On the weekend I raced Ironman World Championships in Kona and successfully defended my AG title. I didn’t have the race I planned on but I was very happy to come away with the win. There was a lot of pressure on me to defend and race well and it was a great learning experience dealing with that added expectation. I am now in the middle of applying for my professional licence with the intent of racing professionally in the new year.
The Swim
This year’s conditions were a lot flatter than last years but the tide was tough coming back into T1. I think unless you have the ability to get out the front of the pack of the swim you are always going to have a slower swim time here compared to other races. Just due to the sheer brutality and congestion of the start even with the advantage of wearing a HUUB speed suit and the additional buoyancy of the concentrated salty waters.
Swim in 59 mins
The Bike
I knew I was going to have to ride hard to make up lost time to the better swimmers and I did just that. My plan was to ride hard and aero on my Giant Trinity and try and put some time into the field which was paying off for the first 100k as I was in the lead for the bike. But riding alone in no man’s land costs a lot of energy and the group caught me so I knew I was going to have to rely on my run if I was going to defend my title. I was 5th off the bike in 4 hours and 50 mins.
The Run
luckily the move on the bike didn’t affect my run too much and I was able to run down my competition by staying cool and using my ultralight Mizuno Hitogami’s and super comfortable Compressport socks! I had the fastest run split of 2 hours and 58 mins.
Total time of 8 hours and 53 mins
I am now going to spend two weeks relaxing, recovering with my Compressport medical-grade compression garments which have worked wonders already! and spending some time with my girlfriend before I get back into training again.
Thanks to everyone for their support and for taking the time to track me, wish me luck and congratulate me! Also thanks to my housemates and Girlfriend for putting up with my moodiness the week leading into the race! I still can’t believe I can say I am a 2xAG World Champion and the fastest Australian on the day! As always I couldn’t have done any of this without the support from them and my sponsors:
- Bizmac Led scoreboards
- Giant Cycles AustraliaCBD
- CyclesAnker Concreting
- Hammer Nutrition Australia
- HUUB Wetsuits
- Compressport
- Mizuno
- Leisurelink Aquatic Centre
- Anthony Garnier Myotherapy
- Cannibal
Thanks for reading,