Anaconda Forster Day 2
It was an absolute bonus going into day 2 with a 10min lead but anything can happen in adventure racing and there was no way I was going to get complacent. After collecting all our gear from transitions on day 1, Lisa booked Karl and I in for a massage and started carbo loading for day 2. I was feeling 99% better than I did after the New Zealand event thanks mainly to the flatter terrain and my body now being use to the punishment. While day 1 covered approx 50kms over the 4 stages, day 2 was a big one covering over 65kms with 20kms of that being running. The added complexity was the fact that it was going to be sunny and 27 degrees meaning nutrition and hydration were going to be key factors.
Day 2 started with a 2.5km swim in another spectacular location famous for its surf breaks and rolling swell and today didn’t disappoint. I made it out through the first set of breakers and slowly established a rhythm sitting behind “Maxi”, one of the Bondi Surf Lifesavers. The swim was broken up mid-way with a quick run around some flags on the beach and back through the pounding surf for round two. I clambered out of the water in about 10th position overall and first out of the individual competitors.
On to the run leg which started with a fairly nasty ascent before some beach running and finally hitting some flatter 4wd tracks for the majority. About halfway through the run I had worked my way into 4th position overall and was feeling pretty good. I knew the dreaded paddle leg was last and wanted to make sure I had the biggest lead possible before everyone started chasing me down in the dying stages. Then the worst possible thing happened and I was left panicking and wondering if I would even finish the race. The run leg had ascended up onto a ridge line and the track was now almost invisible, the only way to pick the right path was following small bits of white tape marked on trees about 30m apart and hoping the next piece was just ahead.
The tape ran out and I was left by myself on the top of a heavily wooded ridge with no idea where to go. Firstly I listened for footsteps hoping someone was close that I could follow but no luck. The only thing I could hear was birds and the low droning sound of cars going down a nearby highway. That was my only hope so I descended down off the ridge heading for the sounds of cars and bush bashing my way through thick scrub. After what seemed like eternity I emerged out on a small gravel track and found other runners going past in their Anaconda bibs. Phew, I had made it back on track but how much time had I lost and was I still in the lead.
Not long after I ran into transition where Lisa and Kelly where waiting and cheering. They quickly briefed me on my position before I departed but I had lost almost 8mins and 2nd place was now right on my tail. I rode hard trying to make up lost ground but it was a long stage and I didn’t want to fade early and before long I found myself riding with 2nd place individual Rob Preston from Victoria. We traded the lead on numerous occasions and it was good to have someone else within sight to keep me focused on the task and working hard. The mountain bike covered 30km’s of mostly undulating terrain with nothing too technical or steep and I was thankful to step off the bike in a relatively good position.
Onto the paddle leg with comprised 13.5kms of shallow lakes that were dotted with small islands and streams going nowhere. At one point early in the paddle we could see our destination but were forced to paddle in the opposite direction so as to make the paddle that little bit longer. I started out quite strong and quickly established a lead over 2nd place but I had no idea where I was going and often thought about waiting so that I could follow someone who did know the way. I plodded on and fumbled my way around the lakes taking the odd wrong turn or two before realizing the stream went nowhere and I turned around to get back on track. After what seemed like eternity I reached the Forster Bridge which I thought had to be the finish line.
My arse was now killing me and all I could think about was getting out of the boat but there were no flags or markers anywhere. I paddled under the bridge and started heading towards the marina before a group of team runners started yelling at me from shore telling me I had gone the wrong way and the finish was back on the other side of the bridge. Now really annoyed, I turned around to look for the finish line which was still 3kms away. Thankfully no one had caught me yet but I could see a group of 3 boats chasing me down and there was no way I was going to settle for 2nd place on day 2. I finally made it to the end of the paddle with my legs now completely numb after sitting down for almost 1.5hrs.
The final leg was a 3km run to the finish where I struggled all the way but managed to hold off some fast finishing individuals to cross the line just 30sec ahead of second place. Grant Suckling had a tough day at the office and while he crossed the line in 5th place he managed to hang onto his 2nd place overall for the weekend. The win on day 2 meant I had established an 18min lead and was now the most comfortable win of the series. We all enjoyed the Forster hospitality after the race and once again it was a pleasure visiting this spectacular part of our country.
For me, I am now on a 6 month break from all training and racing as Lisa and I head overseas for a round the world trip. We will be traveling without our bikes for a change and experiencing culture, food and amazing experiences as we make our way through the U.S, Canada, Europe and Dubai. Thanks to everyone who has read the blog over the past year and I look forward to continuing on our return in October. Although I think there will be a little less winning and a lot more getting fit.
Seano
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Anaconda Forster Race Report (Day 1)
After winning New Zealand last weekend and the Forster race being only 6 days later i had some serious recovering to do. Winning NZ was an absolute highlight for me as it meant i had wrapped up the series and could now relax going into the last race. What i really wanted though was to finish the series on a high in Forster as it would be my last race for at least 6 months.
I stayed on in New Zealand for a few extra days to do a bit of sight seeing and it proved to be a good idea as both Karl and i were in no state to travel. The hills in the race really took their toll and we both spent the week hobbling around like a pair of geriatric cripples. We did however venture north along the Coromandal Peninsula to check out some of New Zealands spectacular scenery and some friendly local from Waihi took me out for a “recovery” mountain bike ride on the Tuesday.
What they didn’t tell me was that we were going to ride up one of the biggest mountains in the area at 500m which took us a little over 2hrs to do. Before descending back down in 20mins. It was by far the most amazing mountain bike ride i have ever done but i don’t know how much it helped my recovery.
Anyway, we flew into Sydney on Wednesday night where i met my lovely wife at the airport and stayed overnight in Sydney before the long drive up to Forster on Thursday. We organised a Tarago van for our bikes, little baby Jade and the four of us and we didn’t have 1cm of space left after packing it to the roof. The trip took us 4hrs and we arrived at our house right on the edge of Smiths Lake. The girls quickly went about booking facials, manicures and pedicures while us boys put the bikes together and tried to ride some of the course. With 2 days of racing it was near impossible to know the whole course so we relied heavily on the maps and tried to see as much of the day 1 course as we could.
By Friday the legs were finally feeling good after New Zealand and i was starting to think the NZ race was beneficial after all. While it did trash our bodies, they were now use to the pain and anything we threw at them over the Forster weekend would be insignificant compared to what they dealt with last weekend. After all, the Forster course was relatively flat so how hard could it be!
The race started on Saturday morning with the team run up first which consisted of a 3km sprint in our wetsuits from the Forster main beach around the headlands to 1 Mile Beach. I lead the run for the first 2km’s before Brad Bevan took the lead and went sprinting up the final few hills. I came in 3rd but hit the water in 2nd place while the teams sorted out their race bibs. The swim was absolutely spectacular as we rounded the headlands and made our way back to Forsters main beach approx. 2.4kms in total. This was broken into 2 parts as we had to run out of the water and up some steps before re-entering and finishing off the last 500m. I had a great swim and exited the water in 2nd place behind Guy Leach.
Onto the paddle and the leg i dread most. Straight away i was passed by 3 teams but my goal was to remain in front of Grant Suckling who usually puts about 6mins into me during the paddle leg. The conditions were quite tricky with some big rolling swell and a lot of back-wash bouncing of the rocks as we made our way south along the coast. The teams continued to paddle past but i was surprised that by the halfway point no individuals had caught me yet,surely they weren’t far away. Then it happened, 2 older guys racing in the vets category went flying past and all i could hope was that they couldn’t ride or run. Thankfully still no sign of Grant at this point so i was pretty safe but i still had some work to do.
The paddle finished on a local surf beach and today the surf was up which made for some pretty good spectating. I caught 1 wave most of the way in but peeled off just before it dumped me. The second time i wasn’t so lucky as i was just 10m from the beach when a shore dumper picked me up and flipped me over before i knew what was going on. I managed to re-surface thanks to my life jacket but was missing my helmet and boat.
I entered T3 in approximately 10th position overall and 3rd solo but it didn’t take long before i wound in the first solo. At this point the rain was absolutely belting down and the mud flicking up from the track made seeing where we were going almost impossible. The ride started out flat around a lake before heading into the hills. Some of the descents were a bit hairy due to the washouts caused by the rain but thankfully i managed my way through it unscathed and hit the final run in 4th place overall and 1st individual.
It was the run that i really started to feel good as i managed to get into a nice tempo on some of the flatter sections. We had a nice treat early on as we passed by our house where Lisa and Kelly where cheering out the front then we paddled across the lake on surfboards before resuming the run on the other side.
I crossed the line feeling pretty good on day 1 with plenty in reserve to do it all again on day 2. The final margin was a little over 10mins before 2nd place Grant Suckling came across the line which gave me some good breathing space going into day 2.
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Anaconda NZ Race Report
After arriving in New Zealand last Thursday things have been slightly hectic but i am relieved to be travelling with Karl Thorstensen who is originally from NZ and has some handy local knowledge. Karl and his wife Kelly were at the airport waiting for me even though my plane was delayed 6hrs and had already picked up my ski ready for the race. We travelled 2.5hrs south to Waihi where the race was being held and on Friday the day before the race we went out for a paddle to test the boats out. It was here that i realised my boat wasn’t going to be ideal and i spent the whole time trying to stay in it rather than paddling forward.
I learnt to paddle in a particularly tippy boat so i should be accustomed to it now but this boat was something else and with rudder problems as well it didn’t make things any easier. I quickly contacted the race organiser but all their boats were already hired out and he put me on to a friendly local who drove me an hour down south to a kayak shop to look for a back-up. All we could find was a plastic sea kayak weighing in at approx 50kg. The decision was now paddle a tippy boat and spend a fair bit of time in the water or go the safe option in the unsinkable barge that would add over 30mins to my time. I didn’t want to think about it as both options would certainly mean i couldn’t win this race so i shut it out of my mind and thought about the other legs.
Running out of time we didn’t get to practice on the run course but just looking at the headlands along the coastline you could see it was going to be an epic run with a large amount of climbing and descending and some amazing views. We did however get to experience the first 5km’s of the mountain bike course and it too was a ripper. A brilliant descent through rolling green paddocks before a long 1km climb up a steep ascent. This course had everything and apart from the paddle i was very excited to really give it a crack. If i won it would mean the series is wrapped up and i could go into Forster next weekend feeling quite relaxed. If i lost i had a heap of work to do in Forster and a whole heap of pressure on my shoulders. I didn’t want that!
At 8pm on Friday night the briefing was held and i bumped into Rapid Ascent director John Jacoby who heard about my boat predicament and found a local kiwi who came to my aid. He too was doing the race but had a spare boat that was far better than the 2 boats i currently had at my disposal, A Honcho. I felt a huge wave of relief and suddenly i was back in the race.
The swim started in a protected estuary that had some huge tidal currents running through it and while we were able to wade for a good 200m out it suddenly dropped away to a staggering depth of 97m and Orca sightings were not uncommon. Thankfully not today! I had a reasonable swim, beaten out of the water by a NZ superfish but coming in 2nd overall and holding a 1:45sec lead over the next individual (Grant Suckling). Grant has been my nemisis all season and improved his weaknesses out of site this season while all the time maintaining his strengths making him a formidable opponent.
The paddle made it’s way out through the estuary and into the ocean where we followed the coastline North for approx 10km’s before turning into a small beach break where we started the run. The paddle seemed to take forever and i was passed straight away by Grant then another kiwi doing solo and about 10 team competitors. Things weren’t going so well but i had to limit the loss and keep plugging away. Grant managed to hit the run almost 5mins clear and the other kiwi was 3mins up the road before i was able to slip on the running shoes.
Things weren’t looking good but finally i was running and ready to claw back some lost ground. The run was absolutely spectacular, climbing 200 vertical metres over coastal headlands before descending back down onto protected beaches below. At some points you were ducking through lush rain forest, the next minute you were hugging a cliff face on a 50cm ledge perched 200m over the ocean. This was by far the most amazing run i had ever done. I knew we finished with an epic climb that ascended 2km’s from the ocean up to the mountain bike transition but i was leaving nothing in the tank. I had reached this point and still could not see the two other solo competitors ahead of me. I punished myself up this hill and passed the kiwi copetitor halfway up but was getting increasingly concerned that i still had not seen Grant. I hit the Mountain Bike i started the final leg in 2nd position.
At this point i wasn’t feeling very confident as Grant is a great cyclist but i wasn’t about to give up. I hammered along for the next 5km’s until my left leg gave up and was completely overwhelmed with cramp. No, i thought, this was the end of my race and could be walking the next 20km’s to the finish. I took that leg out of the pedal and rode 1 legged for the next kilometre. It was then that i looked up the next climb to see Grant only 400m ahead and doing the same thing. I couldn’t believe my luck but that run course had certainly taken it’s toll. The cramp slowly subsided and i was able to ride normal again but how long would it last. I passed Grant at the top of the climb and knew i had to keep working hard if i wanted to stay in front.
The next 10km’s was torture as the cramps kept coming back in waves and then to my horror Grant came up behind me just as i was climbing over a fenceline. This race wasn’t won yet and we still had 5km’s to ride. I sprinted away for the second time and didn’t look back. I was on the home straight as we were coming into town and knew that if i could enter the last transition with Grant i had a good chance of winning.
I did exactly that, hitting the final transition with a 30sec lead and headed out on the last 2km run. I just prayed the cramps would stay away. The final run was spectacular, looping around the outside rim of an open cut mine over 200m deep. I came across that finish line so relieved that i had won and Grant was less than 2min behind. The kiwi’s were amazing in their support and the local town and media were behind the event all the way.
I am absolutely stoked to have been involved in this series this year and although i am feeling battered and bruised i’m looking forward to seeing Lisa in Sydney in a few days and heading up to tackle the last race in Forster this weekend. Thanks for all the support on Facebook and hopefully i can report back with more great news next week after Forster.
Seano
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Last Day of Work
On Friday 16th April i completed my last day of work for almost 6 months and what a great feeling it was. I have been working for the FAST Joint Venture for the past 12 months and with Calibre Projects before that and while i have had my fair share of holidays i have never been away from work for more than 2.5 weeks. The crew at work gave me a great send-off and i’m looking forward to staying in touch while i’m away and catching up on my return.
So, you are probably wondering what Lisa and i are up to and why i’m not working for the next 6 months. Don’t worry, i haven’t turned professional and i have no plans to start training/racing full time. Lisa and I have been planning a round the world trip for the past 12 months which all started to come together when we sold our house late last year. Everything else has been geared towards getting ready for the trip and saving our butts off as not working for 6 months is going to seriously hurt the bank balance.
We depart for Los Angeles on the 14th May to start our road trip up the West Coast of the U.S. travelling all the way up to Vancouver and visiting places like Las Vegas, Yosemite National Park, San Francisco, Yellowstone National Park, Seattle, Whistler and Banff to name a few along the way. Next stop is New York for 2 weeks before heading to Paris to catch the end of the Tour de France. Once in Europe we haven’t quite worked out what we are going to do but some of the countries on the top of our list are France, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Germany, Spain, UK and possibly Sweden. We have 3 months and a car so we will see how far we get but we have started a map that you can view at any time to follow our adventure at:
If anyone is overseas and wants to catch-up anywhere be sure to check Facebook and send us a message and we will try to meet up somewhere. Lisa is also preparing a travel blog website which she will update regularly and we will load all our photo’s. As soon as this is up and running and will post the link.
In the meantime it is business as usual for me on the training and racing front as i have 2 Anaconda Races to complete before we head off. These will in fact be my last races for a while so i will be making the most of it and putting it all on the line. The last week i have been slowly winding down the training in preparation for NZ Anaconda to be held on Saturday 24/04. I will be up against arch rival Grant Suckling once again and there will be plenty of competition from the local kiwis. The very next weekend is Anaconda Forster which is held over 2 days so i have some serious recovery work to do to make sure i’m in good shape. I need to win at least one of these races to take out the Anaconda Series but you can check out the latest results at;
http://www.rapidascent.com.au/asp/AnacondaEventChooser.aspx
While i have been struggling at training over the last 4 weeks or so i think a good taper before the New Zealand race will put me in good shape and in much better condition than the previous races this year. I have been consistant with all legs in training and very pleased with how the paddling has been coming along. Hopefully this will carry me through and fingers crossed all goes well on the day. I will update the blog next week with a race report and hopefully i have good news for you all.
SeanO
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Anaconda Training – Going Well
After finishing the local triathlon season 3 weeks ago on a high i have been focusing all of my efforts on Adventure training. Anaconda New Zealand is now only 3 weeks away and i am in the most important part of my training phase leading into the race. Thankfully i have some pretty good fitness at the moment so it is just a matter of honing the technical skills on the mountain bike, working on my paddling weakness and putting it all together.
With a fairly large contingent of West Aussies travelling interstate and overseas to do the last 2 Anaconda races it is a perfect opportunity to catch up and do some training together over the Easter weekend. Also, it beats riding down the freeway! So anyway, here is a sample of our training plan over the Easter Long Weekend;
Friday 2nd April – City Beach Carpark
6:30am – Swim 4 laps between the City Beach groins totalling 2km’s
7:00am – Paddle to Cottesloe groin and back (approx 13km’s)
> quick change and food stop
8:30am – Run one lap of the Zamia trail around Bold Park (approx finish 9:30am – 10am)
Coffee at City Beach Café next to Oceanus
Saturday 3rd April – Coles Carpark Kalamunda
6:30am – Run from Coles carpark in Kalamunda along Bibbulman track for 30min then return
> quick change and food stop
7:45am – Mountain Bike from Kalamunda around Pickering Brook loop (approx 2.5 – 3hrs)
Coffee at The Merchant in Kalamunda
Sunday 4th April – Cottesloe Main Carpark
6:30am – Run from Cottesloe carpark along beach to Leighton then through Mosman Park hills (approx 16kms).
Coffee and Easter eggs at any cafe that is open.
8:30am – Paddle from Cottesloe heading north for 9km’s then return (this may become a downwind paddle in the arvo instead – TBC).
Monday 5th April – Pickering Brook General Store
7:00am – Mountain Bike from Pickering Brook General Store for 2hrs
9:00am – Run off the bike for 30mins
Ice coffee and meat pies from Pickering Brook General Store afterwards.
I hope everyone has a great Easter, stay safe and i will be back next week to let you know how it all went.
SeanO
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Champion Lakes Race Report
After a relatively easy week on the training track and the loan of some race wheels from a friend James Roberts i went in to todays race feeling pretty good. I have been feeling a bit average over the past few weeks trying to train for Anaconda and it feels like my body is just never recovering but today was a good sign. I got to have a sleep in for a change as they started our race at 9:30am and i was very thankful after a long day of helping my folks move house on Saturday.
The Champion Lakes race is unique in that Trievents have introduced a draft legal concept for the Open competitors making it very tactical and different from our usual hit-outs. Those with strong running legs need to have a good bike to be in a good position and those with a strong bike leg need to make some moves and create a gap before the run. Today’s conditions were perfect with no wind but the heat was a factor and proved tough by the end of the run.
I started the swim in a good position but Ben Lyons flew out of the gate and opened up a convincing lead before we even hit the first turning can. I was happy to be swimming alongside James Lewin and feeling very comfortable but i could feel the occasional tap on the feet and knew there were others close behind. At the halfway mark i decided to put in a surge and tried to continue all the way to the finish which managed to break up the field slightly.
James Lewin was by my side as we hit transition 1 and we set out on the bike course knowing that we had to work hard to hold off the likes of other strong runners in Paul Mackay and Lajos Varga. James worked extremely well and we consistently swapped turns at the front to make sure the pace remained as high as possible. After 2 laps i knew we had opened up a convincing lead and now we just had to maintain it with Brynt McSwain helping the chase group behind us. As we started the last lap i tried desperately to drop James but my attempt failed and we both cruised around for the remainder of the lap to ensure we hit the run feeling pretty good.
James had a great run down at Albany so he was always going to be hard to beat and today proved no different. I had a great transition and left with a 10m advantage but it wasn’t long before James had closed the gap and was literally breathing down my neck. We had 5×1km laps to complete and it was at the end of the 3rd lap that i tried a slight surge which proved just enough to creat a gap. I then worked hard for the next 2kms to keep the gap and extend it if possible. To James’ credit he hung in there to finish only 10sec behind and never let me back off the pace at any stage.
Once again it was a great race put on by Trievents and the crowd support was amazing with a few hundred people cheering us on every lap. I was extremely fortunate to have Lisa my biggest supporter (and loudest Cheerer), Sue and my Mum and Dad all down to watch the race. Lisa and Sue had made it part of their long training ride in preparation for the half and still had to ride home in the heat after we were done. I sometimes think she is training harder than me so i better get my act together if i want to do well at Anaconda.
So that race pretty much wraps up another triathlon season for me and probably my most successful one ever. I was fortunate enough to represent Australia at the Long Course World Champs and have since won all 6 triathlons i have entered throughout the remainder of the season. I couldn’t be any happier with the results and now i just have one more target in sight, to win the Anaconda Adventure Race Series!
I have just under 5 weeks now until i depart for New Zealand Anaconda then it’s straight back to Forster the very next weekend for the final race. My paddling is slowly coming along and i just need to make sure my body remains injury free over the remaining weeks. Thankfully i now have the support of a very experienced Sports Occupational Therapist at Langer Chiropractic who is going to sort out all my weaknesses and inefficiencies and make sure i am in top shape over the coming weeks. I have never used an Occupational Therapist before as i usually visit Physios and Chiros but so far it is working and the results are very promising. Stay tuned and i will let you know how it all goes along with the training in the lead up to Anaconda.
Seano
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Albany Race Report
It’s always good to get away for a long weekend and Albany was the perfect place with the hot weather up in Perth. You are guaranteed not to get hot weather down in that part of the world but the wind is another story. We set off on the long drive Saturday morning after a quick paddle and arrived at Pelicans resort in Middleton Beach just after 2pm. We stayed with a great crew from Stadium Tri Club in Tiffany & Brendan, Owen (Spider) and Amy and spent the rest of the afternoon putting our bikes together and going for an easy ride. Annie Brinkworth called that evening and had us all worried that the race may be turned into a Duathlon due to the rough seas.
Sunday morning we all arrived with anticipation to see what the race director had decided and thankfully the swim was still on. There were a few of the usual suspects missing with Lajos, Kenji, Troy and Paul not making the journey down but James Lewin and Brynt McSwain brought their A game and would make for a tough race.
The swim was rough and after getting a fairly good start James quickly flew past and proceeded to swim off into the distance. I struggled around the 1500m course on my lonesome trying to dodge the occassional age group athlete before i was kicked square in the face and almost lost my goggles. A quick adjustment and some backstroke had me back on track and i exited the water about 45seconds down on James. I could just see him in the distance but it seemed to take ages to reel him in on the bike and i finally did so at about the 8km mark.
There was a bit of a climb just after the first turnaround so i used this to attack and establish a slight gap on James. Unfortunately the legs weren’t feeling as good as expected and he quickly wound me back in on the next downhill. I continued to ride hard knowing the Brynt would be chasing us down and couldn’t afford too much cat and mouse at this stage but my next mistake came at the halfway mark of the bike. I missed the turnaround point and continued down the road for 100m before Katrina’s dad (Doug) thankfully pointed me in the right direction. In the meantime James was back in front and i had another 200m gap to close in order to catch him. This time i cought him and waited for the next decent climb before making my final attack. It worked and i managed to hold him off for the next 15km’s back to transition were i entered with a 20sec lead. Brynt had another excellent bike and managed to close a 2min gap, hitting the final run just 10sec behind James.
I hit the run a bit worried that James might be too close and would close the gap after improving his run so much lately. I wasn’t feeling great in the first few kilometres either and my concern was justified when i turned at the 2.5km mark and found James just 50m behind. I tried to pick up the pace but it wasn’t until the 5km mark that i started to feel comfortable and really hit my stride. Thankfully it was enough to hold James off and i crossed the line with a slender 22sec lead to win the race and wrap up the TWA series. Brynt cruised home in 3rd place and i think everyone that finished this race did a great job in such tough conditions. Lisa was absolutely stoked with 1st place in her age group and both Owen and Brendan who were staying with us posted great times for their first ever Olympic Distance race.
Thanks to Albany Tri Club for putting on such a great event on what would be the second best course in WA after Karri Valley. I have just two sprint races left for the season but my focus now turns to serious Anaconda training with just 8 weeks to go until Anaconda New Zealand. I will hopefully see everyone down at Champion Lakes for the draft legal triathlon where i will have my work cut out to beat some of the juniors in their pet event.
Seano
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Mid Season Update
Firstly i must apologise for being so slack over the last 6-8 weeks and not blogging as much as i should be. I figured there wouldn’t be a huge following affected by this and those that do read the blog would be far more interested in Lisa’s stories than mine. But since i put my name on the website i thought i better say something and give you a rundown on the season so far. I started this season with high expectations knowing that I had trained through winter and there was no honeymoon to disrupt training (just kidding, I would much rather be on honeymoon than training). My goal this year was to race the complete Anaconda series, finishing on the podium in each event and winning at least 1 race. As for Triathlon, I am hoping for another Triathlete of the Year Award which means winning a few of the State Series races. Unfortunately the Busselton Half Ironman clashes with the final race in the Anaconda series so I am going to have to give it a miss for the first time in 7 years but I’m hoping some good results in the rest of the series races will get me across the line for Triathlete of the Year.
Race number 1 on the Gold Coast was a shock to the system as I had 2 weeks to cram some paddling training in and I certainly paid the price. My swim was good and I led the individuals out of the water but it didn’t take long for the paddlers to go flying past. By the end of the paddle leg I was 15mins down on the leader with a lot of work to do. The run starts out deceivingly flat but the last 5kms involve an almost vertical ascent before descending down the other side. Thankfully this took its toll and I worked my way into 3rd position but still 5mins down on the race leader. I rode as hard as possible but it wasn’t until the final 2kms of the bike leg that I caught the leader and managed to take the win by a narrow margin. Goal number 1 complete!
Race number 2 of the Anaconda series was on home soil down in Augusta and with the biggest field of any adventure race in the world it was going to be huge. The race didn’t disappoint and after winning the first race I was feeling confident for this one. The format was slightly different, starting with the run first followed by a very cold swim in the Southern Ocean. I felt really good on the run and came in 1sec behind the race leader but opting not to use the wetsuit in fear it would take me too long to put on. I still don’t know if this was the best decision as I got bloody cold out there but I exited with a 5min lead. Onto the paddle leg and this time I had a half decent paddle only losing 5mins to the faster paddlers rather than 15mins at the Gold Coast. This gave me a handy lead of 6mins going into the final mountain bike stage and I managed to hold on for my second win of the series. This would have to be the most satisfying win of my career to date and being in front of a home crowd made it even more enjoyable.
Race number 3 was 4 weeks later held over in Lorne, Victoria down on the Great Ocean Road. This would have to be the most scenic course and probably my favourite to date but it ended up being my undoing. Luke Bell from Ironman had entered this race and was always going to make things interesting but it was the local Grant Suckling who was the one to watch. Grant had finished 3rd and 2nd in the previous 2 races and was now on home soil to extract revenge. Luke Bell led the swim but I managed to catch him in the first transition and once on the ski I was able to build my lead. This was short lived as the flying Grant passed me about halfway through the paddle and managed to build a 3min buffer before hitting the run. The run was technical and hilly and again I caught and passed Grant about halfway though regaining the race lead and entering the transition with a 3min lead. The final leg was a technical mountain bike ride which involved 12kms of ascending through the Otway ranges before turning and heading back down again. I might have gone too hard on the run as I just couldn’t get my legs to fire on the bike but I was hoping the 3min lead would be enough. Unfortunately it wasn’t and Grant being such a strong rider caught me with about 1km to go. Normally I would never let anyone get away from me so late in the race but the technical downhill caught me out and I went over the handlebars on 4 separate occasions. Finally regaining my composure at the bottom of the hill, I was too late as Grant amazingly stayed on his bike the whole way down and was now out of site and nearly at the finish line. I tried desperately to catch him over the final 1km beach run but to his credit he took the win in front of his own home crowd this time.
I returned home a little disappointed but still thankful I was leading the series and now had the triathlon season to shift my focus for a while. I spent the next 2 weeks working on my speed as the Rockingham State Sprint Champs was my first race. Unfortunately I didn’t quite get my run up to the level I need to but the swim went well and the bike leg made up for the Lorne result. The bike ultimately set me up to win the race and thankfully Kenji went easy on me in the final kilometre of the run. Taking out the win at Rockingham has meant I am now on track for my second goal to win Traithlete of the Year but I still need a few more good results to make that happen. Training has been going quite well and although the aquathlon format doesn’t suit me too well I was able to secure second place behind Paul Mackay. My next race will be the State Olympic Distance Champs in Perth then I am looking forward to travelling down south for the 2 country races in Karri Valley and Albany.
Karri Valley is a favourite of mine with the hilly bike course and i need to do well in Perth being a state champs and double pointer race. My running has been improving since Rockingham in December and i just hope my bike remains as strong as it did in that race. One thing i have had to adjust with my training is swapping 2 of my swim sessions each week with paddle sessions. I thought this would have a negative impact on my swimming but after a 400m and 3km time trial in the pool this week it has not been the case. My times are within 5sec of what they were late last year when i was swimming 4x per week so i can keep working on my paddling with no negative impact on any other disciplines.
Good luck to everyone who secured a spot for the Busso Half in May and to those that missed out you should consider training for the Augusta Anaconda in November this year. But be quick as this one sells out early too!
Regards,
Seano
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Anaconda Race Report
OK, things have been pretty hectic this week at work after missing Monday and to tell you the truth my mind hasn’t really been on the job. So i thought i better give you an update from the race or i will never do it.
There has been a lot of talk this year about whether or not the Augusta course would be better or worse than Dunsborough. One thing i can say about Rapid Ascent is that they can certainly pick a good course as both Dunsborough and Augusta are brilliant. John Jacoby and Sam Maffet are experienced adventure racers themselves and they know what works. For those that didn’t do Augusta this year, it is still a challenging course but much faster overall as there are less technical sections on both the run and mountain bike legs. The paddle was also very calm but has the potential to be quite rough.
The most spectacular part of the race was the start as 600 people descended a giant granite rock before having to squeeze through a 10m wide passage within 50m of the start line. I knew i had to get away fast to avoid any carnage and that is exactly what i did. Having the chopper circle overhead just heightened the nerves but created an amazing atmosphere for the race.
After a few hundred metres of rock hopping and some careful navigation choices i managed to establish a slight lead and get settled into the rest of the run. After 2kms or so i was joined by another individual Kris Plain who i ran with for the remainder of the run. I was surprised not to see more of the states top runners pushing the pace up the front but i figured the rock hoping and beach running was taking it’s toll and playing to our advantage. I felt as though i was running well and choosing the correct route until about 4kms into the run where i went the wrong way and ended up down at the waters edge with nowhere to go. At that point i was feeling extremely hot and just wanted to hit the water so i jumped in for a swim rather than turn around and go back. Kris did the same and by the time we jumped out we had lost some ground but it wasn’t too bad in the end. The remainder of the run went quite well and Kris even tried to start a conversation telling me how he couldn’t swim very well and was there any other local competition to watch out for.
We hit transition 1 together and I chose to go without the wetsuit, automatically saving me 2-3mins by not having to squeeze into it. This was fine for the first kilometre but the second half of the swim i was really starting to regret it as my body was getting very cold. I was passed by 3 team competitors during the swim who were all flying so i just continued on trying to keep warm. Thankfully the swim ended just in time and i was so relieved to be getting out of the water.
Onto the paddle and my goal was to lose as little time as possible to the other individuals. I felt OK for the first half and was quite pleased when i reached the turn-around to see that the others were still a few minutes behind. The final 3kms were a stuggle and i really started to fade but thankfully no individuals caught me which left me in an unfamiliar situation going into the final bike leg.
The crowd at the mountain bike transition was unbelievable and gave a huge cheer as i headed out. With the adrenalin rushing i couldn’t resist popping a wheelie out of transition before settling in for the rest of the ride. 1km out of transition, after turning into the first dirt road i was joined by fellow SRG rider Andrew Dawson and i was thankful to have someone to ride with. It was here that we came across a giant snake across the path who thankfully moved out of the way to let us through. I hit a good rythm up the first climb but turned around to see that Andy was no longer there. Unfortunately it was going to be a solo ride and the remainder was quite uneventful. With about 5kms to go i started to fade badly due to poor nutrition but managed to squeeze down my last gel and make it to the finish.
The final run along the beach was a bit deserted until the colourpatch cafe where the sound of Simon Beaumont’s commentary and the crowd started to amp up. Crossing the line in first was an amazing feeling and one i will never forget. Rapid Ascent put on another world class event and i look forward to continuing on with the series over in Lorne in 3 weeks. To read Rapid Ascent’s race report check out; http://www.rapidascent.com.au/asp/NewsInDetail.aspx?e=6&n=964
The next 3 weeks i will be focusing on the paddling and hopefully get to Lorne in even better shape. There will be a few locals who will know the course and Richard Usher might even make a guest appearance. Good luck to all those doing Ironman Busselton, i know where i would much rather be 
Seano
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LD Worlds Race Report
Firstly, sorry to those of you who have been hanging out to read a race report from Sunday’s Long Distance World Champs. After having last Friday off work I returned on Monday to a barrage of emails and a giant list of things to do, hence why I have struggled to get out a race report before today.
Race morning I was up at 5am for an early breakfast before riding into town on the TT bike to get in a good warm up. My warm up took me along Mounts Bay Rd where we would ride for the actual race and it was here I found out how windy it really was. I struggled to hit 25km/hr riding into the easterly breeze and the river looked angry to say the least. In a way I was kind of glad at how the weather turned out as the course was dead flat and needed something challenging to break up the field a bit.
After putting on my race numbers back to front and having Kathryn Bailie rectify, I racked my bike and wandered down to the water for a quick warm-up. I felt very out of place in the elite tent and was wondering at that point if I should have been racing age-group after all. At least then I would have a chance at a medal. One thing that made me feel better was the fact that I didn’t have the same pressure these guys have at every race. For me it is still a hobby and one I am passionate about but I have work to fall back on while these guys do it for a living and a poor performance means they go hungry for a few weeks (no wonder they are all so skinny). Before I could think too much about it the race was about to start and I just had to get on with the job.
I started out wide in the swim and avoided the chaos for the first 200m until the pace settled down and I established myself in a small pack. I new a lead group would get away but I figured if I could hang onto the second pack it would put me in a good position and I would have company to ride with. Due to the rough conditions the field ended up spreading out much more than I thought and I exited the water 5mins down on the leaders and approx 2mins down on the main field. I wasn’t too disappointed as I came out with 5 others and I felt as though I was still in touch despite the large gap.
Onto the bike and I was first of our group to hit the road but before I knew it a flying Frenchman (Francois Cheboud) flew past me at the Swan Brewery and I was faced with the decision of chasing or settling into a more comfortable pace. I didn’t want to end up like I did in Busso earlier in the year nearly walking the run, so I decided to hold my pace. If any of the others had decided to chase Francois I would have had to respond but thankfully they sat back also and I was left to set the pace for the first lap. My speedo failed on the day so I went entirely off feel and I just remember Craig Alexander saying the key to a good ride is maintaining an even power output throughout rather than surging. Thankfully the other 4 guys left in our group were a very even and we managed a consistent pace throughout the day. The only hickup being the last lap when a few of the age group guys tried to jump into the pace line before spotting a draft-buster and trying to sprint to the front to avoid a penalty. They would subsequently die 2mins later and our pace would go up and down like a yoyo.
Despite the wind and relatively tough conditions I was happy to get off the bike and still feel ok for the run. I tried not to look too much at the gap the leaders were putting into us as they were absolutely flying and there was no way I could make up that ground. In the end the front group all rode between 1:52 – 1:54 for 80kms which left me a further 7mins off the pace. Thankfully the crowd were still giving us a huge cheer every lap although I felt I wasn’t giving them much to cheer about. I have to say that the crowd was incredible on race day and I have never felt so supported. Simon Beaumont came up with some classic quotes which kept me amused throughout the day and the family had organised a heap of bright yellow supporters shirts for both Lisa and I which made them very easy to identify. I felt as though everywehere I went on the course there was someone cheering and I can’t tell you how much of a difference it made, so thanks to everyone who came to support and a huge thankyou to all the volunteers who did a great job.
It was now onto the run and suddenly it was getting hot out there. Jason Crowther was the first of our group out of T2 and I quickly followed. The initial pace felt uncomfortable but I knew I could hold it if I stayed hydrated and fuelled. It wasn’t long before Jason started to drop off but as soon as he did 2 others from our group went flying past and I couldn’t respond. I couldn’t believe how fast these guys could move being a long course race as I would be happy to run that quick over Olympic Distance. Hopefully the heat would take its toll and I could reel them back in later on but after 10kms they had a 2min gap and it was growing. I think I took in water at nearly every aid station and had 2 gels throughout the run but I felt better than I ever have in a long course event. The running I have been doing over the past 4 months with Jon Kappler was paying off and I now felt confident I could last 20kms without fading.
The last 2 laps on the run were pretty tough but thankfully a few of the age group guys ran with me in sections and the crowd kept the spirits high throughout. On the last lap I passed Axel Zeebroek of Belgium who had ridden 1:55 but was now reduced to a very slow jog. I knew his pain as I was there only 6 months ago but it was good to finally pass someone out there. The finishing chute was fantastic as the crowd went crazy despite me being placed 18th. My run time was 1:17:41, approximately 7mins faster than Busselton and the course was actually measured at 21.3kms. This was my biggest positive from the race and one that should give me confidence going into the rest of the season. Despite a top 10 expectation going into the race I am still quite happy with the performance. I need to do a fair bit more work on the bike to be competitive but my run is coming along and the swim as usual could do with a couple more minutes.
A huge thankyou must go out to Rod Fitzgerald from SRG, Bruce Dewar from Dexion Balcatta, Russell Brooks from the Old Canton and all the guys from Glenn Parker Cycles. These guys are passionately involved in sport themselves and have shown amazing support leading up to the Worlds. Congratulations to everyone who finished the race in such tough conditions and a special congrats to the WA medal winners.
After tackling Augusta Anaconda next weekend I’m looking forward to doing some short course racing over the summer as I think WA is getting a lot of depth in the elite field and guys like Paul Mackay, Brynt McSwain, Kenji Nener and Lajos Varga, to name just a few, will make for some exciting racing. I will be doing some speed work between now and then to get up to scratch and will focus on the Busso Half at the end of the season with a chance to race the pro’s on home soil once again.
Regards,
SeanO
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