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 Wow!  Craig Alexander does it again!  It’s pretty exciting times to be a triathlete in Australia.  Hard to believe that my first race of the season is just about 2 weeks away.  This is a photo of Craig and me when I won a race at Cronulla when I was 12 years old in 2008.  I think I may be taller than him now.

Training has been going well for me.  School holiday’s has meant training twice a day with plenty of sleeping in the middle.  Although I have my first triathlon of the season soon the real racing for ITU juniors doesn’t start until Runaway Bay in December then Canberra at the end of January.  My training has been going well and I thought I would give a brief over view of what I am doing at this point in the season.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to train with some of the NSW juniors who came for their camp in Canberra.  We had a nice long windy ride in the hills and a tough swim set the next morning.  It was good to have a chat with some of them and to train in a group.   I would like to thank Jono O’Grady the NSW junior coach and Corey Bacon the ACT junior coach for organising this. I also had a chance to meet Kieran Berry the new State Academy Talent Coach for the ACT and NSW.

Hill repeats with TRI Running Group

Here is my training for a week in October.  The hardest week in a 4 week cycle!

Sunday am 2 ½ hour ride with 3 x12 minute climbs and motor pacing for 10k in the middle 

 Monday am 8k easy run   

pm swim squad 90minutes

Tuesday am swim on my own 3k  

pm Run session w/TRI Running Group 2x4x400 with 45sec rec at 5k 400 jog between sets 2x400 at 3k pace w/45 seconds recovery  

Wednesday am ride session 75minutes of hard riding  pm swim session

Thursday am easy 12k run pm easy 90 min ride include 2x3k climb at 60rpm’s

Friday pm swim club night 

Saturday  am 12k run session pushing through the hills  pm easy recovery swim on my own

Sunday am 3 hour ride include 4x12min climbs

This was a fairly hard training week, but with plenty of sleep and the SiS product Nocte I was able to get through it pretty comfortable.  Nocte is a night time recovery/protein drink and I couldn’t believe how good I felt the next morning after drinking it.  I have been told you have to train hard but recover even harder! 

Triathlon, crit racing, and athletic carnivals are happening in the next month so it will be pretty exciting to see how things are progressing.  That’s all for me.

Cheers

Brayden

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By Michelle Downs http://www.getsetupinsport.com.au

Name: Rebecca Eveleigh

Age: 34

Country Representing: Australia  

Occupation:
Town Planner

Marital Status/Family: Engaged

Is this the first time you have been to Kona?

This will be my first trip to Hawaii and first time racing as an athlete in the World Ironman Championships!  It’s been a dream since starting the sport in 2006 so I’m super excited to have qualified and be taking part in this year’s iconic event J

Where did you qualify for Kona 2011?

I qualified at Ironman Australia, Port Macquarie, May 2011.  I loved racing with my family and friends on the side line and was stoked to come home with an overall top 5 finish, 1^st amateur female, 1^st F30-34 and a ticket to the big dance.  Ironman hasn’t been the easiest journey for me with many big highs and lows (it’s been a huge learning experience).  So it was satisfying to have finally got the monkey off my back and qualified a spot to live my dream. 

Tell us about your preparation for Hawaii.

I’ve just raced Yeppoon 70.3 and had a solid day; with 4^th place overall and 1^st F30-34.  I’m happy where my training is at leading into the main training block, now 7 weeks out from Hawaii.  I’m heading over to Kona late September (12 days before the race) to give myself a chance to get use to the heat, humidity and winds and finish my training off in these conditions. 

What has a typical training week looked like for you in the lead-up to this event?

Training weeks vary depending on training cycle and include 3-4 swim sessions (including squad), 3-5 bike sessions and 3-5 run sessions with variable distances and intensities (including aerobic miles, race pace sets, strength and endurance sets, brick sessions, track work and recovery sessions).  I also have massage weekly – fortnightly. 

What excites you the most about competing at an iconic race like the Hawaii Ironman?

The experience of racing amongst the best athletes in the world!  Hawaii World Champs is an international iconic event (some would say the pinnacle of the sport given the depth of history behind the race) and I feel extremely privileged to have earned the opportunity to be a part of it. 

Is there anything about the Ironman in Hawaii that makes you really nervous?

I’m going into this event with an open mind.  It will be a completely new experience for me racing at this level as well as in the heat and humidity so I have no expectations.  I think I’m more excited than nervous J

What are your goals for the race?

Stick to my race plan, soak up the atmosphere, get the most out of myself on the day - whatever gets thrown at me, and make the most of this amazing experience and opportunity!

What are you doing to relax after the race? Are you planning on a holiday in Hawaii post Ironman?

My fiancé and I are having a week holiday on the other Islands of Hawaii.  Can’t wait to be a tourist and enjoy some down time!  Then on our return to Sydney we’ll be getting married in November so we have lots to look forward to after the race.

Tell us a little about your background?

I grew up on a property in northern NSW where I developed a passion for the outdoors, in particular running and horse riding.  I’ve been involved with the sport of triathlon since 2005.  After watching the last Forster Ironman in 2005, I was so inspired it was only a matter of time before I signed up for my own first Ironman experience at Port Macquaire, 2006.  I’ve been working with Grant Giles - Aeromaxteam, since starting the sport and have been blown away by how far I’ve come and the results that I am now achieving.  Ironman has been a huge learning experience for me and an amazing life journey. I’ve met so many inspirational people of all ages and abilities. The self challenges and being part of the triathlon community is what continues my passion for the sport.

How have you managed to balance the training for Ironman with your other commitments such as work and family?

I’ve recently changed my work arrangements from full time to 4 days a week which has made a big difference in terms of work/lifestyle balance.  Time management and good organisation is a must to fit in training loads, work and personal time. 

Thanks for chatting to us and best of luck for the race!

We look forward to catching up with you on the Big Island :)

Do you have a friend or family member who has qualified for Kona?? We would love to profile them! Please have them email michelle@getsetupinsport.com.au

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Hi guys,

 

I just wanted to give you a quick update on my immediate race schedule leading into the Ironman World Championships in Kona.

 

With the new Kona points qualification schedule no one was really sure how each athlete would go about qualifying for the World Champs.  I was sure if I had a few solid races under my belt I would make the cut off no problem, but with the achilles problem I haven't been able to do all the races I wanted to race and get the results I had aimed for. That being said I have still had a pretty good season. 20th in Kona last year, 2nd at Ironman New Zealand, 4th at the US 70.3 champs, 5th at the New Orleans 70.3 (high points race), and 9th at the Eagleman 70.3. Outside of the World Triathlon Corporation races that count for points I finished 2nd at the Rev 3 Half Ironman and 2nd at the Kemah Olympic distance triathlon. 

 

The top 50 male athletes on points will compete in Kona. At the end of July the top 40 men were given their spots and at the end of August the next 10 qualifying athletes will be selected.  Currently I am sitting in 50th position, but with 3 full distance ironman races and 3 more 70.3 races in the month of August other athletes will move forward on points and there is not much of a guarantee I will make the cut off.

 

This is part of the reason why I have decided to compete at the European 70.3 Champs next weekend in Wiesbaden, Germany. The points on offer are high but with the large points and the prestige of being the European Champion comes a large number of the best athletes in the sport racing. Hopefully I will be able to get a solid result and secure my spot for Kona

 

Training the past couple weeks in Switzerland has been great… Tough but great… Oh yeah, and also at altitude. We had a camp with one of my sponsors, Biestmilch in St. Moritz, then a few days in Davos with the Swiss triathlon team.  I have never ridden hills so long and suffered so much in all of my life. Coming back down to a normal altitude earlier than expected was a smart move and I am starting to feel ready to race. 

 

Anyway, I will report in after the weekend.

 

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London, Great Britain (6 August 2011) - Great Britain's Helen Jenkins couldn't have planned a more perfect time or place for her first Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series win, running clear of the field to claim gold in the London 2012 Olympic Games preview in Hyde Park.

 

In a race that threw up a few surprises, including first-time series medallists Gwen Jorgensen (USA) and Anja Dittmer (GER) climbing onto the podium with silver and bronze respectively, Jenkins gave the home crowd exactly what it hoped for.

Photo: Delly Carr / ITU

This weekend's Dextro Energy Triathlon Series round is the first and last time that athletes can race the Olympic course before the London 2012 Games and despite having a slight cold, the 2008 World Champion powered away in the run to win by seven seconds. In the process, she met the British Triathlon Federation's qualification criteria to book her place on team GB for 2012, gained some serious confidence on the course and broke free of her series bridesmaid tag. Before this race Jenkins had a total of six Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series medals, including two silvers in 2011, but not one gold. Until now. She said afterwards it hadn't been easy.

"Oh, it hurt so much, normally when you win you are like 'oh yeah, its easy', but that hurt," Jenkins said. "I didn't feel great in the swim, and the bike was pretty easy but my legs didn't feel great.

"I was just trying to follow my teammate Kerry Lang, I was just trying to sit with her as she's riding really well, so I was just like, follow Kerry and I'll be safe and then I hit the run and I thought, I'll just see how I can do, I'm not sure how I'll do, and I was at the front so kept running, kept running and someone said, 'you've got a gap,' and I thought, I'd better keep pushing on. 

"The last bit, someone said 20 seconds and I thought if I blow up I'm still going to lose, so I had to keep pushing right to the end."

Jenkins was with the leaders throughout the whole race, as yet another series title this year came down to an epic showdown in the run. A 34-women lead group formed out of the swim included Jenkins, Australian's Emma Moffatt and Emma Snowsill, Switzerland's Nicola Spirig, the USA's Laura Bennett, Sarah Groff and Sarah Haskins, New Zealand's Andrea Hewitt and Canadian Paula Findlay. They established a minute lead on the chase pack of similar size in the first bike lap. But that chase, led by Barbara Riveros Diaz (CHI) and Kirsten Sweetland (CAN), cut that time back over the seven laps and eventually bridged it, resulting in about 50 athletes hitting T2 together. From there, Jenkins set the pace and then went alone for almost the final two laps as an intruiging battle for points, podium positions and Olympic qualification unfolded behind her.

In the end Jorgensen pulled out the biggest surprise and the fastest run split of the day - 33 minutes 43 seconds - to claim silver and her spot on Team USA for 2012, meeting USA Triathlon's Olympic qualification criteria. It will be Jorgensen's first Olympic Games and will complete an amazing transition, after she was plucked from a promising athletics career as part of a USA Triathlon talent identification programme. In London, she also was part of that bike chase pack that bridged the gap, coming from behind to the podium.

"It's just surreal, we have so many great people in the U.S., it's just an honour to be going," Jorgensen said. "It really is surreal and give credit for USAT for coming to me, I mean I wouldn't have even known about this without them, so it's awesome."

In a sprint for third, with Snowsill, Emma Jackson, Hewitt and Groff all in the mix, triple Olympian Dittmer turned on her trademark dash to secure bronze. In doing so, Dittmer became the first triathlete to qualify for four Olympics, meeting the German qualifying criteria of a top-12 finish.

"I'm really happy and speechless," Dittmer said. "I think just with my experience, I just put it all together on the day that it really counted and yeah, I just wanted to go to my fourth Olympics. I pushed really really hard and I just focused on this race, and the last weeks went really really well, so I really believed I could make it and I just did it. It's another dream come true."

Jackson finished fourth and Snowsill fifth, continuing on their impressive form from Hamburg. Ashleigh Gentle also completed an excellent run to finish in ninth, giving Australia three inside the top 10. But as the Australian selection criteria for London depended on a win, the Australian team for London didn't become any clearer. It did for Hewitt and Groff though, both met their National Federation qualification criteria and booked their spots on the start line in London.

In the overall rankings, Riveros Diaz held onto the lead with her 12th place finish. Findlay, the defending London champion who had won every other series race she'd competed in this year, finished in 29th spot after a hip injury hampered her preparation. Findlay needed a top eight finish to secure her spot in London, but will have plenty more chances to secure it before next year. Riveros Diaz has 2498 points to lead the rankings, Hewitt moves into second place overall with 2493 points, while Findlay holds onto third with 2490 points. Jenkins is in fourth with 2346 points. The next Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series round is in Lausanne, which doubles as the sprint distance world titles, before Beijing's Grand Final in September.

Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship London - August 6, 2011           

Final Results - Elite Women - 1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run                                                                                    

Gold - Helen Jenkins (GBR) - 02:00:34 

Silver - Gwen Jorgensen (USA) - 02:00:41

Bronze - Anja Dittmer (GER) - 02:00:49

4^th - Emma Jackson (AUS) - 02:00:51

5^th - Emma Snowsill (AUS) - 02:00:52

6^th - Andrea Hewitt (NZL) - 02:00:54

7^th - Sarah Groff (USA) - 02:00:58

8^th - Nicola Spirig (SUI) - 02:01:04

9^th - Ashleigh Gentle (AUS) - 02:01:07

10^th - Emmie Charayron (FRA) - 02:01:10

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Hi guys,

I trust that you are well.

This is just a quick update to fill you all in on my latest movements.

I was meant to be racing this past weekend in Lubbock, Texas, but after the
Eagleman 70.3 a couple weeks ago my body just didn't want to get going. My
achilles is still giving me a bit of grief and I seem to have picked up a
throat infection that I havent been able to shake for 2 weeks now. In the
middle of last week I made the executive decision to come back home to New
Zealand for a few weeks to try and get on top of achilles and charge the
batteries to full before attacking my Kona Build up.

It was a tough decision to make. In a way I am regretting missing out on a
few important races but deep down I know this was the smart move to make.
Kona is the big goal and you only have one body, so you better look after
it!

I hope that you can understand my decision making process. If you would like
to discuss it further please do not hesitate to give me a call or drop me an
email.

Kind regards

Terenzo 

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Hi guys,

 
So I just finished the Eagleman 70.3 in Cambridge, Maryland this past weekend and by “just” I mean “just”… I almost couldn’t make it to the finish line.
 
I came into the race as the defending champion from the past 2 years and after a second place last weekend I thought I was in good shape to defend my title.  
 
After the Rev 3 triathlon last weekend we spent a few days with the Clif Bar team getting some footage for a video piece. We met up with friend and Ironman world champion Chris “Macca” McCormack in New York City, which coincided with his book launch “I’m here to win” and the announcement of the New York City Ironman triathlon in 2012.
 
The temperatures over on the East coast have been super hot and Eagleman is renowned for its Kona like temperatures so this was going to be a good test to see where things were at. We managed to have a few relaxing days to speed up the recovery before we hit it hard again.
 
The race kicked off and I felt good in the swim. Although I wasn’t able to hold the feet of John Kenny the arms felt strong and I led the chase pack. There were a small group of us that came out of the water together and onto the 56mile bike. TJ Tollakson who would later go on to win the race took off at the early stages of the bike and showed his strength. 
 
I felt strong on the bike, the legs were turning over well but the heat was starting to get to me. By the last 10miles on the bike I knew I was in a little trouble.  The watts had started to drop and the body was tightening up. 
 
Fellow Kiwi and training partner James Bowstead after a tough swim managed to bridge back up at the end of the bike and led the group in transition. We were still 4 minutes down on TJ. Off onto the run I tried to keep up with Bowstead and Big Matty Reed, but the legs just didn’t want to turn over. By the 3 mile mark there was nothing, the heat was too much and my body didn’t want to move forward. I couldn’t get enough ice and cold water and the finish couldn’t come quick enough.
 
I am so glad that I stuck it out and made it to the finish, I experienced the most amazing thing ever. Due to the nature of the course we ran 6.5miles out and 6.5miles back along the same route. In doing so I ran past a large number of age-groupers on their way out and the amount of athletes who made the effort to cheer me on and give me encouragement was overwhelming.
 
I ended up finishing in 9th place. Thanks to everyone for the support out there and to the volunteers for doing an amazing job in keeping everyone hydrated.
 
Congratulations to TJ for taking out to win, Richie Cunningham in second, Stanislav Krylov, Matty Reed and James Bowstead for finishing off the top 5 and Mirinda Carfrae, Tyler Stewart and Sam Warriner for the top three girls.

 

Check out our race video at www.terenzo.com

And some pictures from our trip at www.facebook.com/terenzobozzone 
 

Regards
Terenzo

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I have just had my first American race of the season, the Kemah International / Olympic distance triathlon in Kemah, Texas. What a cool race to be a part of. 

 

I wasn’t too sure where my body would be at after New Zealand Ironman a month ago so this was going to be a good test going into the US season. Race morning was a struggle to get out of bed but once I got up and going the body felt ready. The format for the race was going to be – get on a boat, get taken out to sea, jump off the boat, swim 1500m / 0.9 mile back to shore, bike 40km / 25miles and run 10km / 6.2miles… what an adventure!

 

The swim kicked off just after 7am and we were off into the choppy water. I was ready for a good swim but lost the feet I was looking for and slowly drifted off the pace of the top 3. Out of the water I was 30sec down on Andrew Yoder, 21 years old who went on the win the race. Chris Lieto who I thought was going to be one of the main contenders was about 30secs down on me.  Yoder and Leito are two of the strongest cyclists in the sport, I was ready to push the bike and that is what I did, but still I lost another minute to Yoder but held even with Leito.

 

Off onto the run I was sure the kids legs would give way, but I didn’t account for my legs giving way as well.   Did I push too hard on the bike… I think so!  I tried to get into my rhythm and slowly bridge the gap but it wasn’t working. Yoder was showing the hard work he had put in during the off season and was holding even and Lieto wasn’t far behind. Slowly we worked through the run, the gaps stayed pretty even and I settled for 2^nd.

 

In the womans race: Angela Naeth 1^st, Becky Lavelle 2^nd and Samantha Warriner 3^rd

 

All in all Kemah was a cool little town and Kelly and I had a great time. We are now down in Galveston getting ready for the 70.3 (Half Ironman) National Champs this weekend where I am going in as defending champion.

 

Check out www.terenzo.com for a cool little video we put together

 

Regards

Terenzo