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 St. Kitts & Nevis (6 November 2011) - The International Triathlon Union (ITU) is in St. Kitts & Nevis this week to bolster its bid for the Triathlon Mixed Relay to be included in the Commonwealth Games. A formal bid was submitted in September but the ITU will be at the Commonwealth Games Federation General Assembly to present the dynamic event to the Sports Committee, Executive Board and 71 member Commonwealth Games Associations.

 

Representing the ITU in St. Kitts & Nevis is Global Projects Director Brian Mahony. The Commonwealth Games Federation's Sport Committee, led by President-elect of the CGF HRH Prince Imran of Malaysia, will make its recommendation to the Executive Board and Commonwealth Games Associations on whether the exciting Triathlon Mixed Relay will be included on the list of approved programme disciplines.

 

 If approved by the CGF, ITU will present to the Glasgow 2014 Board for Triathlon Mixed Relay's inclusion in the 20th edition of the Commonwealth Games between 23 July and 3 August 2014.

 

The Triathlon Mixed Relay consists of four athletes: two men and two women, who each complete a short, intense triathlon of a 250m swim, 5km bike and 1.2km run in the order woman, man, woman, man. The new format has enjoyed phenomenal success since the discipline changed from the original single sex team format in 2009. The recent World Championships boasted its largest field ever, with representation from all five continents.

 

According to research agency IFM, the recent Triathlon Mixed Relay World Championships in the Olympic city of Lausanne-where Great Britain's "Dream Team" cruised to gold-had over 571 million TV contacts, with over 93 hours of airtime and 253 broadcasts.

 

Major public broadcasters have shown their support for the event, including British public broadcaster BBC, which aired 75 minutes of race action on BBC 2 on 21 August 21. German broadcasting giant ARD also showed over two hours of live coverage, plus repeated highlights of the event.

 

Michael Cole, BBC Triathlon Editor commented: "The Triathlon Mixed Relay event in Lausanne was a new style of triathlon for BBC and it worked really well for us.  Being able to see more athletes in a shorter race made a fast and exciting event for TV.  The relay changeovers and swinging fortunes for the teams as their stronger athletes took over from weaker ones made for a very interesting TV programme."

 

ITU is hopeful its bid for inclusion to Glasgow 2014 will be successful considering the rapidly growing popularity of the sport and the broadcast success. The additional cost of Triathlon Mixed Relay to the programme of any Games already hosting triathlon is minimal as the same venue can be reused and no extra athletes are required.

 

Earlier this year, the Triathlon Mixed Relay was accepted onto the programme of the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.  The recent successes are also seen as a boost for ITU's quest to get the Triathlon Mixed Relay event into the Olympic Games beginning with Rio 2016. Increasing the TV exposure and popularity of the format are key strategic goals for the federation.

 

The host city for the 2018 Commonwealth Games will be also decided by member nations at the CGF's General Assembly in St. Kitts & Nevis on 11 November 2011.

We were lucky enough to catch up with Triathlon legend Brad Beven for an in depth audio interview. Brad dominated Triathlon in his era. He is the four time ITU World Cup Champion,7 times Australian Grand Prix champion, International Grand Prix Champion, five times Australian Triathlon Champion, 3 times runner-up ITU World Triathlon Champion. He is simply an Australian sporting legend.

TT: What are you up to these days?


TT: Recently you and iron man legend Guy Leech dominated the Anaconda 114km Adventure race. Can you tell us a bit about this and are you competing much?


TT: What's your training regime like at the moment?


TT: What's your biggest carrier highlight?


TT: There's nothing like the St George series of the past going on in Australia at the moment. What are your thoughts on this and the benefit of that previous format of racing?


TT: What gave you the edge throughout your career?

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Champion Australian Professional Triahtlete Rebekah Keat has been a busy girl of late. After a slow start to the season due to injury and a bike crash, Bek has been on fire in the last month with a win at the inaugural Challenge Cairns and a sub nine-hour finish at the legendary Challenge Roth event in Germany.

Bek spoke to us during some “recovery time” before she tackles the Alpe d’huez Long Course Triathlon later this month.

First of all, congratulations on your win at the inaugural Challenge Cairns at the start of June! As a long time supporter of the Challenge brand, it must have been so exciting for you to win the first Challenge event in Australia. Tell us about your race there.

Yes I always love to do any Challenge event!! And I can say that the Challenge Family did put on such an amazing race. To finally have one here in my own backyard is so exciting, and to win the inaugural event is fantastic for me! The race for me was ok for the late start to my season. Unfortunately I had had to take 4 weeks forced rest and only 4 weeks later (the month before Cairns) I was hit by a car.I don’t like to line up with excuses, but my preparation to be honest was limited. I went in a little ‘underdone’ and that showed during the run. It was a great start to the season to be able take the win though, and a good stepping stone to the rest of the 2011 season!

How did you find the course at Cairns? Any highlights and general feedback about the festival of events that were ran? Do you think this event will grow into a “must do” race?

I think the event is being talked about a lot and for many it is already a ‘must do’ race!With the likes of ‘Macca’ saying it may surpass races like ‘Roth’ one day, then we know Challenge Cairns is going to grow into something massive!!

For me the highlight was the beautiful bike route, along the coastline and the spectator friendly run finishing right in the middle of Cairns was awesome!

I stayed with my partner and family for a few days after the race! We ate at some great restaurants, did the cruise to the Great Barrier Reef, some snorkelling, a jet sprint and a yacht ride! I will never forget how much fun and how relaxing beautiful Port Douglas was!

You backed up your great race in Cairns with a third place finish at Challenge Roth in Germany in a lightning fast 8.58 just a few weeks ago. Were you pleased with your race?

Again without sounding cocky, I was disappointed in my run as I have run a 2:55 marathon PB there just two years ago when I broke the world record alongside Wellington. This year, I came off the bike around 10 minutes down and went for it during the first 10km of the run holding a great pace. However, the fitness just wasn’t there to do that yet, but again stepping stones and building a good foundation for the end of the season to finish it with a bang!

You have now raced at Roth several times, what keeps drawing you back? Would you recommend it to other Australians?

Wow I get asked this all the time, and until you have experienced Roth yourself its so hard to explain the ‘electric atmosphere’, I just can’t do it justice! I compare Roth to HAWAII and I must say the atmosphere during the Roth event and at the finish line surpasses even the Hawaii Iornman World Championships!

 Roth is such an iconic event on the world stage and is famous for its fast times. What can you attribute this to?

Well the rumours were always that the course is short, this year they added 2km to the bike course, 3 of us compared computers after the race and all got 178-179 km , so it may be 1km short, farely  insignificant! I think the main reason its fast is firstly the swim is dead flat, no chop and in two straight lines, thus you don’t lose time weaving or turning. The bike road surface is superb, fast hot mix and sealed perfectly which is at least 1-2km faster than some of the ‘Aussie’ roads. The run is now through town and defiantly not short, but it is fast again because of the surface. Your legs are not as pounded by the hard road surface as we run on a dirt trail almost the whole marathon. I believe that is what makes the run fast, the legs are not as fatigued as quickly.The final thing is definitely the 150,000 or more people they have watching throughout the course. You are never alone and constantly cheered on by spectators! This definitely helps you to push that little bit more and go that little bit faster, I’m sure all would agree! ;)

Speaking of fast.....Chrissie Wellingtons 8.18 is just unbelievable!! What is it like to race her? 

In 2009 at Roth I was only 7 minutes behind CW, but now she is at a new level!! She is really mixing it up with some of the more average pro men, in the run she is mixing it with the best male runners, and that’s scarey.  When girls like myself race her, me personally I don’t have her in my race, it’s just the other woman I am racing.

Obviously you are a fan of the events run by Challenge :) What other Challenge events have you done around the world? Why do you find them so enjoyable and which races would you recommend to our readers?

I have raced a lot of them including the Half Challenge in Kraichgau Germany, Challenge Wanaka NZ, Challenge Copenhagen Denmark and one in France. I would definitely recommend all of them, they all have that amazing atmosphere and they all are fabulously run events!

 

So what’s next for you? Which races have you lined up for the rest of 2012 and will you be competing at the Hawaii Ironman this year?

 

Next for me is a big few weeks, I have had one week easy since Roth and feel great again. Brett (coach) has me racing Alpe Dhuez long distance where we finish by riding the 110km up Alpe Dhuez. The run is at 2000 metres for the final 20 km leg, it hurts. Did I mention we actually ride there from Switzerland which is around 180km then we also ride home after the race!!!...Crazy No not really, it gets you fit!

Two weeks later on the 14^th August I race the beautiful Challenge Copenhagen right in the middle of the city. I can’t wait for that one! Then I am off to the USA to race Rev3 Cedar Point full ironman distance, and finally back home to Australia!

This year my coach and I decided not to race Hawaii. I needed a mental break from it more than anything! Next year it will be my goal to get a top 5 there!

Thanks Bec, good luck for the rest of the year and we look forward to catching up with you again!

No worries x

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Buffalo Springs 70.3 was one of the toughest races I've done during my four years in the sport of triathlon. To put it bluntly, it was a race that I'd rather forget, put to the back of my memory bank and not have to re-visit too often! 

The race was held at Buffalo Springs Lake which is positioned in a canyon. Since Texas is essentially flat I was surprised to read that the course was to be so hilly. However, when Josh and I drove the course the day prior to race day I soon found out why when dropped down into a huge canyon. As such, much of the day was spent climbing in and out of the canyon during the cycle and run. 

The week leading into the race my body wasn't feeling 100% and I didn't have my usual bounce of energy, however I was still looking for a solid result in Texas to add to my 4th place at Kansas 70.3 two weeks prior. Race day conditions were brutal; super hot, windy and dry. I have never raced in conditions like it and combined with my body feeling flat, the day was a true battle both mentally and physically. 

Race start was moved forward to accommodate for the predicted high of 44 degrees that would hit at about 3 o'clock. So at 6.27am the gun went off for the 15 Pro Females. I felt pretty good in the swim and exited the water mid pack. Once onto the one lap 90km bike course the winds were picking up. Within the first 5km of the bike I had passed a few of the girls and was sitting in about 5th place and feeling pretty good. However as the ride went on, my energy levels started to drop considerably. The brutal winds combined with the rising temperature took its toll and I ended up exiting the bike in about 7th place. 

Once out onto the run I new it was going to be one tough, long 21.1km. The run consisted of 3 hills, each ranging between 6-9%. The sun was beaming down like nothing I have experienced in a race. I was feeling pretty horrendous and have never felt so low running, but I was determined to get to the finish. I knew that as long as I kept putting one foot in front of the other and focused on getting to the next aid station then I would would make it to the end. Unfortunately I dropped quite a few more places on the run and ended the day in 12th place pro female. 

After having one of my best races at Kansas 70.3 two weeks ago, it is tough to hit a such low in terms of race result at Buffalo Springs. I am really disappointed in myself for putting in such a poor performance, however as I have said before it is these races that I learn the most from. I'm still young, and while the positive in that is that I've got a lot of years to learn the trade and get stronger, I also will inevitably experience many more bad days before the good one's roll in consistently. This is all a part of racing and is a part of the building blocks to becoming a top-level professional athlete. Whilst I may not appreciate it at the moment these types of races will help mature me as an athlete both mentally and physically. With my next race less than two weeks away it is crucial that I put yesterday's performance behind me, get my body feeling 100% again and focus on the positives. 

Thank you to Ruth-Anne, Aubry and Jeff for providing such amazing hospitality and support while in Texas, it was greatly appreciated.

Once again, thank you to all my sponsors and supporters. All is still on track for qualifying for World 70.3 Champs and with Muncie 70.3 as my final qualification race this will hopefully be confirmed with a solid result there.

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Sydney based Professional Triathlete Nicole Ward is well-known throughout Australia for her consistency. A regular on the Australian long course triathlon circuit for several years, her career highlights include a 1^st place at the 2008 Australian Long Course Championships, finishing 2^nd at Ironman Japan in 2009 and many, many top 5 places both in Australia and overseas.

As well as competing as a ProfessionalTriathlete, Nicole also works full-time and regularly assists TriNSW with initiatives to encourage other busy women to take up the sport.

Here she takes some time out of her schedule to chat with us after her recent fourth placing at the inaugural Falls Creek Long Course Triathlon last weekend.

First of all congratulations on your fourth place at the inaugural Falls Creek Long Course triathlon  on the weekend J Tell us about your race, just how hard was it racing at altitude?

Thanks Michelle.  I had a few issues actually with the altitude, particularly in the swim leg.  I found my breathing was really out of whack in the swim and at one point I thought I was going to pass out as I was gulping for air and things went fuzzy!  It’s just generally a lot harder to go as hard as you can at sea level as your heart rate is about 10 beats higher for the same effort. I’m pretty pleased with my race but it took me a while to get going on the bike which meant I lost contact with the girls, so was off the pace to compete for the win.  I am happy with my run though as I felt strong and comfortable even though the run course was pretty insane!

 

·         How did you find the course at Falls Creek? Any highlights and what was the general feedback about the event? Would recommend it to others to put on their schedule for 2012? 

The course was challenging with both a very hilly bike course and then a technical and hilly trail run (with lots of mud thrown in there J).  Falls Creek is a beautiful place though and I would highly recommend this race for all the tough nuts out there who want to take on a different challenge.  I think Supersprint did a great job in running the event first time around but of course there are some things I am sure they will do to improve the event in future years.

 

·         So what’s next for you? Do you have the race schedule planned for 2011? What are your major goals for the year?

My next race is the Long Course Champs in Huskisson and then Ironman Australia on 1^st May, followed by Challenge Cairns half in June.  My main goal this year is to focus again on Ironman after taking some time off to race the halves and work on my speed in the second half of 2010.

 

·         You have been racing as a professional for a few years now and travelled extensively, competing both domestically and overseas. Do you have any favourite races?

 I love racing across Australia and also internationally, as I love any excuse to travel and get out of Sydney- ha ha!  I have so many favourite races as each and every race I do all for very different reasons.  My two absolute favourites though would have to be the Hawaii Ironman as it’s the ultimate pinnacle in our sport and Ironman Japan as it was run on the most beautiful remote island in Japan.

·         

As well as racing in the professional ranks you also work in a busy corporate job. How do you balance it all? Any tips for our readers? 

Yes- it certainly is a challenge trying to race as a Long Course professional triathlete and by day work extremely hard as an HR Professional, for one of Australia’s largest banks!  I have to admit that it has been taking its toll over the last year or so.  However, I think the key for making this work is having the passion, motivation and determination to make it happen. Time management and being extremely organised definitely helps.  My key tips would be to plan your week out and save time on commuting to work by running or riding to the office, also try and get some shorter sessions in at lunch time if you can.   Having great support networks in place are essential and also making sure you eat well and get as much sleep as you can!

 

·         You are renowned for your consistency and racing regularly. How do you keep the motivation high? 

I am so passionate about this sport and regret that I didn’t take it up at a younger age so I just want to make the most of every opportunity I have, and I don’t want to look back and have any more regrets

  

·         Your husband Bern also competes in Long Course Triathlons (with a Hawaii Ironman finish in 2010) and is a qualified Triathlon coach. Do you both train together? Does he write your programs? 

Yes we do a lot of our training together but he has taken his foot off the pedal recently, and is more focussed on coaching and just having fun with the sport.  He doesn’t write my training program but has recently started working under the guidance of my fantastic new coaches, Christina and Bruce Thomas from Energy Link.

 

·         Female participation in Triathlon is on the rise and I know you have been involved with some great initiatives of Triathlon NSW. What advice can you give to those girls out there who want to give triathlon a go?

I have been involved with the TriNSW Female camps since they started up 3 years ago and I have met some amazing women from all walks of life.  I see myself as an ambassador for females in the sport and I hope that I can inspire and provide support to all females out there.  As a late starter to triathlon myself, I think it’s important for all women to put inhibitions aside and just get out there and give triathlon a go.  It’s such an amazing individual sport and I just love seeing people follow their dreams and achieve things that they never thought possible.  When I started from nothing 6 years ago there was no way that I would have imagined achieving some of the things that I have been able to, so don’t be afraid to follow your dreams and never give up!!

We wish Nicole the best of luck for the coming season!

To follow Nicole and her results as she races around Australia check out her new website developed by NashysPix at www.nicolewardtri.com

We managed a quick catch-up with rising Olympic distance triathlete Brendan Sexton.

 

 

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DOB: 06/08/85

Nickname: Kung Fu

Career highlight to date: U23 world champs silver medal

Favourite race: Mooloolaba

Best leg: Right

Sponsors:  Australian Sports Commission, Aust Institute of Sport, Vic Institute of Sport, Giant Bicycles, Oakley Eyewear Aust,

 

 

TT: Brendan, thanks for your time. Well done at the Gatorade series opener in St Kilda the other week. Happy?

 

BS:  The win was a little unexpected as I had just recommenced training after a light break from training. The competition was high for a local sprint so I was happy to be with the pace and hang on at the end.

 

TT: It’s been a hectic year for you. For our readers who don’t know you, where did you base yourself for the majority of the year?

 

BS:  Most of my 2010 season was spent in Europe – a base in northern Spain and one in France. I spend the northern hemisphere summer with other Aussie institute athletes and travel to races from these bases. I also spent  the last section of the year in Florida, USA where the warm weather lasts a bit longer.

 

TT: How did you find the overseas experience?

 

BS: I found this year very rewarding. After more than 2 years of constant injury and incident I was able to build through a full season and finish up the year better than I ever have.

 

TT:  Results wise, were you happy?

 

BS:  I wasn’t so happy through the beginning of the year. I found after a long stint out of top level competition my efforts in training were not being reflected in my results. In the end it came down to consistency and patience and the result started come in my last leg of the tour with a win in the USA Olympic distance champs.

 

TT: The ultimate goal is no doubt London, 2010. What are the medium term goals along the way?

 

BS: The medium term goal for 2011 is to race well enough that I am in no doubt of being selected to represent Aus in London. This means targeting pre determined races and achieving as high above the minimum standard as I am able. These races will of course be high level ITU events both in Aus and abroad.

 

TT: Will you stay based in Melbourne?

 

BS:  Although I am now permanently based in Melbourne training out of the VIS I will be spending much of the Aussie summer out of town on training camps and in competition. I am used to moving around quite a bit and find I get restless if I am in one place for more than a few weeks.

 

TT: What about training camps? Will you be going on some over summer? Do you have a favourite location?

 

BS: There are many good places in Australia to get away and get stuck into specific elements of triathlon. I am currently in camp at the AIS in Canberra making the most of the world class facilities here. In the New Year I will head into the Vic mountains to get some work at altitude.

 

TT: Do you ever feel like ditching the training partners and training solo for a few days? What percent of your training is done solo Vs with a training group?

 

BS:  In the VIS team I have some great guys and girls to push me along and I believe this is the best way to improve and gauge your progression. My coach, Jono Hall, tends to know when I need to to spend some time alone in my own head space so depending on the time of the season I will get a good mix of solo/group training.

 

TT: Fiercest rival?

 

BS: Only one ’s self knows how honest that person is to their own potential at any given moment. In that respect, the voice in my head is my fiercest rival as it knows when I have truly failed.

 

TT: Athlete you most want to dominate?

 

BS: No person in particular. I want to reach the limits my own body and mind can reach. In my mind I want to dominate the guy who is one step ahead of me.

 

TT: Favorite brekky?

 

BS: Good  Coffee

 

TT: Brendan, thanks again for you time and good luck.

 

BS: Thank you and well done with the Tribe!

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DOB: 24/10/87

Nickname: Mads, Maddie

Career highlight to date:3^rd place ITU World Olympic Distance Champs (20-24years)

Favourite race: Alcatraz Triathlon, San Francisco

Best leg: Run

Sponsors:  Malvern Star, Giro, Peak Bike Hub, Brooks, Team Barefoot

Favourite TV show: Underbelly

 

 

TT: Madeleine, thanks for your time. Well done at the Gatorade series opener in St Kilda the other week. Happy?

 

MO: Thankyou. I was really happy with how I went in that race. I had just raced my first half ironman at Shepparton the week before so I wasn’t too sure how my body would recover from that. I was feeling a little flat before the race, but once the gun went off I was in race mode and had to really dig deep on the run to come away with the win.

 

TT: For our readers who may not know you, where did you base yourself for the majority of the year?

 

MO: I decided to head over to Boulder, Colorado for three months to check out the triathlon scene over there. It was the best three months of my life. I learnt so much about what it takes to be a successful professional triathlete and I was fortunate enough to train and race alongside some of the best athletes in the world. I will definitely be going back there in the future.

 

TT: Are you pleased with 2010?

 

MO: Definitely. 2010 has been my most successful season so far. At the beginning of the year I won the Victorian Olympic Distance Championships, placed 2^nd at the Mooloolaba Triathlon and took out the elite female series award for the Gatorade Triathlon Series. I then qualified for my professional licence which gave me the opportunity to compete overseas in various races across Asia and America. I was lucky enough to do some amazing races including the Alcatraz Triathlon.

TT:  Looking forward what is the ultimate goal?  And what are the medium term goals along the way?

 

Ultimately I want to be able to make a living off triathlon and travel the world racing. I am currently training for olympic distance and half ironman racing and hope to master these distances. There is a new non-drafting olympic distance series starting up in the US next year which looks really good. I hope to race that series as well as some 70.3 races across America. The ultimate goal is to one day compete at Kona as a professional triathlete.

 

MO:

 

TT: Will you stay based in Melbourne?

 

MO: I will always base myself in Melbourne throughout the Australian tri season. I love the training and racing that is on offer in Victoria and I think that it is important to keep racing domestically. During the winter months I hope to keep racing and training overseas where it is a little warmer!

 

TT: What about training camps? Will you be going on some over summer? Do you have a favourite location?

 

MO: I am hoping to head up to Falls Creek over New Years to get in a good block of training. Falls is my favourite training location, if I had my way I would live up there always! The running and cycling are awesome and it’s nice to get away from the city for a while.

 

TT: What percent of your training is done solo Vs with a training group?

 

MO: I do the majority of my swims with a squad. I do half of my riding on my own and half with local bunches and I do all of my running on my own. It is tough training solo but I think that it is good for building up the mental strength.

TT: Athlete you most want to dominate?

 

MO:  I try not to focus solely on dominating other athletes. If I focus on my own training and the things that I can control then I will get the results that I deserve and am capable of. However, I do look up to certain athletes such as Chrissie Wellington and Mirinda Carfrae and I hope to one day race along side them.

 

TT: Do you have a favourite session?

 

MO: My favourite session is on the running track – 20x400m (running @ 1.17-1.22, leaving @ 2min), it’s challenging for both the mind and the body.

 

TT: What is the hardest session you have ever done?

 

MO:  I did a really tough session in Ballarat a while ago. It was a super hot day and we were doing ride and run intervals up Mt Buninyong. It was one of the toughest sessions I’ve done but also one of the most memorable because of the challenge.

 

TT: Favorite breaky?

 

MO:  Breakfast is the best meal! I love starting off with scrambled eggs, then porridge followed by toast...I eat lots.

 

TT: Madeleine, thanks again for you time and good luck.

TT: How regimented were you with your diet throughout your career?

By Rebecca Wiasak

I first met Tyson Mahon the triathlete in transition at Mooloolaba this year. Seven years earlier when he was a track runner, we were best mates. Despite the time that has passed it feels like nothing has changed. We are older, better educated and more attractive. But during that time Tyson has lost and won a few battles. We caught-up in his hometown Geelong earlier this week where he helped me fill in the gaps, and talked me through the sport switch.

 

TT: If either of us is ever famous and writes a book, I’d like a chapter dedicated to our reunion in transition at Mooloolaba. It was a bit like a movie script.

 

TM: I actually think about it now, and it was like the perfect moment. It was the time I needed someone the absolute most. And the person that I loved the most throughout my entire life, I finally run into, after so many years of not seeing them. It was just amazing. It’s one of those things where if I didn’t have someone like you there on that day, I would have been an absolute mess. I thought I would say that, because it was a really intense summer.

 

TT: I guess we should go back to the start. You were a junior prodigy. You grew up at the beach at Torquay and did nippers and surf-lifesaving before finding a talent in athletics. At what point did you decide which sport to pursue and how difficult was it to make that decision?

 

TM: That was an interesting one. I remember Dad taking me down to surf-lifesaving. I had absolutely no idea what was going on. I was there with my cousins and somebody handed us these caps and we chucked them on. There I am with my cousin and was like “What’s going on? What are we doing here?” We just thought let’s go along with it. Dad said he was taking us down to a carnival and we just assumed there were going to be rides and stuff. As it turns out, it was a competition and we had never competed before. It was just us running around with garden hoses in our hands and doing flags and all these different activities.

 

So that’s kind of where I began in terms of my sport. We had a lot of fun and the purpose of going to athletics was to get some fitness for surf-lifesaving. Dad suggested it, so a few of my mates from surf-lifesaving went down to Little Aths. We kept turning up every Saturday and all of a sudden I started to do quite well in sprint hurdles. Then you’re making states, and winning medals at state championships. One of my teachers at school thought I had a bit of talent and suggested I go and see this guy Bruce Scriven and try to set up a meeting with him. So I went to train with Scrivo and there were all these people running around and I was super nervous when I first went there. You’ve got people like Georgie Clarke running around the track with her brother Tim Clarke, and Paul Byrne rocking up so it was a great little environment to be part of.

 

So I think after starting with Scrivo, I went up to him and said “look, they’ve put me in the 800m at school so do you mind if we do a bit of 800m training so I don’t look like an idiot.” I trained one day a week, won the districts, won the states, and then ended up winning national titles, which was a huge buzz. So after a few years of just doing running and collecting a few more national titles, I started breaking records and Scrivo basically strongly suggested I make a choice between surf-lifesaving and running. You can see that there may be a future in it, you’re excited, you’re a young kid, and you think Olympics. Surf-lifesaving obviously isn’t in the Olympics.

 

TT: You trained with exceptional athletes including Georgie Clarke, Richard Jeremiah, and Craig Mottram. How hard was it being the youngest in the group and living in their shadows? 

 

TM: It was funny because that was one of the big appeals training in that group. Those people made the group what it was. It was always a real buzz just to go to training. The sessions at Landy Field, you’re rocking up and you’ve got all these world-class athletes all running around the track, and you’re a part of it.  I never looked at it as vying for attention from Scrivo. I just looked at it as I’m so lucky. Why not make the most of it. You look at someone like Georgie Clarke and what she was able to achieve so young, and particularly Craig Mottram…just to have access to those people and to see them every single day at training, see what they were doing, see how they interacted, see how they attacked and approached each session. If you could call it an apprenticeship, it was a fantastic one to have.

 

TT: I was always very jealous of your squad. There was this massive rivalry between the different sides of the track. You had the Deakin Athletics Club athletes on one side running off down the Barwon River for a 30-minute warm-up whereas we would jog a lap of the track and were just there for fun.

 

TM: There was a bit of a distinction between the two sides. As a young athlete, the fun element was there at times, but when you’re put in that professional environment…as much as it was a fantastic opportunity to see what was going on, I always felt like I had to lift my level. Being 14 or 15 you’re never going to match what an older person can do. I did envy the other side of the track at times, particularly when there was a 400m session and you guys were doing sprints or something like that. I was thinking ‘sometimes I wish I could just do that.’

 

TT: You were a multiple national champion yet despite all your success in athletics, after the Mooloolaba triathlon you said you still had unfinished business. Were you in a bad headspace at that point in the season or do you genuinely believe you left the track too early?

 

TM: I left because I was getting injured all the time, I couldn’t be consistent, and my body wasn’t allowing me to do the training. The training wasn’t being adapted either. I wasn’t turning up to races and feeling like I was invincible like I used to. As a result of that, my attitude changed towards my training and my racing. I hated it. I resented training. I resented the people I was training with. The training group was never the same when Georgie and Craig left and they left a massive hole. I felt like there was a point to prove because they weren’t there anymore.

 

I missed out on World Youth, World Cross-Country, World Junior Championships, and all those things I was really looking forward to as a stimulus to get some passion back in. Those injuries really knocked me around. I was living as a day-boarder for 12 hours a day out at Geelong Grammar and it’s not really conducive to being a professional athlete. But also at the same time, I think that saved me from making some mistakes because I was able to focus on my education. I was able to get a great TER and get into uni. I think that was almost a blessing in disguise. Unfortunately I’m one of those people that is all or nothing.

 

I left Mooloolaba feeling really dejected and really contemplating whether I would continue in the sport, or if I would go back to sport. There were some really big decisions to be made. I ended up going over to Singapore and decided to persevere with the season. That was one of the worst decisions and best decisions I could have made because it forced a lot of change. The positive changes have led me to a brand new training environment where I am the happiest and fittest I can remember.

 

TT: There was a very intense period there when you were at Geelong Grammar School and battling debilitating injuries. How do you drag yourself out of that state which is almost bordering on depression?

 

TM: It has taken me a number of years to accept that experience. Part of me thought I would never be an elite athlete again, and would just do sport for a pastime. That’s kind of what the intention behind triathlon was – to offer an escape from all the things that were happening in athletics. It was an opportunity to disappear and have some anonymity and turn up for races with no expectation, where nobody knows who I am, after so many years of everyone knowing every single stat about you – your personal best, your progressions, your height, your weight. It was a good idea to move on and get out of that situation.

 

Even when I won the open race at Noosa in 2008 and got my professional licence, I still wasn’t even sure if I wanted to do triathlon. I was always feeling like ‘would I ever get there in this sport’. It’s a lot different to running around a track. It’s a lot different to surf-lifesaving. The other thing that appealed to me about triathlon was that it wasn’t about your physicality, it was more about your mental toughness. Each race isn’t perfect. If you go into a race expecting a perfect race, you’re always quite disappointed.

 

I think the thing that hurt me the most was watching the Beijing Olympics. That cut me so deep. Just to see athletes that I had been racing against and was beating. Congratulations to them for persevering with their own personal issues and injuries. I felt like Beijing was always going to be my chance to represent Australia so to watch that on TV in my lounge-room in Torquay was so painful. It was just devastating but I tried to channel that for Noosa and then won there. That question has always been hanging over my head, whether I would go back to athletics and have a crack. It wasn’t until I had a really good chat with John Quinn earlier in the year after Singapore that I thought if I go back to aths, it would be stepping back in time. I’ve got all these great opportunities ahead of me with triathlon and that’s what I have been working so hard for.

 

TT: You kind of dropped off the radar for a few years. My Mum used to send me newspaper clippings from The Geelong Advertiser when you were still running. How did you get involved in triathlon?

 

TM: I ran into Jo King a few times and I had been struggling with some back and hamstring injuries and Scrivo was getting frustrated with me. Things were blowing up within the group. I had to start swimming because of the back problem and was thinking about getting a bike. She suggested I have a crack at tris. My intention wasn’t to be an elite athlete in the sport, it was just to do something different. Things were getting worse in athletics and I wasn’t able to string more than a few weeks of training together. When I decided to make the switch, Jo kind of helped me out.

 

I went into my first tri at Portarlington and won that. A year later I entered my first elite race and beat Peter Robertson. That was a good lift but I still wasn’t convinced that I wanted to be an elite triathlete. I was starting to collect a few more results that suggested I could do this, and that’s when I went up and won Noosa. I thought this is a great platform. Then two weeks after Noosa I got hit by a car, and that knocked me out for the rest of the season. I had been in contact with Jono Hall about the NTID program. I moved coaches to Jarrod Evans and that’s when I started being involved in the national high performance program.

 

TT: There is a real big push for the National Talent Identification and Development (NTID) pathway, and talent transfer between sports. You’re a prime example of what the program can achieve.

 

TM: It has been extremely beneficial for me. There was a time when I thought ‘how do you get into this high performance network’. I could continue to do elite racing at the Gatorade Series but that wasn’t necessarily what I wanted to do. If I wanted to persevere with this, I wanted to take it to the next level. To get into NTID has certainly opened a lot of doors for me. They were doors that I think I would have been able to open myself but it has been a really good facilitator for me to get into races that otherwise would have been really difficult to get involved with.

 

Obviously there are issues with any sort of program or institute, but I think they’ve done a great job. I think it is a fantastic program to be a part of. It’s a really exciting thing for sport in general. Just because you excel in one sport, doesn’t mean that’s your sport. You could be better suited to another sport. There have been so many great examples like Emma Lincoln-Smith. I was team captain with her at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival and she went through the talent transfer to Skeleton and made the Olympic final. There is Bridie O’Donnell in cycling and so many others who are doing well in the program.

 

TT: The NTID program has given you the ability to travel overseas. You got your first international podium at the ITU Asian Cup in Singapore last year.

 

TM: That was the toughest race I have ever done because of the conditions. It was just so hot and humid. I was probably more proud of my 10th place in Hong Kong. The Oceania Championships in Wellington further reinforced to me that I’m not far off. I came out in the front pack, had an awesome ride and am more tactically aware of how things are fought out in these ITU races.

 

TT: You’re off to the ITU Asian Cup in Korea this weekend. What are your expectations?

 

TM: I don’t know what place I’ll get this weekend – I am not looking for an end result. I’m just looking for my experiences throughout the race. If I can walk away from it and be happy with the way things panned out tactically, and technically how I approached the whole race, and how I was able to follow the process, then I will be really happy. Obviously you go into a race wanting to win. The weather will be the biggest challenge.

 

TT: As an elite athlete, we all want to go to the Olympics. London might be too soon. Are you thinking about Rio?

 

TM: If I had answered this question last season I would have said ‘no way!’ My head was all over the place and I had no idea whether I wanted to pursue this. I look at the Olympics very differently now. It is something I will work towards, whether I think it is too soon or not. In this sport, there might be people dominating right now but things change so rapidly. Dominance can stop, almost in its tracks. I think it is an advantage being inexperienced and lesser known. If I can go under the radar a bit, that may work in my favour for London. Olympics are an end point for anyone – they’re the ultimate. But I think I’ve been focusing too much on those things and they look too big. Australia has so many talented athletes in this sport and that makes it a lot tougher.

 

TT: Until recently you didn’t exist in the cyber world. You didn’t have a twitter account or use facebook but have started embracing social networking. Is it all about building a public profile?

 

TM: I have been forced to. I think it was always just going to be a matter of time before I started using this stuff. I kind of felt like ‘I am so cool because I don’t have a facebook page, I’m not conforming’ but from a marketing perspective, these things are just integral. You can’t ignore the fact that they have been so successful. I will invest a lot more time into it but at the moment I am just focusing on getting to Korea in top shape both physically and mentally and I’ve got a busy couple of months coming up. I think the fantastic thing is that whether people care or not, it’s a great way to update them if I can’t get access to a phone or Skype, especially because my parents live overseas.

 

TT: You recently employed a management team to help establish your career and with their help, you have developed a fan-page on facebook and a personal website.

 

TM: I think it comes back to the reasons I do sport. I do it for my own enjoyment and what I can get out of it. I have never looked at a race as a dollar sign, whereas I know a lot of other athletes do. I have never looked at myself as an athlete being a dollar sign either. I have always assumed ‘don’t put the cart before the horse’ and I guess the fan-page and the personal website feels like I am doing that. At the same time it is about being smart.  It’s not hard to develop a personal website or put a fan-page up on facebook, regardless of how stupid you look. I am not a very egotistical person. It’s confronting, especially with my under-the-radar approach. It goes against the grain.

 

At the moment I am a student and am not making any money, from anything. I don’t have the time to work part-time. I have been forced into this situation and have enlisted this management team because it goes with my philosophy of having this really great support network around me. As confronting as it is having those things on the website and putting yourself out there, I do think it is necessary in this day and age. You see artists like Lily Allen who have been able to use these platforms to market themselves. We can all snigger and laugh and say ‘what a wanker he is’ but you just have to put that aside. If I can get a couple of sponsors on board because of it, then it has achieved its use. I know I will get the results that will justify something like that.

 

TT: Maybe just don’t put a hit counter on your website.

 

TM: I haven’t and I am not going to either. It will do my head in. Even this count of fans on facebook at the moment – I don’t even bother looking at it.

 

TT: So the website is essentially about building a brand and attracting sponsors. Do you currently have any support?

 

TM: Apart from the NTID I don’t have any support. That has been my choice not to go out and actively seek those things. A lot of people have helped me out in numerous different ways, like cutting back costs so I can train with them and allowing me to borrow equipment like race wheels. Everything adds up over a month. The minute I get some money into my hands it just disappears and gets reinvested back into the sport. It would be fantastic to get some businesses on board and realise that I am a developing athlete and this is a long-term thing but to see that there will be returns as we go along. NTID have shown that they think I have a future in the sport. There are others who believe that as well. And I believe that.

 

TT: If you got injured tomorrow, would you be happy walking away from elite sport? At what point do you say ‘I have to grow up and get a real job like a normal person? Instead of living the dream like we all want to do.

 

TM: This ‘living the dream’ is completely overrated. I know that I have not gone anywhere close to what I am capable of doing. I am just looking at the next race and will see how that goes. I have said to a few of my coaches that I will give it a couple more seasons at the most. If I don’t see anything that indicates I am on a trajectory to where I want to head…then it is very difficult to justify this type of existence. I feel like I am working my arse off, every single day. There is always this huge session that I have to contend with and that knocks me for six.

 

But at the same time I hear all of my mates who are going off getting internships in Spain or they are in Melbourne and Sydney with real jobs now. I am not ready to step away from this. I am certainly not ready to give up on my dream of being the best athlete I can be. What am I going to do in the real world? By doing these two degrees [Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Arts], it has given me something to work with. I don’t know what I’ll do but I think sport is an attractive way to earn a living.

 

TT: Do you feel like you have sacrificed anything to be at this point? Any big regrets?

 

TM: I have no regrets. I am the fittest I have ever been. I am the most confident I have ever been in my life, and with triathlon. That has only come about because of what happened over the season. I never would have thought I would be chasing an Olympic spot on a triathlon team. I always thought it was going to be a 1500m spot. There are all these things that just happen in your life and you just have to take it on board, like the navicular stress-fractures, hamstring injuries, getting hit by cars, it has always led me onto something else. I like that because it shows that nothing is permanent and you are living in a temporary space. That is the same with my career outside of sport – I could be a baker if I wanted.

 

Sometimes you have to learn to not be so hard on yourself when things do go wrong, and you don’t meet your expectations. That was one thing I had to overcome in becoming an elite athlete again. I didn’t meet my ultimate expectation in athletics. I could liken it to going through a really bad break-up with someone that you put all these expectations on and you think you’re going to spend the rest of your life with. You’re hurt. You’re really guarded after that and it’s really hard to put everything back into something again knowing full well that the possibility of it all failing is very much there. I feel like I have been scared of being hurt again but now everything is falling into place.

 

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

 

TM: I would be backpacking around the world right now, living out of a suitcase or a rucksack. I would be soaking up every single experience I could, good, bad, whatever. I’d love to do some aid work in South America or Africa. I have always had a bit of a rebellious streak in me. I know I should be working a nine-to-five job but it’s something that I don’t necessarily want to do. If I had enough money to buy a coffee a day, some food, have a house to live in and a laptop or something, I would be happy. And of course, a pretty cool fixie!

 

You can follow Tyson’s progress at his website or on twitter:

www.tysonmahon.com.au

http://twitter.com/T_J_Mahon

 

TT:  Raf, thanks for your time. How have things been going so far this year?

RB: Great thanks guys, I am back in Perth now preparing for the World Duathlon Championships. My wife, son and I got back from our spring base in Gernika about a month ago and we had a blast there this year as always.

TT: What is it like in the Basque Country? Former World Champion Jonathon Hall based himself there as well didn’t he?

RB: Yes, Jonathon did used to live in the region and to be honest I think a lot of the support we get now is due to his hard work and results. He won the World Championship in 1997 in Gernika where we are based. It is relatively cheap and the people are fantastic folk who are proud, traditional and with a great sense of community. In spring, there are Duathlon races every week and because the terrain is so hilly I find it is the perfect place to build fitness and get good quality racing at the same time. It also obviously provides a stable environment for my family as we have learnt in the past that travelling from race to race around Europe with a child is not for the faint hearted!

TT: How did your racing go in the region this year?

RB: I got to Europe a little underdone this year. I set up a new specialty running shop with a business partner in December 2009 and also had to do a lot of work to repair a grade 2 hamstring tear that wasn’t given a rest and bothered me a fair bit at different times last season. I managed one speed session running before the season started so I really suffered the first few races. Thereafter, I got in a good flow and got stronger every week. I finished with 3 wins and 5 podiums from 6 races. The highlight was winning the Basque Championship at Amorebieta and our team winning the teams classification. Living and racing in the Basque country and competing for a Basque team that was very satisfying and important for the people who support me and my family.

TT: So you came home with some Txapela’s?

RB: Yes for sure. In the Basque country the traditions do run deep and in most races the winner receives the traditional prize of a Txapela or Basque hat. They are the best trophies because they have significance and character and they are also much easier to bring back to Australia than any other form of trophy.

TT: What is the local racing like in the region? How does the style differ from ITU racing?

RB: I think it is very different to typical ITU races or the French Grand Prix when there are heaps of fast runners and a pancake flat bike course with a group of 20-30 on the bike. In the Basque Country, the lead group is always smaller and the main danger is always from cyclists behind. If the bike is 20k, you will have 10k up at 4-10% and 10k down. It isn’t flat and you can’t skimp or the local guys will work you over. 3-4 of the top athletes have raced as UCI ProTour or Continental Pro cyclists so they can climb very well. The best is Patxi Villa who was 2^nd in 2006 Paris-Nice and 8^th in the Giro the same year but many others are very strong.

 

TT:  So what is planned for the rest of the season?

RB: Basically for me everything revolves around World Championships. Ultimately my dream is to be World Duathlon Champion. I have progressed from 14^th (2007) to 12^th (2008) to 6^th last year so I have been getting stronger every year. This year is a brutish course in Edinburgh which will really test who is the most balanced duathlete in the world. I am working really hard to try and get stronger on the bike and build enough muscular endurance to still be strong at the finish. We also have a new national Duathlon series here inAustralia and I am looking forward to racing the August rounds in Queensland and South Australia through August.

TT: Can you give us an example of your bike and run training leading up to World’s

RB: Basically I try to run daily (60-100km) and bike 5 times a week (300-350km). Steve Moneghetti once told me that unless you’re training twice a day then you are not training hard enough to be elite. I think he is spot on. Because I am juggling training with work and family I do a lot of my training at very low intensity and focus more on volume and specifically targeted quality sessions a few times a week.

A normal week would look like this:

Monday-           Run 50-60 minutes Easy

Tuesday-           Hard Group Ride 80km w fast 3km off bike

PM Rest or Easy 50 minute Jog

Wednesday-     Easy recovery Ride 60-90 minutes

Thursday-            AM 2 hour ride including 1 hour SE over hills in KingsPark

                               PM Run Intervals

Friday                   Recovery Run 40-60 minutes

Saturday              Hills Ride w hills at AT 3-4 hours

                               PM Steady 8-10km Run

Sunday                23km over Hills including 3km climb at anaerobic threshold.

                               Easy Ride 90 minutes

TT:  Favourite Movie?

RB: Bob the Builder or Thomas the Tank Engine…it is not so much the movie or show but the fact it normally signifies my whole family together. I am also really looking forward to the new Karate Kid movie

TT: Favourite Music

RB: I like Hip Hop. I know I am too old but I think it is my frequency for tearing up the dance floor and with a summer just past with 6 weddings I did my best work in that genre

TT: All the best for the rest of the season

RB: Thanks very much