Brat event *** note change

From Dingo

Please note that there is NO AQUATHON at the BRAT race.

It is a 5km run at 2:30pm, then a 1k swim at 3:30 and a 2k swim at 4pm.

I will be doing both the swims (FYI).

Weekend Training

Fri run…7:10 mckay oval…make sure u,ve done warm up first…or if doing brat aqua don’t do speed sets(see below)

Sat bike 6 am york rd gates…easy ride to kurnell via lapuruse

Sat aquathon..or swim race(see below)

Sun bike
2 options…

a) north..meet 7 am at calga time trial location..for warm up before 8 am tt start….easy after as per yr prog…please email group who,s turning up to this so they know…people going long do tt course 3x or go down bumble if u know the way..advise me if yr not sure

b) south 6:15 am york rd gates …same course as last week…via lapuruse…stop at sutho…..note lisa/damo/dingo to start u off

run after

c) Honolulu sprint triathlon… www.koolinatriathlon.com J

Please note I,ll be leaving on sat pm for Hawaii and back on the week before port maq 23rd oct…

on that w end I,ll be doing the bike show and in the middle driving to port for the expo then back to bike show… if anyone wants a free ticket for the show in exchange for helping mone on the stand saturday a bit please let me know (no selling involved)

B regards
john

Sports Illustrated article

Ok .. as part of our pre-Kona package .. time for a read of the original article on this insane and pure event by Sports Illustrated

http://www.trizilla.com/triathlon/pc/inspirations.asp

Brat Tri Oct 15

VENUE: Heffron Park Maroubra.

DISTANCE: 750m x 20k x 5k TIME : 4.00PM Start REGISTRATION CLOSES: 3.45 PM

JUNIORS: 250m/10k/2.5k

REGISTRATION TIMES:
Series Entrants & Club Members must register between 3:15 pm and 3:45pm.

Brat Aquathon - Saturday

FIRST SATURDAY OF EVERY MONTH

Meet under LIFEGUARD TOWER - MALABAR BEACH.

Malabar is the 1st beach after Maroubra, heading south. Turn LEFT off Anzac Parade at Cromwell Place, right into Franklin St & LEFT into Dacre St.

· 2.30pm start for run- entries close 2.15
· 3.30pm 1km swim start- entries close 3.15
· 4pm 2km swim start- entries close 3.45
· $15 entry for each race or $20 for both

Cevelo Dual: For Sale

Red Cervelo Dual
56cm
10 speed Durace
Oval Carbon forks
Carbon seatpost
Ksyrium SLc wheels and/or Velomax Circuits
Selle San Marco Tri saddle
Carbon Profile water cages

$3,500.00
Call Damon on 0415 676 736

Wasn't it raining?

Yes it was raining .. actually pouring about 4 am. No need to feel too guilty about `sleeping in' then. Unhuh.

http://mirror.bom.gov.au/products/IDR033.shtml

For Thursday: A shower or two and possible thunder, clearing to a dry, mostly sunny afternoon. Northerly winds turning strong and gusty westerly late this morning.

Forecast for Friday - fine high 24, Saturday - fine high 28, Sunday - fine high 27

Trend for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - FINE FINE FINE !!!!!!

Lots of quality training in the days ahead.

Macca's Taper Plan

In a note on his website Friday, he says he plans to fly to Kona two weeks before the race. He said he's battling a bit of a chest cold after racing in Malaysia (winning a 1/2 ironman in a course record) earlier this month and is planning a longer taper than usual.

"I think the key for me will be to be fresh and relaxed and enjoy the day. Training has been great so just let my racing take care of itself.

"I must admit I am really looking forward to competing. I love reading about all the favourites for the event and how tough they are going to be. It keeps you motiavted and eager to take them on. I love a solid challenge.

"[This] week I will do a few big tough bike sets and two more over distance runs. I have changed my approach slightly this year in the fact that I am not doing so much speed work leading into the race. I have a big base of natural speed and I think in the past this has been detrimental to me as my margin for error in pacing myself is much higher. I just need to learn to run smooth, slower and controlled. This is something that is difficult with natural speed. Your natural running rythmn is too fast for the early tempo in Hawaii and often you blow up later in the run.''

Macca

Kona Race Numbers

Tess: 1372

Steph: 1374

John: 607


What's going to happen this year? Profiles pending on these athletes.

WA live broadcast

IMG are pleased to announce that the November 27, 2005 Ironman Western Australia Triathlon, to be held in Busselton, will now be seen live around the world.

With the support of EventsCorp, Coastal Watch and Ironmanlive.com the event will be streamed live.

C' Games Volunteers

The Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Sport Development Volunteers Program.

The Australian Sports Commission, on behalf of the Victorian Government, is inviting suitably skilled and motivated people to volunteer their expertise for the Sport Development Volunteers Program.This is a unique opportunity to be involved in an off-shore program associated with the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games and to contribute to the development of the Commonwealth Community of Nations. Volunteers will be required to provide leadership in areas such as:
. federation management and governance. sport administrator development. talent identification and talent development programs. coach education and development. development of officials (umpires and referees). junior sport development. women's sport development. competition and event management. facility management and maintenance. disability sport (inclusive games)
Placements are between one and six months. Volunteers will receive a living allowance and will have expenses associated with the placementpaid. Applicants should possess a current passport. To apply for a specific volunteer placement or simply register your interest, visit http://www.australianvolunteers.com/

Nick Munting's New Job

In order to further develop TriNSW events and properties, Nick Munting has resigned from the TriNSW committee and accepted an appointment as Racing and Marketing Manager for TriNSW, effective from 21 September 2005.

Nick will work with the TriNSW committee to develop and run current TriNSW properties such as the TriNSW Kurnell Sprint Series, TriNSW All Women's Day, TriNSW Club Championships and to develop and coordinate a TriNSW State Championship series of events over varying distances.

Interbike on bicycling.com

Interbike is next week in Las Vegas, here's teaser from bicycling magazine

``And this year we're going one better, bringing you daily web coverage of the show at Bicycling.com. Expect to see lots of 2006's best stuff, like the radical Time RXR time trial machine, Scott's mind blowing 6.5-in. travel, sub-30 pound Ransom, Kona's sleek new Lisa road flyer and Electra's gorgeous Petro Zillia cruiser.''

Argon 18 Mercury: For Sale

hi all,

i am wishing to sell my bike due to an upgrade and if anyone is interested please contact me.
ph:0425230881

details-

1 year old black argon 18 mercury bike,

54cm aluminium frame with carbon rear triangle and forks,

dura-ace gears ,

velomax vista training wheels.

lisa marathon

Unofficial Age Group Results

Unofficial results online .. see link to Newcastle and then bring your cursor to World Championships .. the last item is `photos and results'

JH on World Duathlon

Well its sat arvo and I,m back from worlds duathlon….the info I have to date is

Me..absolutetly kicking myself for such a stupid mistake…me and damo had to do the race with no uniform(it didn,t turn up), I came in from the first run but couldn,t find my bike…I automatically thought they'd pulled me out of the race…and the official told me to go to the tent..which I did. meanwhile everyone and their uncle are either getting away or going past, I got nowhere in the tent so decided to go back….then I spotted my bag which highlites my bike position…my stomach felt sick..i,d blown it !!...and so early in the race…anyway I chipped back and got 5th or 6th I think…gutted !!...last long bike tomorrow before Hawaii..180k ouch !

Damo..chain kept falling off…in a race with so many hills(they added about 5 more from the original race)

Andrea…not sure of place etc but she smiled a lot

Mel..3rd I think

Teresa…2nd

Computer..puncture

Regards
john

Weekend Training

Sat bike….6:am york rd gates ….easy 100k to kurnell via lapuruse…please save yourself for Sunday….lisa/dingo to look after group
Sat swim…email damo to book for stroke correction squad with lisa

Sun bike…6:15 am york rd gates….
Easy via lapuruse to sutho garage

Those doing 120k with 60k hit…hit starts after sutho pool…out to wfall,down wfall hill left turn right at bottom,do 10k then u turn,go back through nato park,finish and re group at sutho garage

Those doing 45k hit…as above but start hit after wfall hill

Those doing over 120k….as above but u turn at sublime point as per last week,optional to return through park or up wfall hill return
I should be back for this, if not lisa/dingo to look after u

Sun run…after bike in cent park

Go Andrea, Alice, Mel, Teresa ...

It's one sleep (as JP would say) before the race and just wanted to celebrate those who made the Aussie team for the ITU World Duathlon Champs.

Have a great race -- Andrea, Alice, Mel and Teresa -- go the gold and greeen!!!

Team Norfolk Island

Known to many visitors as the jewel of the Pacific, this five by eight kilometre patch of land also is home to two Hillbillie world duathlon competitors - JH and Damo. (It's a small world after all.)

Norfolk Island was discovered, most people say by accident, by Captain James Cook in 1774 during his second voyage around the world. In other words, he got lost and ran aground. Here's the official version:

``Given the minute size and isolation of Norfolk Island, it's hard to imagine just how Cook managed to stumble across this Island 'Paradise'.'' source: Norfolk Island history - really!!

Anyway, it was first settled by convicts, not of their choice, as they were required to swim, run and cycle a lot and carry bricks at the same time or something. ``It was officially described as "a place of the extremist punishment, short of death". ''

When you meet JH or Damo, remember that English may not have been their first language.

''You'll hear the Islanders speaking Norfolk, a unique language derived from the speech of the Bounty Mutineers and their Tahitian wives and companions who settled Pitcairn Island in 1790.''

Psst Damo .. the island has 178 species of native plants predominant among the trees is the Norfolk Island Pine!!!

Newcastle Age-Groupers

The age-group race for the Duathlon Worlds in Newcastle begins at 7 am on Saturday. According to the official site, the time for the wave starts will be determined based on final competitor numbers and decided on Thursday.

It is a 10km run, 40km bike and a 5km run.

Dan Empfield on Race Fuel

Here's the link to the story that JH sent around earlier this week on race nutrition.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings
/coachcorn/racefuel.html

``During the last eight miles of the run Newby concentrated and was focused but was still getting caught by Karen Smyers. She took a calculated risk that passing up a few aid stations would buy her some precious seconds. She thought she could get to the finish on desire.

Desire and a quarter will buy you a cup of coffee, though, when you’ve got no gas in the tank.

Mathematics is not psychology or history. There is no room for interpretation. It is an exact science, and when you’ve got no feed in the stable you can’t ride your horse to town.''

Online Specials

Dean Woods Direct has a bunch of winter jerseys on sale .. perhaps a bit late for this season, though there was still a bit of a bite to the air Tuesday morning.

http://www.deanwoods.com.au

It also has some indoor trainers and lights on sale too among other items.

Time Trial Results

TODAYS TT RESULTS FOR REFERENCE…APROX 44KM

Lap 4 other course

Name lap1 lap2 total lap 3 lap4 lap5 lap6 lap 7(4K) total

Emily 12:09 12:12 11.99 12:0 11:40 12:0 8:36 1:20:36
v good,showed she can stay if pushed

Alice 12:00 12:00 11:50 12:0 11:48 12:02 8:36 1:20:06
v good but got to make moves to get away

Eve 12:34 12:04 11:50 12:0 11:50 12:0 8:26 1:19:54
v good proved as good as anyone if try

jenny 11:50 11:50 12:00 11:40 11:40 12:00 8:26 1:19:40
v good ,wolf in sheeps clothing lol

lisa 11:25 11:25 10:55 11:15 puncture

luvy 11:40 11:16 11:40 11:40 12:15 11:45 8:23 1:18:40
v good, did wrong course, enjoys talking during briefing

cathy can do 13:0 13:0 14:05 14:25
had to go to work, good effort ,just coming back, smashed jp lol

jens( 2 laps wrong11:25 11:25(wrong c) 11:27 11:26 11:40 11:32 8:23 1:17:10
g effort,think talks to luvy at briefing lol

thomas 11:37 11:37 11:45 11:38 11:20 11:27 8:10 1:17:55
great! and consistant

christophe 11:42 11:42 12:00 12:30 11:50 11:40 8:54 1:20:15
on comeback..good effort but started too quick

tony d 11:00 10:40 10:53 10:45 11:00 11:00 7:45 1:13:00
v consistant..v good..prob still tired from sat

pete b 11:15 10:40 10:50 10:45 11:00 11:00 8:10 1:13:40
g effort,hung on for dear life hehe

mark g 10:23 10:23 10:33 10:30 10:25 10:30 7:26 1:10:06
great work. loves those hills!!! and still tired from sat

jon p 14:15 14:15 14:14 14:15 13:30 missed a bit 1:26:45
hung in there,needs to shave legs to go quicker lol but very consistant

dns- brian, damo, jh

Modest Mark Takes Time Trial

Modest Mark finished today's 40km time trial looking as fresh as the morning dew. JH is busy transcribing his notes for publication here soon.

There were reports that one or two athletes were busted for course alterations!! Say it isn't so!!!

Ironman China Tour 2006

Dingo has been making some calls to get some pricing options. At the moment, the tour cost is about $2000 for the flight (expected to be about $1200) and the hotel (about $750).

http://www.ironmanchina.com/

Race fee: US$450

Register before October 1, 2005 and receive a Special Sponsor Coupon Pack worth more than $500 and an Ironman China 2006 “In Training” tee shirt.

FAQ on site says race limited to 1,500, with age-grouper spots to be between 65-69. You'll need a passport valid at least six months after the race date and you'll need a tourist visa to enter the country!

Dingo's Duathlon Discussion

Well what a race. It lived up to all expectations after the course was lengthened back to the long course event consisting of 2.5km run, 10km ride, 2.5km run, 10km ride and finally a 2.5km run.

After the late withdrawal of Chris 'The Animal' Waterhouse, the field was wide open for a new winner. Was the veteran work horse John 'High 5' Hill going to move up and take glory, or was Dingo going to repeat the 2003 performance and pull off a surprise victory, was Damo ready to show his peak conditioning and prep for the World Duathlon Titles and destroy everyone as he did in the earlier races, or was Mark 'Canuck' Gardiner going to live up to his expectation and smash us all with those blistering runs and take his virgin victory?

The 50 odd starters apporached the line and faced conditions that were cold and very very very very very windy. The starters gun went (well he yelled 'go') and as expected Kempy, Dave Mathews and Mark took off at a scorching pace.

The three quickly put 50 metres into a second pack consisting of John leading into a strong head wind, followed directly behind by Luke, Damo, Scott and Dingo (getting no benefit cause everyone was so short).

The pace was conservative but fast, and the pack stayed this way until the return home. Mark had about 40 seconds on the boys pack, who was lead in by Luke after a powerful surge about 500m out stretched the pack. Mark obviously needing to improve his transitions almost lost the 40s as John Hill in a flash was in and out of transition. He gapped the field and quickly put in 100m on the pack consisting on Dingo, Damo, Luke and Scott and some other random (don't know his name - sorry).

Dingo immediately looked at bridging the gap to John Hill who was running scared, like a rabbit being chased by a pack of wolves (it was true he was being chased by a pack of hungry wovles looking to tear him apart). But John had other plans 'chase that dam Canadian'. 4km in and John had increased his lead to about 200m, Dingo still trying to pull him back rolled to the back of the pack for a breather as Scott took his turn and steadily increased the pace. The pace was quick and Dingo quickly found that the random had blown and lost about 20m to Luke, who was quickly falling off the wheel of Damo and Scott. By the time it was realised Dingo was 50m down and in trouble.

Meanwhile John still riding strong, thought 'bugger this wind is too tough' and began to slow up a bit. This enabled Scott and Damo to pounce causing more grief for Dingo who still trying to claw his way back after dropping Luke. At the end of the 10km, John had pulled back Mark, who was caught by Scott and Damo, and eventually by Dingo who now was quite stuffed after 6km of chasing!

Another flash in transition saw all 5 out together, and Mark once again disappear, while John and Scott ran strong and steady. By this time is was quite obvious that Damo and Dingo were in serious trouble and couldn't hold the pace of John and Scott. By the turn around their lead had increased to 30 seconds, while a flying Luke had picked up Damo and Dingo in one foul swoop, and was set on catching John and Scott.

The second run once again proved to be the turning point of the race, as Mark increased his lead, over Scott and John who put 1 minute in to Dingo who had dropped Damo.

Into transition and by this time chaos had set in. The every increasing wind speed and the entire field on the run course proved a disater for John Hill who carelessly threw his helmet next to his bike not realising that 50 people decided to do the same thing. The wind was blowing helmets, shoes and bikes everywhere.

After trying on a few helmets, John eventually found his 'pink coloured stack hat' and joined Scott on the bike. This was pretty much the last I saw of them, as Scott and John rode together the whole way. Luke had managed to put 20 seconds into Dingo who had put 20 seconds into Damo. This is how it remained as John and Scott worked together, trying in vein to make up time on Mark.

Luke trying to make ground on Scott and John rode strong causing further grief for Dingo, who was stuck in no man's land trying to catch Luke but also holding off the presence of Damo riding with the unknown rider working together.

The final run saw Mark catch and pass Dave Mathews, and pull a galant second place behind the amazing Chris Kemp.

Scott and John had the battle of the day, both catching Dave, and John being out sprinted by Scott by a matter of metres, claiming 3rd and 4th overall. Dave and Luke came in 5th and 6th. Dingo struggled home in 7th, followed by the unknown and Damo in 9th.

Where it really counts, the group results, saw Mark 'Canuck' Gardiner first, John 'I would of beaten Mark if I hadn't lost my helmet' Hill, second, and Tony 'I can't believe Luke got me' Dingo sneaking on to the podium. Damo came in 4th, stating 'I could've and would've won if I wasn't racing in the 'WORLD CHAMPS' next week, I need to save the legs'.

Training Sked Link

Just added to the right hand side list of links is one for the weekly training sked. It will always remain in that position, though it may be refined from time to time.

Icebergs Need You!

From the Sunday Telegraph:

The Icebergs is in financial difficulty after recording an operating profit of $1,008 in its latest year. It spent $70,000 more on entertainment and marketing, yet revenue fell $394,000.

The results raise ``considerable doubt concerning the ability of the club to remain as a going concern,'' the annual report said.

The response: more seats in the bar area.

Leading by Example

A race within a race

More photos soon

More photos will appear soon ..

Duathlon Photo

Maple Leaf Duathlon

Well the bookmaker was wrong. It was the Canadian flag flapping with authority at the end of the race.

Running like the wind, with and against the 1,000km/hr gusts, Mark held off all other Hillbillies who dared to start. He even surged during the final 2.5k run segment finishing 2nd. Scott was a distant third.

JH came home in fourth, as always ``MR CONSISTANCY.'' (JH spelling) An investigation has begun into what happened to his `hat,' aka helmet!!

Dingo, then Damo were next. Mel and then me followed by Lisa (her first effort since the Korean adventure). David and Declan (who also did the road race) then JP made for a dominating day for Team High Five.

Official times to follow.

Special thanks to the spectators for braving the wind and cold air - Anthony, Ian, Janet, Margreet and Mone. (Alphabetical order)

Lvl 1 Tri Coach Course

29-30 October

$250 for TriNSW or TA members

Time:: 9.00 - 5.00 each day

Venue - URAC - University of Wollongong, Wollongong. NSW

This course contains the revised syllabus.

Contact Jamie Turner at coaching@trinsw.org.au

Duathlon Distances Decided

Ok it's back to 2.5/10/2.5/10/2.5 as per original schedule

Yayyy

jh

Bike for sale

brycequirk@optusnet.com.au
Subject: Bike for Sale

Hello there

I am currently selling a bike for anyone who is looking for a new steed. The bike is currently listed on ebay but as yet no bids. It is a 2004 model 57 cm Bianchi EV4 with full Campagnolo Record groupset, I rode this bike for approximately 9 months and estimate it to have covered only 10,000 km. The bike comes with Campagnolo Neutron wheels, ITM bars and stem and Selle San Marco saddle, sorry no pedals. The bike is in mint condition, please see photo attached.

If you, or know anyone who may be interested please pass on this email address or call me on 0405 129284. The starting price on ebay is $3200 and the auction expires in 6 days, so you can make a bid on ebay or if there is still no bid on ebay make me a bid personally and we can discuss. Brand new this bike would sell for $6-7000.

Cheers

Bryce

Training this weekend

Sat bike 6 am york rd gates …kurnell easy ride(there wont be many doing this as its easy week and rest for most)

Sat duathlon 4 pm hefron park but be there early to register

Sun bike 6:15 york rd gates…to waterfall…some have easy 100k few have longer including me(I,ll advise course)

Progs coming v soon

Regards
jh

Pratlett Pulls Punters

JP is pulling in the punters and putting the bookmakers to work. Revised odds will be published soon!!

JH is wagering Brian and Eva (It is EVA, not EVE - just fyi) will surprise.

BRAT Duathlon Champs

BRAT DUATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 17TH

VENUE : Heffron Park Maroubra.
DISTANCE : 2.5k x 10k x 2.5k- note change of distance
TIME : 4.00PM Start
JUNIORS : 1k/4k/1k
REGISTRATION TIMES:
Series Entrants & Club Members must register between 3:15 pm and 3:45pm.
COST: $30 non-members.
Join/renew on-line @ or on the day cheque and cash only!

HELPERS:Any help on the day would be greatly appreciated. Contact Meg Matthews on 9387 5432 or 0402141390, e-mail: mmatthews@cranbrook.nsw.edu.au

Dingo Drops Gauntlet

Heading to Heffron .. here's a primer on the race from Dingo

``Last year Animal claimed the glory, followed by me, John then Damo.

Have we got the odds this year?

Obviously I would have to be favorite! Just as long as we beat Littler. Mind you if Mark races he will throw a spanner into the works.

John Hill - Tanned and terrific after holidaying in Spain for our winter. Has complained of the lack of speed work. Does this give the rest of us false hopes? Will definitely podium finish. 4/1

Chris Waterhouse - Always tough to beat, after claiming a top ten in Cairns two weeks ago must go in confident as well as carrying the defending champion's status. Can he go back to back? 3/1

Damo - Strong winter build up, coming second in a Brat duathlon and smashing the boys, clocking the fastest run and ride of the day. A definite contender, and good work out leading to World Duathlon titles next weekend. 4/1

Dingo - What can we say - will smash 'em all - previous winner. More than likely go hard from the start and try and hold them all off in the final run. (Take note boys this is my plan) Faltered in earlier races with bad transition - problem fixed and with super fast transitions this distance will suit him. 5/1

Mark Gardiner - The new boy on the block from Canada - CAN RUN, CAN RIDE - Can he beat Kempy and Computer - we will have to see. The technical bike course may cause a problem, and give the rest of us a chance to catch him. 3/2

Darren - If he shows up, will perform. Missed a bit of riding but if he can stay with the boys on the bike his run can be devastating. 10/1''


***What about the real athletes, the ones who are pros or age-group winners? Lisa, Alice, Tess.

BRAT 20th Anniversary Dinner

Just a reminder

A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL PAST AND CURRENT MEMBERS OF THE BRATS TO GET TOGETHER TO CELEBRATE THE CLUB'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY

FRIDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER 2005 -

7.00PM AT ICEBERGS

$25 Per Person

http://www.bratclub.com.au

The Marathon Men

Kudos to Jens and Thomas, who ran the marathon on Sunday. Both appeared for this morning's easy spin around the park.

Jens crossed the line in 2:53. Shy of his 2:46 PB. Geez.

Running on a Sunday

I'm not entirely sure of who ran what distance .. I do know that in the half marathon there was Damo, Anthony, Christophe, Rebecca, Margreet and me (Tim).

We also happened to see Mel and Tony at the end of their 9km effort.

Lots and lots of people. Always cool to run over the bridge with the bonus of finishing in front of the Opera House too. There was a heap of stuff handed out at the end of the race.

Anthony, Margreet and I watched the end of the marathon. Finishing in less than three hours really is an amazing accomplishment.

The winner crossed the line and then lay down on the ground before catching his breath and walking on. Superb.

Stomach problems in the heat

Below are some snip bits from dan empfield's “slowtwitch” site commenting on stomach probs in the heat during ironman

a lot of good points here on the temp of fluids in your stomach, but don’t get carried away with this because yes it is a factor in my opinion, but you also must get your intake of fluid , electrolytes and calories in as well as pace…

it's all a process of elimination and in extreme situations every one of these factors must be in the ball park to eliminate the tum problems

Read on for dans comments:-

Regards

jh

**

It has also been demonstrated––though just anecdotally––that the stomach will often "shut off" during long, hot-weather races. Those of us who've followed Hawaii Ironman racing for many years can all relate the same stories of pro racers who continued to eat and drink on schedule but whose stomachs just expanded, absorbing nothing.

What causes the stomach to decide not to cooperate? There are several possible culprits.

One might be tempted to blame the well-established shunting of blood under exertion to other, temporarily more important, areas of the body. Perhaps such athletes simply misjudge their pace and their heart rates rise to a level that inhibits gastric emptying.

Another culprit may be the osmotic potential in the stomach––too much solute, not enough solvent. Related to this might be the choice of food in the evening prior and morning before the race––the contents of which are still hanging around, inhibiting uptake.

All that noted, there are seasoned pros who will tell you that, in their experience, stomach temperature plays a big part.It is difficult to determine just why a person might stop absorbing, but while the causes might be unrelated to stomach contents' temperature, I cannot see a downside to cooling off the stomach.

What is the strategy for ensuring that what one drinks during competition is always cold?

Sports Medicine, Sept/Oct, 1987, Murray R., John Stuart Research Laboratories, Quaker Oats Company, Barrington, The effects of consuming carbohydrate-electrolyte beverages on gastric emptying and fluid absorption during and following exercise.

The author says, "Gastric emptying rate may be influenced by a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the caloric content, volume, osmolality, temperature, and pH of the ingested fluid, diurnal and interindividual variation, metabolic state (rest/exercise), and the ambient temperature.

Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab, December, 2000, Gastric emptying of cold beverages in humans: effect of transportable carbohydrates, Shi X, Bartoli W, Horn M, Murray R., Gatorade Sports Science Institute, Barrington, IL 60010, USA.

The authors say, "Within 5 minutes after ingestion, cold beverages are warmed to above 30 C in the stomach. This infers that the effect of cold solution temperature on gastric emptying rate is likely to be small and transitory."

Those two articles above seem to contradict each other and they do. They're by the same author, Dr. Bob Murray, who is a friend of mine (and who runs the Gatorade Sports Institute).

The former study is 13 years older, and supports earlier work by David Costill. The latter statement––made last year––is made in the light of further study (as explained to me by Dr. Murray). He is certainly one of the honchos in this field, and if he says fluid temperature is not a big issue in stomach emptying, one must pay attention to that.

Yet a honcho of similar (or perhaps greater) size in this field is Dr. Tim Noakes of South Africa, who writes, "Fluid consumption during exercise is enhanced by the ingestion of cold, sweet fluids." (Exerc Sport Sci Rev 1993, Fluid replacement during exercise. Noakes TD).

And here's from: 1996 American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Exercise and fluid replacement, (Med Sci Sports ExercJanuary, , Convertino VA, Armstrong LE, Coyle EF, Mack GW, Sawka MN, Senay LC Jr, Sherman WM.

"It is recommended that ingested fluids be cooler than ambient temperature [between 15 degrees and 22 degrees C (59 degrees and 72 degrees F.]"

Also interesting (but only tangentially germaine) is a variety of studies (of which Noakes is often the auther) on body mass and thermoregulation. The idea is to draw a line between light runners and fast running (perhaps suggesting that one important reason elite runners run so fast is that they don't generate so much heat).

Noakes says, "It is concluded that, compared to heavier runners, those with a lower body mass have a distinct thermal advantage when running in conditions in which heat-dissipation mechanisms are at their limit. Lighter runners produce and store less heat at the same running speed; hence they can run faster or further before reaching a limiting rectal temperature."I bring this up because one might assume that in a race like the Ironman––especially the Hawaiian Ironman––lighter is better.

Yet while elite runners average perhaps 125 pounds, Greg Welch is the only male athlete under 145 pounds ever to win the race (and perhaps 150 pounds, I'm not quite sure of the weight of Thomas Hellriegel or Luc Van Lierde), and "optimal" (based on results) seems to suggest that 155 - 160 pounds is best.

Most Ironman winners have fallen into that range. I bring this up simply to suggest that for whatever reason triathlon––and long, arduous triathlon in particular––seems to buck scientific intuitive thinking.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/

New Programs

Starting to write progs for next block…please advise any holidays, races u want to do if u havn't already told me, if u want to stop prog, or anything I need to know before I write it

Upcoming Races

wed 21st sept brat 5k at 6:30 pm
we 25/9 world duathlon champs newcastle
wed 28th ditto

we 2/10 1st oct striders 10k at homebush
2nd oct calga tt
2nd gold coast half

we 9/10 hawaii world champs olmpic d

we 16/10 terry fox 7k run rozelle
Hawaii ironman


Regards

JH

Lisa's Open Water Swim

The swim with Lisa will be Saturday at Clovelly @ 2pm.
E-mail if you'd like further details.

Cheers,
Damon

Weekend Training With JH

Fri run…7:10 am at oval for track as per prog(only if not racing Sunday)please advise me if u r turning up for this

Sat bike 6 am york rd gates…lapuruse /auderly etc

Swim:damos swims..contact him to book

Sun bike easy..6:15 am york rd gates ..easy kurnell ride
Run after if on yr prog

Or
Syd bridge run options

Note:
Can do sun run sat ….(i will be if its hotter for Hawaii climatisation)

Email me if not sure

Regards
Jh
Ps still plenty of old bars for sale….some older drinks too but a year old

Luke McKenzie on Cairns Half

(Luke is one of JH's sponsored athletes)

I am happy to report it has been a successful week for me in North Queensland. On Sunday I took my first career Half Ironman victory on Australian soil, winning the inaugural Lake Tinaroo Half Ironman (formerly known as the Cairns Half Ironman).

The new race location proved to be very popular and the gamble of moving the race from the busy city center of Cairns up to the quieter rural country of the Atherton Tablelands has definitely paid off for race organiser Scott Penny.

As we were hurrying to the swim start area for final briefing, the dawn revealed a thick fog over Lake Tinaroo. It was a very erie feeling looking out over the course.

It seemed like it was going to be a navigational nightmare, especially since the only swim googles I had were dark tint! I couldn't even see the first swim bouy! Matt Clark and myself established ourselves as leaders early on in the swim and we emerged from the water with a good gap on the rest of the field.

At the beginning of the bike leg the fog was still very thick but we got out into the open fields of the Atherton Tablelands it started to lift and gave way to clear blue skies. Matt and I swapped the lead several times during the bike and then further opened our gap going into the run.

My strategy was to ride as conservatively as possible over the 90km as I know the race was going to won on the run. Leaving transition I felt great and I knew I had a good run in me. I moved quickly into the lead and pushed the pace to 3.45 min/km over the first 5km loop to establish a good lead. The run course followed the undulating shoreline of Lake Tinaroo and the Tinaroo Dam wall which made for a spectacular backdrop!

By the half way mark of the run I knew I had the winning gap and I just had to keep a steady pace to the line but I seemed to find myself still pushing and pushing. I was really able to bring it home strong over the final 5km which gives me great confidence in the preparation for the Aussie summer of racing. I finished in 4.02.44, crossing the line seven minutes ahead of Matt Clark who held onto 2nd place ahead of a fast finishing Carmine Soriano of Melbourne.

A Special thanks to my awesome team of sponsors:LITESPEED, REAL DESIGN, VISION, FULL SPEED AHEAD, FI:ZI'K,SIDI, TUFO, GOLD COAST TRIATHLETE, FUELBELT, HIGH 5,SMITH, QUINTANA ROO & LIVING WELL

WWW.LUKEMCKENZIE.COM

Lance Watson on cramping

LifeSport with Coach Lance Watson: Don’t cramp your style

By Lance WatsonLifeSport.caCoach Lance,

Dear Coach

I seem to have a problem with cramping after around three to four miles into the run of an Olympic-distance race. I typically feel good coming off of the bike and can get into a pretty good pace right away, but the cramping always seems to occur in the same leg. I have the same problem during brick workouts. Is there something I can do in my training to get over this?

Thanks, Fred

***********************************

Dear Fred,

Cramping is a problem for many athletes. Athletes with high sweat rates or high sodium loss are particularly susceptible, especially in hot conditions. Given the consistency with which your cramping occurs, you may be running at a fluid deficit. You may be sweating more than you are drinking, and three to four miles into the run you hit a critical dehydration point.

Try riding indoors in warm conditions for one hour without drinking. Elevate your heart rate intermittently to keep your core temperature up. Weigh yourself before and after (dry your body down after and remove wet clothing) to see how much weight you lose. Each kilogram (2.2 pounds) of weight loss over the course of the one-hour ride equates to one liter of fluid. . So if you lose 3.5 pounds, you are losing the equivalent about two large water bottles (approximately 50 ounces or 1.5 liters) of sweat.

A good goal is to try and drink at least one liter per hour, and, if needed, you can train you body to drink more. Also, be sure to drink regularly, and ensure you have at least 500 mg of sodium per liter in your drink to help fluid move into your bloodstream to be available for sweating and working muscles.

As far as cramping in the same leg, there may be many reasons that would overload one side of the body, placing extra muscular demand on one side, such as:
· A leg-length imbalance· Improperly fit or uncomfortable bike or cleats· The wrong running shoes· A tight muscle from a pull, scar tissue or misaligned hipsReview these items plus your hydration scheme as a starting point for solving your cramping issue.

Good luck,Lance

LifeSport head coach Lance Watson has coached a number of Ironman, Olympic and age-group champions. He enjoys coaching athletes of all abilities who are passionate about sport and personal excellence.

Korea report from Grace

It’s a few days after Ironman Korea.

It was my goal to win my age group, to enjoy the journey and sport and training, to race an international race and get a fitness base. Despite not winning and missing a Hawaii slot, I have come to realise that four out of five aren’t bad! Hey I just finished another ironman and a year ago when I had no idea what a pink Giant Bike bike was that would have seemed impossible!

I’m improving and I know that everything happens for a reason – and the challenge regarding Hawaii is to believe this now. I’m already starting to.

I had put in 5 months of hard training, although strangely enough, this was the easy part. I discovered that the real challenge was not physical. It was the juggling act of training whilst being a mum, working and having a life.

After the race being such a focus for me , heading over to Korea on the plane (which took 24hours including 3 planes, 1 train and 2 buses!) felt quite surreal.

My Aussie team mates (Marathon – Lisa Marangon, and JoMo – Jodie Morris) and I concentrated on drinking bidons of water on the plane and tried to keep our legs moving by doing the silly airplane exercises which I would normally laugh at! We were later nicknamed the Aussie three musketeers and finally arrived at the Hyatt and it was Wednesday before the race.

The weather was surprisingly cool that day. It would take a few days for the Korean heat to set in. I had a press interview at 11am so we all I ducked down for a quick swim at the swim start before breakfast. It was overcast, and the water looked horribly rough. I was terrified and thought I was back in Tasmania as I we swam out to sea. I tried to focus on breathing as I felt my chest constricting with anxiety. The waves pummeled me a few times and I thrashed about through the water, even heading in to shore at one stage to regroup myself. I was relieved when even Lisa (who is an extremely strong swimmer) told me that she was genuinely scared too – my mind was not exaggerating things, this was for real but I realised that everyone would be in the ‘same boat’ – we just needed to stay afloat!!

I remembered gladly someone telling me that the Korean and Japanese competitors would be worse at swimming than I was and so I made a mental note to keep that in mind if there were similar conditions on race day. I also re-assessed my goals from swimming a good time to just making it through the swim if the weather was bad.

The rest of the week I busied myself with a few media interviews and familiarizing myself with the course. I like to know where I am going and was determined to know the bike course – while most people rested up, my busy mind wouldn’t be settled until I had tracked down a way to tour the 180km loop around the island………twice. My suspicions were soon confirmed. Hills, hills, hills, hills, more hills and…. for a little variety, a BIG, big Mountain-type-hill climb! Again, my goals changed from going fast to getting through the course as I decided if worse came to worse, I would just keep grinding up the hills until I fell off the bike!

I also wanted to “go over the run course,” which I had been told was flat…. Hmmm I think the person who called it flat had toured the bike course even more than I had, because only someone who thought mountains were normal could call the run course flat. Undulating would be the nicest and tamest description!

In between touring the course and mostly scaring the hell out of myself (but being glad to know what I was in for) I did my media interviews. This was an experience in itself as it felt like a scene out of “Lost in Translation.” (There was even a translator for each interview!)

I first tried to understand the questions and then tried to give an answer that they would understand. Why does a model do this sport…? (I suppose the same reasons all of us crazy people do this sport!), How do I stay in shape (were they for real! I swim bike and run about 20+ hours per week how did they think!), How do I do the Ironman (I move my arms and legs the way I’ve practiced a zillion times I guess!).

Then there were the photos – running, walking, running on a running machine, lifting weights, standing in front of an Ironman poster, smiling, not smiling, drinking water….. hugging a life sized teddy bear…..(I know what does hugging a Korean Humphrey have to do with Ironman???!!!?!) . It was all becoming a little out of hand and I finally said enough when they asked me to hold a kick board in front of me whilst standing OUTSIDE the pool and pretend to be paddling in mid air!!

At one stage I just couldn’t stop laughing at how strange it all seemed! It was all very entertaining and the Korean people were polite and lovely to me and made me feel really special.

Amazingly all week I ate carefully, sticking to plain rice, crackers, eggs and HI 5 from Thursday night to prevent the stomach upsets I had during the Aussie Ironman ….mmm such bland food I was certainly looking forward to some some fruit and vegies on Monday.

I slept like a baby at night and during the day – it was as if my body knew it needed rest although I was a little afraid I was too relaxed. I woke to my alarm on race morning at 3am to eat my brekky of 2 bars and a bidon of HI-5 – I already felt full but did my best to finish them and drifted off to sleep to wake up again at 4:30.

I sprung out of bed, with the tune of … “This is it, this time I know it’s the real thing…..” from a Danni Minogue song rushing through my head. AWESOME, YAY It was race day and I was so glad. All that anticipation…. It was here, I could finally put in the effort I worked hard to get to. I LOVE THAT!!!

Time to the starters gun passed in a blurr until we were 1100 competitors strong lining the beach and ready to go. I made my way to the outside of the group and it all began. I ran in into the water and my only focus was to relax and breathe deeply and keep my stroke long for the first 1900m loop.

I knew I could get anxious in the water and wanted to avoid the mad crush and conserve my strength rather than fight it out in the splashing rubble of the middle of the group. Before I knew it I was heading running on to the beach and out on my second lap, I saw Jodie and yelled GO JOMO – thinking how funny to have seen her partner Anthony at Forster at around the same time and now JoMo here! Either I was swimming quite well or she hadn’t had a great one as I expected her to be ahead of me. I quickly went back to relaxing on my second lap, then caught my breath just swimming my own race and avoiding the packs. I found a good rythym and stepped up the pace – this is my favourite part of the second 1900 of the swim and I really started to enjoy it – I really wanted to keep swimming forever and realised how ironic that was considering I hated the swim in the past!

Ha, “just concentrate on my length and the rest will look after itself” I was saying ..
“Buddy would be proud I am really relaxed!” I made it out of the water and headed up the short but hard hill before I realised I had done a 1hr and 3min something swim and that is a huge PB for me!

WOW it was off to transition and I began to focus on what I would do – Some reporter shoved a camera and recorder in my face as I ran up the hill and asked “Grace Macaluuuaaa you are model.. how did u like the swim?” Was I really being interviewed running up a hill to my bike.. could my heart rate possibly go any higher?! It was even more bizarre to discover it was later on the news – !!

Before I knew it I was 30k into the bike still trying to settle my heart rate when I saw a race number on the ground. It was 1012. Shit, I realised that number was familiar and from a specific girl in my age group. Obviously, she was in front of me and I knew it was her who could run a 3:10 marathon. She was fast, faster than me on the run……..damn. Still I felt glad I had that information and I resolved to do my own conservative race as anything can happen in an ironman and chasing her down at that point would only lead me to blow up later on the run. So I continued up and down and up and down and up and down the hills and so on an so on.

JoMo passed me at about the 90k mark and I started to go with her but she was going to fast for me and my heart rate, I heard John Hills voice in my head… “naughty naughty Grace, you gotta listen, if you go too hard on the bike you just wont be able to run.” Then I imagined Tessa Waterhouse saying “just jump on my wheel and spin” and so I concentrated on spinning smoothly with imaginary Tessa in front of me!!!

Finally I was at the 120k mark where I knew the big mountain type climb was and I was being careful to spin and telling myself that this was simply one of those horrible times you feel in an ironman.

A Japanese cyclist started trying to chat to me half-way up the hill, my God was he serious????? It was all I could do to politley grunt that maybe … “ I sorry, I talk to you later, I can’t talk now”. I couldn’t help but smile when I got to the top of the hill and a group of locals (who were obviously Tour De France” fans) ran along and pushed me for a few meters at the top – it felt great, gosh, if only they would push me for another 80km!

At 170km mark I saw 1012 in front of me. I figured there was no point in staying behind her and going easy on the bike home because she had the ability to run much faster than me and I needed a lead – I decided to ride strongly past her and hopefully psych her out a little and continue on my way. Off I went, the last 10k I really felt tired as I pushed it a little knowing she was behind me but I was looking forward to the run and seeing how my pace would go.

HOW wrong I was thinking I had looked after myself enough on the bike. Running was horrible. My legs were heavier than I have ever felt in my life and I knew I had 42km left to run. I had gained 10mins on 1012 on the bike however about 4km in to the run she passed me strongly and was it my imagination or did she really shoulder me a little …GRRRRRR. (I think she had the same tactic as me to psyche me out!) and I was still struggling to put one foot in front of the other. “I don’t give up” I thought and hoped she would blow up later in the run (although I’m not sure how I figured I would pass her at the pace that I was going!).
“I don’t walk” was the main thing in my mind. Feeling like this, I cursed myself for being so stubborn as I realised I had 42km to go and there was no option but to do it and to do it not walking. For the next 42km, I kept jogging by thinking and doing the following…

Just make it to the next hill, or next 5 minutes or the next time it was to take a gel or the next 10 steps or the next time I saw a fellow Aussie. Said in my head to the sound of my steps “as, long, as, I, can, move, I’m, not, sick” (repeat over and over and over and over…. Quote Lance Armstrong!) Counted to 10 (over and over and over and over…!) Thought of people who doubt me.Stopped quickly to grab a drink from an aid station, then nearly fainted and resolved never to stop again because there was one thing I was doing come hell or high water and that was finishing! Wished that I could let myself decide not to finish but knew I would faint/die before that happened. Tried to concentrate on the good (i.e. when knee hurt think. oh but I’m not running to the toilet and my hip and calf is good!) Yelled “Qwhiting” a few times (Korean word for GO GO GO),! Took my sunnies off but put them back on again because I thought a change in perspective could cause me to faint again (think my mind was really starting to struggle here!).
Wished I was the people I saw on the last lap of the run….. then, “thanked God” I wasn’t the people just getting off the bikes and starting the run!

Finally I made it towards the finish line… I high fived the crowd and grabbed the Aussie flag and ran over the line so damn excited to know I had made it and I hadn’t walked.

I was so relieved and so proud of myself for doing it. 1012 got me on the day but maybe she has helped me because I tell you what, she is what will get me out of bed for many days to train in the future and I just want to get better.

I ended up 8th woman overall on the bike, 12th woman overall in the whole thing and 2nd in my age group. I did have fun under the Korean Sun!

I still remember yelling Kwhiting as I flew down the mountain on my bike and hit a new max speed of 64km per hour…. KWHITING!

I’m young and have years ahead of me to get better its just going to take time and more importantly I’m gonna have fun on the way. I am going to look after myself.

A big thing I realised was how much I missed Billy at the end of the race. Not having him there really made me realize how special it is to have the ones you love around you.

A big thank you for Ironman Korea for organising such a challenging race and looking after me so well. I truly took home an amazing experience.

Thanks Mum for helping with all my training mornings and Prue, Pete, Tom, Will, Benny for being my surrogate family.

A huge thank you to Bridget and Despina and everyone at Nike for the awesome gear and especially Triax HR monitor (I have average heart rates of every one of split times from the race!).

Anthony and the gang at CBD Cycles. Anth is always a savior, packing my awesome pink Giant bike and getting my wheels and everything ready and telling me I would do great.
Giant Bicycles and Darren – what a sensational bike and for being understanding in the lead up to Korea.

My sensational Pflex Orca wetsuit and to my swim coaches Buddy and Dave who combined to help me take 4 mins off my Forster swim time! A PB of 1hr3 mins58!

YAY John Hill for always being there and answering my zillions of questions and getting me to the line again in one piece mentally and physically and for helping me get my nutrition right!

Steven Giderson and Alice for ringing me the day before and Stephen telling me that no matter what happened on the day that I was amazing anyway. (so nice!)

Trophies delay Hill, Chris, Tess

It must have been the drawn-out awards ceremony that delayed results from north Queensland.

JH with his first place, and both Chris and Tess with second places. Awesome awesome awesome.

Here's the link to overall results:

http://www.ironmantri.com.au/DOWNLOADS/571.txt

JH's sponsored Luke McKenzie took 1st place overall in a time of 4:02:47. Angela Milne took the women's top place, winning in 4:19:56.

Any news from Cairns?

Anyone see any results, hear any news from Cairns?

No results anywhere that I've looked.

10k PBs for Andrea and Tim, and Anthony

At the Sydney Striders 10km North Head event this morning Andrea and Tim (me) ran PBs, and Anthony set himself a new target.

Anthony, who a year ago collided with a car and broke his ankle, sprinted at the start and finished in 39 and change. A sub39 time is within reach.

Andrea, who is racing at every event leading up to Newscastle, came home with a sub43 time. A confidence booster heading into the 1/2 marathon next Sunday.

And me, well, I finally managed to break the 40 min mark. Whooo-Hooo!!! Watch out world!

Bikes on Sale

Looking for a new bike (or a clean one), then check out Cheeky Monkey (cannondale) and Inner City (cannondale, felt, giant) for clearance specials ..

Weekend Training

Friday run
If not doing brat race sat….
7:10 am at mckay oval……do 10 min w up before u get there…..note I wont be here as I,m racing cairns

sat bike…6 am york rd gates,,,,

same course as last week via lapuruse…start at auderley for the hit…damo will advise if not sure

sat anoon brat swim and run race malabar…see brat site for times

sun bike /run
6:15 york rd gates straight out to kurnell easy ride

or calga time trial 8 am calga

have fun!

Still got plenty of expiring bars if anyone wants cheapos

Cheers
jh

Go Cairns 1/2 People!

Cairns half this weekend .. go Tess, go Chris and go JH .. anyone else?

Lisa's Korean Report

After three flights and two bus trips, I arrived at my destination in jeju-city. We checked into the Hyatt hotel, directly across from the swim start.

I slept well that night and awoke to a humid, windy and rainy morning. Heading down into the water for a trial swim, I lasted just 10 minutes before being scared back onto the beach. There were strong currents pulling out to sea and strong waves pushing back. Returning to the hotel I was worried that if the water was like that on race day, I didn’t think I would make it!

As each day went on, the weather got better and the clouds went away and the water got flatter, I started to feel more confident about the race.

On the Friday before the race, the professionals were taken on a bus trip over the whole course. It was fun meeting the other pros (mostly the men!he!he!) and observing the course and all the scary big mountains.

The feel for this ironman was very different to the other ones I’ve done. There wasn’t much hype about it and you didn’t see too many athletes until race morning.

With a total of 1100 athletes participating, it seemed like a pretty casual race. I was a little worried as prior to my races I get nervous and have butterflies in my tummy but for some reason this race wasn’t like that.

Even the carbo party was very different. A lot of the people ate and then left, but we got to watch the video from the previous year and that is when it happened, I knew it was ironman time and I wasn’t here for a holiday!

I had the briefing Saturday morning and checked in my bike and gear and went to bed early. I didn’t sleep very well and before I knew it I awoke at 4 to have breakfast. Getting down to transition at 5:30 to get numbered and preparing my bike didn’t take long. Even having to go to the toilet was quick as there were no queues!!

It was 6:30 and I oiled up and put on my wetsuit and then did a little warm up swim and run and had to find some vasoline as my oil dried on my neck. In Korea they don’t know what that is -- I went to the med tent and they rubbed an ointment like deep heat on my neck! It was now 15min to the start and my neck was burning. I had to quickly run to the ambulance to see if they had vaso. No! They didn’t! Now it was just 5 min to the race start.

Then I bumped into Dallas O'Brien who had ointment and rubbed that on my neck, leaving me to quickly sprint to the start. I just made it before the gun went off! Boom!

Athletes sprinted into the water and as per usual it was messy, but I seemed to get my space after 200m.

Feeling comfortable, I swam around for the 1st lap and was nearly stung by a jellyfish the size of a soccer ball. After 25 min, it was time to get out of the water, run about 100m around a turning can and then back in for the second lap. I was all alone except for someone hitting my feet for 1km or so, and then I came out in 53min, a time I wanted to do.

I ran 300m along the beach to a very steep climb that was 10m into T1 and headed to the change tent to prepare for the bike. (No one was in the tent to help and I had to pack my wetsuit up and then hand it to someone outside the tent.)

With my hr elevated, I went straight into a hill which climbed gradually for 12km on windy roads before getting on the freeway, which was smooth with undulating hills where I was able to maintain a pace of 40km/hr.

I was waiting and waiting for other cyclists to catch me but there was no-one. I knew it was going to be a long, lonely day of riding, so I stayed in my mid e2 and enjoyed the surroundings. I had guys with disc wheels smoke past me -- 1 every 15-20km.

I was preparing for the climb at 110km point and conserving energy so I could run well off the bike. When she caught me (Naomi the winner) at 130km, she was grinding in her big chain ring and big gears with a disc wheel. I thought if she kept riding like that she would possibly blow up in the run, so I didn’t stay with her.

I kept to my pace. I didn’t feel well for the last 50km as I couldn’t hold my nutrition down so I kept my fluids up and felt the sun’s rays burning into my skin.

With all the cheering locals around, it made the course a little more enjoyable and I even had a local man running after me telling me he loved me (which was really funny). I was glad to get off the bike as it was a hard ride.

With Naomi 4min in front, I paced myself well for the 1st 14km lap holding just over 5min kms in my mid e2 (it was nice undulating hills for the run) and felt even better going onto the second lap still seeing her in sight.

I knew I was going to run well. The drink stations were every 2km (you had to get your own drink off the table as they didn’t understand me saying coca cola). I got to 21km and I started to get a really bad stitch in my ribs. I tried to run through it but it was too painful so I started to walk!

Then I knew it was all over. I was trying to get rid of the stitch and a lot of people were running past me.

I did a mix of running\walking until 38km not being able to consume any nutrition; I was able to jog for the last 4km as the 4th pro was catching up to me and I didn’t want her to get me.

Hearing the commentator calling me ``marathon’’, and seeing the stadium, I got to run through the ribbon!! coming in at a time of 10.48 and finishing my 6th ironman.

Korea is one of the hardest courses I’ve done. I really enjoyed the experience and learned valuable lessons to help me be able to do even better for my next one which is ironman western australia.

Nothing beats an ironman finish in your own country so BRING IT ON!!

Lisa