Port Macquarie 70.3- 2nd Place

I have just spent the weekend on the NSW coastal town of Port Macquarie racing in the Ironman Asia Pacific 70.3 champs (1.9km swim/90km cycle/21km run). I have fond memories of racing there, finishing 2nd place in 2011, and have been wanting to return ever since. 

Thankfully all the stars aligned this year and I managed to get on the start line fit, healthy and ready to race. I have had a consistent block of training since Challenge Gold Coast which was in August, and was looking forward to seeing where I was at. 

Arriving on Friday evening I was welcomed by my awesome home-stay hosts, Tehya, Sonia and Darrell Nash. They went above and beyond to make sure I was settled in and had everything I needed for the weekend. I honestly can't thank them enough!  

The race kicked off for the pro women at 6.46m Sunday morning. I felt great during the swim, super relaxed and in control. I exited the water with the main pack of girls, with a few girls up the road. After putting in a solid winter of swim training & seeing improvements in the pool I was stoked to see my form transfer to the race course.

The 2 lap, 90km bike course had a bit of everything…rolling hills, short sharp climbs, flat sections and a bit of wind. It was a super solid ride and the hills sure sapped some of my energy. However, I managed to get in all of my nutrition and my Avanti Chrono Evo II TT rode like a dream, so all was good! 

I had a quick transition and exited T2 in 4th place, ready to tackle the 21km run. I felt pretty average for the first 8km or so and dropped back to 6th place at one stage. I had a brief thought that maybe today just wasn't my day. However I quickly got rid of any negative talk and worked through the rough patch. I started to feel better on the 2nd lap of the run and managed to work my way up to 2nd place. The main goal now was to stay strong and make sure I held on to that 2nd place, which thankfully I did. I was so happy to make the podium after narrowly missing out at Gold Coast a few months back. I even got to do my first podium Champagne shower!!  

Thanks once again to the Nash’s for their support and Nashyspix for race day photos. 

Thanks also to Brooks, Avanti and Gav & the crew at AvantiPlus Salisbury for the ongoing support…you guys definitely take care of me!

Well done to all the athletes who raced, the organisers, volunteers, supporters and the town of Port Macquarie for putting on such a fantastic event…I will definitely be back!

*Images courtesy of Darrell Nash- www.nashyspix.com

Challenge Gold Coast

Yesterday saw the running of the inaugural Challenge Gold Coast event. Due to consecutive days of pouring raining and resulting flooding on the bike course, the cycle leg was shortened by 50km, bringing the total race distance to 1.9km swim/40km ride/21.1km run. 

I was unsure how this race would pan out for me as I have had a bit of an inconsistent prep over the past few months. Low iron levels & subsequent fatigue, combined with a hectic study load at Uni has made it difficult to put together a solid block of training. However, I knew that if I kept a positive mind leading up to, and during the race then I would be able to get the best out of myself.

After having a pretty chilled out Saturday, race morning rolled around and we woke to yet again pouring rain. I’d much rather race in cooler, wet weather than stinking hot so I was pretty happy.

The 1.9km swim in chilly 16 degree water was pleasantly uneventful and I exited the water amongst the main bunch of girls, with a few girls up the road. The undulating out and back bike course was awesome. I loved being out there & my Avanti Chrono Evo TT rode like a dream. 

Coming into T2 I had no idea what placing I was in, but after a few km into the run I figured I was most likely sitting in 3rd. The first 14km felt great and I was holding about 4:05min/km and was feeling pretty decent. From then on though it started to become a battle of just making it to the finish. The lack of run miles in training was catching up with me and I was beginning to cramp up, which was frustrating considering I was mentally going strong. The last 500m was a bit of a blur. I felt like I was putting in the biggest sprint, but obviously my legs weren't taking me anywhere as I got passed in the last 100m. I would hate to have seen my form in those last 100m!

Fourth place is always a bitter-sweet result. However, I have to be happy considering this was far above my expectations leading into the race and I got every last bit out of myself & had fun (until the final km!), which was all I wanted to do.

Thanks to all the volunteers, supporters & the team at Challenge GC for putting on a great event & keeping us all safe out there is trying conditions. I will definitely be back next year.

Big thanks to Gav and the team at Avanti Plus Salisbury for prepping my Avanti bike for me & to Brooks for the ongoing support in keeping my feet happy. Also shout-out to Craig and the crew at Unley Swim Squad for taking me in this year, it’s been great to have a solid swim squad to train with while in SA; & to my cycling buddies for the rad times in the hills of Adelaide.

All going to plan the next race for me is Port Mac 70.3 in October which is one of my faves so I'm looking forward to that. For now it's back to the books...as well as a bit of recovery time.

Cheers,

Maddie

*images courtesy of witsup.com

Silver Sands Multisport Festival- 1st Female

This weekend saw the running of the inaugural Silver Sands Multisport Festival. The weekend-long event was held in the coastal town of Aldinga, about an hours drive from Adelaide. After having a few weeks break after Challenge Melbourne, it was time to get back into some structured training, and this event fitted in perfectly. 

On paper the weekend looked fairly simple- 10km run on Saturday morning, 2km swim on Saturday afternoon and then an Olympic Distance Triathlon on Sunday. However come Sunday morning, I was definitely feeling the effects of the previous days racing and was wondering what I had got myself into! I managed to put together a good weekend of consistent racing though, finishing first place in all three events and took out the overall Festival award, jointly with the Male Open winner. The Adelaide Triathlon Club put on a great weekend of racing. The volunteers were amazing and the support out on course was great. I will definitely be back again next year!

I have been in Adelaide for 6 weeks now, and have been loving it so far. The riding is amazing...10 minutes from the front door and I'm in the heart of the Adelaide hills, 30 minutes the other direction and I'm riding along the foreshore. The running is great too...endless trails and paths to explore. I have also managed to hook up with some of the local run and bike groups, and have recently began a partnership with AvantiPlus Sailsbury. All in all, so far so good! 

The trusty stead- Avanti Chrono Evo II TT

Festival Podium 

Olympic Distance Podium

Perfect weather for racing

Mason (no. 1 cousin & supporter!) and I

Brooks | Avanti |AvantiPlus Sailsbury | Giro | Salice | Selle SMP

Challenge Melbourne- 4th place

Yesterday saw the running of the inaugural Challenge Melbourne event. The half distance (1.9/90/21) race was held in Brighton, Victoria. The talk leading up to the event was focused on the predicted 41 degree temperature. Supersprint did a fantastic job to inform all conpetitors of the contingencies that would be put in place on race day to cope with the extreme heat. Being a lover of cold weather and knowing that I don't have a great track record in the heat, I was a little apprehensive about the day but knew I just had to focus on what I could control.

The race kicked off at 6.30am when we entered the pristine bay water. The small but talented field provided fantastic competition for the day. To be lining up against the likes of Steffen and Luxford was exciting. I had a solid swim, exiting the water in 4th. I had a quick transition and got out onto the bike in 3rd. I managed to hold this position for the first 20km however I soon realised my bike legs weren't coming to the party. Unfortunately I dropped back a few places over the remaing 80km but tried to hold my focus and conserve as much energy as I could for the upcoming hot 21km run.

Going out onto the run course in 7th I knew it would be tough to reach my goal of a top 5 finish, however I managed to pace myself well and moved up into 4th in the closing 3km. Crossing the finish line in 4th was a relief and I was definitely happy to have that day over!

Congratulations to all the other competitors for toughing it out during a hard day of racing. Thank you to all the volunteers and supporters and to Supersrpint for putting on such a fantastic event.

For now it's time for a few weeks break. I have been racing since August so it is time to let the body recover before hitting a few races at the end of the season.

Thanks for reading.

Avanti | AvantiPlus Brunswick | Brooks | Giro | Selle SMP

Gatorade Tri Series Race #2- 1st Place Elite Female

Yesterday saw the running of Race #2 of the 2013/14 Gatorade Triathlon Series. The Olympic Distance race was held for the first time in St Kilda. It was a great venue to host such an event, with a sheltered 1500m swim in the marina, 3 lap 40km bike course along Beach Rd and 2 lap 10km run along the Esplanade.

I have just come off a solid three weeks of training, involving many bike miles through the hills in Tassie, followed by some time up at Falls Creek. I have been feeling fitter and stronger each week, so I was keen to build on last month's 2nd at Canberra 70.3 and get in a solid hit-out before Challenge Melbourne which is in three weeks time.

My race went pretty much to plan. I was a little further down on the swim than I would've like, however with some solid bike km's in my legs and my new Avanti Corsa road bike, I managed to peg back the leaders within the first 5km of the cycle. From there we worked well together as a group of three and put some time into the chase girls. I had a quick bike to run transition and exited T2 in 1st place. I managed to build on my lead throughout the run, putting a little over three minutes into the chase girls, and crossed the finish line in 1st place Elite Female.

Congratulations to all of the other competitors and thank you to SuperSprint and the volunteers for putting on such a great event. 

Avanti | AvantiPlus Brunswick | Giro | Brooks Australia | Selle SMP

*Photo courtesy of Steve Lingard

Canberra 70.3- 2nd place

Canberra 70.3 was not part of my original plan for racing in 2013. Since my last few 70.3's have been hampered by the dreaded flu, I was keen to add another race to my calendar to see what I could achieve racing healthy. Canberra fitted in nicely, and so it was off to the nation's capital for a nice little hit out.

Whilst the pro female field was relatively small, it was not my final placing that I was focusing on. My main aim for the race was to get my zip back that has been lacking in my last handful of 70.3 races. If I could get that feeling back, then I knew I would put together a good race.

The race began with a nice 1.9km swim in Lake Burley Griffin. I felt pretty off during the swim but tried to remain positive and focus on staying present rather than letting my mind wander. I exited the swim in 4th place and jumped on my Avanti Chrono Evo TT ready to tackle the hilly 3 lap bike course. If there's one thing I do love, it's hilly bike courses. My aim for the ride was to work the uphills, recover a little on the downhills and push hard on the flats, all while keeping the lap times relatively consistent. I managed to achieve this aim and entered T2 in 2nd place.

Next it was out onto the 3 lap 21.1km run along the lakes edge. Coming off the hard bike I wasn't too sure how my legs would be feeling, however I often run better after a hard ride, so I was confident the run was going to go well. My goal for the run was to hold 4.15min/km's. I have been able to achieve this in training, however have struggled to transfer it to the race track for quite sometime. Thankfully it all came together and my Brooks Racer ST 5's propelled me to 4.11min/km average pace and my second quickest run over the distance.

I crossed the line in 2nd place pro female and with a huge sigh of relief. As previously mentioned, it was not the placing I was chasing, it was getting back that feeling of racing that I love. Of being able to push myself and be in a world of hurt, yet still loving every minute of it. That was my main goal for the race and I'm stoked that I achieved it. 

Congratulations to all other competitors and to Bek Keat for the 1st place. Thank you to Tri-X Events, the volunteers and all of the support out on course, including the best supporters in big sis Laura and Dad. Also, a big thanks to longtime mentor and mate Sean Foster, for his help over the past few months, appreciate it a lot.

For now it's time for a few weeks of festive cheer before getting back into training in preparation for Challenge Melbourne in February.

Thanks for reading :)

Avanti | AvantiPlus Brunswick | Giro | Brooks Australia | Selle SMP

Mandruah 70.3

The Australian Pro 70.3 Championships were held in Mandurah, WA over the weekend. I had targeted this race as an "A" race and was really keen put in a good performance and build on my 1st place at the Victorian Olympic Distance Championships two weeks prior. However unfortunaltey I came down with a chest cold a few days prior to the race and was fighting a loosing battle to recover in time. I tried to convince myself I'd be fine to race, however once out on the course it was a real battle and I was up against it all day. Looking back, the smartest decision would've been to DNS, but that's the beauty of hindsight I suppose! Despite my mediocre performance, I'm still proud of finishing the race and came away with 9th place pro female.

Mandurah was great location for a 70.3 and the organizers and volunteers did an amazing job to host such an event. Congratulations to all the other competitors for toughing it out in some of the hottest racing conditions I've ever experienced. Big thanks to number 1 supporter, Mum, for travelling with me and cheering me on!

For now it's time to get this body right before tackling Canberra 70.3 next month.

Thanks for reading :)

Avanti | AvantiPlus Brunswick | Giro | Brooks Australia | Selle SMP