This year has been a good year for me with some fantastic results, and on the other hand it has been a major learning experience as I have had to deal with some bad luck in races and my first injury in the last month. I would have to say the highlight of the year for me was Challenge Cairns where I finished 2nd to Chris Macormack as it was such a fun place to visit and the atmosphere at this first time race was like no other and I am looking forward to getting back there next year. As much the same as Cairns I have had a string of 2nd placings in major races with a 2nd in Ironman 70.3 Busselton and Ironman 70.3 Yeppoon by just 5 seconds, I also managed to snare a few wins with a win in the innagrual Triman half Ironman in Victoria and the Australian Duathlon Championships in October.

I also have learned a lot in training and racing this year and found that there are a lot of ups and downs that comes with this sport at this level, more importantly the need for rest is something that is harder and harder to come by with the racing going all year round now. I have seen it notably this year with Crowie succumbing to illness in April and taking an enforced break resulting in his best year ever, which says something about letting the body recover.

I only just recently tore my calf muscle and things have been pretty hectic since this as I had to pull out of Port Mac 70.3 and Shep 70.3, and more recently Ironman WA while in 3rd spot at the 26km mark of the run, all of which disappointing as the form was red hot. The reason I tore my claf was an interesting one as the week after I won the Australian Duathlon Championships I decided to compete in a local fun run near my house, the run was 15km and I had won it about 4 times before. I really enjoy this run as it is on single tracks and the hill climbs are brutal (20% for 2x1km) add to this the insane downhills and it’s a fun day! Well that is what I thought. I actually worked the night before at the station and I thought the race started at 8.30 so I rolled up and registered thinking I had enough time for a warm up run before the start, so off I jogged at 7.45 thinking I could cruise for 15 minutes before the start, when I turned around to run back and noticed a couple of hundred people running toward me with numbers on. I realised that I missed the start and ran back to the car with the intention of going home for a run, but then I had a stroke of genius which was to give everyone a 10 minute head start and destroy my body and try and catch up! This was a great idea at the time as I set off and felt great eventually pegging everyone back except 2 runners where I finished 3rd. My individual time was 6 minutes faster than the winner which was encouraging but the soreness I had was unlike anything I had experienced from the crazy downhill running. Later that week the soreness in my stabilizer muscles got increasingly worse and I felt my calf tear on an easy run Thursday night after the race. I knew it wasn’t good and went straight to my physio at Back in Motion where they diagnosed a grade 1 tear.

In the meantime I had a few days off but tried to train for Shepparton and Ironman WA but not giving the injury time to heal was my biggest down fall with other issues arising due to my body compensating for the tear.

This was the problem I had at Ironman WA as my soleus muscle contracted so tight I was unable to run which was greatly annoying as I had a good swim coming out with the main players like Bracht, Twelsiek, Crawford, Farlow and Rix in 49minutes, I managed to string a good ride together in 4hr30 which put me in 2nd onto the run course where I really started to feel good. The injured leg was in a good state for about 1hr and a half where I was in 3rd spot a minute or so behind Bracht and making up time on Fettel but at 26km I was unable to run properly at all let alone walk properly so I had no choice but to pull out as I was in to much discomfort and did not want to risk a major injury. An unfortunate way to end the year as I had the form for another podium, but I gave it a crack and believe me if I could have run I would have.

I am under strict coaches (ME) orders for the next 3 weeks to do nothing except rest and recover which I am really looking forward to as the year has been huge, well the last 2 years have been big with over 20 half ironman races and about 6 Ironman races not counting the smaller distance races and huge amounts of travel and training associated with this sport as a pro.

I will post again in a few weeks with my schedule for next year which is mostly sorted out and definitely includes Ironman Melbourne and Cairns so it will be a big year. A big shout out must go out to my great support team which are essential in this sport.

SCODY – for the brightest and most comfortable custom gear

http://www.scody.com.au/

SIS– For the best and most up to date endurance nutrition.

http://www.scienceinsport.com.au/

SAUCONY – also for the brightest and most comfy running gear and apparel

http://www.saucony.com.au/

RYDERS – For a great range of high performance glasses
www.ryderseyewear.com.au

MERIDA – For the best looking and performing bikes
www.meridabikes.com.au

SHIMANO – For the best shifting and componentry
www.shimano.com

WATTBIKE – For the finest and most accurate training tool around
www.wattbike.com.au

Altitude Tech Systems- For state of the art training tools at any altitude

http://www.ats-altitude.com/

TRAK Cycles Norwood – For great support and service

http://trakcycles.com.au/

DTR Sports Management – For keeping my head in the right place

http://dtrsportsmanagement.com.au/

All these great sponsors have helped me achieve what I have done and I am so gratetful for their support in achieving my goals.

Thanks

Matty

I arrived at Shepparton on the Friday without the long 10 hour drive under my belt this time as I flew into Melbourne and hired a car, I was lucky enough to be hosted at the fantastic Shepparton Quest Apartments which was opposite the new aquatic centre. So a big thanks to Simone and the crew for facilitating this, adding to the great organisation of this event was a prelude welcome night on Friday evening where dignitaries got to meet the pro athletes and mingle in a nice environment.

The weather for race weekend was perfect really with slight overcast skies and warmish conditions, so I was thinking that times would be fast. For me personally I was in no mans land after injuring my calf last week just before flying out to Port Mac 70.3. I have never experienced an injury before, so I was not sure how the body would stand up to a major 70.3 race. I had been having intense Physio from my great sponsors at Back in Motion and the calf had been getting better most of the week even though I decided not to push it by testing it too much.

The night before the race I went for a light jog with my mate Tim Berkel and it felt ok which gave me a lot of confidence, and as I was feeling fit I decided to have a good crack at defending my title from last year. Race started at 7am and it was off to a cracker with noted swimmer Matty Bailey and Paul Ambrose setting a fast pace. The passed few weeks I changed a few things with my swim stroke and felt great in the water settling in behind the 2 leaders and was comfortable with Ollie Whistler on my feet. We exited the water with about a minute on the chasers of Leon Griffen, Rix, Berkel and Co so I was off to a great start except when I stepped out of the water and up the bank into transition where I felt my calf twinge. I knew this was not good and the run toward the bike confirmed this! Check the FOTB video which captures the moment when it happens…and I apologise in advance for the language I used!

http://www.firstoffthebike.com/races/2477-703-shepparton-updated-to-include-race-video

At this point I decided to keep going onto the bike as I knew I could still ride but in the back of my mind I was not going to run a hard 21km on a torn calf, especially with Ironman WA in 3 weeks.

The ride for me was going great as I set the early pace with Bailey, Whistler and Ambrose. Ambrose dropped off early due to a virus and coming into the end of the 1st 45km lap we had a lead of about 40 seconds on a solo Griffen. This is where the DRAMA unfolded as I was in the lead at this point trying to drive the pace high to keep the chasers at bay. The main thing that most amateurs need to realise is that at this level and especially in half ironman these days the pace is so fast, and at this point we were averaging 43km/h for the first lap. If you put yourself in that position while leading a major race and add to the fact that you have followed this car at every turn point so far on that lap, then add some more adrenaline as you pass through a large crowd it is only instinctive that you will follow the lead vehicle around that point, especially when the round abouts are very similar.
No one stopped us or yelled at us that we went the wrong way and the lead vehicle just kept going so in my mind nothing had happened and the race was running its course.
This is not an opinion but it is what actually happened and was going though my own mind at this point in the course, I am not defending my actions or blaming anyone I am just getting the point across that this is what went through my mind at that time.

As I entered Transition to start running I was issued with a yellow card to which I didn’t really understand as I had received no notification on the course, so there was a bit of confusion and as you can see on the Video Peter guy and the TO’s did a good job of explaining it. I cant see the point of arguing as it gets you know where and full credit to Matty and Ollie who also did the same.

Fortunately for me I had a little bit of time to test the calf out while waiting for my 5 minutes to end, and the signs were not good as it was really tight so essentially I was not to upset as I couldn’t run anyway. I did feel bad for Bailey who would have had his best result if he didn’t get the penalty. Ollie on the other hand was in a state of massive confusion as he was issued with a yellow card on the course for drafting as well, speaking to Ollie after the race, he thought the 5 minute penalty in transition was for his drafting violation, he was not aware that he had 2 penalties hence the reason he was DQd at the finish.

Overall I hope this clears things up for people and the Shepparton Crew who worked so hard to put on a showcase event this year. These things are a learning experience for both the athlete and organiser. We should know the course and personally I was confident of the turn point as the roundabout are very similar, the lead car just put my mind set at rest and convinced me (which is not hard to do with a HR of about 180bpm and 45km/h!) Secondly I think it highlights the need for a separate pro briefing which happens at most events these days, as parts of the course like this need to be highlighted more so for the pros who will be leading the race at that time. There was no pro briefing at Shep this year which I believe will change next year after this event.

I was disappointed not to defend my title this year but I will certainly be back next year, also well done to the Shep Organising Committee for a great event, it’s just unfortunate that a small issue such as this can be highlighted in such a way as there were so many great positives of this race. On a personal note I am back at the physio trying to sort my calf out for Ironman WA, I know I am fit which is great but as is the case these days half the battle is just getting to the start line 100%.

Hope this clears everything up

Matty

Sorry about the delay guys, but things have been crazy since getting back home, straight back to work and a lot of family stuff happening but, I am feeling quite good and refreshed, which is a good sign considering I have a good block of racing coming up in the next 6 weeks culminating with Ironman West Australia in early December.

To cut a long story short Hawaii just wasn’t my day, I had a good start to the swim as opposed to the last time I raced and had a clean start which was great and managed to stay with the front group until the turn point where I lost a bit of concentration and lost contact, leaving me in the 2nd group with Cam Brown, Bracht, Lovato and a host of others. On to the bike and I felt quite strong as we were sooned joined by Ronnie Schildnickt and a few others, but the whole time I was vomiting up a lot of water which was concerning and losing time to the lead group!

At the turn in Hawi I felt great and picked up the tailwind on the way home dropping the guys who were with me. At about the 150km mark I caught a tired Matty Reed and Eneko Llanos who were also having bad days, I decided to push on even though the lack of fluids was at the back of my mind and the vomiting just seemed to get worse toward the end of the bike.

I got off the bike in about 20th spot and decided to start the run, I actually felt terrible off the bike but then soon fell into a good rhythm until about 5miles were I actually thought I vommitted every internal organ I owned in my body up, it was there and then where I decided to call it a day as my body was not playing the game.and I didnt not want to risk further damage and end up on NBC crawling around the energy lab on all fours! Especially with some good Australian races coming up.

Looking back I am happy I stopped when I did as I am sure I would have done serious damage and to be quite honest with people, it did not appeal to me running around the Queen K highway in pain in that environment.

After the race I was still quite sore but was happy I didn’t do the marathon that’s for sure but on the flipside it was so great to see Australia continue their dominance of the Ironman with Crowie taking out the victory in the new world record and Pete Jacobs getting a well deserved 2nd place.

Once I got back to Australia I decided that I needed to do a race in order to unleash a bit of all this energy I had from Hawaii, and I was lucky enough to find the Australian Duathlon Championships right in my backyard in the Barossa Valley, only 45 minutes away, the Barossa course has been good to me the passed 6 months after winning the State Half Marathon Championships in June so I was really looking forward to a fun day.

The course was really different in that the bike went up Menglers hill 2 times, which is a steep 2km climb that I have never done before and I was surprised by the severity of it, especially after a hard 10km run. I was lucky enough to have some speedy runners in the field from WA who can over for the race, Paul Mackay and Thomas Bruin who pushed the first run under 33 minutes, which was a little shock to the system especially after just getting off the plane on the Friday before!

On the bike I felt great straight away and decided to push hard to bridge the 40 second gap to Mackay. I managed to reel in the leader at the top of Menglers and set about building a comfortable 5 minute lead at the end of the 40km bike ride. I got off the bike and pushed hard onto the 5km run, getting the fastest run time to win my first Australian Duathlon title.

Next on the list for me now is Port Mac 70.3 and then Shepparton 70.3 to try and defend my title from last year, also Ironman WA where I finished 2nd and am hoping to go one place better pm the podium.

Thanks for everyones support leading into Kona it really meant a lot, the main thing now is to move forward and be positive with the upcoming races, I am feeling great and had a huge winter build up in Boulder so am hoping to use it in the next few weeks.

Matty

I leave for Kona on the 30th of September and really cant wait to get back to sea level and the big island. Vegas 70.3 gave me a lot of confidence especially after coming off such a big training week, I felt amazing on the bike and my swim was where it should be, even though I shut it down once I got my penalty I took a lot of confidence away from it and got back to a huge few weeks back in Boulder and have not felt better physically and mentally.

Away from the bike we have been going on some cool hikes up in the National Park which is about 10,000 feet (see attached photo). Colorado is such a scenic place to live and train it really takes your breath away and I mean that literally as some days I really struggle to breathe at this altitude.
As for training I have included a few weeks of mine leading up to the Ironman and this is what I have been doing pretty much for the last 8 weeks, I have a lot of people ask how I structure my training as I am self coached, so here it is:

Monday: Ride 3hrs, Swim 3-4km, Run 1hr
Tuesday: Rest Day – easy swim 2-3km
Wednesday: Trainer Session 3hrs (4x20min efforts) with 1 hr run off bike, swim 3km
Thursday: Long Ride 5.30-6hrs, swim 3-4km
Friday: Long Run 2.15hr, swim 3km, Run 1hr
Saturday: Long Ride 6hrs, Run off bike 45 min
Sunday: Long run 2.30hrs, Swim 3-4km, Ride 1.30hr easy spin
As for Sponsorships things have been going great with Shane from Cafe of Life looking after me in Boulder this year with all my Chiro and massage needs. Also its great to have my new Merida firing on all cyclinders fully decked out with Shimano Di2 and C75 wheels which I will be running in Hawaii. I hope to make another big sponsorship announcement in the next few weeks so stay tuned. I will check in again once I am settled into life on the big island post ironman.

Matty
]]> http://mattywhite.com.au/blog/2011/09/the-road-to-kona/feed/ 0 http://mattywhite.com.au/blog/2011/09/vegas-70-3-report/ http://mattywhite.com.au/blog/2011/09/vegas-70-3-report/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 03:37:20 +0000 admin http://mattywhite.com.au/blog/2011/09/vegas-70-3-report/ What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, thats all I can say about last weekend as things started great and ended not so great for me. I was offered a Worlds 70.3 spot at the last minute and decided to add it to my schedule in a lead up to my main goal which is Kona on October 8th. I had arrived in Boulder after finishing 2nd in Yeppoon 70.3 and had a really solid 4 weeks training in the lead up to Vegas. I actually had a really heavy training week leading into Vegas which I anticipated to do as I am aiming to peak for Hawaii in 4 weeks time.

The race started at 8am which was great as I was staying at the Capricorn resort and with a short walk to transition I could sleep in a little bit, after a light breakfast I made my way down to transition and the long walk to the swim start. I was surprised to see a few waves in the ocean on the point to point 2km swim which would make things interesting. The race was a beach start which I usually like but this time as the gun sounded I tripped over and fell on my belly as soon as I hit the ocean which set me back a bit. I managed to turn the first can and swim my way up to equal 2nd with Whistler, Stewart and Griffen with Bailey just ahead.

I came out the water in about 4th with Griffo and Stewart with Whistler just ahead, and I was really suffering when I hit dry land and as I mounted the bike things just were not happening for me with Griffo, Ollie and Stewart riding away from me with ease. I really was pedalling squares and I was contemplating pulling over and calling it a day as I was feeeling that bad, but I decided to slow things down and keep it steady until Rick Thomson caught me and rode straight through catching up to the lead 3 of Whistler, Bailey and Griffo.

At about the 45km mark I noticed Griff on the side of the road with a puncture and I was about 2 minutes back on the lead group at this stage and was starting to warm up the engine, knowing that my running had been going well I was still confident of a podium finish if I could put my head down and not give up. I got off the bike with Stewart and Bowstead about 3 minutes down on the lead 3 with some work to do on the run. I set about working on a solid pace knowing that the run course here is not a fast one at all with a lot of winding paths and bush trails, and that is the hard thing about this course especially when you are running from behind as you cannot see the athletes up front until you are just about to pass them, and with no turn point you really are running blind.

I managed to reel in Bailey at the7km mark and then Thomson at the 15km with Whistler about 1.30min up the road, I was starting to feel really good as the run went on and was turning the screws yet without time splits and no indication of where Ollie was I was running blindfolded.

With about 1 km to go I ran past Lisa Marangon who said that Ollie was just up the road but I was not sure how far until I ran out of the bush trail and I noticed ollie just up the path about 50m, I put the afterburners on but with the resort path winding into the finish line it was hard to pick up speed and I ran out of road finishing about 5 seconds behind Ollie in a thrilling finish.

I was happy to finish on a good note and this race flet like it blew a few cobwebs out and to get the fastest run by over 3 minutes was really encouraging. For me now it is time to get down to some serious full time training in Boulder in preperation for World 70.3 Championships and Hawaii Ironman World Championships so the signs are good and can’t wait to get back to the US.

Matty

SPENT

SPENT

It was close but I just made it!, this year the pro Hawaii qualification changed in that the first 40 athletes in the KPR points at end of July will be offered a spot with previous winners automatically qualifying, the qualification process involves a compulsory Ironman race and 4 other WTC races. Making qualification very difficult especially if you are an Aussie athlete who can’t travel the world chasing big points races.

My personal situation with work was not enabling me to travel until earl;y August thus meaning I would miss a heap of potential points races to bank up my ranking. Essentially I had to rely on my Australian season points to get me through which they did…..JUST! but I have my spot and that’s all that matters, also I got offered a pro 70.3 World Championship spot in Las Vegas as well which worked out perfectly as I intended on racing a 70.3 race before Kona so

I can now sit back and relax now and finally get things organised with travel etc, as I leave to Boulder Colorado on the 16th of August, directly after Yeppoon 70.3, I am really looking forward to getting back there and training with all the great athletes and most of all enjoy some warm weather. I really think that having a full time prep in Boulder prior to Kona will serve me well, and if I can get in the shape I was in last year I will be on target for a good Hawaii.

I will be staying with my adopted American/Australian parentals the Mortons who are great people and their son Lachlan who is making big waves on the cycling circuit. On another note its great to see so many of my mates doing well on the Tri circuit in the US with the beer loving gnome Tim Reed killing it on the 5150 circuit which I believe he is suited to and Joe Smokin Gambles who ripped up Boulder 70.3 in a course record and will be a big favourite for Vegas 70.3, also good luck to my old mate Tim Van Berkel who is defending his Ironman Challenge Copenhagen next weekend in a star studded field.

Personally my form is good and I can’t wait to get to Yeppoon and race, I have had a great 5 week block after Challenge Cairns focussing on specific strength work and I have never felt fitter. I will update again soon after Yeppoon with a race report, anyway time to go and get some colour on these legs before I leave..

Matty

So far I have been back for about 4 weeks and have been feeling great. I have implemented a few different things into my preparation this year which include upping the ante with my altitude simulation training and increased WATTBIKE sessions with an emphasis on building strength, Wattbikes are great for these types of sessions as they are so specific measuring wattage, distance, heart rate, speed and everything else that you can think of, even a pedal graph which shows how your pedal rotations are working on an even axel! Plus with the cold winter its easier to stay indoors.

As I will be travelling direct to Boulder I want to make sure I am acclimitised before I get there so I can hit the ground running, so I have been really working the ATS simulator hard with hard interval sessions at 3400m, and believe me they are gut wrenching. I have been using the system for 7 months now and the increase in performance is amazing as when I started with the unit I was wiped out from just doing 1hr at 1800m at an easy pace so I am a big believer in this type of training and the results are speaking for themselves.

SO what else is new? Not much really apart from battling the elements here in RADelaide, I am lucky enough to have a few riding buddies down here who keep me company in the cold which is great, but I tell you what, those bakery stops are getting harder and harder to get going again especially on the colder wet days. I have decided to stay in Adelaide a bit longer this year and try to peak later on in the year with the hope of racing Kona as a pro again. KPR points is the magic word at the moment for most pro athletes trying to crack the top 40 by July 31st, currently I am 37th on the list with a few big races left and not knowing who will take their spot leaves me a little bit frustrated by not knowing if I am racing or not. Plus adding to the fact they take another 10 athletes in August and bang you have qualified for Kona as pro and here is 6-8 weeks to get ready, book flights and accom! But that is the new ruling which certainly tips the advantage toward US athletes with the abundance of points races so we just have to accept it. I believe Aussie athletes will be a lot better off next year with a heap of new 70.3 races on the circuit.

On the sponsorship front I have recently joined the Shimano Global Tri Team which I am extremely excited about as I have been using the products for a while now and the DI2 system is without a doubt the best shifting system on the planet and with the Shimano worldwide support network I will never be without the best products and support wherever I may be racing or training.

Also I have just been issued with a new running shoe from Saucony which is cutting edge in terms of minimalist running, its called the Saucony Hattori and is literally an extension of your foot. Unlike other very minimal shoes, the Hattori’s mitten-like toe box gives your toes room to naturally arch, grip and push off. To further leverage natural toe movement, the sole features a visible flex groove in back of the toes and in front of the metatarsals, it weighs about 125grams and you don’t even realise you are wearing it!
It is designed for forefoot runners and that suits me perfectly you can check it out here at Sauconys new Aussie website which has just come online! http://www.saucony.com.au/201261-black-slime-green.html

I hope everyone is getting through the cold of winter and enduring the late nights watching the Tour De France, it is always hard for me watching the tour as I used to live in France in my early 20s racing for a French club in Le Provence and we would always go and watch some stages, I was lucky enough to be on Mount Ventoux when Pantani and Armstrong duelled it out as well as Alpe Du Huez for the famous hill time trial! So there is great memories watching this epic race.

I also have been working hard with my good mate Dan Peters from http://danpeters.com.au/ on a really cool little video which we are just putting the finishing touches on, I won’t talk too much about it but Dan has some serious talent and can’t wait to get it out there, so as soon as its online I will post it up.

I am conducting an info night for any SA athletes interested with the Physios from Back in Motion Campbelltown on Wednesday the 27th of July at 8pm, the night is free and will provide some great information on injury prevention and general preparation for anyone looking at running the City Bay Fun Run in a few months, so call 83645907 to book in.

Take Care.

Matty

The Australian season was a great success for me in terms of results and getting me closer to an ironman win, my last 2 ironman races have been 2nd and 2nd, so I am really looking to jump up one more place on the podium next season.

My results for the last 12 month period are as follows:

3rd Mooseman 70.3
4th Boise 70.3
6th Ironman Cour D Alene
2nd Racine 70.3
3rd Steelhead 70.3
8th Boulder 70.3
4th Cancun 70.3
5th Timberman 70.3
1st Shepparton Half Ironman
2nd Ironman Western Australia
1st South Australian Sprint Champs
1st South Australian Olympic Champs
1st Triman Half Ironman
8th Port Macquarie 70.3
2nd Busselton 70.3
1st South Australian Half Marathon Champs
2nd Ironman Challenge Cairns

As you can see it has been a crazy 12 months with 11 half ironman races and 3 ironman races, Overall I am really happy with my consistency and overall performance, now its time to set some new goals and hit them harder with an aim of stepping it up even more.

I have made the decision, well the decision was made for me essentially from my work to stay in OZ and compete in one of my favorite races Yeppoon 70.3 in August, this was my first ever half ironman win and I have not been back since so can’t wait. After Yeppoon I am heading straight over to Boulder again to prepare for either Kona or Challenge Barcelona, with some 70.3 races in between. I really want to go back and hit the Euro scene again as I love France and Spain with its great food and culture, plus a holiday after Barcelona is a good option.

I will put up a full schedule of my events once I have more of an idea but that is the skeleton schedule so far.

Overall I hope to really step it up this year and I have implemented some different tools into my training programme which I believe will help me. I have generally kept my training very consistent throughout my career with the strong belief that each year you can get stronger, as long as you stay injury free. This year though I implemented altitude training in my regime and as uncomfortable as it may be, it has helped me produce my best season ever. Plus I found it is a great time efficient training tool as you only need about an hour exposure to increase red blood cells, plus it has great benefits for your skin and general health. It is definitely worth a look if you are a time needy athlete chasing results. www.ats-altitude.com.

Hope everyone sticks it out in the winter and gets the hard yards done. Thanks a lot for all the great support as well throughout the season, I have some great sponsorship news in the pipeline which I will reveal once it has all been signed off on so stay tuned.

Also check out this interview I did with Herbert from slowtwitch here:

Matty White Interview

Take Care

Matty

Heading into T2 at Yorkeys Knob, the wind picked up, as did our pace and I noticed Berkel begin to struggle off the back in the last 5km. I actually thought Tim’s day was done as we came in to transition, I would later be proved wrong when he caught me at the 30km mark of the run! I hit T2 still 5 minutes down on Macca’s group and I had company with Challenge Wanaka winner Whyte, Hotchkiss and Dellow but, after a quick transition, I went off in hunt of the guys in front. I didn’t know what to expect from Fettell and O’Grady as it was their debut ironman and, being extremely talented athletes, they are capable of anything but, during a hot, tough ironman anything can happen. I knew it was inevitable that the fast pace on the bike would have hurt the lead guys, so for me, the key was to run a solid yet consistent pace into town and let the crowd carry me home in the last hour.
In the first 17km of my run, I hit my target pace and felt really good, I managed to pick up O’Grady at the 10km mark, followed by Fettell at around 15km, finding myself in second still about 5 minutes down on Macca. I knew Berkel was about a minute behind and was coming back after his horror last 5km on the bike, then Whyte, Dellow and Hotchkiss all vying for a piece of the huge prize money on offer. I hit the 20km mark of the run and started to feel cramps coming on even though I was running well, and as most athletes know cramps can play havoc especially after about 7 hours of racing in hot conditions! Berkel was gaining on me and I hit a little bad patch for a while. When Tim caught me at the 23km mark I let him go, I knew I was still running at a solid pace but I didn’t want to push too hard in case cramp ended my day. So I kept plugging away and concentrated on my nutrition- chugging down some SIS gels and fluids, coke, ice and anything else I could get my hands on. I started to feel better and found myself running alongside Berkel at the 30km mark! Despite being friends and training together, running with Tim is not ideal for me because I know Tim can run a fast marathon and I didn’t want to face a running race with him in the last 10km. While we were running the second lap of the three lap course together Tim asked me if it was our last lap, when I told Tim we still had one lap to go I could see the mental anguish on his face when he realised we had to run around the esplanade again. I took this opportunity to make a few surges into the headwind and finally managed to drop Tim then pick up the pace with a tailwind back into town.

At this point I was about 10min back on Macca and feeling the pain, Tim was hovering about a minute back just waiting for me to cramp up and then there was a gap to Whyte and Fettell who was having a great ironman debut. Coming into the last km in Cairns I knew I had 2nd place in the bag as I knew Tim was hurting as much as me and the crowd has an amazing effect in dispersing the pain, so I really got to soak it up and enjoy the great atmosphere of downtown Cairns, running passed all the cafes and pubs was awesome with people stacked 3 deep, and hitting the famous Challenge red carpet was something I would never forget with balloons and spectators going nuts. I crossed the line in 8.28 about 12 minutes behind Macca, Berkel tumbled across the line a minute behind me having given everything out there, Jamie Whyte came home strong in 4th and Fettell finished 5th showing everyone in no uncertain terms that he has unfinished business in ironman.

For me now its all about rest and recovery after a great 12 months on the triathlon circuit, I have made some great friends and experienced some fantastic places along the way, but without a doubt Challenge Cairns is a huge highlight of my year and an excellent way to finish off my OZ season. I feel privileged to be part of the Challenge family now and it was really great to see the way they embrace the whole family concept, allowing competitors to run down the finish shute with family members and loved ones, so a huge congratulations to the Challenge Family and USM for bringing this new event to Australia and I am sure with the worldwide exposure it is going to be even bigger and better next year.

Matty