International Race Plans

Hi everyone,

Sorry about the delay this week. No excuse, just been busy with real world things like work and family. I thought I would write about my race plans for the rest of this year. As I have previously mentioned I am hoping to qualify for next years 70.3 World Championships and I want to do so while I am still in the 25-29 age group.

So I have done my first race for the year which was Challenge Melbourne and now I have nothing booked until August. I am planning on doing a few smaller races like some Olympic Distance and sprint races but they are more for fun. The first race I have is Cebu 70.3 in the Philippines. This is the race where I am hoping to get my slot to the WC's. I believe that an overseas race will be my best chance of qualifying as quite frankly I think every Aussie will want a WC slot if they can get them and as much as I have improved in the last 12 months I am still not quite at the same pace as the top age groupers here in Oz. So I am going to Cebu and hoping to capture a slot there. Although I must give a disclaimer here, I am considering changing this race to either Korea or Taiwan 70.3.

Following Cebu the next race I have entered is my favourite race IN THE WORLD, Sunshine Coast 70.3 and the location of the 2016 World Championships. What can I say, I love this race. It is a great course and the whole community gets behind it. It probably doesn't hurt that last year I stayed with a group of friends and had one of the best weekends away I have ever had. I plan to do this race every year as long as I can. It is  beautiful part of the world and I would encourage anybody who is reading this to stop reading, open a new tab and sign up for this race. It is that good!

After Sunny Coast in September I have Challenge Phuket. This will be a big race because my triathlon team, Team MaccaX will have a camp in the week leading up to the event where 30-50 of my friends will be there to train and race together. Last time I did this race I loved it. It is a brutal race with some extreme climbing and challenging swim conditions in the Thailand heat. Plus I will get to train and race beside Chris 'Macca' McCormack and my coach Ben Hammond. I didn't go last year because I tried Western Sydney 70.3 and it was a disaster. I am going there to have some fun and maybe try and podium. It will just depend on how many nights we end up in Pathong...

My final race for the year is the inaugural Taupo 70.3 and this is the race I am most excited for. Ever since I became mates with Mike 'Robo' Robinson and have seen his amazing Instagram photos I have been desperate to get over to NZ for a race. Unfortunately Auckland always fell right near my birthday and I didn't want to travel that time of year. Taupo is going to be amazing. The same site as IMNZ and 65 slots for the WC. From what I understand it is the same weekend as another 70.3 race in Australia so there is a good chance of a slot here if I don't get one earlier in the year. There are a number of my friends travelling to this race too so I am really looking forward to it.

Of course there is a goof chance I will sign up for some other races. Depending on which Asian race I go for I may return to Forster and try and podium there and if I do go to Cebu and fail I may just chuck Taiwan or Korea on my credit card and try again. I am really excited about what this year has in store. I am going to take my training over the next 6 months very serious and I hope to make some big improvements especially in my run and swim. Keep reading to see how I go.

Another thing which I am really excited about this year is 2 of my friends are planning on attempting their first triathlon. It  will probably be at the Nepean Tri and I plan to stick with them all day and support them all the way to the finish. Why? Because my friend did that for me at my first triathlon and it changed my life. I am hoping I can do the same for someone else.

Anyway, have a fun and safe week with your training. I know I am planning on. If you are thinking of trying a triathlon look at Sunny Coast 70.3, Yes it is a little long for your first attempt but it is an amazing race. If you do let me know. I promise to stay out there and cheer you on!

Have fun, stay safe and remember to TRI!

Hoping to make some big run improvements this year

These toys will be my friends over the next 6 months