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It is no secret that my start to 2011 has not been the greatest of my triathlon career. So as I watched the year progress I became eager to hear if there would be a return of Ironman Korea, after its absence for the last 4 years. In the past I have had good results  in Korea and discovered that the extreme conditions and tough course were to my strengths. Fortunately my feeling was good and an announcement of the reinvention of the race was made some time in May. Not long after, I had made my decision and planned the trip to JeJu Island South Korea for the July 3rd race date.

 

I had a reasonable lead up with a 5th place at the Cairn’s Half Ironman at the beginning of June. I followed that up with some good base training at home in Noosa Heads just as the winter chill started to creep in.

 

 The view from my little hotel room, without mist!!

 

Once I arrived on JeJu Island it took little time to settle in and I found that not all that much had changed since my last visit to the island, for a training camp in September 2008. JeJu is a small Volcanic Island to the south of mainland South Korea. To ride a loop around the island is almost 180km along amazing coastal roads with rolling terrain. The Ironman bike course had changed from its previous 1 loop to a new 2 loop condensed version which included a few out and backs with some small climbs and testing coastal roads which were very open to wind. This years run course had been modified from previous years but more or less on the same road out to the Football World Cup stadium, as in the past. The new swim venue was chosen to eliminate the chance of a rough water swim as in the past the use of Jungmun Beach - a surf beach, could get a fair amount of swell rolling into it. Not to the liking of the Korean athletes!!

Hwasun Golden Sand Beach. Yeah - I can’t see the golden sand either!

 

The protected Hwasun Gold Sand Beach, 10km from the Hotel area and new Ironman finish line in the Jungmun Tourist Complex, is a protected waterway and a good choice.

 

In the past the race was held in August, the very peak of summer. This usually meant extreme heat and humidity. The move to the start of July (the end of the wet season) was to reduce the chance of ridiculous heat and conditions that were more predictable. I arrived on JeJu to cooler weather than I had experienced there before and to a mist or fog that hung around for at least half the day. My immediate reaction was that this years race would not be a killer like past races on JeJu but told myself that this place was still very much unpredictable as far as the weather goes. We had a couple of rainy days during race week and one day where the mist burnt away to expose the true heat when the sun comes out on JeJu. Little did everyone know, but that was what we were in for on the run leg for race day!!

 

Well race day arrived with the usual misty morning start, which almost jeopardised the chance to hold the swim leg. To the full credit of the race team the swim went ahead as the mist slowly lifted and the swimmers could safely be watched from the water safety craft on the water and on the beach. During the swim I was having a battle of my own and really struggled to maintain the pace of my fellow professional athletes. I dropped from feet to feet and eventually found myself distanced from the chase group of swimmers where I should have stayed. I soldiered on solo for most of the 1st of 2 laps and had some company on the second lap -  of one other swimmer! (was that you Ed Hawkins?) I felt tired and energy less, not a great start!

 

Once on the bike I realized that today was going to be a bitch of a day, and had to come to terms with the fact that I had no high end race pace and would complete this one on pure determination and head strength. Leading into this event I had been dealing with fatigue for a couple of months but on arrival I had gotten a huge amount of sleep in my little hotel room. I had tapered well but was still showing signs of tiredness with bags under my eyes and a cold sore! Anyway onward I went and I actually didn’t feel too bad the last 1 hour of the 180km ride.

 

Through T 2 and out onto the run I went. By this time I was not really sure what was happening at the front end of the field since the bike leg gave you very few chances to keep an eye on your competitors. The sun was out by now and the heat and humidity was at full force - Ironman Korea was amping it up to live up to its hot hot reputation! After 9-10km I got a chance to see what was going on up front since we had a run turn around point at the Football World Cup stadium 10.5km into the marathon. I had calculated that I was running in 7th place by then - 1 position out of the prize money. Not all the athletes ahead looked convincing and I had my hopes set on claiming a few scalps as time progressed. Not that I was feeling fantastic, I was struggling like a dog! But this had been the theme of the day and the run has always been my thing so I just had to keep the head in the game and keep moving forward in this killer heat! Mid way back to complete the first lap of 2. I was passed by my Japanese friend and fellow pro, Hiro Nishiuchi. As he passed me I also passed a fading ( and walking) spanish pro who had started an IM Korea melt down. I thought, some progress, but I am still in 7th?! So I completed lap 1 and had a reality check as I started lap 2. At this point my head and body were locked into warfare! I thought about having a cry as the idea of going through that run loop again made my head hurt. All of a sudden something changed my mindset and I just continued on and went into run economy mode for another round! Ironman is a strange thing! During the 2nd loop of the marathon I passed my bike sponsor the

 

Ceepo Bike - flashing by!

 

legendary creator of Ceepo Bikes, Joe Tanaka doing his 1st loop. Joe was looking great and running very well. It was a real buzz to cheer him on.

 

So the long and the short of it is that by the time I reached the run turn point for the second time ( 31.5km into the marathon) I was in 5th place, since two other pros in front of me had dropped out after 1 lap. This was enough for me to gain some confidence and run it all the way to the finish line where I was rewarded with 5th place on an absolute brain draining day for me! My good mate Tim Beardal was there waiting for me at the finish since he had finally raced to his full potential and come in 4th overall as an age-grouper, some 15min before me. Well done Tim, time for a career reassessment! (Pro triathlon awaits you!!) I sat down and had a few waters with Tim before I dragged my tried and sorry ass off to the recovery zone of my little Korean Hotel room.

 

My little piece of JeJu Island to take home.

 

The next day I started the day with a coffee with Hillary Biscay. We caught up on life and then had a recovery swim at the Lotte Hotel swimming and gym facility. I did some hot and cold treatments and made the most of the KW 20,000 entry charge! We had the awards presentation at lunch time and swapped war stories amongst one another. That night I had a traditional Korean JeJu seafood meal with my Singapore mates Nicole and Arnaud. It was allot of fun we all walked away not quite sure what we had put in our mouthes or what the consequences would be the next day!

 

Fortunately I woke up the next morning without any consequence from the meal the night before. The weather today was incredible and the best of the whole trip, with sun shining and clear skies. I didn’t have to leave for the airport until 1pm so I thought that today would be the best day for a ride up the volcano. The highest point that the road takes you is 1100m high. Last time I was in JeJu for a training camp in 2008 we ran up the mountain. So I figured the ride up there, even after an Ironman, would be a nice thing to do.

  

The road up the mountain to 1100m is amazing

 

I was right and it is by far the best part of the island up there on a sunny clear day. The ride made my morning and I had a good day of travel from there.  

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I have now been lucky enough to race many races in Australia and around the world and I’m going to officially go on record and say that Busso 70.3  (and Busselton Half Ironman last year) is the most professionally run and competitor focused triathlon currently in Australia. It is hugely refreshing from a professional athlete’s perspective that Triathlon Western Australia and the race directors recognise the value that can be gained from ensuring a strong professional field not only for the race but as a general presence in the days leading into the race. With most pro’s racing getting a lot of assistance to be there to race in return Triathlon WA has the vision to build the sport through getting us visiting schools, ‘chat to the pro’s’ evenings, helping with the kid’s triathlon and more. It’s little wonder triathlon is booming in the West. 

Race morning produced a light breeze and a temperature that would have been fresh for normal people but downright bloody cold for most triathletes or ‘pencils’ as my fiance’s father calls us. It warmed up to a pleasant temperature on the run and the light breeze grew to more of a challenging counter cycling force the later your wave start or slower your swim.

After copping too many elbows to my already ugly head last week I decided to start very wide to avoid swimming with the pack as I had confidence in my swim and my brand spanking Zoot prophet wetsuit that I wouldn’t need to draft too much to get through swim to be where I needed to be. Bryan Rhodes, Dave Dellow and Guy Crawford made the expected break soon after the first turning bouey. Guy put the surge on Rhodsey pipping him for the swim prime with Dellow getting out on their feet.

I exited with a huge chase group hot on my heels meaning that the bike pack was going to be big and tactical. With so many riders and such a flat fast course even at a 12 metre drafting distance there is a small advantage by riding with the group. Guy Crawford was putting it on the line a couple of minutes up the road and held that gap to T2. I tried to keep my legs fresh waiting for what I thought would be imminent attacks from Ollie Whistler, Rhodsey, Josh Rix and possibly Matty White however no such attacks materialised until 5kms to go. I think Ollie Whistlers recent patch of illness and a lot of guys backing up after a really tough ride last week at Port Macquarie 70.3 had left everyone a little bit conservative. 5kms to go and Rix and Jamie White got away. Most of the field didn’t see them slip aways as the course was getting pretty crowded with 1^st lap competitors so only Ollie and I really noticed. I wasn’t fussed opting not to chase as I was too busy looking down admiring how sexy my Kestrel 4000SL was looking beneath meJ and I felt that I could run Josh and Jamie down. Ollie considered chasing but after consuming 8 bottles of fluid was too concerned with getting through his 12^th ‘on the bike’ urinating procedure. 

Berkel tactically moved to the front towards the end of the ride and I got caught a little off guard as we hit transition and he gained a small gap of 15 seconds from the outset of the run. I was in the chase group with Matty White, Leon Griffin and Dave Dellow. Matty’s recent record speaks for itself and Leon is a former duathlon world champion who when uninjured and feeling good has ‘Crowie’ run speed. Both had taken it easy last week so with Dave Dellow a gun over both ITU racing and non drafting racing I was pretty nervous and knew the run ahead was going to hurt. Aerobically I felt fantastic but I knew with my run session distance peaking at 12kms in training and the fatigue from last week that my muscles weren't going to have the strength endurance so I had to make hay while the sun was shining. I started winding the screws before the inevitable fatigue set in.

 

Matty and Leon dropped off so that by 8kms it was just myself and Dellow holding the 15-20 second gap to Berkel with Jamie, Josh and Guy having been caught early on. Dellow was breathing like a four pack a day smoker so I was thinking in the next km or too he would drop off. Instead, he surged and dropped me! That guy is seriously tough. Not long after that he pulled up short holding his calf area. I’m not sure whether it was cramping or whether an achilles injury was plaguing him. Commiserations are due because he was looking strong and I was starting to fade.

 

At 14kms I had kept the gap to Berkel under a minute but I was done. My quads felt like they were filled with glass and my calf muscles were starting to cramp. I had negotiated with Grant Giles that we would get me fit for the States through a lot of racing and not much run training to ensure I fully recovered from injury but still got to do what I love. I still think it was the right way to go but now I was paying for not doing those longer runs. Matty White was just getting started and cruised past me to get 2^nd. Matt has been knocking out some really big 120km run weeks which should hold him in really good stead for the upcoming Challenge Cairns. Berkel went onto win recording another blistering half marathon time (1.13!) after only 6 days of rest from his last race. His running technique and biomechanics is nothing short of majestic, I just wish I could have been closer to him to watch him glide around the course for longer.  I was happy to hang onto 3^rd, Josh Rix 4^th, Jamie Whyte 5^th and Guy Crawford 6^th.

 

Honourable mention to Dr Mitch Anderson who backed up after racing Ironman Australia last week to finish a freakish 7^th overall with a sub 4hr time. I’m sure after 18 months of injury that completing a half ironman a week after an Ironman was against the Doctors orders, unless you are your own Doctor and not worried about the litigation ramifications against yourself.  

Until next time.

The beer loving gnome.

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KLAGENFURT, Austria (AP) — Marino Vanhoenacker won the Ironman Austria triathlon in a world record time Sunday, beating the 14-year-old previous best mark by nearly 4 minutes.

 

The 34-year-old Vanhoenacker finished the race in 7 hours, 45 minutes, 58 seconds to break the record set by fellow Belgian Luc Van Lierde in Roth, Germany, in 1997.

 

Mary Beth Ellis of the United States won the women's race in a new course record of 8:43:34 — the best time ever recorded by a woman making her Ironman debut.

 

Vanhoenacker, who recovered from a broken rib to compete in the race, has now won the Ironman Austria event six straight years. It was his ninth Ironman title overall.

 

Vanhoenacker overtook race leader Mark Albert of Estonia after 22 kilometers of cycling and stayed ahead for the rest of the race.

 

Michael Weiss of Austria finished second, 11:41 seconds behind, while Albert was 22:17 back in third.

 

Erika Csomor of Hungary was second for the women in 8:51:10, while Germany's Diana Riesler finished third in 8:53:03.

 

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Thirty-five year-old Victorian Dale Hemley made a name for himself in 2007 with a breakthrough race at Ironman Hawaii, where he finished 4^th in the 30-34 age group. The Torquay based PE teacher backed up this remarkable performance at Ironman Australia 2008 when he went 9.08, won his age group and finished in the top ten overall. Then we didn’t hear from him for a few years.....

Now he is back and firing!! A consistent string of results in the Australian Half Ironman Series in 2010 led him to being crowned the Series Champion for the 35-39 age group. More recently he completed Ironman New Zealand in 9.17, good enough for a third in the 35 -39 age category and a much sort after Kona slot. Here he talks to triathlon Tribe about how it was to comeback, his love of racing and his goals for Kona 2011.

TT: Congratulations on your recent race at Ironman New Zealand! Tell us about your race – how good was it to be racing Ironman again after a three year break? Did you mange to achieve all of your goals?

To be honest it was just awesome to have the opportunity to be racing ironman again, after a 3 year period of my life which has been the most challenging that I’ve experienced....for many reasons, injury, personal challenges and alike. So, yes it was fantastic to have the opportunity to toe the line at an ironman event again, and test myself to see if I was still strong enough to race ok. My goals were simple. Race smart and simply make sure I do well enough to qualify for Hawaii this year!!! The result doesn’t matter, just take care of business so to speak and enjoy every second of being back racing ironman which I love doing.

TT: Before IM New Zealand  2011, your last Ironman was IM Australia -  Port Macquarie 2008, where you won the ultra competitive 30-34 age group in a personal best time of 9.08. How come we have not seen you do an IM since then?

After deciding to not race in Hawaii 2008 and to concentrate on building a house, I started racing late 2008 and early 2009 in preparation for Port Mac 2009. I then suffered a foot injury mid Feb. 2009 just one 1 week after racing well at Geelong 70.3 placing 2^nd 30-34. Things were really on track prior to this. The injury was ‘a tiny’ tear in a ligament under my foot. This would have taken approx.. 2-3months to fully recover from, however a nasty infection that I contracted ‘from treatment’ was far worse. This took 8 months of anti-biotics to kill, and basically meant that any racing for the rest of 2009 was unrealistic. I started training again late 2009, and racing in Jan. 2010 but the body was not quite ready and the foot was still healing. I suffered a different injury in Jan 2010 and this took another few months to heal (this time my first ever muscle tear – hamstring). After slowly getting back into things I began racing from August 2010 in the Half Ironman Series, with my first race at Yeppoon.

I had the biggest smile on my face the whole race as I was just so happy to be back doing what I enjoy, and of course my body being well enough to race again. 

TT: Was it hard to come back to Ironman racing after such a long break? What was harder the physical or the mental aspect of the comeback?

To be honest, it wasn’t hard to come back mentally at all. I enjoy training so much (yes even in Victoria over winter!), but to have faith in my body again and being confident that my injury was fine was perhaps the most challenging. At times this definitely played with my mind....you certainly ask yourself will this ever feel ‘right’ again?

Another reason for my great result and race in NZ and to have been able to successfully comeback to racing is simply because of the fantastic support and belief shown to me by my fiancée Michelle. I could not ask for better support, and feel that I’m truly blessed to have found such a wonderful person to share my life with.

TT: You are quite experienced with Ironman now, having completed 8 in an 8 year period. What changes have you made over that time, both training and racing, to improve your results?

I guess I have had a bit of experience now, and must admit I am still learning so much about myself every time I race. You are constantly learning and / or seeking new information to experiment with and find out what is best for your individual needs. No two people are alike, and that’s why it makes perfect sense that no two athletes are alike too.

The key is to find out exactly what will result in YOUR best performance by means of training, recovery, health and nutrition. I’ve had 4 coaches, each have had different styles and methods. My most recent change has been very exciting as the methods are similar to what I’ve experienced in the past, yet there are new techniques and idea’s that complement my past experience. They also relate closely to what I believe is best for me as an athlete. So this gives me great confidence in training, and I really see training as an experiment with your mind and body to see what outcome will be achieved with a certain stimulus!!! Whooo, that sounds kind of technical but I think you know what I mean. In summary, I’m focussing on less volume – and training for more speed. The less time training gives me more time for recovery, sleep, eating well and generally taking greater care of my health.

The result is hopefully = healthier, stronger, faster athlete J 

TT: You picked up a Kona slot in New Zealand and this will your third time racing on the Big Island. Tell us about your past experiences in Kona. Why is this race special for you? What do you hope to achieve there this year?

I’ve been very fortunate really to have two2 solid races in Kona. The first in 2006, well..is your first and you simply are just so happy to be racing in one of the greatest athletic challenges in the world..I certainly wasn’t aiming at anything more than finishing well and enjoying every minute of the race! I did gain many valuable lessons, and tips that would hold me in good stead whenever it would be that I would be racing their again..that was one important goal if any of my race. And that was to enjoy the experience, so much so that I knew I wanted to come back and have a real crack at this race. I also learnt that my body seems to function pretty well in the climate at Hawaii which is fortunate, and the course suited me too.

2007 and I was fortunate enough to qualify again and I thought, ok let’s see what you can do. I wanted to race this, take more of a risk and see what happens. I managed to have a new pb and a podium that year in the 30-34 age group (4^th) and was just wrapped with this result. This race is simply something that grows on you, and I enjoy the atmosphere, the chance to race the best in the world in such a truly spectacular place…as a triathlete this is the ultimate challenge, and one that you want to nail. My goal for 2011 will simply be to complete a p.b! That’s it..I want to take some risks in this race and see if I can really put together the most perfect race that I can possibly do. Simple really!

TT: Last year you raced several of the Australian Half Ironman series races and picked up the title of Series Champion for the 35-39 age group. Did you find racing more regularly has helped with your Ironman preparation for NZ?

To be honest I don’t think so. My training prior to December this year was very much volume orientated, and I was well aware that I was getting into the same old ‘bad’ habits really. My body and mind needed a rest, and a change. I couldn’t race fresh at all, and I was stuck in the same ‘slow’ gear..I knew that I needed to change things fast. It was great to be back racing again, however I wasn’t enjoying this as I should have been. And my results were well off.. It was great to start with my new coach, Kristian Manietta, and have a fresh start from mid December leading into New Zealand. I decided not to race during this time and simply to get healthy, strong and super consistent again with my training. It worked...

TT: How do you manage to balance your training and triathlon lifestyle while working full-time?

It’s always a battle working 40-60hr weeks and trying to train for ironman. However, again my new training methods and coach have really helped here. I’m training a lot less, and this is so much more manageable, enjoyable and interesting again for me. I have gotten my love back for training and racing that’s for sure. I guess at the moment I’m also lucky having just myself to look after, and this is I guess ‘my time’ to get the best out of myself. As I’ve just recently become engaged, I’m really looking forward to ‘my time’ becoming ‘our time’, and hopefully not too far away ‘our time’ might become ‘family time’??

TT: You are well supported by several sponsors – tell us about your relationship with them.

I’ve been really fortunate during my training and racing to have had great support from my sponsors; Powerbar, Engine Swim, Giant Bikes, De Grandi’s Cycle and Sport and most recently Saucony. I’m well aware of my abilities and know very well that it not the results that make for a sincere relationship with those that support you. It’s a genuine appreciation for being able to represent, promote and advance the products that your sponsors work so hard to produce for athletes, and giving them ‘your best’ while promoting their products while setting the best example for others while racing and training.

I still to this day, have to ‘pinch’ myself sometimes knowing that I am so well supported by my sponsors. I always try and keep regular contact with them, and let them know how I’m going both personally and as an athlete. I enjoy racing and training ‘for’ my sponsors so much, and  I always want to express the same passion and enthusiasm towards my sponsors products that I show towards racing.

TT: Finally – the Hawaii lead-up. When will it begin? Do you have any lead-up races planned?

This is rest time for me at the moment J Leading into the Victorian winter and training for Hawaii through the cold, dark months is tough going. So, I must admit now is the time to enjoy some downtime. There are no long course races in Victoria over the months leading into Hawaii. I usually have raced Yeppoon 70.3 in August leading into Kona, and will do the same again this year.

Training will begin shortly (still need to chat over this with my coach tho!) but volume will be low. I’m actually really looking forward to a short, sharp build up into Hawaii personally, and just need to make sure I’m still active, healthy and ready to ‘GO’ when it’s time to get it happening..I really cannot wait for October!!!

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DOB:  29/06/2011

Nickname: Berky

Career highlight to date:1^st place Ironman Western Australia 2008 & 1^st place Challenge Copenhagen.

Favourite race: The half iron man & Ironman race in Port Macquarie

Best leg: Right leg

Sponsors:  Scody, Daikin, Cannondale, Newton, Oakley, Shimano ,Science in sport, Compress sport, Blue seventy & Gordon st cycles.

Favourite TV show: Entourage

TT: Tim, thanks for your time. Let’s start with your 2011 schedule, do you know it yet? 

TB:  I have a big year planned with my 1^st race kicking off in Abu Dhabi in March, I’m also in for Challenge Copenhagen & Challenge Cairns & a few 70.3 in Australia & the US

TT: Let’s get straight to the training talk. During a typical week when you are in hard training how many k’s do you get up to for each of the three disciplines?

TB: This week I will be doing 20 k’s of swimming, 650k’s on the bike & 80k’s of running.

TT: Do you do any of your main sessions with elites from that particular sport? For example, Do you do any running sessions with top distance runners in order to test yourself that little bit more?

TB: I train with Clayton Fettell who was a national open water swimmer & one of the best swimmers in the triathlon world.  I do a bit of riding with my mate Lachlan Morton who rides for Garmin

TT: Do you have some bread and butter sessions that you do on a regular basis?

TB: I do a 90 minute build run each week where I build it up to my goal iron man pace

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

TB: Motor pacing always kills me, I had a really bad session once where when I got home I sent my coach an email saying - you, my old man & the motorbike can all go where the sun don’t shine.Ha ha ha

TT: Do you have a set diet before sessions?

TB: No

TT: And during workouts?

TB: I live on SiS

TT: What do you eat and drink straight after hard sessions for recovery?

TB: My mum’s special protein drink when I am at home & SIS - good stuff I can’t get enough of it

TT: How much do you drop your mileage in training during the week leading up to a major race?

TB: At least half with a rest day & a travel day

TT: What about the week straight after a major race. How much recovery do you allow yourself before intense training starts again?

TB: For a half iron man 5 to 7 days & for an Ironman 2 to 3 weeks depending on how deep I go

TT: Favourite place for a training camp?

TB: Boulder, Colorado USA & at Lennox head with my coach Grant Giles

TT: Favourite training partner?

TB: All the boys in Lennox head & especially Clayton Fettell & Mitchy Robbins those boys always make me work hard but we always have a lot of fun

TT: All the best for 2011.

TB: Thankyou very much guys

 

Where do I start.

The hype, excitement and pain is all over.

What I love about what I do is the challenge, learning and the personal development I gain. It is really hard to know what the outcome will be on race day. The only thing that you can do is get yourself in the best form possible, mentally and physically.

Look at Chrissie Wellington. She wasn't to know that the day of the race she was going to be sick. It goes to show that we are all human and it's natural for these things to happen. 

My lead up to this race wasn't the best prep I would have liked but I dealt with the circumstances I came across and did everything possible to be on that start line.

The morning of the race I didn't feel the nervous energy that I normally do. I did my warm up run and swim then we all lined up. When we took off I paused for a bit as I was scared that I was going to get kicked in the face.

Once I settled into my rhythm I didn't feel the way I had been in training. Patiently I waited to get the feel of the water and I found the swim quite tough.

I exited out in 1hr flat not too concerned about my time as I had more to focus on for the rest of the day. Once heading out on the bike I found it really hard to pedal. My legs didn't have the power they normally do. I saw where the others girls were and I was passed by several girls out on course waiting for my legs to get into it. The sun was hot and the wind was strong especially riding Hawi. At one stage I felt like getting off and giving up!

I grabbed water at almost every aid station as I was getting a headache from the heat.

After having turned at Hawi, the cross winds were strong and I was a bit shaky. Mentally I started to feel better once I got back onto the queen K. The power I was waiting patiently for came through in the last 1hr of the bike. I passed a few girls and felt awesome in transition, just a little shaken. I got off the bike in 5hr25min.

I was so fast in T2 that I forgot my nutrition and I had to run back in to get it. Not concerned and feeling great I could actually smile on the run. The crowds were awesome. I had people, seemingly, cheering me on everywhere.

The first out and back loop along Alii Drive was great. I grabbed fluids,sponges and ice to keep me cool and hydrated. I got into such a good rhythm that I was really enjoying the run. Once I hit the Palani hill my glute and hip flexor jammed up. I got to the top of the hill and walked to stretch it out.

As I ran I had pain shooting down my right leg into my calf. I was so determined to finish and if I had to walk the whole marathon I would have. I walked and ran until the 21-mile mark and gritted my teeth and pushed through the pain. I ran so fast and had one of the best finishes ever.

I ran the last few miles so much faster than any other part of the marathon that I got there before Josh did - and he apologised that he wasn't there for me (:

I finished in 10hrs 12min and 27th pro woman.

Ironman is one tough event and I admire and am inspired by every person who competes in it. I am not in a rush to do another one yet but have learned so much from it for when I do decide to do another one.

It is amazing how much support I have had to help me accomplish this goal.

I look forward to racing at Noosa in 3 weeks.

Achieving is believing! 

http://www.lisamarangon.com/

On the front foot, never looking back

So a quick introduction as many of you may not know me, my name is James Lewin, I’m a 19 year old student/triathlete based in Perth, studying a Bachelor of Science at the University of Western Australia.  I have been involved in triathlon for about 5 years now, racing competitively for about 3 of those.  Over the past couple of years I have had some respectable results in age group races, including a 2^nd at the Olympic Distance World Champs on the Gold Coast last year; however I haven’t yet had a real breakthrough result in elite, draft legal races.  I am currently training under the superior guidance of arguably WA’s most successful short course male triathlete, Paul Mackay, who has taken myself and pocket rocket Kenji Nener under his wing, and managed to fit in coaching us around his full time work.

I finished ‘09/10 with a fairly strong race at Mooloolaba, but a niggling problem with the Achilles left me with some questions about how much better I could do.  So I sat down with the coach to assess the season gone, and set some goals in stone for the season to come. We agreed that it would be best for me to take 4 weeks off after Mooloolaba rather than seeing out the rest of the local Perth season, to ensure I get rid on my Achilles injury.  During the time off I tried to maintain some sort of activity – so I dusted off the footy (AFL) and headed down to the park with Paul and Kenji for a run around.  This was followed by a very interesting and different ‘personal training’ session which involved boxing and made great use of a kid’s playground.  I couldn’t help but sing ‘Eye of the Tiger’ in my head as I threw a solid left hook into Macka’s glove.  This little bit of exercise during my rest weeks helped keep my legs from going into hibernation mode.  The rest of the time I spent doing things that can’t really be done when you have to wake up at 5am every morning – I’ll let you figure this out.

So after a very restful and eventful four weeks (with a few extra kg’s on my belly) I started afresh with a long slow build up to next summer, where I hope to get a bit more experience in the draft legal format. I chose Noosa to be my first big race for next season, hopefully with a start in the elite field.  With a fairly solid winter program set up (I am already seeing some PB’s), I am hoping to be fitter than ever.  I have never raced at the iconic event before but from what I hear there are some challenging climbs on the bike, and one hell of an after party.

This season I have been lucky enough to get my first sponsor as an athlete.  Wayne Evans and the team at Cyclemania have been a fantastic help in decking me out, and even getting me a brand new ride, which I am in the process of building up right now!  As I’ve mentioned I’m studying a Bachelor of Science at UWA, currently in my 3^rd and final year of study, and at the moment I am trying to make through the last of my 1^st semester exams with a somewhat respectable outcome.

Keep an eye out for me on the Triathlete Tribe, as shortly I will be taking you through the highs and lows of training in the Perth winter.

 

Until next time

 

James

Hello Tribe Guys,

I am back from a weekend in the Alps !! I am the luckiest person to be part of such a great team in Dijon. Two of my team mates and another of their friends took me to Mont Blanc for the weekend. We got there on the Friday afternoon, settled in and got ready for our big Saturday planned. We started on Saturday from Passy and straight away were heading up hill to Megeve. We then descended into Flumet, where we started our climb up col des Aravis and down to la Clusas. We then headed around to la Clausaz and le Grand Bornand. From here it was up col de la Colombiere. This was my favorite of the four climbs, also my favorite to descend. I was amazed at how quickly I picked up speed, and it was a very fast and fun descent. From here it was a nice ride around to Cluses and back into Passy for a stop for some R&R; food, sun-bake and swim in the lake.  After this it was a climb back to where we were staying at les Contamines. All up for the day was 120kms.

Sunday we started with the descent from les Contamines down to St Gervais les Bains, around to Passy and climb into Servos around to les Houches and into Chamonix. As I rolled in and took a good look around me, I just rolled to a stop. I had to fight back tears of emotion; it was so amazing and beautiful. By far the most amazing place I have ever seen, the pictures I have do not show its true beauty in effect, and for every picture I took, there was ten thousand I missed!!!  We had lunch here and returned via the same route. I even managed to fill my water bottle with fresh melted Alp snow for the return journey.  When we got home after the 90kms we ended up in one of the water falls and the water was very cold, put we all had a great time. It was then into a rather slow transition into a 30 min run.

It doesn’t get better than this and I didn’t want to leave. I could have easily stayed for months. There is so much to do and see and so many places to go; we didn’t even scratch the surface.

We were very lucky with the weather, as it was perfect until the time we jumped into the car for the drive home. This was when the heavens opened up and poured with ran, and I was feeling very sad to be leaving.

So this week will be an easy one, as I will be heading to Chalain for an Olympic distance race. I will keep you up to date with the results.

Yvette 

By Yvette Fisher 

Hi Triathlete Tribe,

A little bit about me, I started cycling after a career of ice skating, at the age of 14. I was attending Narrabeen Sports High School, in Sydney but they didn’t have a sports program for cycling, so I joined the triathlon program. Attending just the local, Warringah Triathlon Club races.

I sort of did what ever I wanted, and trained when I felt like it, but never got really serious about the whole thing. In 2001 I made the world’s team and traveled to Edmonton Canada getting 20^th place in the 18-19 age group. Still, I didn’t train very hard and made the team again for 2002 in Cancun Mexico.  So I decided about this time to get more serious and put in the required time to get a better result.  I trained very hard, with Barry Golding, but on the day of the race, my nutritional skills let me down, and I crashed in the run, having to walk for the first time ever. Still, I managed to improve my result from the previous year with 16^th in the 20-24 age. After this race I was plagued with injury, but had the worlds fever, and still attended Queenstown New Zealand in 2003, again getting 16^th place in the 20-24 age. After this I spent many hours in the pool, with Narell Simpson, as I went from injury to injury. (If anyone needs advice on an injury, think I’m as good as a doctor in the field now).

As I have no sponsors 2004 was a quiet year of getting myself sorted, working hard and saving up again. Roll on 2005 with my coach Ian, and I was ready to try again at Hawaii, only to be struck down, yet again 2 months before the race. I ended up having reconstruction surgery on my knee. I hoped that this would be the end of problems for me.

I didn’t train much and had all but given up by 2007, when life took me to Canberra and I started training with the Tridents Triathlon Club and coach Ben Gathercole. This was the saviour I was looking for and resurrected triathlon in me. The 07-08 season went well and I had much work to do to get fit again. 08-09 was devastating with the loss of my parents and again fall in fitness due to this.  I still managed to get a spot in the Gold Coast world’s team for 2009.  Unfortunately the race didn’t go to plan with a flat tire on the bike, then a very disappointing run. Coming home with 11^th place, in the 25-29 age.

Pushing on, the 09-10 season went fantastic. I was back on track and getting my fitness again. I won the Canberra Half Iron Man, first female age grouper home,  got 2^nd in the National titles (3^rd female home, and now qualified for a pro license) and placed 2^nd to Barbara Riveros in the NSW pro elimination race at Huskission.

I started preparation to get away from full time work and go race in France from May to September with the Dijon Club in division 2.

So here I am in Dijon France!!! Learning a new language and eating plenty of bread and cheese.  I had only been here a week and again my knee has let me down. After 2005 I thought it was fine and slowly stopped all the exercises that should be done daily!!! Well, proven wrong I am!! and I’m sure that I’m not the only athlete that loves the tri training, but incredibly lazy when it come to the phyiso exercises and stretching. So let this be a lesson to all of you, the physio exercises are the most important part, and be careful if you think it’s all ok.

I still managed to get 24^th in the first Division 2 race. Only one week after the injury, I was happy to finish the race, but that is not the result nor the times I was looking for.  It’s been 3 weeks now since the injury, which was a big stack down a mountain in a running race, and I am on the mend. I raced a sprint in Autun, placing first and qualifying for a super sprint in the afternoon, again placing first.

So as you can see, I’ve never had a great run of things, but I like to think I’m strong and determined. My plan from here is to race worlds in Budapest and return to Aussie and race pro from there in Olympic and sprint distances (may be a few half IM for fun). I am hoping once home that I can wind down the work front and keep training full time, but this all depends on the bank balance (I’m sure you can all relate).

 I definitely want to do an IM and hope I will be able to get to Hawaii IM in a few more years, when I step up to the long distances.

And remember to always do your exercises!!

Stay tuned for more up dates. Train hard, train safe!!

Yvette