Moreton Bay OD Triathlon

Sunday 23rd of September was my first race of the season as I lined up for the Qld OD Triathlon champs held at Clontarf. Being a Redcliffe local it was very nice to only allow 10mins of travel time to get to the race. I missed this race earlier in the year due to Ironman commitments so was very keen to go around for this one and have a hitout across the Ted Smout Bridge (Hornibrook Bridge for old school locals).

Being the first race of the season, I was unsure on how I would go so was planning just to belt myself and stay on the gas as long as possible and hope to get some quality racing under my belt prior to Noosa.

We were met with glorious conditions on race morning with no swell, very light breeze and blue skies so it was a great way to start the season.

The swim was an M Shaped course and there were plenty of whispers of jelly fish in the water however compared to a Bribie Race earlier in the year, the odd jelly fish with a long sleeved wetsuit was not a worry. I stayed with the lead pack until just after the first buoy where I fell off the back which was a little disappointing as I was hoping to stay with the lead pack. I swam the rest of the way with one other and exiting the water it was obvious that the swim was short as I clocked 16min 52sec.

Onto the bike for 4 x 10km loops and it took about a lap to get going. Heading south across the Ted Smout Bridge for the first time we were riding into a slight headwind. I worked hard to catch some riders up the road. I bridged up to one group of riders who were not interested in riding legal so at the next turn around, I put the gas down in chase of the next lot of riders. I had ridden up to about 3rd place with three other guys in my AG. With about 7km to go, I again put the gas down to try and open up a gap on the guys with me. I put about 300m on them however by the time we reached T2, two of them had closed the gap which was going to make an interesting 10km run. Bike time - 1hr 1min 18sec

The start of a good battle

Myself, Tim Gado, and Christophe Manchon left T2 and Tim set the pace early. We all sat together until the 5km turn around where I cranked up the pace a little to try and drop the other two. This worked as I opened up a gap slowly and pulled away. I maintained a strong pace through to the finish and was great to finish in front of my family who were able to make it down to the race. I finished the run in 37min 32sec which is a little slower than I was hoping for but still gives me something to work on.


4km in and no-one was budging

Total time was 1hr 55mins 43sec for 8th overall and 3rd in AG behind Courtney Atkinson and Peter Court.

A big thanks again to my wife Hayley for coming to watch me race as well as my Mum, Sisters and Neice who was there for her first ever race and also the Redcliffe Tri club for their great encouragement.

The season is nigh

With a little over two weeks until my first race of the season, my training has been a little patchy although I still have been ticking most of the boxes.

I have competed in two races since my last post. On the 5th Aug, I lined up for my first ever stand alone Half Marthon in the Brisbane Running Festival. I had some good running under my legs leading in so I was hoping for a good hitout. I eased into the race and felt strong for the majority of the race. I crossed the line in a time of 1hr 21min and 10th overall. I was aiming for sub 4min/km's so was stoked to go 3:51 avg pace.

On 2nd Sep, I lined up for one of my favourite fun runs on the calender. The Bridge to Brisbane 10km. The alarm went off at 2:50am so to get into the race start nice and early ahead of the 40,000 other runners. I picked up my mate and QAS Triathlete Matt Brown on the way and we cursed at the early start. Matt was hopeful of having a crack at the win which would have been awesome.

I had an ok race and wasn't feeling 100% although I crossed the line in a time of 35min 22sec for a 13sec PB and 30th overall. Matt finished 8th overall in a time of 32min 30sec and was on pace with the lead pack until the 7km mark where he said they got away from him.

In two weeks I will line up for the Qld Olympic Distance Champs at Clontarf. This will be my first race of the season and I feel I am going in a little underdone although it is still early in the season. I will be better for the hitout under my belt and hoping for a good race.

Til next time.....

Jetty 2 Jetty

Sunday 15th of July saw another running of the Jetty 2 Jetty fun run. Lining up at the start of the 10km I had set my goal for myself that I thought may be out of reach at this time of year. I was aiming to run a sub 36min 10km which would break my pb of 36:20.

If only I had her record

The three weeks leading in had seen more of a focus on my run with a lot more speed sessions than I usually do. One of my key sessions was an 18km run broken up as 6km controlled (4:45min/km pace), 6km tempo (4:30 pace) and 6km race pace with 4 x 30sec intervals going straight back to race pace (3:40ish).

I though I would have a bit of fun with my race name instead of the usual first or last name to go on there so during the registration process, I mixed it up a bit. (As per the photo). I was hoping for some speed as per my namesake.

I got to the start line with plenty of time until the gun and had plenty of room. As the start time approached, we became crowded with a lot of runners who thought they were alot quicker than what they actually were. As soon as the gun went off, the sprinters took off and I was immediatley in about 15th. Over the next km the race started to sort itself out and I had settled into about tenth after covering the first km in about 3:20.

The two leaders had immediately shot off the front and were followed by another two runners. I was in the next pack of about six only 15 meters behind third and fourth. From there, we were running approx 3:30 pace and I was going a bit quicker than I had intended but was feeling comfortable so maintained my spot in the pack.

After the 5km mark, the pack had dropped to just three and I was sitting in behind the other two runners nicely as we made the turn and headed into a headwind for the final 5km. I sat in behind them and did not move from their tales. At the 7km mark, I was on pace to run a sub 35min however still had two tough climbs to go at about 8 and 9km mark. The downhill finish was a blessing after slogging it over the last two hills and they had cost me a little as I crossed the tape in a time of 35 min 35secs and sixth place overall. I had acheived my unexpected goal time and beaten my pb by 45secs.