Queensland All Schools Triathlon Champs - Race Report

Race: Queensland All Schools Triathlon – Lake Kawana
Date: Sunday 27th of October 2019
Distance: 750/20/5
Category: Senior Men
Result: 8th Place
 
It was that time of year again — Queensland All Schools at Kawana, a race that is fun but challenging. I had
a goal with this race, and it was to finish on the podium. I felt as if I had prepared well for the race. I had felt strong in training well and was excited to race.
 
Swim:
The swim was a knee depth start, it was a pretty large field as usual, and I knew it was essential to be in the leading swim group to give myself the best chance for the rest of the race. The buoys were positioned quite a long way out, allowing the swim to start not to be so hectic. I waited on the start line, I tightened my Vorgee stealth Mark II goggles I determined and focused. The start siren went off. I started the swim with a solid start and found my swim stroke early on. For the entire swim, I was in the front group just sitting in comfortable trying to save energy for the rest of the race.
 
Bike:
I had a fast transition and was out onto the bike with the leaders. I had a plan to push
on the bike on the technical course, but that plan went south after crashing on the first U-turn. I came into the corner to fast, and my back wheel slides right out on the off-camber section of the curve. After eventually getting back up and fixing up my chain, I tried to settle into a nice speed and gain some ground and limit my losses on the bike.
 
Run:
I went on to the run with some lost time needing to gained, and I started with a steady
tempo that I knew I needed to hold for the rest of the race. I felt good running in my new
Mizuno Wave Duals and made some good ground overtaking a few competitors. Ultimately, I need just a little bit more run distance, and I would have caught up to some fast-fading
runners and finish 5th place. But I just fell short, coming in 8th overall not bad for having
crashed and lost a fair bit of time.
 
Summary:
Overall, I started the race very strong with a fantastic swim, and I was pleased to
see that the hard training is beginning to pay off. The crash on the bike was not ideal for a
race I had some high expectations for, but that didn’t stop me from just pushing hard to the
finish line. Ended up with some nasty skin off my back, elbow and hip but luckily no damage
to my bike and cannibal suit.
 
Now ready and looking forward to more racing to come.
 
Thank you to the following sponsors for your support; Unique Health foods, Vorgee,
Cannibal Australia, Mizuno Running Australia, Intune Sports Massage, Tara Leanne
Nutrition, Rydges Hotels and Resorts, The Event Crew, Ironman Oceania, Allez Sport
Mooloolaba, Davey and Associates Optometrist, Queensland Triathlon Series, Felt Bicycles
Australia, Kawana Aquatic Centre, Rackley Swimming, Titan Performance Group / Zone 3
Australia and of course Grant Symes from protector Aluminium for all your support.