Boom !
Port Ironman :
I knew this one had a lot of promise. You get to just know when it’s on and Port was on !
A special mention firstly but to those amazing people that came to the race to support their teammates, friends and family. You are what makes the difference on the day. You are what makes it worth it - so a huge thank you and well done !
Also a shout out to the 2 guys cruely taken out of racing on the weekend of the race. James Bonamy was cleaned up by a nasty dose of vertigo and Dylan Synnott ended up in hospital after he suffered a diabetes low and seizure and couldnt race as a result. Both lads will be primed for Cairns Ironman!
I don’t love talking outcomes as a coach. Everybody is on their equally important journey. But hey …. what a day for results !
Let’s chat ….
Paul Linton was dominant all day and finished up with an incredible 9:31 and 3rd place. Incredible effort from an incredibly hard worker. He takes up his Kona spot and is ready to go. Nice last year only made him hungrier to perform and perform is what he is doing
Edward Quartly knew what he had inside him and so did I. If he put it together then Kona would be the result - well put it together he did in very speedy 9:40. Earlier this year Ed came back from his honeymoon and got to work. He had a decent Husky and was hungry for Port. We took the focus and placed it in the right spot and KQ was the result.
Jeff Davis had 2 badly broken hands only 3 months ago. Exactly the time he wanted to lean in, he had to lean out. It wasnt long before we saw him up and on the trainer but and then the run shoes came out , followed by the swim kit. His diet was T2 and as much as he could handle within pain. To go 10:19 off that is a stunning race. First time top 10 in age and top 100 in race.
Andrew Walker just kept absorbing load week on week. I loaded him up and he kept going. He was ready to blow away last year’s 11:58 and blow it away he did in 10:24. A massive 94min PB. What a race and what a prep. It’s a pleasure watching you develop Andy.
James Knight was lining up for his 10th Ironman Australia. He was in all time shape and ready to get his dream. 10:44 got him that coveted KQ. Jimmy loves Ironman and this weekend it loved him back. We are all excited to see you race on the big island
Justin Hess is a frother. He just loves the sport. I dont know how he manages to get the time to train with his job taking him away so much but train and race he does. Justin was strong and smiling all day finishing in 12:27. Big things coming for him.
Port 70.3 :
Thomas Leuchten was able to prepare free of the pressure of the Taupo slot and raced happy and strong. All weekend i knew it was on. He took 14min off his time from last year and went 4:34. Thomas prepares meticulously and it gave him a return on that investment. Taupo is ready for you !
Darren Alchin was sick leading in after picking up a bug in his work travels. It definitely impacted his physical performance and knocked him around but the mental strength shown to keep pushing ws what set this race apart. Daz went 5:06 and got a spot to Taupo as reward for that dedication and effort he brings every day - not just in this race alone.
Jen Medina is a powerhouse of a woman. Always training hard. Always planning and preparing. Always smiling. She wanted sub 6 so bad and got it with a performance worthy of what she does in training. 5:56 the result and a coveted Taupo Worlds slot was the reward.
Paul Humphreys raced in a team as a last minute call up and swam strong of course. He is a great swimmer. He went 34min and handed over to his team who finished the job off with a 5:36 time and 15th place. Then he got to work in HPT Alley !
Sydney Half Marathon:
Congrats to Riley Kilham who did the Sydney Half Mara in 1:36 as a pacer. He is in a great place with his training now and ready to fire when he comes back from his 2 week Euro trip coming up.