Interview with
Mark
ON TRIATHLONS AND FITNESS When Mark was in his 20’s his main passion was triathlons! This man knows a lot about hard work and determination so Bliss Magazine met up with him to talk about training, fitness and his ups and downs.
Good evening Mark, thank you for joining us My pleasure
Tell us about what your passion was when you were younger My passion became triathlons at the age of 18, when I did my first triathlon at Nepean: 1km swim, 40km cycle and a 10km run. I rode my bike from when I was 12 with a skateboard helmet, had a popper juice as my drink bottle because a drink bottle wouldn’t fit and dint have any fancy gear. Since I didn’t know if I would like it I didn’t spend any money. However after that first race I absolutely loved it! Gradually I built up the distances and at age 20 I entered the Foster Ironman: 3.8km swim, 180km cycle and 42km run.
How would you train?
For the ironman distance training involved about 8km of swimming, 300km of cycling and 50km of running. I would make sure I would run off the bike at least once a week to break through that jelly feeling you can get in your legs. Monday would normally be my break day.
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What races have you done Apart from Nepean I have also done Wollongong, Royal National Park, Bundena which are all Olympic distances. Then the long courses are Canberra as well as the Foster Ironman.
What was your diet during this time? I would try to eat a healthy balanced diet that was also full of carbohydrates: they gave me fuel and energy. I went through a lot of pasta and bread, many times I would buy a whole French baguette and eat it for morning tea. To treat myself I would buy a cake and a diet pepsi once a week.
Have you had any challenges while you were in training? I have had two main challenges while training. After registering for my first Foster Ironman in 1991 I developed patellar tendinitis 4 months before the race and despite lots of physio and strapping of my knees it didn’t improve and I had to withdraw from the race. At age 21 I then went on to complete the race. In 1994 I enrolled for the race again, a week before the race with a year of training up my sleeve I went to the doctor because I was feeling unwell. I got diagnosed with glandular fever. I said to the doctor ‘what’s the worst that could happen’? because I wasn’t going to train for the last week before the race anyway. The doctor said I could die… so I had to withdraw.
What is the best thing about doing triathlons? The best thing is the sense of accomplishment and achieving something that many people would think was impossible. Really, it is about doing the best you can, keeping fit and racing yourself.
What would your number one advice be for someone wanting to achieve a healthy and fit lifestyle? Just like the posters that were on my bedroom wall from Nike: Just do it, I believe that you should get out there, challenge yourself, train hard and accomplish something big.