Weekend Training

friday run
friday swim with stg 6:15 north bondi see below
friday swim..north bondi surf club bi athlon for fun 7 pm start ..400m swim/800m run hard sand,800m soft sand.400m swim

sat bike 6 am york rd gates -easy 90-100k to waterfall....(i wont be here .).....apparently last week was a shambles....a leader will be nominated..any takers??...please obey your leader as its dangerouse on the roads for everyones safety.

sun bike 6:15 am york rd gates...120k via la paruse to kurnell as per last week.(i wont be here)...over 40k e2 people start and lead e2 after right turn end of anzac parade,under 40k e2 hit people sit on and start at kurnell...2 laps kurnell as per last week...re group at garage at end of kurnell..easy home ,run after

optional -kurnell tri or newcastle tri

programes-please note i need xmas holiday schedules now ie things i need to know to write your prog as i,ll be doing most of this before i go away to bussleton

regards..jh

Port Mac - 1800 spots

Port Mac will now be open to 1800 athletes .. about 300 more than last year .. [It will be interesting to see how many more people are walking during the swim]

Race Director Ken Baggs points out that everyone wanting to qualify must complete in at least one race in the Snap Australian Half Ironman Series, and if not given a qualifying slot at the race they compete at, to make sure they enter the “End of Season Lottery” – see “Lottery” button on www.ironmanoz.com / Event Information / Lottery.

This lottery will be drawn on 17 January 2007.

There are only 2 races remaining in the Series – Campbells Shepparton Half Ironman on 10 December 2006 and the Bruce Gowans Toyota Tasmanian Half Ironman on 14 January 2007.

Thomas Back on Bike!

Thomas returned to cycling on the weekend and looked in good form on his temporary bike (courtesy of Ish).

And Lisa was cruising on her borrowed Kuota .. surging by Jac, Oli, Ian and me as if we were standing still ..

It was an all-star group that headed out into Kurnell - Mr Hill, Mr Mergler (whose Carbon P3 is equipped with a mountain bike seat for greater comfort) and Damo pushed the pace. The rest chased.

There's speculation that Dingo may reappear on Tuesday!

Kona drug rumours

There's a lengthy comment/story on slowtwitch about rumours of at least one positive test out of Kona - no names and there's the qualification that the substances may be natural in the athletes in question.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/

High5 Kit, Product Testing

high5 multisports bike kit:19 have pledged to purchase so far so getting near to the reqt of 25 needed to order ... anymore? ... most have ordered 1 set which wont last 4 rides per week unless your a quick washer :-)

high5 nutrition testing in january-still need more for this,remember u will get 100$ per week of free product for 4 weeks if u take part plus will see what products work best for u against other brands...please email if u want to be in it.

regards

jh

Weekend Training

dear all, welcome to winter...training as follows if u dare :-).....

thurs night swim with stg 6:15 north bondi (i,m not sure if on in this weather)

thurs night mini biathlon with sophie and friends 7 pm north bondi (short swim 2k sand run short swim)...ditto

fri swim run-please click "reply to all" if u want to run with someone to set up a meet (i,m swimming uni nsw)

sat bike 6 am york rd gates....to waterfall easy...(note i wont be at this session)...only do if on yr prog

sun bike 6:15 am york rd gates ...kurnell key session day as per prog..(e2 hitout around kurnell) .. sun run after bike

weather should be good after today

jh

Sydney Forecast

Friday Clearing shower Min: 10°C Max: 20°C

Saturday Mostly sunny Min: 12°C Max: 25°C

Sunday Mostly sunny Min: 16°C Max: 27°C

Monday Mostly sunny Min: 18°C Max: 26°C

Brrrrr - winter returns

A goosepimply, teeth-chattering Sydney has another reason to shake its collective head at the weather gods today.

This morning's recorded low temperature of 8.3 degrees is the coldest November minimum in more than a century.

Not since 1905 has a November day experienced such chill.

But don't put away the swimming cossies just yet, says bureau forecaster Chris Webb, because we're in for a fine and sunny weekend with temperatures in the high 20s.

From the Sydney Morning Herald online

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/11/16/1163266674135.html?from=top5

Centennial Park 5k loop

THE START IS WHERE THE BRATS START RUN RACES AT SHOWGROUND GATES ON THE CORNER,INSIDE WHITE FENCE

GO ANTICLOCKWISE ON USUAL 4K LOOP CIRCUIT

TURN LEFT AT FIRST ROAD TOWARDS MIDDLE OF PARK WHERE THEY MEET FOR COFFEE AT THE CARAVAN ON W ENDS

RUN PAST CARAVAN THEN U GET A FORK, TAKE LEFT OPTION WHERE IT MEETS PARK LOOP TURN RIGHT ONTO 4K LOOP PATH THEN AFTER FEW HUNDRED METRES RIGHT TURN AT KIOSK

FOLLOW BACK PAST CARAVAN AND REVERSE TO WHAT U DID TO GET TO CARAVAN BACK TO START

Tasmanian Tigers

The all-female Cadbury team, led by Ironwoman, Grace McClure, have shot up the rankings in the last few days of competition to claim their place as fastest female team, ahead of the local team, Hydro Tasmania.

(The Cadbury team was fifth out of 11 finishers overall.)

McClure said; “We’ve had an absolute ball. We’ve done everything – the entire map of Tasmania. We’ve had ups and downs, but no major injuries – we faced everything as a team. The highlight for us was the Montezuma Falls mountain bike stage. It was fantastic.''

Final Race Standings – End of Day Six: (unofficial)
1. Pure Tasmania 28hrs18mins21
2. All Stars 29.09.35
3. Telstra Men 29.18.03
4. Royal Bank of Scotland 33.27.59
5. Cadbury (all female) 33.57.09

Athletes Wanted!

In January 2007, High5 will be conducting scientific testing to compare various elements surrounding their new ‘SuperCarbs’ products. They need 30 riders to
participate in weekend (one day) bike and run trials.

The bike test will be a three hour, monitored, moderate ride, followed by
a 60 kilometre TT for four consecutive weeks, held at Kurnell, NSW. Eight of the
selected participants will also be required to go for a run, following the bike.

All participants will receive $100 worth of free product, in addition to product
consumed while testing. Participants will also receive information surrounding their
results, which can be used to develop an accurate nutrition plan.

Several runners are also required, for distances up to 32 kilometres. For more information, or to volunteer, email John Hill on fastgear@bigpond.com

Tri NSW race sked

The first round of the TriNSW Sydney Triathlon Series - Kurnell is now just two weeks away - as triathlon returns once more to its Sydney roots on Sunday 26th November in the 'shire'.

Further north the second round of the Australian Triathlon Series also happens on November 26th, in downtown Newcastle. An official qualifier for the 2007 World Champs, the race is already attracting a gun field of age groupers.

The Olympic course will cover the usual 1500m, 40km and 10km but this time the course highlights Newcastle's favourite beach, Nobby's starting at Lee Wharf and taking in some famous Newcastle icons as it swims, rides and runs to the finish...

Further details are available at: www.atsnewcastle.netor the RD, Paul Humphreys on (02) 4934 8138...

And as a warm up, why not head to Canberra and cheer on Team Australia in the 2006 ITU Canberra LD Triathlon World Championships on November 19th.

More at www.worldlongdistance2006.com

More racing real soon!

Don't forget the TriNSW Sydney Triathlon Series - Round 2 - January 14th 2007 and the Panther's Summer Sprint Series at Penrith on January 8th. And for a quick hit out before Christmas, head to Canberra for the Canberra City LD Tri on December 17th, Canberra see www.canberracitytri.com

There's lots more racing on, including the U23 Oceania and All Women's races at Penrith on February 4th 2007 and the Club Champs is back too set for April 28th - and before then there's a whole lot of racing across February and March!

Read all the info at www.trinswrace.org ...

Cheers
The TrINSW Race Team

Team Outfits

if you haven't received the email with the proposed new design (and pricing), contact jh

the key change from the previous jersey is a big high5 multisports logo in the middle of the shirt

defeet high5 socks are coming soon and i,ll throw in a free pair for anyone who places an order

if interested please email with your order and i can go from there... just qty and size

thanks
jh

BRAT dates

Wed 22 Nov
BRAT 5k Training Time Trial, start time at 6.30pm @ South Bondi Promenade.

Thurs 30 Nov
BRAT Aquathon, meet on the steps of North Bondi SLSC no later than 6.50 for a 7pm
start. See the Training section for details

Sat 2nd Dec BRAT Triathlon BRAT EXPO

Sat 2nd Dec BRAT Triathlon, at Heffron park @ 1:30pm

Sat 9th Dec BRAT 10k Run - Guess your own time. Cent Part 4pm near showground Gates

Nowra results

The results are online .. but as JH has already noted:

Lisa was edged out of first in the Olympic distance .. though she ran a very impressive 40:43 for the 10k. Alice took 4th in her age group.

Others spotted in the results, Mr Waterhouse and Mr Hanrahan.

Seven-day Sydney forecast

Thursday Clearing shower Min: 13°C Max: 21°C

Friday Mostly sunny Min: 13°C Max: 23°C

Saturday Mostly sunny Min: 16°C Max: 28°C

Sunday Mostly sunny Min: 19°C Max: 29°C

Monday Late shower Min: 20°C Max: 29°C

Tuesday Clearing shower Min: 16°C Max: 23°C

Wednesday Possible shower Min: 15°C Max: 21°C

Kona Komments

Race reports from far and wide and komments from that day in Kona last month have been requested and promised by a few athletes we all know.

As soon as they are ready, they'll be posted.

(Note that the blog will fall silent through early next week. Safe training.)

For Tasmania updates

This link should get you to the media centre area on the Mark Webber Challenge site.

http://www.markwebberchallenge.com/media/

Tasmania Day Three

Since kicking off in Launceston on Sunday, competitors have travelled more than 200km by foot, bike and kayak, and the course has been testing. Even proving too much for the professionals, as World Ironman champ and Webber team mate, Guy Andrews became the second elite sportsman forced to pull out of a day of competition.

Combined Race Standings at end of Day Three (Tuesday):

1. Pure Tasmania 16hrs06mins19secs
2. All Stars 16.39.56
3. Telstra Men 16.55.36
4. Royal Bank of Scotland 19.36.53
5. Foster’s 20.06.17
6. Cadbury (Grace, Gina) 20.22.21
7. Hydro Tasmania (all-female) 21.05.52
8. DWS 22.20.09
9. MIA (Missing in Action) 22.22.30
10. SecureCorp 23.48.33
11. Spinvox 23.57.13
12.Telstra Women 23.59.12

Port Mac accomodation

*Reminder from TriTravel to book accomodation for Port Mac ironman

Choice of properties includes:

Flynn’s Beach
Macquarie Waters
Rydges Port Macquarie
Sails Resort
Port Pacific Resort
Beach Blue Resort

Contact Tri Travel on 1 800 225022 or email res@tritravel.com.au

Row the girls!

(Mark Webber Challenge - from Monday)

After the 33km hike from Lake Ada to the Walls of Jerusalem and a short mountain bike stage, the teams took to the Mersey River for a white water rafting show down.

While Cracknell and McKay have the pedigree on the water, it was the women in the field who came out on top. The all-female Cadbury team, lead by Ironwoman and Personal Trainer, Grace McClure, surprised everyone by clocking the fastest time for the white water stage.

McClure said; “The rafting was awesome and spectacular. The four of us pulled out all the stops. I can’t believe we beat Cracknell and McKay – go the girls!”

1. All Star Celebrity Team 6hrs.57mins.22secs
2. Pure Tasmania Team 7.22.02
3. Telstra (men) 7.48.41
4. Foster’s (lead mixed team) 9.01.54
5. Royal Bank of Scotland 9.07.03
6. Cadbury (lead all-female team) 9.08.25
7. Hydro Tasmania (all-female) 9.34.59

Oli's borrowed bike?

Well Oli has set a high standard with a solid sub5 hour first time 1/2 ironman effort. The question is: how fast can Thomas get a new bike?

Oliver LAMB 4:53:16 he was 20th in the 25-29 age group .. a strong performance

swim 36:10
bike 2:45:31
rum 1:31:34 13th in the age group

Dave's going to Florida!!!

congrats to dave on qualifying and taking up his world 70.3 spot for florida next year

jh


his stats at port mac

David RAY 4:53:28 10th in his age group,18-24

swim 41:34 25th in age group
bike 2:41:59 8th in age group
run 1:29:53 2nd in age group

Goals by JH

well well what can i say, the best race of her life to date, the story of the 5 balls shows the marangon marathon bounces back !!!

with a great run after a great bike(borrowed after her crash last week), she nearly ran down belinda granger for first, got 2nd by about 30 seconds which was one of the most exciting races i've watched for a long long time

with angie sharp closing in she didn't panic or loose it mentally, she kept chipping away at belinda .. well done lisa!!

as an added note which i have to say, i don't think there's one of us in the group that knows that she deserves it and has it in her to make it to the top, what she did on sunday is what champions are made of, and everyone thinks champions are made overnight .. they are not!!

they go through ups and downs and tough days, depressing days, feeling like packing it in days ... it's part of the apprenticeship and lisa's been on that apprenticeship and has the goods

she's the new blood of twenty odd year olds coming up .. take heed from lisa, if u want your goals u got to work for them just like belinda has

jh

WOW! What a finish! Go Lisa!!

Belinda Granger has held tough for a sensational win at Port Macquarie Ironman 70.3 in a time of 4:35:55 with Lisa Marangon, recovering from a car crash just a week ago, 300 metres behind her and taking second in a time of 4:36:26.

http://vnews.ironmanlive.com/events/ironman70.3/australia70.3?show=all&y=2006

Angie Sharp was the leading female from the water but behind her Charlotte Paul, Belinda Granger and Lisa Marangon all exited within 20 metres of each other.

A fiercely determined Granger forged a lead in the bike leg she was not to concede and she continued to move ahead of her challengers throughout the 90kms.

Marangon moved into second, with Sharp slipping to third and Paul in fourth.

Into the run Granger looked strong but late in the race was put under pressure by Marangon, who came within 300 metres at the finish line!

“Forget my race, Lisa had an awesome race here today, I’m just amazed she even started after the car accident,” added Granger, mentioning her friend was involved in a major accident just one week before the race.

It was for Marangon an emotional second place but she was sure happy with the result.

* Belinda Granger AUS (#20) 4:35:55
* Lisa Marangon AUS (#24) at 4:36:26
* Angie Sharp AUS (#23) at 4:40:00
* Charlotte Paul AUS (#21) at 4:53:01
* Kelly Jarrett AUS (#423) at 5:02:59

Lance's pacers

The members of Lance Armstrong’s cycling teams escorted him to seven consecutive victories in the Tour de France, but Armstrong will lean on a different group of athletes Sunday when he competes in the New York City Marathon: three legends of long-distance running.

The former marathon champions Alberto Salazar and Joan Benoit Samuelson, and Hicham el-Guerrouj, the defending Olympic champion in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters, will pace Armstrong for his debut in the 26.2-mile race, each running with him for a different section of the course.

Salazar, 48, will run the first 10 miles, while Samuelson, 49, will take over for the next 10. Guerrouj, 32, will join Armstrong for the next six miles. For the last, short stretch through Central Park, Armstrong will be on his own.

See Lance Run

The New York City marathon is on Sunday .. 37,000 or so starters including the guy from Texas ..

The New York Times has been running, so to speak, a lot of stories on the event and marathons in general this week. It costs nothing to register online to read the stories.

The latest story is titled: Everything you know about marathons is wrong.

Here's the first two paragraphs:

Most runners have heard the marathon lore: Your time will be best if the weather on race day is about 55 degrees and overcast, or even drizzly. And avoid dehydration at all costs, because it will cause your muscles to cramp and you could collapse at the finish line.

But none of that is true, researchers said at a recent marathon medicine and science conference in Chicago.

Easy weekend

sat optional ride 6 am york rd gates easy 90-100k kurnell return

sun 90-100k ride 6:15 am york rd gates to waterfall easy
optional run after as per prog

or option

BRAT ‘SPRINT’ TRIATHLON THIS SUN Nov 5th 10.30AM

VENUE: Heffron Park Maroubra.

DISTANCE: 750m/20k/5k- 300m/10k/5k Junior and Beginners
TIME : 10.30 PM Start

REGISTRATION: From 9.45-10.15am.

jh

Port Mac 1/2

Lisa, Damo and JH heading north .. any others .. well enjoy the day ..

http://www.ironmanoz703.com/

Go Grace and Gina!

Cadbury is proud to be a sponsor of the 2006 Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge and has long been linked with Mark and the Grand Prix. Cadbury Schweppes sponsored the 2003 Mark Webber Challenge, and have been a major sponsor of the Melbourne Grand Prix.

In 2006 Cadbury's team comprises 4 amazing women, each dedicated to training for the Challenge while also holding down day jobs. Grace McClure will lead the team and will be accompanied by Melbournians Del Lloyd and Gillie Hilton - Gina Unwin from Sydney completes the team of four.

http://www.markwebberchallenge.com/index.cfm

Eva - TV Star

http://svt.se/svt/road/Classic/shared/mediacenter/player.jsp?d=24029&a=686132

Supercarbs arrive

high5 supercarbs has finally arrived and i have stock

if u want more info on it please read on http://www.highfive.co.uk/

i only got it yesterday so will be getting it to the shops as soon as they order

note the 650g drums have now changed to 650g of sachets in a box

i tried it yesterday and it's really good ... good for taking on rides and adding to water

if u need more info please email

ta

jh

Port Mac 1/2 site

http://www.ironmanoz703.com/

Newcastle Olympic

This is the first Olympic Distance race to be held in Newcastle. We are expecting a huge roll up from the large membership of Hunter Triathlon clubs and this event is also Race 2 of the 2006/07 Australian Triathlon Series, which means it is an official qualifier for the 2007 World Age Group Olympic Distance Championships.

This race will be held in Newcastle on Sunday 26 November 2006. The course is arguably one of the most scenic and exciting city based triathlon courses in Australia and will take in the Newcastle Harbour, Foreshore, Honeysuckle Precinct , Beaches and King Edward.

Go to www.atsNEWCASTLE.net for more information.

Running man's nutrition

Chris Carmichael, who coached Lance Armstrong, modified Mr. Karnazes’ regular diet of vegetables and wild salmon, as well as his exercise regimen, in preparation for the Endurance 50.

To better help Mr. Karnazes recover between marathons, Mr. Carmichael increased the ultrarunner’s intake of carbohydrates (to 65 percent of his diet from 55 percent) and fats (to 22 percent from 18 percent) and lowered his intake of protein (to 18 percent from 22 percent).

He also changed his workouts. Instead of two 50-plus mile runs a week supplemented by shorter runs, Mr. Karnazes began running every day, sometimes twice a day, for two to three hours at a time.

From the New York Times

Energy drink reviews

http://www.bandddesigns.com/energy/

Don't lose heart

Catherine Ndereba, 34, is at the top of her sport. She is a four-time Boston Marathon champion and a two-time winner in Chicago. She was once the world-record holder and won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Of the 16 marathons she has run, she has finished first or second in the last 15, an astounding degree of consistency in such an unpredictable race. Even Ndereba has trouble explaining that.

“It took me 10 years to make it to the Olympics,” Ndereba told a group of New York school students. “I had many disappointments along the way. But I did not lose heart. All I can say to you is, whatever you are doing, don’t lose heart. You can do it.”

From the New York Times

Nepean Tri

After the wild winds of Saturday afternoon, I was a bit worried about what the dawn would bring on Sunday. But there was no need to worry. The conditions were perfect.

It has to be one of the best value races - we received long-sleeve T shirts, anniversary mugs and a medal after crossing the finish line. And then there were the post-race draws for everything from spare tires to swim goggles to Oakley sunnies and Polar monitors, wetsuits and a new tri bike.

Among the contestants were Damo, Christophe, Steve Murray, Michael Moore, Ian Depree, Ian Phillipps, Tim Lindop, Stephen Firth, Stephen Elliott, Tony Golden and me.

Results online. I can speak only for me in saying that it does help to remember where you rack your bike so you can find it easily after you exit the swim, and then where to put it back on the rack after riding it. Oh well. Early season lessons.

Sunday accident

A car hit the back of the group shortly after the ride began Sunday morning.

Lisa and Thomas as well as two brothers who are not regular riders with the group were knocked down. All four were taken to hospital and later released.

All four bikes were damaged beyond repair.

Kurnell Series Details

Sydney Triathlon Series - Race 1 - Kurnell

We’re just a month off the first round of the brand new TriNSW Sydney Triathlon Series at Kurnell and entries are strong and getting stronger. Note that the field size is increased for 2006/2007 to 550 for the first race and 600 over all…

The four races are open to TriNSW members at reduced cost; and your can enter one, any or all four rounds. Non members may also compete at a greater cost, which will include a One Race Membership.

Remember the first round is 26th November, and for the first time ever, here’s the new look Series Logo, which will be an integral part of the Series T-shirt and whilst each round will have it’s own shirt; those competitors who pre-enter all four races by November 3rd 2006 will received a special commemorative long sleeve shirt!

So what are you waiting for – enter today!

Weekend Racing/Training

hi all i,m back..but in noosa....but this w end training as follows

sat bike 6 am york rd gates(longer ride with effort)...kurnell loops as previous weeks...practice pace and nutrition

sun option 6:15 am york rd gates (short ride and run)...waterfall return
run after

or
nepean triathlon

jh

Racing in Nepean

Location: Sydney International Regatta Centre - Penrith Lakes

Nepean Enticer: Starts at 3pm, Sat 28 Oct

Nepean Triathlon: Starts at 7am, Sun 29 Oct - REMEMBER: Daylight savings!

*NOTE: Please arrive at the Regatta Centre at least 1 hour prior to the
event start to allow for parking, registration and setup for the race.

Daylight savings

Turn the clock forward by one hour before turning out the lights on Saturday!!

New Search Engine

A new edition to the blog today is the search engine on the top right hand side. The idea is to make it easier to find what you are looking for on all things triathlon.

Let me know what you think.

John's race report

well the week started weird with no bikes at airport, gears smasshed then rain every day for first week, then the earthquake on sunday followed by a few more smaller ones.

the week leading up, the sea was very swelly and the surfers were happy but no rain and no quakes, a few probs with bike but i'm getting used to that and all was fixed up.

i was feeling good and had a new plan for swim bike and run which is always mentally important. remember "new" meaning tested plan in training regarding equipment and nutrition.

race morning woke up feeling 100%, saw alice eve and dingo before and all were good, it was a perfect morning, sea a bit swelly but been through that many times. at hawaii, where to start is anyone's guess in the swim, i took up mid position in the line up about six deep back, people were squeezing and kicking me already with 5 mins to go, stuff this i thought so i decided to hit the front line, the cannon went off early as usual and i got a clear start for unusually ages until about half km later and bodies everywhere on top, under - u name it..

i decided to veer left out the traffic and few mins later i hear alice next to me shouting "hi john" haha funny, half way and about 31 mins, didn't mean much because i've been there before and finished in both 1:20 and 1:06 in previous years.. took a planned gel and off i went for home, felt like a million $ and passed about three packs with plenty of bubbles along the way, came out fresh as a daisy in 1:09 on my clock but was convinced it was about 1:04 pace which i found out after was pretty spot on coz it was a slow swim coz the swell

onto bike and legs felt great,i was about 700th apparently and ready to chip away gradually at my pace, mone told me dingo was 7 mins ahead and john mergler 3mins. i very soon started catching people i knew with good previous swims which always helps mentally

first 65k of bike is always crazy with packs forming and guys going inside u etc etc but after a while it sorted itself out and at the start of the 30k hawi hill to the turnaround i spotted two packs way ahead and off i went in pursuit with one other guy to keep myself focused, by half way up the hill i had them but was now alone but it made me feel strong so i continued knowing my downhill being lighter wouldn't be as effective

i spotted normann stadler coming down in first place way ahead of the big pack which the other top contenders were in.. at the top i spotted natascha badmann and worked out with her 15 min head start that i was a minute ahead of her? lovely i thought and more confidence for my head.. nutrition spot on and feeling great at top of hill and ready for the downhill and a bit of a breather until heavy aussie guy wizzes by with a "hi john" .. breather over i thought and chased after him but he got too far ahead but i thought i'll use him as a yardstick for my last 55k home which i planned to pick up the pace on.

about 20k down the hill i saw a familliar pair pf desoto pants with gel flasks in the pockets.. bloody dingo !!! haha i figured he was either rooted or saving himself but either way i was still going to continue my planned race.. weirdly enough before the end of the hill i saw the heavy guy again too, having a pee on his bike .. hmm this could be a good trio to work with going home i thought.. through the tough 2k climb and onto the 55k home mainly uphill and traditionally wind against the journey for home started.. i didn't see those two guys again but all i knew was wind and speed were good so i just kept going.. that i did in absolute pissing rain which must of been a godsend as it was starting to get really hot.

off the bike and onto the run omg it was humid and sun was out.. ouchy!! .. felt ok as possible after 180k 4:59 bike, bit of a sore back but pretty normal for me.. kept the pace i wanted for 15 k until the hills but head was exploding from heat.. couldn't see dingo, took lots of people with few taking me too.. early days early days.. mone told me i was 4th in age group but later said it was a mistake and i was 8th.. (cry) .. i could see john mergler at the turn about 7-10 mins ahead, saw eve on fire and then alice as we crossed paths.. up the big hill and onto the lava fields and i was hot as hell but back ache gone and starting to run well.. took two guys in my age group.. saw norm coming home with macca just behind.. hmm i think norm won't give that up.. into the energy lab, head really exploding and had to keep putting water on altho i had squelching in my shoes, not good but no choice.. got to special needs and they couldn't find it so utilised time by having a pee.. she brought the bag up to me and saw my willy lol .. lucky girl :-) ..up the energy lab hill which hurts and last 12k home through lava fields which was ouch every step, there's no description to weigh up that last 12k it hurts bad.. mone and amanda at 2k to go then downhill home on the hurting quads ..

woohooo 9:46 and a personal best for hawaii, ok 6th and no trophy this year but 6th in the world ain't really too bad .. what did i learn?.. get more aero on bike .. use nutrition plan again .. always wear a peak hat in hawaii.

wasn't well after the race as u can expect with some heat stroke, sun in your face for that long just isn't good

dingo eve and alice all came in with fantastic first time hawaii times....this place ain't easy i have to tell u.. the poor 12 hour plus people had to come home in torrential rain.. it was knee height down the finish stretch which i've never seen before.. this place always cooks up something .. norm and michellie won overall and had well deserved races.

hope you're all well see u soon ****note i'm at noosa expo coming weekend, those doing it see u at the expo

jh kona 23-10-06

ps thanks for all those who sent well wishes

Chicago Marathon

From the New York Times (the race was yesterday):

When the men’s race was down to four contenders, Abdirahman, a native of Somalia who became an American citizen in 2000, was one of them. Then, at 22 miles, he said he made “a little mistake.”

“I went to get water, and they didn’t,” he said. “I looked up, and they had 20 meters on me, and at that speed I couldn’t make it up.”

So what did he do? “I started drinking the water,” he said.

Solid Hillbillie Performances!

Vic has crossed the line in 11:38 and that concludes the crew in Kona.

Superb (I know, I keep using this word) performances by all. Looking forward to any race reports or comments and photos to put on the blog.

Enjoy the remaining days in Kona and the celebrations of the next few days in particular.

Grace to the line

Rod completed the course in 11:07 - perhaps he was distracted from getting married to Kath in Kona earlier in the week!!

Congrats mate!!

Sub 11 for Alice!

Another Sub 11 on the day and this time to Alice .. 10:58:23. Superb!!

Eva - Sub 11!

Backed by a solid swim and a bike, Eva cruised to a 10:46:15 finish. Congrats.

Teresa Rider - World Champ!

Wow .. what more can one say.

Teresa took top spot in the 45-49 age group and is now the World Champion.

10:38:27

Sub10 for Sterlo!!

Another sub 10 on the day .. this one was Sterlo .. superb 9:56:17!!!!

Dingo SUB10!!!

A very impressive `first' Kona race for Mr McClement .. 9:51:37!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK OK .. we expect at least a 2000 word race report!

Hill takes sixth!!!

John powered to a 9:46:18 finish, just one spot behind local rival John Mergler who crossed the line in 9:40:23.

Superb race Chris

Well, it pays off to train with Macca.

Chris finished in 9:09:11 .. WOW .. he finished off the race with a 3:10:02 run for SIXTH place in the 30-34 age group.

!!!!!!!!!

WOW - superb bike splits

End of bike – bike splits

Mergler 4:53:00

Chris W 4:53:34

Hill 4:59:07

Sterlo 5:08:45

Dingo 5:09:38

Firth 5:24:57

Eva 5:32:55

Rod 5:40:18

Teresa 5:42:34

Alice 5:52:33

Vic 6:01:19

The Bike at 95km

The Bike at 59 miles (at about 95km)

(NOTE: time is from race start)

Chris 3:39:06

Mergler 3:47:32

Dingo 3:51:39

Hill 3:53:03

Sterlo 3:55:41

Eva 4:05:56

Rod 4:15:43

Alice 4:21:06

Vic 4:21:09

Teresa 4:28:22

The Crew

Farrar Victoria 1303 W35-39 AUS
Firth Stephen 531 M45-49 AUS
Grace Rod 780 M40-44 AUS
Hayden Jason 1195 M35-39 AUS
Hecht Mathias 94 MPRO CHE
Hill John 533 M45-49 AUS
Keen Stirling 1604 M25-29 AUS
McClement Tony 1509 M30-34 AUS
McClure Alice 1554 W30-34 AUS
McKenzie Luke 126 MPRO AUS
Mergler John 95 M45-49 AUS
Rider Teresa 710 W45-49 AUS
Rongard Eva 1557 W30-34 SWE
Waterhouse Chris 1517 M30-34 AUS

At the end of the swim

The Swim

Chris W 59:55

Dingo 1:03:36

Eva 1:04:22 (7th in age group out of swim)

Vic 1:04:54 (8th in age group out of swim)

Mergler 1:09:05

Sterlo 1:09:16

Hill 1:11:14

Alice 1:11:53

Firth 1:11:55

Rod 1:13:30

Teresa 1:21:55

Sydney weekend weather forecast

Forecast for Saturday
A few showers. Cooler cloudy day with fresh to strong southerly winds.

Precis: A few showers. Windy.

City: Min: 15 Max: 19
West: Min: 11 Max: 19


Sunday Shower or two.

City: Min: 13 Max: 18
West: Min: 8 Max: 18

Kona Weather

Friday
Mostly cloudy. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms in the morning...then showers likely and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon. Locally heavy rainfall possible in the morning. Locally heavy rainfall possible in the afternoon. Highs around 85 at the shore to around 78 at 5000 feet. Southwest winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.

Friday Night
Mostly cloudy early in the evening then becoming partly cloudy. Showers likely and isolated thunderstorms. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Lows around 74 at the shore to around 56 at 5000 feet. East winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60 percent.

Saturday
Partly cloudy with showers likely and isolated thunderstorms in the morning...then mostly cloudy with occasional showers in the afternoon. Locally heavy rainfall possible. Highs 76 to 86. Southwest winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90 percent.

Saturday Night
Partly cloudy. Showers likely in the evening... then scattered showers after midnight. Locally heavy rainfall possible in the evening. Lows 55 to 78. East winds up to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

From http://www.wunderground.com/US/HI/Kailua_Kona.html

Kona blog

Margreet stumbled across this blog .. lots of good photos from Kona.

http://recovox-news.blogspot.com/

Felt frame for sale

FOR SALE – 2003 FELT S32 TT FRAME/FORK

54cm c-c (specs on feltracing.com)
Red with white decals
Carbon aero fork
Headset
Seat post
Good cond. Some chips near B/bracket and scuffs near top tube but hardly noticeable.

This is a great looking frame frame, comfortable to run off for IM distance. PRICE: $600 o.n.o.

Can be viewed at Randwick or by appointment. Contact Steve 0403589077

Ironmanlive men's preview

From ironmanlive's men's preview:

``Even if Reid and DeBoom were starting on Saturday, the bottom line is that this is a stacked field, and the winner will likely be the man who has the best race.''

Inside Tri's picks

http://www.insidetri.com/portal/news/news.asp?item=104123

Of the seven `insiders' making predictions, all of them chose Natascha to win

There was a split for the men's winner: three votes each for Macca and Cam, and one for Normann.

Fuel Belt buys xtri

Just saw this on the xtri site .. Fuel Belt has bought the NZ site

`For those of you tuning in, you’ve probably noticed a gap in content here over the past two weeks. Fuel Belt, Inc. recently acquired Xtri.com and it is our intention to keep the integrity of the content relevant and up to date. We’ve been working on the back end transition as well as a site redesign with a scheduled re-launch for early December.'

Wireless updates

The Ford Ironman World Championship and Charles Schwab are pleased to bring you mobile Athlete Updates!
Stay connected to family and friends as they take on the world's most challenging endurance event.
Sign up now to receive text message updates delivered directly to your mobile phone during the Ford Ironman World Championship on October 21.

Click the link below, and search for the athletes you would like to track, via name or BIB number. You may add a total of 3 athletes in your tracking list. Add your personal information & mobile number. Once you have submitted all information, you will be ready to track athletes on the go!


Sign Up Now
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email: connect@ironman.com
http://www.wigglewireless.com/campaign.asp?cam=65
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*NOTE: I have no idea whether this will work in OZ.

Brat Tri Results

None on the Brat site yet as far as I can see.

Maitland Tri Results

In the mid distance race - 1.5km swim, 55km ride and 12km run, Lisa prevailed. She was first women in the swim, the bike and the run. !!!! And she was the eighth athlete overall to exit the water.

In the club race - 1km swim, 30km ride and 8km run .. Steve Murray just made it to line ahead of Damo .. but nevermind .. Damo took out third in his age group!!!!!

Apologies for anyone I missed .. let me know and I can add your results.

Faris on the others

From the ironmanlive interview (which is quite good):

On Macca and Smith:

“There’s so many other guys, especially the English-speaking triathletes like Chris McCormack and Spencer Smith, they always come up (saying), ‘I know Mark Allen won six times. I’ll win seven.’ Those guys have to prove they can win the race. I’ve done it. If I never, ever win again, it’s still more than they’ve achieved.”

On Stadler and Cam:

“Normann is like a diva. If he has his day, nothing can stop him. He can be incredible. But he has to have his day. He’s nobody like Cam Brown, who is solid as a rock, who’s always there no matter what happens. If it rains, there’s heat, wind, Cam Brown is there. With Normann, it’s something different. If something happens, he puts his head in his chest and he’s melting down.”

Lest anyone think he was disrespecting Stadler, Al-Sultan went on to say, “But on the bike, he’s incredible.”

Coverage for Kona

As you may have noticed, ironmalive has begun its coverage. But there's a lot more on the web, check out:

http://active.typepad.com/ironblog/ *cool story on Norman's latest ride

Faris - Decide

From Inside Triathlon story on Faris:

Q: Why did you get so much stronger in 2005?

I don't think I was so much stronger. But definitely I could cope with extreme heat better than the others. Part of it is just genetics. You can either cope with it or not. The other thing is your mental approach to it. You can decide that you like the heat. That makes it much easier.

From ironmanlive.com

Contingency plans are in place regarding the Ford Ironman World Championship event, but at the present time, no alterations to the event or course are necessary.

Kona quake!

latest info from kona...met alice dingo eve etc at pier for swim this morning...just about to get in water when we get 2 earthquaks..fuk!!!....was scary..the whole pier was shaking,the trees and buildings were rocking like crazy and a building up the road collapsed....sirens everywhere then sunami warnings...hmm could be a no swim hawaii yayyy...well u got to think positive hey !!

heres some info on it..

jh hillbillie news 15/10 in kona

Kilauea Daily Update issued Oct 15, 2006 09:41 HST - Alert Level WATCH - Aviation Color Code ORANGE
Report prepared by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory:

Two powerful earthquakes occurred at 7:07 and 7:14 HST on the northwest side of Hawai`i Island. Damage reports continue to come in to Hawai`i County Civil Defense. Our monitoring networks suffered minimal damage and continue to operate.

Summary: There have been no significant changes in the past 24 hours. Kilauea volcano continues to erupt from the Pu`u `O`o vent on the East Rift Zone. Summit inflation centered in the south part of the caldera continues.

Gordo - overtrained!

From a recent xtri posting by Gordo:

Something that I don’t write about a lot is that I’ve spent at least 20% of my elite career overtrained. If you are an ultraendurance athlete then getting smoked is an occupational hazard. In fact, I tend to believe that experiencing overtraining was an essential part of learning my limits. However, coming back from overtraining is a lot like bouncing back from an injury – we need to learn to trust our bodies again. Perhaps a better way to put it is that our bodies need to learn to trust us again!

Attacked by snacks

From a New York Times story:

PEOPLE almost always think they are too smart for Prof. Brian Wansink’s quirky experiments in the psychology of overindulgence.

When it comes to the slippery issues of snacking and portion control, no one thinks he or she is the schmo who digs deep into the snack bowl without thinking, or orders dessert just because a restaurant plays a certain kind of music.

“To a person, people will swear they aren’t influenced by the size of a package or how much variety there is on a buffet or the fancy name on a can of beans, but they are,” Dr. Wansink said. “Every time.”

***

Although people think they make 15 food decisions a day on average, his research shows the number is well over 200. Some are obvious, some are subtle. The bigger the plate, the larger the spoon, the deeper the bag, the more we eat. But sometimes we decide how much to eat based on how much the person next to us is eating, sometimes moderating our intake by more than 20 percent up or down to match our dining companion.

Much of his work is outlined in the book “Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think” (Bantam), which will be published on Tuesday.

Dingo to Kona

Rather than put Tony's succinct pre-race report here, I'll attach it to his personal blog in the next day or so and you'll be able to access it more easily there.

Go the Dingo!

Weekend Rides

Saturday 2 options;

6:00am
1) 70k Sutho Servo and return (most prob doing this)
2) 100k Waterfall and return
Both will be easy.
May not be many people doing 100k due to most racing on Sunday


Sunday

Most racing at BRAT or Maitland
Reply all to this e-mail or chat to others Saturday if you'd like to ride.

Damo

De Boom out

Inside Triathlon online says Tim De Boom is out of Kona with a stress fracture. See link on the right hand side.

Peter's predictions

In the latest issue of Triathlete magazine, Peter Reid has some very interesting comments on the pros at Kona this year. He pulls no punches.

On the women's front he points to Natascha and Lori Bowden!!! Says Michellie had it easy last year as the conditions were so favourable. As for Lisa Bentley, he says it's insane to expect to race well in Kona after racing in Canada. He says you really have to dedicate your whole year to Kona - it's the ONE race that matters.

On the men's front, he sees good things for Macca, saying he's been gaining lots of experience and has the mental toughness to succeed.

**

The latest issue of the magazine has Michellie on the cover.

Noosa Tri

And then on Sunday Oct 29th, there's Noosa!!!

http://www.usmevents.com.au/series/NTMSF/home.cfm?serID=59cbf7e0-a7e0-49bb-a6b3-4783a45f6958

Nepean Tri

1 - 30 - 10 Sunday October 29th at Penrith Olympic Regatta Centre

http://www.nepeantriathlon.com/entry.html

Maitland Tri

Here's the details: Sunday October 15th

Club Distance – 1km swim, 30km ride and 8km run
Mid Distance – 1.5km swim, 55km ride and 12km run

Start Times
Mid Distance to Start at 7.15am
Club Distance to start 7.30am

Where
Race compound, start and finish to be on park at Queens Wharf, Morpeth, NSW.

http://www.maitlandtriathlon.net/default.asp?PageID=4513

Lance can't help himself

There was a reprint of a New York Times story in the Saturday sports section of the Sydney Morning Herald about Lance's plans to run the marathon in New York in early November.

With all modesty, Lance says he's not intending to race to win, he wants to enjoy running with everyday athletes.

His target: 2:45!!!

New look

Well the folks at blogger.com just opened the door to a few new bits of functionality and so a few have been incorporated here.

As always, please don't hesitate to send along any notices or requests or comments for the blog.

triathlete_tim@yahoo.com

Tri Travel Roth

Tri Travel, for the first time, will run a tour to the 2007 Quelle Challenge in Roth , Germany , arguably the most famous iron-distance event in the world.

The organizers of the Roth event have allocated to Tri Travel, the official Australian agent, 30 entry slots to the race to ensure Australian athletes can enter the June 24 event.

To be eligible for these slots athletes will need to book and pay for an accommodation and tour package with Tri Travel.

More NZ Spots

10 More Kona Slots for Ironman New Zealand

Ironman NZ has scored a significant step forward for by gaining 10 more slots for Kona given the race has been allocated 70 slots for more than decade. Now, the event will have 80 slots – 70 of them for age groupers and, as in the past, 10 allocated to the pro field.

Mark guns it at Striders

Third place for Mark in about 33 1/2 - just a bit more than 20 seconds from first!

PB for Margreet. Comeback run for Oli from Cheeky and solid performances from Kristy, Stephen E and me.

Next month's 10km is the final one in the Striders Series this year.

Sydney Marathon 1/2 on TV

The Blackmore Sydney Running Festival Marathon/Half Marathon and Bridge run will be shown on Network 7 @ 11am this Sunday (Oct 8).

Weekend Racing/Training

fri track run..6 am mckay oval with lisa-make sure u,ve done warm up before 6 am please

sat bike 6 am york rd gates to waterfall easy

optional brat run race see below--9 am cent park.....or striders 10k

sun bike 6:15 am york rd gates -another hit out at kurnell as per your prog as per last week-note i wont be there as off to hawaii so lisa is dad

sun run off bike

regards
jh



BRAT RUNNING

5k run this Saturday 7th October 9am

Start time 9am at the Showground Gates Centennial Park . This is the 3rd run in the current series and fingers crossed we can get some better weather than the previous two races, hopefully with a 9am start we can get more people attending as you can do a bike session before if you wish. For further inquiries, please contact Tim Lindop (Brat Running Co-ordinator) at Website: www.trimwithtim.com or Mobile: 0410 600777

Ironman in Louisville!

Ford Ironman Louisville Scheduled for August 26, 2007

Athletes can register for the event beginning on October 21 at 3 p.m. EST by visiting www.ironman.com. The 2007 event will reach capacity at 2,100 athletes and includes a $50,000 professional prize purse. For event-related questions, contact the Event Director, Steve Meckfessel via email at steve@ironman.com.

Brat October Events

OCTOBER

7th BRATS 5km run . Centennial Park - 9:00am near Showground Gates

15th BRATS TRI - Heffron Park @ 10:30am - 750m swim/ 20km bike/ 5km run.

CBD Demo Day

ROAD BIKE DEMO DAY

This is a great opportunity to try out some of the best road bikes on the planet side by side on real world conditions.

To be held at Mosman on Sunday the 13th of October we shall have the Cannondale System 6 bikes available to demo alongside the LOOK 585, 565 and 486 and the latest
addition to the CBD range Bianchi.

RSVP essential please.

http://www.citybikedepot.com.au/

Adventure Racer

Pick up a copy of this week's Wentworth Courier and open to page 4 to see a familiar physique bounding along Bondi Beach

and then flip to the final page for a story on this ironwoman!!

Ride to Work - Oct 8th

Come take part in the national ride to work day supported by Bovis Lend Lease and Bicycle NSW. There are a variety of breakfasts - the Bovis Lend lease supported one is at Bond Plaza in Millers Point.

There will be a Nth Sydney supported breakfast at the base of the Harbour Bridge steps from 7am till 9am.

Go to the Lend Lease one and go into the draw for a Kona Dew Deluxe and gift vouchers from City Bike Depot !!

Date: Wednesday 8th October
Location: Bond Plaza - Hickson Road - Millers Point
Time: 7am - 9am

Kona Dinner Tonight!

Yes people - with Macca carving up the course at the Goldy all the talk is now about Dingo v JH .. JH has even got himself an aero helmet to try and hang onto the Dingo coming back from Havi

Dingo - has been training like a pro for the past three weeks and looks like he's in tip top condition

JH - ran a blistering half a few weeks ago and with the new aero helmet could do a Norman

Alice - a solid race at the Gold Coast, can the Hawaii virgin tame the big island???

Vic - consistency is a strength and that's what's required leading up to the big one!

Join us tonight at No-names Bondi Beach Rd(Cnr Glenayr Ave.) 7pm

P.S Congrats to Sugar on a blistering first Half IM - 6th in age

Damo

Weds morning swim

anyone interested in a swim at bondi with wetsuits and run after as per prog we will be meeting as follows

5:45am at north bondi surf club(1 hour)

run after-including harbour, domain, watsons bay, depending on distance

jh

Weekend roundup

well done to all at gold coast half,some great results there i hear...so far i,ve heard rumours of :-.....

dave running with godfry doing a 4:37 for his first half !! woohoo..excellent
gez getting his ironman spot with a strong bike leg with a 4:52
brendan another virgin half ironman on 5 hrs..great effort !
emily's team winning the teams event with a good bike by emily
thomas proving he's not like most germans on drugs and backing up after no taper with a 5 hrs race
alice with little taper and on instructions to go slow on run doing a solid race
did i forget anyone?

well done also to those on the weekend training,some tough sessions and most are doing exstremely well and well done to those who turned up this morning, those who didn,t well always remember it's usually showers in the park and usually clears up as it did ... tough tough session, well done to those who did back up ... ouch! ... but it makes u so so strong.

regards
jh

Macca cruises on coast

On Sunday, the Sydney native completed the 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21.1km run event in three hours 43 minutes and five seconds.

He beat Victorian Craig McKenzie by a massive 17 minutes and went well under the old race mark of 3:54.

**

McCormack, Luke Bell and Mitch Anderson loom as the best Australian hopes in Hawaii.

Michellie Jones, Kate Major and Belinda Granger are strong chances in the women's elite race.

Rebecca Preston is an Australian "smokey" after two wins in Ironman-distance races overseas.

Preston started at Gold Coast on Sunday, but had to pull out during the bike leg because of mechanical trouble.

Victoria's Tameka Day won in 4:14.45, beating the old mark by 26 seconds.

She also was able to cruise home, beating Angie Sharp of New South Wales by 17 minutes.


From AAP via the SMH website

Mottram - 7:41.7 for 3km

Australia's Craig Mottram has completed a second impressive win over African opposition by downing Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge in Sunday's 3,000 metre road-race at the Great Northern Run meeting in Newcastle, England.

Having beaten Kenesisa Bekele in the World Cup in Athens earlier in the month, Mottram proved too strong for the Kenyan, breaking a 16-year-old record time for a 3,000-metre road-race in the process.

The previous best mark for the rarely-contested event was set by Morrocan Brahim Boutayeb in 1990 at 7mins 49secs, and Mottram crossed the line on Sunday in 7:41.7.

From AAP via the SMH website