blog

ITU China and Philippines Asian Cups

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:01:01 +0100

The trip to Fuzhou- China, via Hong Kong went as well as long haul travel can go. No miss haps and even managed to get on a complimentary bus to the host hotel. China is a very ‘different’ country, well I guess, if you are ‘Westernised’ that is! There are large cultural differences such as smoking in restaurants, elevators, in your face and of course spitting everywhere. The food is also tricky and the only things one can recognise are rice and noodles, however, these are generally lathered in oil so getting ‘healthy’ food is next to impossible. It is always good to know how the other end of the world lives and carries on about their lives, and makes one grateful for things one often takes for granted- like drinking water out the tap!

The race itself started at 9am and it was a borderline wetsuit swim. The water was 20.6 degrees so no wetsuits were allowed. It did make the time between warm up and race start unpleasant and some athletes opted to not warm up in the water! The race started well, however at the 1200m mark I seemed to lose focus and watched the front swimmers move further away. I didn’t panic and thought that there will be enough people around to catch them on the bike. Boy was I wrong. I was literally 8 seconds off the pace and that ended the race. A group of 4 of us got together on the bike and tried to chase the group of 10 up front. Fruitless! We lost more and more time and eventually by the 35km mark, another group of 8 athletes joined us and we all rode into T2. The run was fair but due to doing a fair whack of work on the bike I couldn’t run as quick as the others and ended up 24^th. Bitter disappointment clouded me for the next 48hours.

The trip from China to the Philippines was marred by flight delays and missed flights resulting in landing in Manila at 1am and then catching the bus to Subic Bay, arriving there at 4am. Fortunately this was Tuesday morning and race day was Saturday, so there was plenty of recovery time. Philippines was hot and humid! Wow! 34 degrees and roughly 80% humidity met us on race day which meant the race organisers started the race at 6:30am, which made some difference. This race time around, I was mentally prepped and knew that this was my last possible chance to earn ITU points. No other races had been confirmed so this was it!

The swim start went well and watched the guys around me in the water all the time, mainly trying to be strategic about it. A couple guys got away on the swim, but I came out with the bulk of the group, and where I should have been in China! We caught the front guys after about 5km and then a front group of 8 of us moved along the course. The overall size of field was smaller; however the quality was higher due to some top U23 Aussie coming across for the race. We were chased by a few smaller groups however no ground was made on us. We hit T2 after losing some Aussies to mechanicals and that temperature I was talking about was intense by this stage. The run was 4 laps of 2.5km however; it felt like 15km given how ‘smashed’ I felt! The first 4km I was at race pace and keeping track of Mehdi from Morocco and Kane Simpson from Australia who were not far in front. However, at 5-6km mark I hit a big wall and almost walked I w felt so delirious. At this point Kane pulled out and had to keep a watch on Mehdi. I knew I was in trouble of losing out on points due to time to the first place so had to find something deep down and just hang on for the finish. I managed to do so, and get the points. It was by no means a pretty race and not my best work, but had to find solace that achieved the objective!

I am now at a stage where no other races are confirmed for May and am waiting to see if the planets will really align and I will qualify for my second Olympic Games. This officially gets finalised at the end of May, so will be sure to keep you updated!

Thanks once again to the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, Triathlon Association, BSG and my fiancé, Nikki, for making this Asian trip possible!

All Africa Champs (Mauritius) and Pan American Cup (Brazil)

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:44:27 +0100

The All Africa Championships were held in Mauritius on the 31st March and was going to decide the future direction of my triathlon career. The focus of my latter career has been to qualify for the London Olympics as the African New Flag. Essentially this entails being the highest ranked non-South African, African. Up to the African Champs, my 2012 did not get off to a great start, as can be seen from the previous posts. I had to beat Mehdi Essadiq from Morocco, my main contender for this African Flag slot, in the African Champs, or London would never even be remotely possible.

I arrived in Mauritius 3 days prior to the race, a little more time than usual, so that I could rest up, recover from the lack of recovery that a work-training week brings and give myself the best chance of having a good race. The climate was, as expected, hot and humid. I was prepared. I have developed a strategy to try combat these effects, which works to a certain extent, however I know I have a sweat rate of more than 2L/hour in extreme conditions so there is only so much you can do to prevent dehydration and loss of performance.

Race day involved waking prior to 6am and travelling by bus, with the rest of the athletes (and bikes) to the venue, about 18km from the hotel. By the time we arrived, there was just enough time to check in, warm up and get to race start. The 1500m swim started well and held the front group for the first lap (thanks to my Aussie mate and Aussie National Open water and surf specialist, Paul Laver’s swim programs!). However, lap 2 I lost touch and by the first few km’s of the bike, I was in no man’s land on my own. RSA’s strategy of bringing Wikus Weber to the Champs to act as a domestique for the SA team, worked to my advantage too! He and Richard Murray caught up to me and we chased the lead group (which had Mehdi in it!). I must be honest and I had to be strategic on the bike leg and let the other two do more of the work (I did ensure Wikus was compensated post- race for his efforts! By the end of the bike, we had caught the leaders and there was a slight split in the field, however, I was with Mehdi which is all that mattered. The run included 4 x 2.5km flat, out and back loops- dead boring! and a chance to always see where you were positioned. The heat was intense by this stage! Mehdi and I ran in close proximity for about 3km’s and then I moved to the front and put in a few surges. By the 5km, I had a good gap on him and maintained my pace so as not to ‘blow up’. I really struggled the last 2km’s and lost a lot of time to the 3rd placed position, Erhard Wolfaardt, however, I was positioned far enough in front of Mehdi to not worry. I subsequently found out that Mehdi collapsed on the run and was taken off by ambulance. The heat and humidity was brutal. I finished 4th overall and 3rd African (2nd place was Philp Ospalay from the Czech Republic) so given African athletes only get the recognition, I won bronze! My BSG Elite Team mate. Rich Murray won gold and continues to go from strength to strength!
This African Champs has been my best for at least the last 10 years and am really happy with the way it went, given it will be my last at an Elite level.

The next day I was back to JHB and had 2 nights before travelling West to South America for the Pan American Cup in the coastal town of Ilheus, Brazil. An overnight flight, 5hr layover and further 2hr flight got me there. Again, I was met with incredibly hot and humid conditions, to top it all, I had come down with a head cold post the African Champs. Flying with blocked sinuses is not fun! I had booked into a BnB as the host hotel was full, given the race fell on Easter Weekend! It was perfectly located on the beach front, and the non-English speaking staff was great in translating my Portuguese hand signals! As it was incredibly hot, Brazil don’t believe in hot water to drink, so there were no kettles in the room. The trip to the supermarket close by was eventful passing donkey carts, vultures eating out of rubbish bins, and half a jaw bone. People say Africa is wild… nah boet!

I met up with one of the Americans and Irish athletes, who were staying at the host hotel, so given most of the comms were happening through that location, I could keep up to speed with developments. I now had 3 nights to adjust to 5hr behind RSA time and get over the flight (and cold). This is where sleeping tablets come in handy and help you adjust to the new time zone (WADA approved of course!). The race was set for 1430hrs, the hottest time of the day and the climate was set for 30 degrees and 70-80% humidity. My cold hadn’t passed so I had to adapt and think of a strategic race plan!

The swim was in the mouth of one of the rivers leading to the sea and by the time we swam, the tide was coming in. The two turning buoys were in the main current, and literally as we got within 5metres of the buoy the current picked you up. If you weren’t lined correctly, you had no chance of rounding the buoy. The back stretch in the current was fast (accounts for our 14min swim times!). My race strategy included starting conservatively, hanging in on the bike and then doing what I could on the run. I got out the water close to the front guys and started the 8 x 5km bike course with the main group. We chased down and caught two athletes off the front and we then rode the rest of the course as one group of 12 athletes. The pace was not fast and found myself at the front doing work, to at least keep the pace as close to 40km/hr as possible!! Included in the group were two Argentinians and two Americans who had raced the Molooloolaba World Cup recently so I knew there were some fast runners in contention!

The first few km’s of the run didn’t disappoint and given my head-cold and the heat, I had to start conservatively. I was lying about 10th at the 5km mark and knew I had to move up to get as many points as possible. I shifted gear and got more focussed and started moving up the field. I managed to pass the 6th placed athlete with about 800m to go and maintained this position to the end. Again, satisfied I had come all this way and did the job I needed to do!
The 3 flight journey back to South Africa was not too painless given my satisfaction. I had started my course of antibiotics post-race so could finally kick the bug, or try to!

I am incredibly grateful to so much support from the Zim Olympic Committee & Triathlon Association (Wayne Davidson & Rick Fulton), the BSG Elite Team and BSG (Africa), as well as family and friends. My fiancée, Nikki, has been with me through every step of the way and I thank her for her patience while I finally get some ‘results’ and make London look like more of a reality than a dream! I still have 6 weeks left of racing before we will know who will get the slot for London, so I will keep you posted!

SA Champs Port Elizabeth

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 13:42:56 +0100

Sunday 17th March was set to be one of the most crucial races in terms of earning ITU points and moving up my position on the world rankings. I made the trip down to PE on the Friday prior to the race to try and rest up before a busy Saturday whereby had to combine my pre- race warm up with my work has BSG Elite Team manager. We had a full Elite squad down in PE racing so had to make sure they were all sorted as well as myself prior to the race. The 23 strong mens field was small but included some top names from Germany, France and of course South Africa.

Sunday morning saw the typical PE weather of wind and sun. Fortunately the rain stayed away, however, by race start the water temp had increased to 20.6 degrees making it a non- wetsuit swim. This should have suited me, however in the first 300m to the first buoy I was swimming alongside Hendrik de Villiers and thought that I would be in a good position and in touch with the leaders. I felt we were swimming a little off course but maintained my view we would remain in touch with the front swimmers. Not to be- by 600m I was in trouble. I realised that the leaders were a way ahead and tried all I can to catch up, dropping Hendrik in the process. Heading back out for the 2nd lap I was in no mans land and knew my day was not looking good. By the end of the 1500m swim, I was demoralised. Rich Murray got out with me and flew through transition and onto the bike. I had no ‘legs’ initially to stay with him and rode alone for about 4kms until Hednrik, Rudolf Naude and an Austrian athlete caught up. I rode the rest of the way in this posse and watched the lead group get further and further away. This was significant as I needed to beat Mehdi Essadiq (who was in the lead group) from Morocco to have a good chance at improving my ranking and getting a good hit at Olympic Qualification.

By the time we ended the 40km bike I was cooked from trying to do as much work as possible on the bike and not lose too much time. The first 2km’s of the run were awful and I had no rhythm at all and contemplated calling it a day. I watched Richard and Rudolf calling it a day on their races and knew I was not the only one in ‘struggle town’. Still, I pursued the finish line and my legs started turning quicker and in the end I thought I should just do all I can to at least get some ITU points.

Crossing the finish line in 12th and with disappointment all across my face, this soon got worse when I calculated that I had missed getting any points by 13 seconds.. sjoe!! Despite my own disappointment, the incredible race of the day went to one of our BSG Elite Team athletes, Wian Sullwald, who, in his first OD race, finished 3rd overall (top two places were taken by German and French triathletes) and won the SA Elite Championship title. This did make me proud and knowing exactly how much work (training) Wian has done, he deserved every bit of this success!

My race shows you that these draft legal ITU races can be ‘lost in the swim, but won on the run’. I have regained my composure and realise I have one last crack at it this weekend, at the All Africa Championships.
In all my ups and downs lately, I am incredibly grateful to my fiancée, Nikki, who has dealt with my constant moods and sleepless nights, and of course, my main sponsor and employer, BSG, and the Elite Team sponsors (PeptoSport, Rudy Project and TYR), the Zimbabwe Triathlon Association and Zimbabwe Olympic Committee. There are some fantastic people behind these brands and associations and have made my journey thus far possible.

Aluta continua…

Mometum I Flex National Duathlon Series Race 1

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 09:23:53 +0100

The start of the duathlon season has kicked off nice and early this year with the first event in the Momentum I flex National Series kicking off just outside Pretoria (road event of 5km run/40km bike/2.5km run). For me, duathlons are not the nicest or easiest forms of racing- I definitely love a water leg in the race! Anyway, they are a necessary form of evil and something I force myself to do, to work on my weaker disciplines. I didnt rest going into the race and literally it came slap bang in the middle of a two week block of training for me.

As would have it, I maintained pace with the leading group of 5 for about 2kms and then dropped off and maintained pace. No number of motivational quotes or 'Rocky Clips' could get me to rid the feeling of sheer pain! By the time I got into T1, I felt like I needed a to grab a coffee and sit down somewhere.. nope.. still had 40km bike and 2.5km run to go. This feeling of contemplation meant I lost touch with some of the athletes that had fallen off the front group and rode with Wilhelm Steyn for a great deal of the undulating course. We were caught by about 5 other athletes and then I decided to try ride at the front as much as possible to get the greatest 'training' effect. My body was already 'toast' however, I needed to suck it up for the rest of the race. By the time we got into T2 we had caught some of the other athletes who had dropped off the front bike pack. The final run was more about getting a decent training effect in and push in certain places. I ended a disappointing 7th, which means I continue with my mental training and wait for that 'break through!'.

The race of the day was Wian Sullwald, one of the youngsters in the BSG Elite Team- watch this space- this kid is going to take the Elite racing by storm when he gets there!

Nest up is SA and All Africa Champs on 17 and 31 March respectively!

ITU African Cup CTN

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:06:40 +0100

This race was always going to be 'a tough day out', mainly because I am not a sprint race athlete and secondly, there were two previous World Champions racing on the day. BSG's Wian, Abrahm and myself flew down on Saturday, with the race being on Sunday. I always say this once done, but it is sometimes better to get to a race with one day off in between, especially when there is a trek from your house to the airport to the place where you are staying etc. Anyway, after getting to our accom at a Guest House 1.5km's from the race venue, we quickly got to building the bikes then taking them for a 'spin'. Combined with race briefing later in the day, I did a 1hr bike, 25 min run and about a 15min swim, which, is probably too much given the travel as well.. mmm.. one would have thought id know these things by now!

Race Day, wake up at 5am and a quick brew of coffee, some oats and quick glug of PeptoSport then off to the venue for check-in at 6am, quick warm up and then race start at 7am. As am sure many have read on other reports, but, the water was frigid!! 13 degrees or something stupid like that! I have never felt so uncomfortable in water (and that includes me in the TYR Hurricane C5 Wetsuit I was wearing... brrr!). I had to get used to the water temp prior to race start or the shock would be too much for the body! The usual warm up 'pee' in the wetsuit and I was waiting for the start gun!

The race was 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run. The first 200m were comfortable, then I felt like everyone was passing me and had no idea what was going on. Guess this was happening to most people although that doesnt make sense! Anyway, coming into the shore I caught a good wave (thanks to my previous surf swimming Down Under !) and managed to bridge up to the lead group again. The run up from the beach to the transition area was tough! My feet felt like stumps due to the numbness! Nonetheless, I managed to get into the first pack and we rode hard for about 3.8km's and then everyone tapped off the pace. We averaged 40km/hr for a flat course which is rather 'pedestrian' for the calibre of athlete in the field.. all 38 of them! (fact.. largest field of Internationals racing on African soil since 2008)

Getting out of T2 was fine but then running up the slight hill after transition I just couldnt get into a rhythm, panicked as others starting passing and just got angry with myself for not being able to run faster. I ended up a disappointing 23rd and well behind where I wanted to be, mainly because of my 16.50min run.. On reflection that wasnt a bad run time for me given on the amount of speed training I have been doing lately (last 2 weeks) so what I need to do now is shift my gear and focus into 6th and get my butt ready for SA and All Africa Champs coming up at the end of March!

Once again, BSG has given myself and the other BSG Elite Team athletes incredible support, which culminated on the day with Rich Murray running away from the leaders to win the race by almost 20 secs, which is impressive in a sprint race! Thank you BSG...

JHB City TriSeries

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:17:56 +0100

Sunday 4th Feb saw the second event in the JHB City Triseries. I wanted to try and top my 3rd place in the 1st event in the series, however, I knew would have my work cut out, as I went into the race quite tired based on the training I have been doing. As I am now entering a crucial time in my racing and training period, as I try and qualify for the London Olympics (cut off being 31st May), I cant afford to taper for too many races as I have to focus on the bugger events such as SA and All Africa Champs. I wont bore you with the normal, I swam like this, rode and ran like that to get 4th on the day, but rather focus on some key points in my race.

1. Am happy with the way am swimming- I always seem to be able to swim quite well in open water. One of the things people must realise is that open water and pool swimming are two very different things and is always advisable to try and train as much as possible in open water (at least once every 10 days).
2. Swim-bike physiological transition.. ie. the main blood shift & muscle firing from arms to legs... is something that can also be trained and something I have to contine to focus on
3. Focus on a non drafting bike leg. Concentrate, concentrate! and maintain focus, especially when your body tells you, you are tired. Mind, change that!
4. Bike to run... another crucial physiological shift that needs to be trained continuously.
5. 3/4 through the run. Body: Im tired. Mind: no, you are not! Mainatin form, pace, cadence.
6. Post race recovery: dont skip on that post race recovery carb/protein meal within 30' of finishing. Your body will thank you 2 days later!

I am now in my 17th and final year of competitive triathlon racing and still love the feeling of 'getting out there and smashing yourself'. However, I know my time is limited and am looking forward to giving it my all this year. No regrets!

Stay safe and enjoy what you do!

New Partner: BodyTech Results Specialists

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:43:52 +0100

I have been lucky enough to start getting strength and conditioning advice from Jeff Carter, owner of BodyTech Results Specialists in Perth, Australia. Jeff will be advising me on what strength and conditioning exercises I can do to get more strength and power out the body! Visit his website on www.bodytechtraining.com.au. Despite having a postgraduate degree in Exercise Rehabilitation and therefore could potentially set my own programs, it is always better to get a second opinion and advice from someone else and am grateful to Jeff for this.

"Serious Training
For Serious Athletes"

"Jeff Carter knows what it takes to compete at an elite level, and he’s passionate about helping others achieve the same level of excellence.

State and Super League touch football squads, Aust. representative kayakers, open-water swimmers and touch footballers, ironmen/ironwomen, beach sprinters and everyday people turn to Jeff for strength and conditioning, and he can tailor a health and fitness solution that’s just right for you."

Daily News Article

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:22:20 +0100

ATU Pretoria Cup

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:45:41 +0100

This ATU Cup was going to be tough, being the second weekend in a row of Olympic Distance racing, and a week after finishing the antibiotics. Fortunately I didn’t have to travel far for this race, however there was still a lot of driving to Pretoria from Johannesburg, up to the briefing the evening before the race, and then the race itself.

The race got underway at 10am with a non wetsuit swim. The first lap went relatively well and then the second lap, when the pace increased, I started to go into a little difficulty. I did stay with the front pack and heading into T1 and onto the bike, I was just off the front four athletes. I couldn’t quite bridge and again, struggled with the change from swim to bike at this pace. Fatigue, whatever, it was mentally devastating. I re-grouped and by about 6km I caught Rudolf, who had dropped off Abrahm and Erhard (the group was 3 at this stage). I then rode with Rudolf for the rest of the bike stage and we ended up losing 3 minutes to the front 2. Onto the run and in the first 1km I was suffering and the hectic travel and lack of solid training in November had finally caught up (Colombia, PE, Zimbabwe were there first 3 weekends of November!). I then lost some time to Rudolf and the race became more about finishing within the 5% cut off for points. I had to draw an all my reserves and the final 1km was brutal. I did make the cut off for points finishing 4^th and reclaiming the leading athlete in the African New Flag Rankings. My objective was met in terms of points; however, I went away from the race mentally battered due to the work that needs to be done! I am not scared of it, but know in order to ‘make it’ I have to implement some changes.

I am now heading into the 4^th race out of 5 consecutive weekends and 3 countries, being the final of the 2011 BSG Energade Triseries. The race is set to be a ‘cracker’ with the main race attracting 900 entries!

ITU African Cup: Zimbabwe

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:06:23 +0100

The ITU African Continental Cup Event Series visited Troutbeck, in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe on the 19th of November. This was going to be a tough race for me as I had fallen sick since the Colombian World Cup and made the decision to see the doctor on the Tuesday afternoon, prior to leaving on Thursday for the race. The doc put me on a short 3 day course of antibiotics, which I reduced to 2 days, so that I could finish and hopefully recover in time for the race.

The trip up to Zimbabwe commenced with the flight to Harare and then a 5hour bus ride to Troutbeck, due east. By the time we arrived it was about 8pm so a quick snack was had, stretch and then hit the ‘sack’. Friday was spent trying to get the body interested in exercise, my first ride since the Colombian World Cup and second run and swims. Needless to say at 2000m altitude I was fighting every negative thought running through my mind. On waking Saturday morning, race day, I was not feeling so great but quickly focused on what was to come.

The race started at midday and the heat, combined with a UV Index of 9, made for ‘cooking’ conditions. The swim start was relatively slow and after 200m I decided to put the hammer down and take the lead. This was more to get rid of the extra runners in the group of 9 Internationals taking part. By 750m I was still leading and then decided to take the foot off the pedal and let the 3 others in the group take the lead. By this time we had the gap over the ‘non-swimmer-runners’. At T1 it was Valery from MRU, Erhard and Rudolf from RSA, and myself. The bike course included 6 gruelling laps of literally 3.3km’s up and then back down. By the second lap, it was myself, Rudolf and Erhard, however, I simply couldn’t maintain pace and dropped off. I know from previous experiences that antibiotics remove my 4th and 5th quadricep gears! I then rode the remainder of the race alone, watching one of the USA athletes slowly make up some ground on me. This I was worried about as he was one of those ‘runners’! Into T2 I was still lying 3rd and really had no ‘gas’ to catch up to 2nd and didn’t want to take too much out the body knowing the Pretoria African Cup is coming up this weekend. The undulating run was more about ‘damage control’ and making sure I maintained my position! I received phenomenal support from the home Zimbabwe crowd and coming down the finish straight still gave me gooseflesh getting the cheers from the crowd. Thank you ZTA for your assistance with this event and putting on yet another superbly organised trip!

The remainder of the time in Zim was spent with Nikki, one of my old mates Rory Mackie and his partner Karie. I went down memory lane and visited my old school, home and other awesome places such as Domboshava!