How did you decide which path to pursue?

MW: I am pretty much still in the process of deciding. I am still doing both. I am still doing a couple of ITU Asian Cup races and a few more half’s this coming season. There’s probably not a huge difference, especially nowadays as the Half Ironman races are actually getting quite fast and competitive. Training wise there probably isn’t a lot of difference between training for ITU and training for a Half. Perhaps more time on the bike. They are both fairly quick races these days. The girls and guys are just getting faster and faster and it’s getting more competitive. It’s probably the Ironman that is a totally different league because it is such a long, long race and a very long day. But I don’t have any plans of doing one yet. A Half is definitely enough punishment! At this stage I’m just sitting on the Olympic distance and Half fence.

TT: How far do you want to take this sport? We all like to dream about the Olympics but is that realistic? It seems to be a massive step even from where you are now to the times that Emma Snowsill and Emma Moffatt are posting.

MW: It is a whole new level of commitment if you are planning on taking that sort of a path. To try and race with the Emma’s and the ITU girls, they’re in a whole new different league. Realistically I wouldn’t chase that path anymore but I still want to do a few ITU races mainly in Asia because I still enjoy them. But the Olympics is probably off the radar. I’d like to chase that long course path a bit more. As you said before there is more exposure there and more money, so I’ll probably more likely head down that way.

TT: You were invited to train with the National High Performance program, which was in camp at the AIS in January this year. What did you learn from training alongside those top athletes?

MW: I was injured before the camp. It was definitely an experience training with those girls. It was early in the season for them so they weren’t overly concerned about the intensity or racing. For them it was more just a base training camp so it was long km’s. They did a lot of running but because I was injured at the time, I could only do the swimming and riding parts of the camp with them, which was a little frustrating because running is my strength. They are in a different league to what people are aware of. You wouldn’t know that until you see them train.

TT: What would it take for you to be competitive with those girls?

MW: Some legs that would run as fast as Emma Snowsill! I’d definitely need to stop working – there is no doubt about that. I’d also need to somehow find funding to be able to get to all these ITU World Cup races. Just generally need to train full-time and not have any other distractions and be really focused. And not get sick or injured.

TT: You have a reputation for being a ‘sneaky squirrel’ as people often see you out training on your own, but I am guessing those sessions are written into your program.

MW: Definitely not ‘sneaky squirrel’! The sessions I do on my own are written into my program. I usually just follow what the program says and just trust that it works and will get the results. I’m usually too buggered to sneak anything else in!

TT: If you got injured tomorrow, would you be happy walking away from the sport?

MW: Probably not. I’ve still got a lot of goals and a lot of races that I want to do. Ultimately I’d like to do an Ironman one day. If I was injured tomorrow, I would think of it as another mini setback and get on with the rehab and get back on the train as soon as I can.

TT: At what point do you step away from the sport and start living a ‘normal’ life?

MW: Mum always asks me that actually. Perhaps she is wondering how much longer she has to put up with me! To be honest, I don’t see it as a sacrifice. I really enjoy triathlon. I really enjoy the swim, bike and running, the training, the racing, traveling around to various parts of the world. I haven’t really been doing it that long, especially at the elite level, so I still see myself at the beginning of my career, rather than at the end. I guess it depends on the type of person you are. Some people find out pretty quickly that this isn’t for them and they want to be normal. I can’t see myself retiring or quitting any time soon. I guess it’s what you make of it. What you put into it is what you get out.

TT: How hard was it to back-up from the Yeppoon Half to race in oppressive conditions in Seoul a week later?

MW: I didn’t actually find it too bad. I am usually pretty good at recovering after races. It usually only takes me two to three days at the most for my body to come around and feel normal again. So I wasn’t too worried about the turnaround time. Mum might have been, but Ben and I were pretty confident that I would be able to do it just based on what he knows and what I know my body is capable of doing. If Ben wasn’t comfortable with it, he certainly wouldn’t have sent me off to Korea. You have to listen to your body and pay attention to any niggles and just generally stay on top of things with massage, eating well and sleeping lots – which I am pretty good at. I didn’t find it too difficult to race back-to-back weekends.

TT: The week before you left for Korea it was minus 4 in Canberra. On race day it was 38 degrees. That is a 42-degree difference. How did you think your body coped so well with the conditions given that some of your competitors were taken to hospital after the race because their bodies simply shut down?

MW: I am not sure! It was a bit of a funny race. We weren’t going that fast. Even though I was pushing hard at the time, the run splits for everyone in the race were quite slow. I guess mentally being tough is one thing and the other side is the physical aspect of being small and having low body-fat levels. That definitely helped. I don’t know that I handled the heat that well, but I did finish and nabbed another podium so I guess that’s all I can really ask for.

TT: To look at it on paper the race was pretty slow. You finished in 2hrs15min. Are you embarrassed or pleased by that time knowing just how challenging the conditions were?

MW: If you weren’t there and you looked at the results, you would have though ‘she’s not running very well’ but because I was there and I knew what the conditions were like, a 42min run is still pretty decent. While 2:15 might sound pathetic for an Olympic Distance, given the conditions on the day and people not finishing and people ending up on drips…it’s all relative really.

TT: How tough was it?

MW: It was more a mental battle for me. I just had to tell myself to keep going. I was in the position where I was going to get on the podium and I had to finish to get that decent pay cheque so that definitely got me through. It was probably one of the most humid and hottest races I have ever done – and I’ve done quite a few in Asia. We were racing right in the middle of the day and it was just generally a tough day out.

TT: You have never had a DNF. What would it take for you to pull out of a race?

MW: Obviously a crash which would require medical assistance and they would cart me off the course. That would probably end my day. Or if I got so bashed up in the swim I couldn’t continue. Other than that, no matter how cold or how hot, or how tough the run is, once I survive the swim and bike and get on the run, I generally get to the end of the race. We train so much, spend too much, and travel too far to record a DNF. Vancouver in 2008 was absolutely freezing and on the other extreme, last weekend in Korea was absolutely boiling. If I am there toeing the start line, I will do everything I can to get to the end. No matter what the result turns out to be, as long as I’ve given it my best shot, I am generally happy.

TT: Before you left for Vancouver the club put on a practice race in Canberra that pretty much replicated the conditions in Canada. It was so cold that day in Canberra, that there was even a bonfire in transition. How important was that acclimatisation and having a coach that prepares you so well for a race that you can go and win a World Championship?

MW: Being from Canberra we had that advantage of being used to the cold and training in the cold. Ben put us through that winter race where we had to mentally and physically deal with the cold there. Having a coach that knows how to train for a race specifically definitely helps. It was just one of those days where I knew I had a good lead-up into Vancouver and there wasn’t too much that was going to stop me from having the race of my life there. Because I had a pretty disastrous Worlds campaign the year before in Hamburg where I had a really good Australian season, pretty much winning every age-group race I did. I had high hopes in 2007 but got sick and had a really bad flu leading into Hamburg so I guess I really wanted to come back in 2008 and show that I am capable of being right up the top.

TT: You have nearly survived another full Canberra winter. Just how crazy are we for training through winter and what motivates you to get out of bed and get it done?

MW: Canberra winter is certainly not ideal! Especially when I raced in 38 degrees last weekend. It’s just one of those things where it is more a mental battle than a physical one. When the alarm goes off you just want to hit it and throw it out the window and just sleep in. But when you know other people are going to be out there training as well, it certainly helps get you out of bed and out the door. It is tough doing it in Canberra when it’s minus 4 and you’re trying to get ready to race in the heat. It’s not ideal but you deal with it.

TT: Your coach has a minus 5 rule where training is called off because of black ice on the roads. Are there mornings where you are secretly hoping it would get that cold so you can sleep in?

MW: There are certainly mornings where I wish it was minus 5 so I don’t have to get out of bed! I guess you get on with it and you just do it. Usually when you finish a session you are generally glad it’s over, even if it was a terrible one. It’s just another session ticked off. For me this winter has been about being consistent and just ticking through each session, each day, each week and pretty much just sucking it up and doing it.

TT: You produce some very entertaining race reports with a full complement of smiley faces. Sometimes every sentence finishes with a smiley. Are you just really happy with your performance?

MW: I have never counted them but I probably should! I think it’s just because I have really enjoyed the race and have been really pleased with the results. I guess the smiley faces reflect that. I try to keep things entertaining when I do write reports, otherwise if it is plain and boring, people just drift off and go ‘oh yeah, it was a swim, it was a bike, it was a run, it was hot, blah, blah, blah.’ I try to keep it lighthearted. It helps keep in touch with my sponsors and they enjoy reading them.

TT: Do you feel like you have made any sacrifices to pursue this lifestyle?

MW: I guess the biggest sacrifice is the financial side. It doesn’t feel like a sacrifice. Sure there are times where I wouldn’t mind staying out late or trying to be normal for a change. At the end of the day, this is my choice, this is what I enjoy doing and this is what I want to do for a little while longer at least.

TT: If you weren’t a triathlete what would you be doing and where in the world would you be?

MW: I would probably just be working full-time in an office job, which sounds boring, but I guess that’s reality. I’d like to be somewhere warm with a beach though!

You can follow Michelle at her websites or on twitter:

http://shellwu.weebly.com

www.shellwu.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/shellwu

Sam Warriner is one of the toughest women on the pro scene that you will ever meet. We Caught up with her for an in-depth chat on everything Tri…

Sponsors:  Thompson's Nutrition, Asics Shoes, The NZ Refining Company,

 Adidas Sunglasses, Trek Bicycles (as of tomorrow!), Sidi Cycling Shoes,

Rudy Project Helmets, Fuel belt, Blue Seventy Wetsuits, Sweat7 Coaching.

www.sweat7.com  My sponsors have been great and offered the lucky girls free clothing, shoes, nutritional supplements. The lot!  I’m currently taking applications for the team – all coaching is by me and free – they’ll be doing some tough sessions if they want to make my team.

 I recently got my north american season underway at the Boise 70.3 Ironman in Idaho. There was a quality pro mens field (28 deep) racing including the eventual winner and current Ironman world champion, Craig Alexander. It was a tough day with the temperature at 30 degrees and gale force winds whipping up out on the bike course. Boise is also at a little bit of altitude and the air was extremely dry making hydration a crucial part of the race.

 
Fellow kiwi Graham O’Grady demolished the field on the swim and comfortably lead out of the water. However he was still feeling the effects of finishing 2nd at the Mooseman 70.3 six days earlier and slowly slipped back through the field. Meantime another kiwi, Byran Rhodes was leading the charge on the bike right up front with Alexander and Chris Leito and in the running for a podium spot.
 
I came off the bike in 8th position and had some work to get done if I was to finish in the top 5 and receive any prize money. On a day like this I knew the conditions would take their toll on some athletes and sure enough many of the guys up front began to fad as the run went on. By half way through the run I had moved into 5th. I had the fast running Tim Berkel not far behind me so I had to push up on the 4th placed Matt Leito. I caught Leito with 3 miles remaining but wasn’t able to drop him initially. Berkel come past with 2 mile to go and left Leito and I to battle it out for 5th place. After several surges I finally gapped him and then kept the pressure to hold him off at the finish.
 
I was really happy with this result first up. Coming out of the New Zealand winter and working full time it was a good confidence builder to beat some of the full time athletes.
 
Now its onto Santa Cruz for a month where Graham O’Grady and Beven Docherty are based. I am looking forward to putting in a month of solid full time training before the Vineman 70.3 Ironman on the 18th of July.

Thanks for reading. Will be in touch soon.