FREE TO A GOOD HOME
Why you Need a Coach this season
Chasing Dreams in Chicago SPRING 2015
& S L A IDU MS V I D N I EA T Y A REL
RACE PLAY & IN
CHOOSE A FITNESS GOAL WITH A REAL FINISH LINE Commit to a triathlon this season!
SUNDAY 13 MARCH 2016
Individual and relay team entries available
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SUNDAY 10 APRIL 2016
Early bird entries are open:
Sprint: 750m swim|20km bike|5km run Enticer: 300m swim|10km bike|2.5km run Superkidz: 100m swim|2km bike|400m run
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EDITOR’S LETTER
Welcome... to our Spring edition of Multisport Mag I can tell the season is about to kick off with a big bang - as winter fades away, the mornings get lighter and the days get longer, there is a change in the air and I don’t just mean the weather...
advertisers it means you can reach a much wider market so it’s a big win! This issue we have got a mixed bag of interesting articles that are sure to entice and inspire! From coaching advice and triathlon tips to crazy, crazy multisport adventures in far North Queensland something for everyone. Celebrate your triathlon journey with us, share your inspiring stories and send us your pictures. Support our advertisers, enter our competitions and get social with us on facebook and Instagram. Look out for us quarterly in race packs, aquatic centres, parkruns and multisport outlets! I hope you enjoy the fun between our inspiring pages and pick up the odd tip or two along the ride. Until next issue, take care...
The race calendar is full, race directors are busy planning and there are pre-season camps popping up all over the place... another big triathlon season is coming and it’s exciting to be part of it! We have some big news at Multisport HQ... We have amalgamated our Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria editions to give you one bumper issue of Multisport per quarter. All your local triathlon news, views, events and pics can be enjoyed in the state sections and with new contributors and more articles you will have loads of information to soak up. For our
Connect with me... Natalie - phone: 0402 266 196 Email: editor@multisportmag.com.au www.multisportmag.com.au
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26 Swim like you’re going to drown. Ride like you stole it. Run like they are chasing you MultisportMagazine
34 FREE TO A GOOD HOME
Chasing Dreams in Chicago
SPRING 2015
Cover: Kate Bramley - Geelong Performance Coaching. ITU Triathlon World Championships in Chicago.
Just like the world of Triathlon, We are growing and changing!
We have some big news at Multisport HQ... We have amalgamated our Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria editions to give you one bumper issue of Multisport per quarter. All your local triathlon news, views, events and pics can be enjoyed in the state sections and with new contributors and more articles you will have loads of information to soak up. For our advertisers it means you can reach a much wider market so it’s a big win! Celebrate our wins as we celebrate yours!
6 TRIATHLON
Why You Need a Coach this Season Over the years I’ve worked with a lot of athletes at all levels and seen many athletes leave my program and improve under the direction of a new coach with new ideas and a different coaching philosophy. I’ve also had a number of athletes leave and go out on their own without coaches. MultisportMagazine
I recently bumped into an old friend / ex athlete who followed the latter course and despite his vast experience, excellent triathlon knowledge and positive mental attitude he was never the same athlete again, he was plagued by injuries and inconsistent performances. It made me think about the number of people who are self-coached these days and reasons why almost everyone is better off with a coach. Balance / Load Management
I better off trying to improve across the board and then have recovery weeks? How often should I have rest days? What effect will strength training have on my running? The list is endless. A coach will be able to realistically assess what you do and don’t need in your training and make sure that you have the right balance between intensity, volume and recovery in each session and your overall program.
Triathlon is a tough sport and getting the right balance between swim, ride and run training can be difficult. In my experience most athletes doing their own programs focus mostly on their strengths and ignore their weaker areas. They also tend to overdo all three disciplines in an attempt to cover all the bases.
Keeping up to date
There are so many questions you need to answer to set even one session. How many intervals, at what speed, with how long a recovery, what warm up is best, how much recovery will they need. Then you’ll need to consider the effect of that session on the next one you do, how much time will be needed to recover before you do another quality session in the same discipline? How much long easy work do I need? Should I focus on each discipline in blocks or am
It’s very easy for a coach to independently judge what is appropriate to adopt in a training program, what’s just a fad and what’s totally wrong for you.
Training ideas change all the time and keeping up to date is almost a full time job. Registered coaches are required to regularly update their knowledge. Quality coaches will also be constantly reading, reviewing, talking to other coaches and challenging their own ideas.
Sticking to a plan Keeping up to date is important but setting a training plan and seeing it through is even more important. Good performances come on the back of effective long term planning. A good coach
TRIATHLON
7
Col Stewart, ASM
Specialist Level 3 NCC fully accredited Triathlon Sports Coach
OFFERS THE ULTIMATE IN ALL TRIATHLON SPORTS COACHING!
CATERING FOR:
will plan out your season well in advance with appropriate changes as you move through the season and especially as you enter race season. Coaches understand that all athletes go through flat phases and drops in performances. It is much easier to panic when you’re setting your own training and change everything in response to a drop in form or poor race. Understanding you as an individual It’s easy to read a pro athlete’s favorite training session in a mag, or on the net and think “that sounds great, I’m going to try that”; I see people do it all the time. Mirinda Carfrae has been racing professionally for 15 years, she is also gifted, tough and biomechanically sound, yet I know age group triathletes who added a Mirinda set into their run training. A good coach will understand your strengths, weaknesses, training experience and needs, they will be able to look at you in an impartial way and set your program and sessions accordingly. Motivation It’s tough to get up and train every morning, to push yourself day in and day out. It’s a lot easier to get to training when you’ve got an appointment with someone and a good coach will encourage you to push yourself when training gets tough. Conversely, it’s even more difficult to judge when enough is enough and back off your training especially on a bad day. A coach who knows you will be able to judge when to push and when to hold you back. Getting technique right Good technique is critical for good performance. Trying to assess your own
technique is extremely difficult on the run and next to impossible in the swim. Even if you have someone film you, how do you know if the subtle changes you make to your technique the next time you train are what you want without feedback during the session? Time management
All Distances ITU Sprint. Olympic. Long course. IRONMAN. 5150. 70.3. Choose from the following:
ON-LINE WRITTEN PROGRAMS
Most triathletes are frantically busy, balancing training, work, family and social commitments. Spending time on researching, reviewing and adjusting your own training just adds to your time stress. Leaving it to someone else takes one big chunk off your plate, so all you have to do is train and race.
SQUAD/INDIVIDUAL
For all the reasons above it makes sense to train daily with a coach but this can be expensive and simply not practical for many people. Over the years I’ve worked with athletes who I’d only see face to face once a month or so just to monitor their progress and technique. Online coaching is a reasonable alternative to keep an eye on your program but can’t replace the benefits of training with a coach face to face. If you are training with an online coach try and make sure you get someone to regularly assess your technique especially in the swim and to a smaller extent on the run.
THE COMBO
TRIATHLON Keiran Barry, National Talent Coach. Keiran has a degree in Exercise Science. He has coached triathlon since 1995 and worked with hundreds of age groupers over this time. He has coached elite athletes to world cup wins. Keiran was a coach at the 2000 Olympics and 2002 Commonwealth Games.
SWIM BIKE RUN SESSIONS
ON-LINE & SQUAD 0417 756 074
p: int: +61 417 756 074 e: col@colstewart-tricoach.com
www.colstewart-tricoach.com
Col is a highly qualified Triathlon Sports Coach
ADVISOR - CONSULTANT - MOTIVATOR “A Coach of Coaches” Col’s Motto:
“I coach the best to beat the best”
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TRIATHLON
Your best tri season ever... Tips from the Croc! Once again we are in full swing with the tri season upon us. No two race conditions are ever the same therefore you should be prepared for every eventuality. It could mean the difference between elation or disappointment. When you don’t have everything right all the hard work can come to nothing if you have to sit on the sideline. Preparedness can mean things as simple as having tires on your bike that don’t have slashes in them. It can mean packing the right gear to race in for the conditions you will encounter, or even training in your wetsuit so you are used to that feeling of swimming while someone is trying to strangle you. Here are a few things to remember heading into the season that might help you go fast, stay uninjured and be consistent with your results.
TIP ONE:
Start from a solid training base Firstly by now you should have had a few months of longer slower miles to get you through to the race season. Without these so-called junk miles there won’t be any significant improvement in your performance from last year. If you start from a solid base the greater chance you have to achieve PB’s. It also allows you to be more consistent in each of the races. When I was leading into a Grand Prix race series I would have up to four months of strength work, solid miles and a day in day out grinding work load to come back to Australia and launch my assault on the GP. There were five races in seven weeks and every one was as important as the next. There was no room for a sub
par performance. Even though it was only seven weeks you couldn’t ignore fitting in the miles as well. After each race I would do my long run the next day. I would do this so I could last the whole series. Without that, there was always a chance of having a bad race.
TIP TWO:
Keep up the base miles The year is long and there are many races so you need to have some down time half way through. Planning is vital to get the best possible results. After Christmas maybe have a few weeks where all your training is just slow and a bit longer. Refresh your body and also your mind. If you do quality sets all the time you will erode your base and it will show. There are
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TRIATHLON
always bigger races towards the end of the season so you don’t want to find yourself in the situation that mentally you are fried and physically racing hamstrung. Take some time and you will come back better, faster and racing like ten men... or ladies.
TIP THREE: Make a plan
Sit down and plan out your races instead of going to every one that’s on offer. We are spoilt for choice in Australia with the amount of competitions available. You don’t need to go bull at a gate and try to do all of them in one season. Choose the ones that you really want to excel at, the ones you use as training races and the ones you forgo for another season. The Olympics show us that some athletes only peak once in four years if their approach regards the gold medal as the highest of priorities. You never hear too much about some athletes until that threeweek period every four years. In saying this you don’t need to plan on winning the Gatorade triathlon in four years time but just put your goals and races down on paper. I’ve seen it many times when a new comer to the sport is full of enthusiasm and competes in whatever is
on. A year or so later they’re drained of any desire or enjoyment to race. This can also happen to those that tackle ironman. Not long after hearing the words ‘YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!’ many disappear for a few years because the commitment becomes too much and renders their competitive juices empty and love of the sport stale. Tick it off your list of to do’s by all means but be aware of the commitment involved.
TIP FOUR: Join a squad
Join a club and or squad. Sounds obvious but it is such a social sport, or an addiction for some, so why not join in with like-minded people that make a lifestyle out of multisport. Between triathlon and cycling, without the social aspect of racing and training, half the coffee shops in Australia would go broke. The benefits can transform your experience and enjoyment so look out for one that suits you.
TIP FIVE: Mix up your training
Not only does it make it more interesting but also the variety keeps you a wellrounded athlete ready for all conditions.
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This also includes doing brick training or multiple back-to-back sessions. You can do quality sets of short but hard bike intervals with a high end run after each one. For example a 4km ride then a 1km run repeated four times. Or longer sets of recovery bricks such as 1-2 hour ride with a 30 minute - 1hr run off the bike. It is the easiest way to have an elevated heart rate with a perceived effort rating a lot lower than your heart rate monitor is showing.
TIP SIX: Happy Hunting!
Remember the coyote never did catch the roadrunner and you can always do better next time. So make sure you try these to get the most out of your triathlon experience and help chase that elusive perfect race. TRIATHLON Brad ‘the Croc’ Beven. 5 x Australian triathlon champion. 4 x World Champion Commonwealth Games silver medalist. Prime Ministers award – services to sport. www.bbt.com.au
Train, Play, Stay on the sunny Gold Coast Originally built as a training base for the Sydney Olympics, the Sports Super Centre hosts annual tri-camps and events: • Chris McCormack’s "Macca X" • Triathlon Australia Super Sprint Weekend and Development Camp • Triathlon Pink • Triathlon Qld Training Camps • Triathlon Brazil training base + more Facilities include: • Accommodation and Catering • Gym, Olympic pool, sports medicine clinic and athletics track all on-site. • Access to the Luke Harrop 1.9km High Performance Cycling Circuit ONE LOCATION – EVERYTHING YOU NEED!
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10 SWIM
bottom of your goggles to be above the water. Lifting your whole head out causes your hips to drop, which causes drag and breaks up the rhythm of your stroke.
DRAFTING:
When drafting behind someone you want to be as close to them as possible without touching their feet (touching their feet will just annoy them and it takes away the element of surprise). You’ll get more of an advantage and save more energy drafting off someone.
TURNING BUOYS:
Turning buoys are the most important thing in any race. They’re where you can make up a lot of ground or potentially lose a lot of ground.
The Long Swim If you’ve signed up to do a long course event this season, then you might be wondering, am I on the right track, or am I just crazy? We’ve put together some open water tips to help you with your swim leg.
START:
Always wear a new pair of goggles or a pair of goggles you know will not fog up (never race in your training goggles).
more beneficial to sit in the middle of the pack working as hard as you can to stay there. Getting dropped can make it a long and lonely swim.
When the race begins, get in the slip steam of that swimmer straight away (directly behind him or her) and stay there for as long as you can.
If someone hits you or is annoying you don’t hit or annoy them back - just swim away from them. If you get angry with them it will just take your focus and energy from your race. Don’t even try and look at who it is as it will only make you even angrier. Just swim away from them and pretend it never happened.
Don’t be aggressive (it wastes energy).
Conserve, conserve, conserve...
Think happy thoughts.
When you’re swimming in the pack you shouldn’t have to lift your head to site buoys much at all. The person leading the pack will do that and everyone else just follows - just make sure they are on track.
On the start line always position yourself directly beside someone you know is slightly faster than you.
PACK SWIMMING: Don’t be afraid of it.
Because most triathletes are inexperienced in open water swimming, packs will always be very tight and rough. If you’re a stronger swimmer you can get away with swimming on the outside of the pack, where there will be a little less drag. You will have a lot more room to move and will not have to be jostling with someone either side of you the whole way. If you’re a weaker swimmer it will be MultisportMagazine
If you’re leading the pack lift your head every 4 – 6 strokes just to make sure you’re keeping a straight line.
SIGHTING:
A big mistake a lot of swimmers make is trying to breathe while sighting. This is a big no-no. You sight then turn your head to the side to breathe. When sighting, you only want the
When turning a buoy you want to be as close to the buoy as possible (the closer you are to the buoy the less distance you have to swim). Do not lift your head when turning a buoy (unless you want it knocked off) 15-20 meters before a turning buoy pick up the pace. You want to have fast momentum when turning a buoy. Things will get rough around the buoys but hold your ground and you’ll be fine.
THINGS TO REMEMBER: Simplicity... keep it simple.
When you feel yourself starting to hurt or fall apart, whether it is in training or a race, go back to basics. Remember all the small things - the catch, the pull, touching your thumb on your thigh every stroke, high elbows, body position. Only worry about things you can control, you can’t control your competitors so don’t worry about them. In open water swimming the fastest swimmer doesn’t always come out of the water first, the smartest does. Race smart! See you at the beach, Trent Grimsey, English Channel World Record Holder SWIM Trent Grimsey - English Channel World Record Holder, 2012 FINA Open Water Grand Prix Champion, 3 time King of the Sea, 3 time Australian Open Water Champion. www.grimseysadultswimfit.com
CUSTOM PRINTED TRI KIT
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The top (white ICE fabric) purposefully comes as a ‘blank canvas’ for printing. On most Fusion tri tops and suits, one to two logos are offered complimentary, with a flat $7 per logo / print thereafter. The Speed Suit specifically includes a free front and back print, plus free Fusion logos if you’d like them. How can Fusion do small orders when others have minimum order quantities of 10 to 20?
Fusion Custom Printed Tri Kit Small Order Specialist
Commonly the process for producing custom clothing is to establish a design, print fabric and then manufacture the garment. The economics of this process are why 10 to 20 minimum order quantities are required and up to 6 weeks needed.
Fusion specialises in the design and manufacturing of high performance technically oriented gear, with a real focus on R&D. Also uniquely manufacturing all Fusion gear in their own factory in Europe.
By Fusion manufacturing all garments, then adding the custom printing locally, means it is feasible to do small order quantities, and be able to turn it around in a matter of a few days.
Fusion uses a digital printing process to print logos and other artwork on to their garments. With no minimum order and fast turnaround the Fusion’s custom printing model has carved out a niche in small order quantities of 1 to 20 garments. Uniquely bringing together high quality kit with the opportunity to individualise. Promoting your Company, Sponsors, Club, Charity, Artwork, etc. About Fusion Founded in Denmark back in 1999, Fusion is well established in Europe and the UK, with the Australian distributor (Fusion Multisport) having launched locally last year. While still a relatively new brand in this part of the world you may well have seen it on professionals such as Andy Potts, Tim Don, Brent McMahon and Jordan Rapp.
How does the Printing work? Fusion garments are manufactured in the Fusion factory in Europe, from there they then go to distributors worldwide. Each local distributor then has the custom printing technology and know-how, provided from Fusion HQ, to be able to add custom printing to Fusion garments on the ground locally. Printing is through digital dye sublimation on to any white fabric. Transferring dye directly into the fabric itself, not adding any layers, adhesives, etc. This produces a high quality, high resolution image with great clarity. It also means the fabric performance and technical capabilities are maintained, not impacting its ability to breath and stretch. The process simply requires providing logo’s / artwork, agree a mock-up to confirm design and go to print. Usually one to three days to be printed.
In summary by Fusion designing and manufacturing all garments in Europe this ensures the highest quality kit, combined with Fusion Multisport then being able to add custom printing locally, means high quality individualised kit is available to anyone. For more information, details and custom printing examples see the Custom page on the Fusion Multisport website www.fusionmultisport.com.au. Fusion Team Aus are seeking applications to support up and coming Australian long course athletes. For further information please visit www.fusionteam.com.au
The Fusion Speed Suit is the most popular and are identical to those worn by pro’s and using the same custom printing process. MultisportMagazine
12 RIDE
How to: Clipping in Q. I have seen a demonstration of two different cleats. One seems for a heavier hiking shoe that can be worn all day. Another is for bike shoes. The same cleat for the hiking shoe can be used on a bike shoe. It can also be used on both sides of the pedal. Would this cleat provide the same performance for triathlons?
Types: The most popular types of clipless pedals include Time, Look, Shimano, Speedplay and SPD. Efficiency: Clipless pedals increase pedalling efficiency by being able to use the entire pedal stroke and transferring power from the leg to the bike more efficiently. These pedals are all about performance and ease of pedalling.
adjust and feel confident. It is important to set aside time to specifically learn how to use them properly and persistence is definitely worth it!
TOE CLIPS
Clipless pedals provide an enhanced margin of safety compared to toe clips by allowing the rider’s foot to disengage from the pedal by angling the foot to the side, which happens in the event of a fall. Another safety element of the clipless pedal is that the foot will not slip off the pedal.
Pedals with cages and straps that can be worn with runners. With toe clips your feet can still easily slip out of the cage and straps but can also get caught and not come out of the pedals if you fall. There is no designed escape mechanism in a toe clip. I definitely do not recommend this type. However, many new riders are fearful of going straight to clipless pedals and often decide to go the toe-clip with the thought these are a ‘half step’ in advancement from the flat pedal but not the full step to clipless pedals.
PEDALS Clipless Pedals
However, one could argue (especially beginners) they aren’t as safe due to the falls that are generally experienced when trying clipless pedals for the first time.
From my experience, toe clips are more distracting for the beginner and definitely not safe. My advice is to never use these if you are new to riding!
Mechanically engage the cleat on the shoe and there is a wide variety to choose from.
This is just because it is something new and not familiar, and it does take time to
Flat Pedals – the normal pedal that we all know.
In the way you have described the shoe, cleat and pedal it would appear you are talking about SPD pedals and cleats. These are used in Mountain Biking but have become quite popular for new riders in triathlon and cycling. To help answer your question, let me first briefly talk about the different cleats and shoes. Whether you are into triathlon or just cycling, using clipless pedals can be a real advantage as opposed to using toe clips or flat pedals.
MultisportMagazine
Safety:
RIDE
SHOES
When choosing a shoe, two of the main things to consider are: The sole The rigidity of the sole is the main factor whereby the stiffer the sole, the better the transfer of power. However, some people suffer pain going from quite a flexible sole to a rigid sole and need to give time for the body to adjust. The problem with a flexible sole is that it is not as efficient but also when combined with the small SPD cleat and pedal, it can cause hot spots on the foot. The uppers & fasteners The main difference between shoes for cycling and triathlon is that the tri shoe is made for getting on and off quickly for transition. The cycling shoe usually has a relatively smaller opening for the foot with a few velcro straps including a ratchet-style fastener to ensure the shoe is snug. The triathlon shoe has a much larger opening for the foot, and generally just one to three large straps that are easy and quick for transitions. Back to your question, the following three points should help you decide whether to use SPDs (SPD pedal and cleat with mountain bike shoe) in your triathlons:
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1. Are you confident and skilled and comfortable with clip-ins?
3. Do you plan on executing the flying mount and dismount in transitions?
If NO: Give the SPDs a go. From the selection of clipless pedals, it can be said that SPDs are generally easier and less daunting to use for beginner riders. This is because they are generally two-sided, can be easier to clip in and the shoe can have more grip and hence feel safer.
If YES: Perhaps give the SPDs a miss and suit yourself up in the appropriate tri attire for a serious tri manoeuvre! The flying mount and dismount is a skill that can take years to master but can certainly do wonders for your time.
If YES: Perhaps give the SPDs a miss and go for the more specific tri/ road shoe and pedal for an easier ride. After new riders have become familiar and accustomed to using clipless pedals properly, they usually regret buying SPDs. This is not always the case, just depends on the rider’s primary needs and goals. 2. Are you highly competitive and after total performance? If YES: You might be best to give SPD a miss. This is because they are a little heavier, less aerodynamic and the platform size is smaller, which can cause hotspots if you don’t have a good shoe with a stiff sole. A slightly lighter road/tri specific shoe and pedal system will offer better performance. If NO: Just go with what you feel most comfortable and happiest using, as it’s all about enjoying the adventure!
If NO: Give the SPDs a go. You can run in the shoes and not worry about slipping over as you would with the other cleats. In summary, your decision will be based on performance vs comfort/skill. SPDs may be for you if you don’t plan on being that competitive and enjoy the ease of the SPD system and the ability to walk around in your riding shoes. However, if maximal performance and efficiency are what you are after, SPDs might not quite cut it. RIDE Professional cyclist, Sara Carrigan is one of Australia’s most passionate advocates for sport. Sara has been a professional cyclist for over 13 years, greatest sporting success is winning a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. www.saracarrigan.com
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14 RUN
For example, in 2013 I had four races during April and May. The first was the Australian 5000m champs in Sydney, the second was a big 10,000m race at Stanford University (Palo Alto, USA), the third was a 10km road race in Central Park (NYC) and the final race was a 5000m in Los Angeles against the Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah and a number of other top runners. Out of these four races, my main goal was the 10,000m at Stanford, with the LA 5000m the next most important, then the Aus 5000m and the 10k road race. There were some important races in there, but my main goal during this period was to keep building fitness for the world championships in Moscow. Sydney 5000m: mini-taper. Stanford 10,000m: moderate taper, almost full taper. NYC 10km: mini-taper.
The Art of Tapering Q. This year I have been training for 10km events, and am wondering what I should be doing in the final two weeks leading up to a race. I want to taper but am not sure exactly how. Can you help and perhaps give some examples of a taper? Michael. I’m a strong believer in the benefits of a good taper, both from personal experience and from seeing it work with athletes that I coach. There are some rules with tapering, but the main thing to remember - as with any component of training - is that different things work for different people. Inigo Mujika (Tapering and Peaking for Optimal Performance) has undertaken a lot of research in this area, and has stated that a good taper can improve performance by an average of 2 - 3%, with some individuals going as high as 6%. A taper is a period leading up to a race during which you reduce the training load in order to be at your best on race day. You can reduce the volume, the frequency or the intensity of your training. You may manipulate all three to get the best outcome, and it may take a few attempts to figure out what works best for you. You’re not going to significantly improve your fitness over the final two weeks of MultisportMagazine
LA 5000m: moderate taper.
training for a goal event, however with a good taper you will freshen up the body and mind, avoid over-training and you’ll go into race-day ready to put in your optimal performance. There will be some differences in the way you should approach a taper depending on the importance of the race ahead. I personally use three different types of taper. A mini-taper, a moderate-taper and a full-taper. The fulltaper is reserved for just a handful of big races throughout the year, the moderatetaper is used for less important (but still competitive) races, while the mini-taper allows me to race while still in a big training block.
For the first 5000m race in Sydney, I knew I needed to keep ‘training through’ in order to be at my best a few weeks later at Stanford. I also thought that I could win this race with a mini-taper only. I adjusted my training over the final few days to freshen up. Needing to finish in the top three - but ideally wanting to win, I got beaten into 2nd place by a great run from training partner Cam Page, but I still ran a solid 13:30 with minimal impact on my training. Despite getting beaten, I felt this was an ideal use of the mini-taper and it left me feeling confident for the 10,000m a couple of weeks later. For Stanford, I freshened up over the final 7 - 10 days with a reduction in volume and overall difficulty of training. I maintained the frequency of my training, as I like to still keep busy, but each session took less out of me and left me feeling stronger as the race approached. I ended up winning the 10,000m in 27:37. For the 10km in NYC, I once again needed to train through in order to be ready for another big race in LA.
10 days leading up to a race: Days
Normal Training
Mini Taper
Moderate Taper
Full Taper
10
2 hour Long Run
2 hours
80 - 100 min
60 - 80 min
9
70 min + 40 min
70 min + 40
60 + 40
50 + 30
8
8 - 10 x 1km
8 - 10 x 1km
6 x 1k
6 x 1k, longer recoveries
7
70 min + 40 min
70 + 40
50 + 40
50 + 30
6
10 x 400 + 5k Tempo
10 x 400 + 3k tempo
8 x 400 + 3k tempo
8 x 400, longer recoveries + 2k tempo
5
90 min run + 30 min
60 min + 30
50 - 60 + 20-30
40 + 20 - 30
4
Easy 40 + strides
Easy 40 + strides
Easy 40 + strides
Sharpening Session
3
Hill session + 40 min
3k tempo + strides
3k tempo + strides
30 + 30 + strides
2
2 hours
40 + 30
30 + 30 + strides
30 + 20 + strides
1
70 + 40
30 + strides
30 + strides
30 + strides
TELL IT LIKE IT IS
Unfortunately I ended up running quite poorly for a mid-pack 29:00 (I have run 28:36 on that Central Park course). This was a bit disappointing, but it is evidence that I sometimes can’t race well when only employing a mini-taper. This is why you need to choose your goal races well, and work out what works best for you. I know some runners who race best with only a mini-taper. I knew that I would come good again with a bigger taper over the next two weeks. In LA, I felt strong again and placed third in a tactical 5000m in 13:18, just three seconds behind Mo Farah. As I had been so flat after the NYC race, I almost employed a full taper - as I needed to dig myself out of a hole. This worked well and capped off a good month of racing in the USA, and the In N Out burgers afterwards tasted sensational. See bottom left for a table showing how a normal ten days of training for me may be manipulated for different types of taper. As I have stated, I like to keep the frequency of training the same. I will often reduce the load by reducing the distance of runs, reducing the speed of runs, reducing the number of reps and increasing the recovery between reps. Sometimes the speed will actually increase in some sessions, but the overall training load will still be reduced. Strides ensure that the body is ready to race, without fatiguing much at all. Once again, different things work for different people - so talk to your coach (or email me at ben@runcrew.com.au) to choose your most important goal races, and then work out some adjustments that you can make to your final two weeks of training in order to have you feeling fresh and ready to race on the day. As I mentioned, I know some athletes who feel sluggish and tired when tapering too much, and prefer to taper much less than I do. You may need a couple of attempts to figure out your best approach to a taper. Keep a detailed training diary so that you can look for your best races, and see what has worked best. All the best, Ben. RUN Ben St Lawrence. Australian Record Holder & London Olympian at 10k. City to Surf Winner, 2010. Five time Australian Champion. PBs: 3000m: 7:40. 5000: 13:10. 10k: 27:24.95 Ben also runs a coaching business called Run Crew www.runcrew.com.au.
15
Choppy, Bear and Travo discuss life as a M.A.M.I.L (middle-aged man in lycra) - the daily grind, the highs, the lows, the wins and the losses! PRE-GOLD COAST MARATHON...
POST-MARATHON...
T: Hey boys, it’s taper week before the GC Marathon and it’s doing my head in – playing mind games with me. Feel I’ve put on about a kg, feel like I should be out running, feel like I’m going to get sick...arrrrrr!!! I studied about 450 websites and 300 articles and I couldn’t find one that said we shouldn’t taper so I guess I’m doing the right thing!! How are you boys doing?
C: Well, Mission ‘GC Marathon 2015’ Complete!! It didn’t necessarily go to plan but I got to the finish line with a 3:38 result for me. I stayed in front of the 3:30 balloons for 38k’s but suffered with cramping and just couldn’t stay with them in the last 4k’s.
C: I’m going OK... I am very sensitive to aches and pains at the moment, always feeling paranoid that I have, or are about to do some type of injury that will keep me from race day. T: The hard works done mate, we have 12 weeks of long runs in our legs. Rest up and bring it on! B: Well guys, I’m so pumped about this Marathon. We are doing the alternative marathon which involves setting up camp at the Southern end of the Coast and heckling you lot as you run past. Then it gets exciting, we jump on the mountain bikes ride as fast as we can down to Lola’s order up the big breakfast and large coffee and watch you silly buggers go past again. Now with a big brekky in the tummy its back on the bikes and head down to Runaway Bay - hurling abuse and well wishes to anyone we pass along the way. This is the business end of the race, that’s where the smiles have gone and the pain is starting to kick in. It’s my favourite part – to watch that is. Then when it’s all over we do a surf club pub crawl home. I know my head will be sore on Monday. How do you boys think you’ll be walking? T: I think you have the makings of a brand new event Bear!! Big day for you - I reckon you’ll rack up more distance, drink more fluid, consume more energy food and express your opinions a lot more than Choppy and I. Does it take much to train for your event.....might put it on the calendar for 2016!
What a great day and a great event, smiles everywhere, apart from the last 5k’s. Incredible support from the crowd and of course Bear and the boys cheering us on from coffee shops and pubs along the track! T: Bear has sold me on his event... next year I’ll be doing his version of the marathon where you complete the entire course on bikes and pub crawl along the way. It doesn’t stop there, you even do more after the race – dedication!! Has to be easier than the pain and suffering I endured!! I partook in one section of Bear’s race at the Grand Hotel (the 39km mark) and loved it... that beer tasted so good! Where do I sign up?? B: Yeah awesome day, good to see so many people out enjoying another beautiful Gold Coast Marathon. We had a great time riding along the course on our bikes and capturing the different stages of the race. Highlight of the day was standing at the Grand Hotel cheering friends as they ran past and some walking... I wont mention names, they know who they are... except Travis. Travis gets a special mention. He jumped the hedge into the pub, proceeded to quench his thirst by sculling my schooner then straight back out onto the course to complete his marathon! That effort alone Travis gets you automatic entry into the 2016 Alternative Marathon. The Alternative Marathon came to a dramatic conclusion at about 9pm that night, due to memory loss at some point in the night the evidence is still inconclusive as to which event is harder. MultisportMagazine
16 RUN
A Half Marathon Plan of Attack Q. I have been running for a few seasons and am now contemplating doing a half marathon. The most I have ever run is 15k. What is an ideal training plan to get me to the next level? Ebony
a more efficient runner, but also builds up your running tolerance and ability to withstand fatigue.
Hi Ebony, thanks for your question. Great to hear that you are motivated to do a half marathon after a few seasons. This is very common amongst people that I coach. Once you achieve a goal, you look at a new challenge and box to tick. It also sounds that you are at a level where this is a very reasonable goal. 15km is a great distance to have done before making the next step into a half marathon.
1. A longer run. This can be built up every week. Possibly adding on 1-3km per week until you reach around 18-20km for your longest run leading into the race. Ideally this would be two weeks out from the race. So working backwards, you could set this up so that each week you know what your long run needs to be. Many runners believe that they need to run the goal distance before they race it. This is however not the case. It’s an accumulative effect of the week rather than one sole run.
Things that you need to focus on is not doing too much too soon. This is a common mistake as runners think that they must start training like a seasoned half marathon runner and forget that they have consolidated some good training that will already add to the end goal. You will definitely need to increase your volume, however I am a big believer in increasing your frequency more so than you distance per run. So if you were for example running three times a week and averaging a total of 25km, I would get you running 4-5 times a week, averaging a total of 35km. This isn’t a massive jump in overall km’s per week to start, but running more frequently not only helps make you MultisportMagazine
So with this in mind, an ideal training program would include the following:
2. A tempo or harder run. This is a run that is slightly quicker than your objective pace. It may be that you perform a 30min run and the last 15mins is at a higher speed. I would focus on around 5seconds quicker than your half marathon speed or slightly harder than a pace that you want to hold for a half marathon. Or it could be a block of time spent during your run where you run at a higher effort. Say for 15-20mins. As for your long run, the time spent in your tempo speed could increase each week. After at least a few weeks of this type of session, you could also swap this out
for some longer interval repetitions, fartlek training or even hill repetitions on a long hill. These type of sessions will help your top end aerobic fitness and make running at an easy pace feel much more comfortable. 3. Some easy recovery runs. At least two runs per week. Minimum of 30mins. This is going to add volume to your week and as mentioned earlier smooth out your running form. 4. Recovery. This is king in my book. As if you don’t recover, you don’t get fitter. So whether it’s a day off after a long run or harder run day, an easier week where volume is reduced every three or four weeks or even sleeping more, getting massage, lymphatic draining, cold water emersion, etc. You need to give your body a rest and chance to absorb the training and then adapt to the load and build a little stronger and more efficient. If you can master this, then not only will you enhance your longevity in the sport, but also have no problem in running a half marathon! Good luck, Ryan RUN Ryan Mannix has been a runner and duathlete for over 20 years. He has trained and raced in Kenya and Europe as a runner before moving to duathlon, where he represented Australia at an Elite level. Ryan has now turned his attention to coaching both runners and triathletes, and is the current Triathlon Victoria Coaching Course facilitator.
GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS
17 17
Bob East Chief Executive Officer, Mantra Group Bob joined the Mantra Group in 2006 and has held the position of Chief Executive Officer since 2007. Bob’s enthusiastic leadership style and vision has seen Mantra Group grow from 41 properties in 2006 to more than 120 properties in 2015. Bob holds a Master of Business Administration and is a Board Member of the Gold Coast Tourism Corporation Limited, Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF), Gold Coast Football Club (AFL) and is Chair of the Tourism and Transport Forum’s Accommodation Sector Panel (TTF) and Tourism and Events Queensland Board. Bob talks to us about keeping life in balance - a tricky task for all hard working weekend warriors! Tell us a little about your career... I’ve always been passionate about tourism and particularly the hotel industry. I’ve spent my career operating and developing new and exciting hotels here in Australia and in Asia. Do you have a particular career highlight? Launching the Mantra Group has been the highlight. We listed the company and we are now in the ASX 200. Each year we add up to twelve new properties and I’m proud of the employment and career opportunities we’ve created. What is your sports background? Nothing spectacular. I’ve always enjoyed surfing, running, riding and Soccer. I’m passionate about the AFL but my skills lie more with the administration rather than the participation. How do you balance a high profile job, family life and training? I get up very early! I am fortunate that my wife also likes to live a very active lifestyle so we make this a priority. Not always easy with four children in tow but if it’s important to you it becomes part of your routine. Who do you train with? I’ve managed to entice my colleague Michael MoretLalli to join me on early morning bike rides on the Gold Coast as part of a cycling group.
Getting down to Business...
What do you achieve personally from training and competing? I love the participation. I also love the motivation it gives me - it’s hard to get out of bed at 4:30am for a swim but an upcoming event provides the additional prompt I need. To succeed in business you need to be focused and goal driven, has this spilled over into your sporting world and helped you achieve your goals? I think the two are intertwined – I’m equally focused and goal driven in business as I am with my fitness goals, but I’m just tapping into different skill sets. I’m a ruthless goal setter (much to the annoyance of those I urge to do similar). What does it do for staff relationships competing under the Mantra banner? Are you competitive or supportive? Very much friendly rivalry – we spur each other on and enjoy the camaraderie and those at the front of the pack are something for the group to target. MultisportMagazine
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TRI-IT!
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SKIN STRONG The SKIN STRONG line of anti-chafe products was created by a group of athletes frustrated by the lack of high performance skin care products. Whether you are a professional athlete or an enthusiastic amateur, we know that you train hard and want products that live up to your high standards. The three products in the range provide a complete solution to chafing! SLATHER - A long-lasting chamois cream offering protection against chafing & hotspots whilst gentle on sensitive skin. SLIK - A friction & chafing protection in a convenient spray formula. It is non-greasy & non-staining with a fresh scent. SLIK DUST - Helps prevents hot spots and blisters. This Teflon based powder provides long lasting protection in a convenient bottle. www.skinstrong.com.au
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MultisportMagazine
20 TRIATHLEATS
To Train Fasted or Train Fuelled? Words by Words by Accredited Sports Dietitian from Dietitian Approved, Taryn Richardson Q. I train every morning without eating beforehand, and similarly can exercise for a few hours on the weekend with water alone (i.e. without the need for gels or energy drinks). I have heard and read many different things about the importance of nutrition during a triathlon or marathon, but I don’t want to consume sugary drinks and snacks if I don’t need them. Should I force myself to consume carbohydrates before and/or during extended exercise, or is it ok to have water alone? This is a great question! The answer is not that simple and as always, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. Whether you eat before and/or during exercise depends on many factors including: • The duration of the session, • The intensity, • The specific goals of the training session i.e. recovery vs. performance • Your personal body composition goals. For example, do you need to lose a few kilos of fat mass or are you someone that really struggles to keep weight on? Lets take a look…
EATING BEFORE: TO TRAIN FASTED OR TRAIN FUELLED?
During exercise, we burn a combination of fuels - mainly fat and carbohydrate. The type of fuel we use depends on the duration and intensity of exercise. During moderate to high intensity exercise, we predominantly use carbohydrate as a fuel source. Carbohydrate is made available to the working muscles from our muscle and liver glycogen stores and also by ingesting carbohydrate orally. MultisportMagazine
For lower intensity exercise, e.g. a slow recovery run, fat is the predominant fuel source. To decide if you should eat before a session, it’s important to consider the training goal of that session. If it’s a hard, high intensity session where your goal is to improve performance, e.g. hill sprints or efforts, consider having a carbohydrate rich snack beforehand. Carbohydrate will be the predominant fuel source for this session. If this is limiting, chances are you won’t be able to train as hard compared to a system with lots of carbohydrate available for use. Even if your goal is to lose weight, consuming something small before a hard session will help you to train harder and longer, resulting in an overall greater use of fuel and kilojoules. Some pre-exercise examples include a banana, piece of toast with spread, or a glass of milk. For a low intensity, recovery session, e.g. a 60 minute easy run, where fat is the predominant fuel source, training fasted may be beneficial. Exercising in the fasted state can assist in utilising fat as a fuel source. Have some caffeine in the form of a black coffee (i.e. no carbohydrate in milk or sugar) beforehand to help promote fat utilisation. This strategy may be helpful if your goal is to decrease fat-mass. There’s some good evidence to suggest that “training low” can be beneficial for endurance sports to promote specific adaptations in the body to optimise fat metabolism (i.e. using fat as a fuel source). “Train low” – refers to training with low carbohydrate availability. In other words, the body only has a small amount of carbohydrate available to use as an energy source. Not for the faint hearted and a topic of discussion for another day.
EATING DURING: WHEN? It is well established that carbohydrate
during exercise can improve performance. However sometimes it’s not practical or physically possible to consume carbohydrate-containing food or fluids during exercise. Especially if you get lost trail running without any snacks! Don’t worry; we’ve all done it. Again, whether you choose to consume carbohydrate during exercise depends on the duration and intensity.
< 30MINUTES
For exercise less than 30 minutes, there isn’t a need to consume carbohydrate during. At this duration of exercise you don’t run out of stored fuel and your blood sugar levels don’t drop significantly. It’s not harmful or performance limiting if you do, (unless consuming carbohydrate causes gastrointestinal upset), but there is no evidence that even a carbohydrate mouth rinse does anything for this duration.
UP TO 45-75 MINUTES
If you’re heading out on an easy ride or run at low intensity just to turn the legs over, there is no specific need to consume carbohydrate during. At low intensities, you’ll be drawing on fat as a fuel source and unlikely to deplete your carbohydrate fuel tank. Use the
TRIATHLEATS
opportunity to do some fat burning. For longer, hard training sessions of up to ~60-75 minutes duration (e.g. 10-15km hard run with efforts or a hard bike with efforts), where performance in that session is important, you would benefit from consuming carbohydrate during exercise. Even a mouth rinse of carbohydrate appears to be enough to trigger a central nervous system effect and improve exercise performance. If you don’t want to swallow the sports drink, rinse it around your mouth for a few seconds before spitting it out. Just be sure to rinse your mouth with water shortly after to protect your teeth!
LONGER SESSIONS >90 MINUTES
We know that our muscle glycogen stores deplete around 75-90 minutes during sustained exercise. This will occur faster if the intensity is higher and in untrained individuals. If you’re fit and well trained, with a well-tuned energy system, they may last you a little longer. So if you’re going for a long ride >2 hours, and don’t consume any carbohydrate, you may have to either slow down so that your body draws upon
21
its fat stores, or suffer “hitting the wall” where your fuel tank hits zero. Glucose takes 15-30mins to be digested, absorbed and utilised by the body, so it’s important to commence your carbohydrate intake early. The longer the duration, the higher the carbohydrate intake recommendations are with evidence of a dose-response relationship occurring. Regardless of your body composition goals, it’s recommended to consume carbohydrate during long, glycogen depleting sessions if you want to make it home in one piece. To work out what’s best for you, an Accredited Sports Dietitian will be able to periodise an individual plan based around your specific goals and training schedule. Happy Training, Taryn NUTRITION Taryn Richardson is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Sports Dietitian working with the Australian Institute of Sport’s National Performance Centre triathletes on the Gold Coast. Director of Dietitian Approved Taryn’s favourite quote is: ‘You can’t out-train a bad diet’. www.dietitianapproved.com.au
MultisportMagazine
22 INJURIES
Don’t Train Through the Pain! Words by Gold Coast Physio & Sports Health Sports Physio, Britt Caling
Q. I started running to lose weight and with a goal to run 10km. I’m currently at 6km. I’m struggling to reach my goal due to a sore hip so instead of running 2-3 times a week I only run once. My weight loss has plateaued. Do you have any suggestions on dealing with injuries or new training ideas? Losing weight is always a challenge, but running is an excellent way for you to help burn kilojoules and if you can get fit enough so that running becomes just a little easier, then going for a run will become part of your weekly routine and this will help you continue to lose weight and then ultimately also assist maintenance of your ideal weight.
person to help you achieve this goal. While you are going through this process you should aim to add some other form of daily low-impact cardiovascular exercise/activity. Strategies to consider to help keep you active would include: an elliptical machine; bike (stationary or road); deep water running, swimming or aqua aerobic classes; or even a brisk walk (depends on why your hip is sore). An elliptical machine is the closest you will come to running without the impact load, so you should be able to get your heart rate to an appropriate training level on this without the stress on your lower limb joints.
Running is a skill and unfortunately most of us do not appreciate how challenging a skill it is - we assume that because we ran around as kids that we should be able to step outside our front door and add running to our life without problems. But as we age, we are very good at losing many essential skills that we had as a kid, and running efficiently without pain and injury is one of these skills.
Our National Physical Activity guidelines state: “There is clear evidence that doing some physical activity is better than doing none at all, and that increasing amounts of physical activity provide even more health benefits. Physical activity reduces the risk of many health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, anxiety, depression, musculoskeletal problems, some cancers and unhealthy weight gain.”
For your weight-loss, we need to keep you active with cross-training strategies and aim to see if we can gradually get you back to three runs each week. My first suggestion is that you should get a diagnosis on your hip pain and seek some intervention to eliminate this pain. I would recommend a Sports Physio as the best
The Guidelines recommend you should be active on most, preferably all, days every week. Accumulate 2 ½ to 5 hours of moderate intensity physical activity or 1 ¼ to 2 ½ hours of vigorous intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both moderate and vigorous activities, each week and that “moderate
MultisportMagazine
intensity activities require some effort, but conversation is possible”. Running is considered a vigorous activity. It is also recommended that you do muscle strengthening activities on at least two days each week. These guidelines are for 18 - 64 year olds and further information can be found at www.health.gov.au. Before being able to increase the amount of running you do, you may need to do some Running Technique retraining. This will teach you how to run more efficiently, reduce your risk of injury and experience less pain and should help you get back to being able to run three times per week to help with your weight-loss. Additionally, if you haven’t already, I would also recommend seeking the help of a qualified Dietitian. Weight loss and weight management is their healthcare speciality and they will keep you accountable along the path of your weight-loss journey. Good luck achieving your goals! INJURY MANAGEMENT Britt Caling is an APA Physio at Gold Coast Physio & Sports Health and an adventure race athlete. Britt has a special interest in analysing sports biomechanics improving sports performance and rehabilitation. www.mygcphysio.com.au
PODIA-TRI
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5 Tips to Beat the Blister! Have you experienced a blister? Off the bike in race shoes, on a longer training run or in a new pair of training shoes… Blisters are something we see daily in our clinics. They can be painful but a lot of the time they are just uncomfortable and annoying! We see blisters all over but some common sites for blistering are around the heels, in the arches, under the ball of the foot and in between the toes and around the nails.
So what causes blistering to occur? There are two main reasons blistering usually occurs and it is usually a combination of the two. • Friction - excessive stretching and twisting of the skin • Moisture content in the skin - the skin can become weak and fragile To treat blistering effectively we must look at the root cause of both the excessive friction and the moisture content of the athletes skin. Our Top 5 preventative tips for helping to reduce blistering are below:
USE TECHNICAL RUNNING SOCKS
The extra money you spend on these can really save you in the long run. Tech socks are designed to wick moisture away from your skin leaving less moisture in contact with the skin. The materials used also allow for greater breathability, leaving your feet with optimum moisture content. Find the socks that work for you… Socks we like include: Stiegen, x-socks, thorlos, experia, belega and Injinji.
GET SHOES THAT FIT WELL AND FEEL GREAT!
Shoes, understandably, play a massive role in blister prevention. It is ideal that your shoes fit perfectly and feel great. Ideally get your shoes fitted at a specialty running store and/or see your Sports Podiatrist for a running assessment and footwear advice. It will also be beneficial to have a couple of shoes to alternate between if you are using them consistently during the week. (Remember to just use your running shoes just for running, not down the street on the weekend… Jerry Seinfeld style).
STRONG AND HEALTHY SKIN
Keep your skin strong and healthy. The aim here is to keep the moisture content in
your skin low and free of fungal infections (tinea/athletes foot). Dry your feet properly after showering, especially between your toes Use an anti-fungal cream as directed (usually for 3-4 weeks) if you do have some tinea or athletes foot Salt water bathing can also be great to help strengthen your skin and reduce the moisture content
TAPING
If you continue to have blistering in the same area you can look to use taping for the short term to help it settle. We recommend using a breathable tape such as hypafix or mefix to reinforce the skin in the affected areas. We have also put together a couple of short videos on how to tape toes and arches for blistering. www.profeetpodiatry.com.au/blistermanagement
KEEP IT STERILE!
If you have a blister, make sure you aim to keep it sterile and free from infection. Blisters can be nasty enough without having an infection to worry about. If you have a blister that has popped, flush it with clean water, dry it and dress it with a suitable antiseptic and a sterile dressing. We hope this helps you settle those uncomfortable and persistent blisters, meaning you are out there and enjoying more training! Yours in keeping people active, healthy and happy, Danny Hegarty - Podiatrist, Pro Feet Podiatry
PODIATRIST Danny Hegarty. www.profeetpodiatry.com.au MultisportMagazine
24 TRIATHLON
Thriving Under Pressure Words by: Ruth Anderson, Sport Psychologist, MiND HQ The ability to perform under pressure is a skill required for every competitive athlete. Pressure can either help or hinder your performance, depending on how you perceive the pressure, and what you do to respond. With the upcoming triathlon season many athletes will be testing their skills over a longer distance than previously raced, and will confront new experiences when competing. Athletes can learn to thrive under pressure when they grab the opportunity to challenge their abilities and understand what they need to do to gain the optimal psychological state to compete. There are simple strategies you can implement to maximise both your preparation and performance for competition, and enable you to use the pressure of competition to assist you to perform at your best.
PREPARING TO COMPETE
To maximise your preparation to perform on race day consider the following: MultisportMagazine
MANAGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS
Maintain a positive and constructive perspective on the competition to effectively deal with pressure. Focus on using the opportunity to transfer your skills from the training environment, and set your own expectations about what you need to do to compete at your best.
a more constructive way of thinking. You have a choice about the way you think. Changing your perspective on the situation will directly influence the way you feel and respond under pressure.
STAY RELAXED
Define your expectations by actions and processes that are within your control, rather then focusing on times or places. Remember, you won’t know what your best is until you achieve it.
Ensure you maintain the intensity in your training in the lead up to competition, but ‘switch your mind off’ outside of the training environment. Find ways to relax and limit the time you think about the competition. If you are relaxed in the lead up to competition, it will assist in managing your anxiety on race day.
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR THINKING
BUILD CONFIDENCE IN YOUR ABILITY
In the days leading into the race you may notice you start to worry, doubt your ability or keep thinking about the race. Be assertive in taking control of your thinking. Challenge the thinking that is causing the stress or worry, take control, and adopt
Focus on consolidating your skills and maximising your training in the lead up to race day. Comparing yourself to others, or being preoccupied with potential times and outcomes, will only place limits on your performance. Focus on your strengths, and
TRIATHLON
what you need to do to execute your skills on race day to remain confident in your ability to compete.
The earlier you recognise you are feeling anxious or worried the easier it will be to control.
COMPETITION STRATEGIES
MANAGE TRANSITIONS EFFECTIVELY
To get the best from yourself in competition you can implement strategies on race day to assist in achieving the optimal psychological state to perform.
COMPETE WITH A PLAN
Develop a plan detailing what you will need to do to execute your race. Keep it simple, and focus on the key skills that will assist you to achieve your best performance. If you get distracted during the race, or start thinking too far ahead while competing, you can immediately direct your thoughts back to your plan.
DEAL WITH YOUR ANXIETY
Nerves are a reality of every competition environment. View your nerves as a sign that you are activated and ready to compete. Accept your emotions as a normal aspect of competition, and commit to action, rather than fighting against the symptoms of anxiety. Use breathing to relax your body and clear your mind. Focus your thoughts on the current moment and the process of what you need to do to execute your race plan.
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Transitions can be used to reset your thinking. If you are aware of any negative thoughts or worries or you are distracted by a previous error, use the transition as an opportunity to gain a clear mind for the next segment of the race. Be assertive when dealing with any concerns about the previous segment of the race, take a few breaths to clear your mind, and focus on the next part of your race plan using short cues or instructions.
TRUST IN YOUR ABILITY
Research has shown that athletes perform more effectively and automatically, when they are able to let go of the fear of making a mistake, and are able to trust in their ability to execute the skill. You will perform successfully if you are confident in your skills, your thinking is focused on execution of your skills, and you can maintain composure both prior too and during the race. Pressure can lead to you gaining a higher performance outcome than you may have thought possible. Embrace it, and see what you can achieve on race day.
Your greatest achievement is within reach. There aren’t many opportunities in life to reflect on something you’ve done and realise that you’ve just achieved something phenomenal, something you never thought you could. Oxfam Trailwalker provides one of those rare opportunities. You and three mates will journey through either 100km of bush within 48 hours, or 50km in 24 hours. It’s not a relay. Your team has to start together, stick together and finish together — it’s tough, but with the right training and attitude you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve. The feeling when you cross the finish line will be something you’ll never forget. To top it off, you’ll be fighting poverty with every step you take. You’ll be part of a global phenomenon where ordinary people achieve something extraordinary. Together we will create a just world, where individuals and communities thrive and their voices are heard. Oxfam Trailwalker is Australia’s original outdoor endurance event. Since 1999 around 64,000 Australians have raised more than $70 million for Oxfam Australia’s long term development work, and it’s taking place on your doorstep. This event will challenge you both physically and mentally but, when you come through the other side, your life and the lives of the people that Oxfam Australia works with will be changed for the better. Register today for your greatest achievement. www.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker MultisportMagazine
15 November 2015 Penrith, NSW www.eliteenergy.com.au
VIC
8 November 2015 Buxton MTB Park, VIC www.bighillevents.com.au
29 November 2015 Huskisson, NSW www.eliteenergy.com.au
www.augustaadventurefest.com.au
www.massivemurraypaddle.org.au
25-29 November 2015 Yarrawonga, VIC
8 November 2015 Marysville, VIC www.trailsplus.com.au
12-13 December 2015 Callala, NSW www.eliteenergy.com.au
22 November 2015 Huskisson, NSW www.eliteenergy.com.au
23 - 25 October 2015
29 November 2015 Sydney, NSW
29 November 2015 The Entrance Central Coast, NSW www.centralcoast halfmarathon.com.au
17- 18 October 2015 East Gippsland, Victoria www.adventurefestival.com
www.ironmanwesternsydney.com
7-8 November 2015 Augusta, WA
Yarrawonga www.ymmf.com.au
15 November 2015 Southbank, Victoria www.eurekaclimb.com.au
MURRAY QUAD M U R R AY R I V E R - A U ST R A L I A
YA R R A W O N G A - C O B R A M - T O C U M W A L
13th March 2016 www.murrayquad.com.au
Melbourne www.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker
8 - 10 April 2016
14 November 2015 Mount Avoca Winery, VIC www.bighillevents.com.au
13-14 February 2016
13 December 2015 Ballarat, VIC www.ironmanballarat.com
7 February 2016
Falls Creek, Victoria www.mountainraid.com.au
5 December 2015 300m/800m/1.6k/3.8k St Kilda VIC worldseriesswims.com.au
Geelong, Victoria www.ironmangeelong.com
12-13 December 2015 Triathlon Endurance Series Canberra www.tripleedge.com.au
Every Saturday morning at 7am. Free, 5km run itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s you against the clock. www.parkrun.com.au
26 January 2016 Wollongong www.ausdayaqua.com.au
17 January 2016 Melbourne Aquatic Centre www.triathlonpink.com.au
28 - 29 November 2015 Mornington VIC www.morningtontriathlon.com
16 January 2016 Phillip Island
phillipislandmultisportfestival.com
Showcase your event here to a captive audience of 45,000+ multisporters for only $150.00.
RaceGuide OCEAN SWIM
BREAKA BURLEIGH 18 October 2015 Burleigh Heads, QLD 1km & 2km swim + dash for cash & midget races www.burleighslsc.com.au
15 November 2015 Race 3 - Kawana www.qldtriseries.com.au
Mooloolaba, Qld
Individual / team entries www.ironman.com/timetotri
10 April 2016 Gold Coast, Qld
Gold Coast www.EffortlessSwimming.com
28 November 2015
EFFORTLESS SWIMMING SWIM CLINICS
23 October 2015 Broadwater Parklands, Southport www.nitrosuperrun.com.au
8 November 2015
SPRING 2015
Noosa, Qld
28 Oct – 1 Nov 2015
Queensland www.triathlonqld.com.au
Mooloolaba, Qld
Individual / team entries www.noosatri.com.au
11-13 December 2015
13 March 2016 6 December 2015
Individual / team entries www.ironman.com/timetotri
7-8 November 2015 Canberra www.icanrace.com.au
19-20 March 2016 Mount Kosciuszko, NSW
www.eliteenergy.com.au
World’s Toughest Daylight Triathlon
Every Saturday morning at 7am. Free, 5km run it’s you against the clock. www.parkrun.com.au
Get involved in a Stroke n Ride event this summer 8 November 2015 www.triathlonact.com.au
CAN’T RUN? STROKE N RIDE
Queensland www.triathlonqld.com.au
5 - 6 March 2016
JACKIE FAIRWEATHER MEMORIAL TRIATHLON
Race 4 - Raby Bay www.qldtriseries.com.au
Dates to be Confirmed
Coffs Harbour www.villagesports.com.au
7 November 2015 Forster, NSW www.eliteenergy.com.au
Sydney www.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker
NSW
29 November 2015 Sunshine Coast Stadium www.triathlonpink.com.au
Helensvale www.racingthevale.com.au
30 October 2015
Plan for the excitement that lies ahead with Multisports’ Race Guide, covering the regional events. If you wish to showcase your event on this page please email: editor@multisportmag.com.au
QLD 14 November 2015 Kawana
State Aquathlon Championships & Qualifiers for World Championships
17-19 June 2016
Individual / team entries www.ironman.com/timetotri
www.qldtriseries.com.au
Brisbane www.oxfam.org.au/trailwalker
15 November 2015 Sydney Adventist Hospital 10k run + 5k run/walk www.sanrunforlife.com.au
13 March 2016
15 November 2015 Wyong, NSW www.eliteenergy.com.au
28 TRI-TRAVEL
IRONMAN France
Une expérience incroyable (an amazing experience)
When I close my eyes and think of Nice, I imagine a cosmopolitan Riviera vibe, fabulous pebbled beaches, epic sunsets and year-round sunshine. I would spend my days exploring fashionable boutiques and eating pastries on the banks of the bright blue waters of the Cote d’Azur. For age-group athlete Sam Dowthwaite, his time in Nice, competing in IRONMAN France was a little more gruelling... We chat with Sam to get a re-cap of his day and the training required to reach a sub 10 hour result and a slot for Kona. Ironman France, Nice was a wonderful opportunity to test out my preparation on a tough course, compete with some friends and, most importantly, spend some quality time with my young family traveling through Europe. Arriving in Nice had been the culmination of about four years of tinkering at the edges of triathlon. Seemingly like most age-groupers I came into triathlon from a background in cycling. I had completed two Iron distance triathlons a few years ago but with a relatively lax training program and fitness largely based in bike miles rather than across all disciplines. It had taught me that completion was possible with poor training but it hurt like hell and you’d walk like a cowboy for at least a week afterwards. Not pleasant. MultisportMagazine
The change in plan this time had been an early commitment to a structured program. I needed guidance and found a coach to help me along the way. Like all things in life I figured if I was going to do it properly I’d get professional help and so I convinced local professional triathlete / coach Adam Gordon to take me under his wing. The best thing about working with Ads is that he not only puts his heart and soul into his coaching but he also backs it up with amazing results at the top end of the sport. There’s nothing more inspiring than seeing your coach chalking up first class performances at both national and international level. So with the all-important green light from my beautiful wife, I set off on my road to Nice. I had my own goals in mind which were very much focused on improving my
vast areas of weakness, particularly the swim and run. In all honesty I’m a very average athlete across the board. I can ride my bike reasonably well but I’m a naturally ungifted runner and according to a good friend I swim like a magpie in an oil slick.
TRI-TRAVEL
time at home was paramount. This left about 10-15 hours per week to commit to training. Using this efficiently was key which meant trimming lots of junk bike k’s and concentrating on key high intensity sessions in each discipline.
And to top it off, my transitions are at best laughable and at worst, dangerous. I had a lot of weak areas to work on.
I trusted Ads to put a plan together and off we embarked on a six month journey to achieve my main priority of a sub-10 hour result in Nice. Given the hilly ride profile this was always going to be tough but I figured I was playing to my strengths and tucked in for the challenge. If I hit that goal, Kona could also be around the corner but I tried to keep this as a secondary goal. As the weeks went by I rode the peaks and troughs (literally and figuratively) and stuck tightly to the program that Ads had developed. We had lead-in events at both two months and three weeks out from the main race and on game day I felt truly prepared.
But with focus and honest reflections in the front of my brain I set to work in January this year to turn things around. The most important early session was sitting down with Ads to go over how much time I could commit with my work / life balance. Life as a surgeon can bring on long hours that can often be unpredictable. Additionally, having a beautiful little 18 month old boy meant
The Nice race went to plan in hot and humid conditions and I ultimately placed 7th in my age group hitting my sub-10 hour goal and earning a Kona slot. It was an amazing experience surrounded by family and friends and opened the door to a continuing journey towards the big day on the big island. Ads was obviously a key player in my success - he’s a great coach
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and now a great friend. The number one people through the whole journey though have been my amazing wife and son. I’m forever humbled by my wife’s love and support and will be eternally grateful for all the effort she has put in to make sure this potentially lonely sporting interest has been a family affair as much as possible. We’ve had some great times together during the last six months and look forward to some more amazing experiences in Hawaii. At the end of the day we compete in these events to challenge ourselves and have fun. However, my own personal belief is that if you have made the commitment to participate you should aim to give your best performance possible. This requires careful planning and preparation and I have outlined some ‘pearls’ that seemed to work for me. • find a coach • have a plan • have realistic goals • keep balance with family and work commitments • prepare mentally as well as physically • have fun and don’t place too much pressure on yourself - leave the stress for the pros!
Luxury House for the Gold Coast Triathlon Commodore Palace Family Waterfront Holiday House Amazing luxury waterfront home for larger families to enjoy their triathlon holidays with nine bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. FEATURES • 8 secure carparks (underground) • Modern Kitchen equipped for large families with 14-16 seat dining table • Outdoor balcony with dining table overlooking pool, jetty and stunning waterfront • Games room with comfy lounge and snooker table • BBQ, pool and outdoor spa • Media room with DVD’s
Perfect for both competitor and support crew”
• Kids Lounge with flat screen TV, Foxtel* & Playstation 3
Please Contact Agent via email on: Melaini@getrented.com
• Bar overlooking water and Surfers skyline with bar fridge
MultisportMagazine
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MULTISPORT MAGAZINE
The team at Multisport Magazine would like to congratulate Miles Stewart who was recently announced as the new CEO of Triathlon Australia. Miles had an extremely successful career as an elite athlete in the sport of triathlon, achieving two World Championships, numerous ITU World Cup wins and a Commonwealth Games silver medal in Manchester in 2002. In 2009 he was an inaugural inductee into the Triathlon Australia Hall of Fame. Miles retired from competitive racing at an elite level in triathlon in 2004, and has since had a successful commercial career, most recently as the Head of Leasing for Charter Hall, a $14.5 billion property funds management business. He has remained actively involved in the sport by sharing his knowledge, experience and passion with aspiring young athletes. He has been a member of the Triathlon Australia Board since April 2011, with particular responsibilities surrounding High Performance and as the Chairman of the High Performance Committee and member of the Elite Selection Committee. He said today he was delighted with the appointment. “Triathlon is a sport that I am extremely passionate about with a rich and successful history in Australia,” Stewart said. “I look forward to working closely with the Board to achieve the strategic goals of the association, and the team of staff at Triathlon Australia and the State and Territory Associations to ensure triathlon continues to grow and prosper into the future. “We look forward to Rio with enormous anticipation both for our triathletes and for the debut of Paratriathlon. “I would also like to congratulate the out-going CEO Anne Gripper for the work and dedication she has shown for our sport over her five years and I look forward to building on the great platform that she has built within the sport during her tenure.” Miles takes over the position vacated by Anne Gripper following five years of successful leadership at Triathlon Australia. He will commence the role in late October working from TA head office in Sydney. MultisportMagazine
XPD - Australia’s own Expedition Length Adventure Race Imagine being out in the bush for up to ten days with three mates and not much else, except the clothes on your back and the food and water you can carry. Oh, and you have hundreds of kms of ground to cover and 30 odd check points to find hiding in the scrub land before you can get home.
lucky enough to play host to Team Raidlight - four incredible adventure racers from France. They were based at Hardcore HQ in Townsville.
That is what competitors from around the globe undertook recently when they signed up for XPD - Australia’s own expedition length adventure race. XPD Tropics covered a course of over 650km trekking, biking and kayaking around North Queensland’s harsh Townsville region.
“Competitors are given the course details and maps only 24 hours before the start gun, they need to plot their course and pack the required gear in that time. There are restrictions on how much gear they can have on the trek and they pack this into five separate containers, which are delivered to them at different points along the course.
Over 40 teams from France, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia took between six and ten days to complete. The teams of four, raced day and night around the massive course, with little sleep, pushing themselves to the ultimate limits of human endurance. Starting from Townsville’s iconic Strand Waterfront, the first day saw teams complete a 10km kayak following by a 30km trek across Magnetic Island. Teams had to utilise all of their rock hopping skills as well as a few short swims to find a number of under water check points. Day 2 kicked off with a 60km kayak along the coast and back to the mainland. Then a 50km trek through the rainforest. At Checkpoint 17 the teams were met with their bike and undertook a 50km ride starting in the thick rainforest and making their way out to the outback of the Hidden Valley Region. The race continued around Paluma, Running River Canyon, the Burdekin River and back through Ravenswood including a kayak leg of 70km through a mostly dry river bed and a mountain bike of over 150km. Local business, Hardcore Brands were
“Just watching the race preparation and planning from the teams was an amazing experience” said the Elle from Hardcore.
“We were all mesmerised watching Team Raidlight prepare, pack and ready themselves for the race. There was lots of map checking and weighing of items, food preparation and team discussions. “Once the race started our whole office spent six days glued to the live tracking app, watching Team Raidlight and the other teams make their way around the grueling trail. It’s been a privilege to be involved, playing host to Team Raidlight, attending a few of the events, watching the preparations and the recovery of the team. We have the utmost respect for all the athletes involved. It is one heck of an adventure and we will be following the action when it takes place again next time” said the Elle from Hardcore. Australian team, Mountain Designs with team mates Kathryn Preston, Damon Goerke, Gary Sutherland and Dave Schloss won the 2015 XPD. Team Raidlight were hot favourites to win, but due to a few serious navigation errors lost a lot of time locating a couple of the check points. The team still managed to fight back and claim fourth place overall. More at: www.xpd.com.au
NEW SOUTH WALES IN FOCUS
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New South Wales in Focus BCU COFFS TRI 2015 - NASHYSPIX
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NEW SOUTH WALES IN FOCUS
A Message from Triathlon New South Wales The 2015/16 season promises to provide a sensational season of triathlon experiences for all ages and abilities. We are excited to be partnering with 100% Events to deliver a safe and sustainable 2015/16 Triathlon Series (formerly the NSW Sprint Series). Two new locations will be added to the Series calendar including Age Group World Championship Qualifying events in Canberra and Penrith, the latter of which will see the introduction of a draft legal race. The first race will be held at Kurnell on the 13th December. Elite Energy will also be running some great events to get involved in, kicking off with Challenge Forster and adding a new venue in TriWyong, and ‘little Husky’ always delivers a great race atmosphere. The Women’s Triathlon Festivals in Penrith and Huskisson offer a great day out for women and girls of all abilities. Adding to the major triathlon events to be
held in Australia next year, Triathlon NSW has also been successful in its bid to hold the World Paratriathlon Event at Penrith on the 23-24th April 2016. The event will offer the world’s best paratriathletes the opportunity to earn Paralympic Qualifying Points as they attempt to qualify for the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, where paratriathlon will be held for the first time. Clubs offer safe training environments, coaching expertise but often need more hands to help to run events. I encourage athletes, their families and communities to get involved in their Club and Club events. As well as racing, there are numerous opportunities for volunteers to get involved in Clubs and at races including supporting athletes at registration, aid stations, Technical officials, or organising the Trystars program for kids. Is a great way for family and friends to get involved or pass the time while their athlete is racing!
Now is a great time to make sure you have renewed your Triathlon Australia Membership or join as a new member. Membership includes third party liability and personal accident insurance cover while racing in and training for sanctioned events and offers some great benefits such as Scody Vouchers, discounts on products such as Training Peaks, Headsweats, High Sierra and Bikesure Bicycle insurance. Members have access to priority entry periods and are eligible to represent Australia at ITU World Championship events. For more information please visit the Triathlon New South Wales website www.triathlon.org.au/NSW Cheers, Phil Dally CEO Triathlon NSW
NEW SOUTH WALES For all your Triathlon needs, visit
www.triathlon.org.au/nsw
MultisportMagazine
MEET YOUR RACE DIRECTOR
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Get to know your RD Meet Mark Emerton (A.K.A Emo) the founder and CEO of Elite Energy. He talks about all things triathlon, his love of the sport, encouraging newbies into the sport and still competing twenty five years on... Something people don’t know about you? I was in the Navy for 23 years and have the flattest feet and most unusual running style in the sport of triathlon. I carried the Olympic Torch and was the first Defence member to finish the Hawaiian Ironman way back in 1988. What first got you involved in triathlon? I was given a bike in 1982 and used to ride 15 km each way to instruct aerobics classes (first male instructor in Nowra). I then participated in a Biathlon at Port Kembla in 1983 and my first triathlon in 1984. Finished my first Ironman at Forster in 1987. When did you compete in your last Iron Distance event? Finished Challenge Roth in July 2015, 25 years after my previous last.
to really, race, stay and play. Any advice for anyone wanting to step up to a longer distance triathlon event? We can all dream of higher achievements in life and if you ever get the opportunity to be on the start line of a long distance event, your dream has already come true. I may be biased, and I have said it many times before but... I have the BEST job in the world. What is the biggest challenge about your job as Race Director? Times have changed dramatically in our sport and there are lots of triathlon events and lots of other opportunities for people to challenge (excuse the pun) themselves, so we try hard to invite new people to our sport through various means. Trying to get new people to our sport and keeping them is our main focus (more than a challenge). If you weren’t a RD what would your dream job be?
Would you recommend others go to Roth, Germany for the event next year?
Mmmmmmm, hard to choose here. As much as I really love what I do, I could never have a career where I sit around. My fiance (Tracey) is always trying to get me to relax (and it’s slowly working), but I love to stay busy and love to try new ideas (some work, some don’t). I wouldn’t mind being a Pro Tennis Player, a Dolphin Trainer or maybe Social Media Guru... I think I am over selling Tupperware or Amway.
I know the media always elevates the Hawaiian Ironman in Kona as the pinnacle of triathlon, however, Roth is way above this pinnacle. Words can not explain the inner feeling and satisfaction this race brings. The other great thing about Roth is the volunteers and the location. There is one volunteer for each athlete and they just love and respect what we do and show it on race day with their support. The location of Roth gives you the opportunity
As I said earlier, we are always looking at new ideas, opportunities, and merchandise to invite new participants or encourage old participants to stay with us. Having been in the sport since its inception in Australia in 1983-ish, and having raced at all levels I feel I know what an athlete wants or likes from the highest level to the beginner. I
What was Challenge Roth like as an Iron Distance event? Challenge Roth is an experience and a journey and not just a triathlon. With a spectator crowd towering over 250,000, and 6000 participants, the atmosphere in this event is electric.
think my passion for the sport and being a participant myself helps me stay in touch and also helps in the hands on I have with our audience What do you love about your job? I raced for many years and then slowed down when I started my business in triathlon. Many people asked why I stopped racing and I tell them I get the same (if not more) buzz I get seeing many others cross that finish line. When I was young I was a 115kg sloth and I know how it feels to turn my life into an active healthy lifestyle and the feeling triathlon gives everyone - especially the beginners. I always say that triathlon turns ordinary people into extra-ordinary athletes. We get so many positive responses from our audience after our events, telling us the way our sport changes their lives, and this is probably the best feeling you can have in your job. And lastly, because I just love what I do and have the most amazing team around me (including my inspirational daughter Brittany helping take Elite Energy to new levels), I don’t feel this is a job but a privilege.
These day athletes are spoilt for choice when it comes to event options, how do you manage business in this saturated market?
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AGE GROUPER OF THE ISSUE
taking up running in High School I quickly realised I was much better runner than footballer and joined a local athletic club.
Age Grouper of the
Issue
OWAIN MATTHEWS BALMORAL TRIATHLON CLUB In Brief: Club: Balmoral Triathlon Club Coach: Bruce Thomas, Energy Link Performance Coaching Racing: Ironman 8.47, 70.3 4:00.42, 10km 30:29, 5km 14:27 Tell us about yourself? I grew up in Luton, England and have been a bit of a sports nut my whole life. As a kid I played a lot of team sports but primarily football (soccer), which in my mind I thought I was rather good at. After
MultisportMagazine
After steady progress as a teenager I managed to get an athletics scholarship to The University of Tulsa and after graduating in 2004 spent the next 10+ years trying to improve my times on the track, road and cross country while working as a PE teacher. I moved to Australia with my wife Dani in August 2011 and found a new challenge, and passion in triathlon. I have attempted to progress in long course triathlon, while developing as a coach along the way! Best race memory? A tie between the first time I represented Great Britain and Wales in athletics (itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a very special thing to represent your country) and crossing the Kona finishing line in 2013. Goals for the future? To try to progress to elite level racing in long course triathlon, if I can continue to improve my swim and bike enough! Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d love to be competitive in my age group at Kona this year and hopefully that will spur me on to more improved performances. What do you think makes a great coach? Someone who can appreciate the
varied needs of each athlete and works to incorporate consistency and improvement into training, while maintaining the enjoyment of the sport. Why Triathlon? It was a new challenge for me after competing in athletics for 20 years. As a runner it was fun to learn how to swim and ride properly as well as continuing to develop my running. In Australia we are also very spoilt by such a beautiful country and the ability to train outdoors all year round. I love the social side to the sport. Who inspires you? My coach Bruce (Ironman Hall of Famer) is a big inspiration, a man of few, but very wise words. My wife Dani and my son Ethan always inspire me with their constant enthusiasm for life and support for me and my goals. All the athletes I coach and train with at Balmoral Triathlon Club and Energy Link Coaching who are always working hard and having fun in trying to achieve their goals in triathlon. How do you balance your lifestyle? Like most age group triathletes I have a busy life with work, coaching, training and family. I think the key is keeping perspective and not letting things get on top of you. Setting a realistic training
AGE GROUPER OF THE ISSUE
schedule to allow me to meet my other commitments and enjoy family time helps, but I don’t get worried if I have to juggle things around or if a session has to be adjusted or shortened. Consistency in training is more important to me, so I try not to worry about the little things that I can’t always control.
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Beardmcbeardy is one of my favourite Instagram posters due to his amazing cycling shots, but also National Geographic, I love their awesome landscape and animal pictures.
‘There is no such thing as a good bike leg followed by a bad run’. To me this was a good way to emphasise consistent improvement across all disciplines and appropriate race strategy for long course triathlon.
Best piece of triathlon related advice you’ve received?
Thanks for your time and good luck with your goal of racing as a professional Owain!
Social media?
What bike do you ride? Giant Trinity Advanced SL 1, Giant Propel Advanced Pro 0. What shoes do you run in? Saucony Fastwitch 7 and Kinvara 6. What book are you reading? Never Go Back by Lee Child (Jack Reacher novels). What’s on your iPod? A huge variety, but loving The Weekend’s stuff at the moment. Favourite healthy snack? Berries and yoghurt (not the low fat stuff). Favourite treat? Always a can of coke. Most commonly used app on your phone? Training Peaks, for coaching. Top 3 dinner guests? Jan Frodeno, Haile Gebrselassie, Craig Alexander. I would feel very athletically inadequate.
5TH & 6TH MARCH 2016
Saturday 5th March ages 5 - 14 years various distances
Sunday 6th March 375m swim, 10km cycle, 2.5km run 1.5km swim, 40km cycle, 10km run
ENTER NOW!
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COACHES CORNER
Coaches Corner
Multisport Mag caught up with Head Coach of Aeromax Team, Grant Giles to answer a few questions! When and why did you start coaching? I first started formal triathlon coaching in 1997. A mate of mine was going to Hawaii and asked me to coach him. From there a local bike shop owner Sean Vale had a small group and asked me to coach them and it developed from there. Describe your coaching methods: Big believer in structured strength training that is specific. I don’t like to waste any space or time so everything has a purpose and a focus. I’m very interested in efficiency and oxygen consumption and ways to gain the greatest speed for the lowest aerobic cost. Also a massive believer in mindfulness and psychological strength training, I believe that pain judgment and any judgment for that matter can be handled to vastly improve performance at any level with some simple techniques to stay grounded. In your opinion, what makes a great athlete? I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with some great athletes, Tim Berkel and Tim Reed to name two. The single biggest quality in them that they are probably not even aware of is their capacity to see what they need to do and more importantly to be able to feel what they need to do. The athletes that have gone on from our group over the years are now busting some impressive results on the world stage and in the end they take responsibility for their own journey and accept that the role is uniquely theirs. Even though they are guided they find what works best for them as individuals. Top athletes take ownership for their own path and don’t try to deflect it. We are all individuals, accept it and find out what works for you. Tell us something about yourself? Im a sucker for sad movies.
What bike do you ride? MTB Giant Trance. What shoes do you run in? Mizunos, Hitogami. What’s on your iPod? U2, Foo Fighters, Train, Linkin Park, Temper Trap, Inxs (old stuff), SilverChair but I’m open to anything really. Favourite healthy snack? Avocado’s. I have a problem with them, I eat them like lollies. Favourite treat? Dark Chocolate Top 3 dinner guests? Osho, Eckart Tolle, Mooji. Find out what is actually the truth. Most commonly used app? Maps. Favourite movie? Shaw Shank Redemption. Best piece of Coaching Advice?
“Bring yourself present to each session and own it specifically for yourself. There is opportunity in each and every moment”.
NSW PAPARAZZI
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Is this You?
Credit: Ian Moore Credit: Ian Moore
Credit: Ian Moore
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NEW SOUTH WALES IN FOCUS
N S W D I R EC TO RY A DV E R T I S I N G
Splash & Dash on Australia Day There is no more iconic ‘Aquathon’ in Australia, than the The Illawarra Credit Union Australia Day Aquathon which is held annually in Wollongong’s own picturesque Belmore Basin. From it’s humble beginnings in 2000, that attracted just 250 participants, this fun swim and run (which now adds the Community Walk for Charity) has become the nation’s largest and most noted swim and run. Fast-forward to today where the event enjoys an iconic status with thousands of spectators that line the foreshore to cheer home over 2,000 competitors including a number of world class champions in the likes world number one female triathlete Gwen Jorgensen (USA) and Australian number one male triathlete, and Rio qualifier, Aaron Royle, among the many internationals and elites. It has also attracted a start studded field, with Bondi Rescue’s own, Andy Reid is also a regular racer. But it’s the first timers and age-groupers who continue to give the event the phenomenal reputation it’s renowned for. Safe, fun and with the perfect venue, the event which includes four ‘Aquathon’ distances and the ‘Community Walk/Jog’ has wide appeal. A secret to the events 16-year success is the course, with few that can offer the same calibre of views, safety and award winning attributes.
PERSONALISED TRIATHLON COACHING Australian Age-Group Coach of the Year 2012
Ph: Matthew Dymond 0412 297 082 www.226multisport.com WWW.226MULTISPORT.COM
• • • • •
Weekly squad combination of Swim, Bike Riding, Running & Race Simulations.
Held in the sheltered and clear waters of Belmore Basin and exiting the water along the award winning Blue Mile which winds past some of Wollongong’s most recognised coastal landmarks. With a host of activities Australia Day festivities at Wollongong harbour, loads of prizes to win including a Skydive at the Beach and Novotel North Beach package. Many say ‘Aquathon IS Australia Day’ in the gong. Aquathon 2016: Tuesday 26 January www.aquathon.com.au
Retul Bike fitting Power Meters Altitude Training Torq Nutrition Training Programs
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VICTORIA IN FOCUS
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Victoria in Focus
Photo credit: clementchua@hotmail.com
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VICTORIA IN FOCUS
A Message from Triathlon Victoria Welcome to the Spring edition of Multisport Magazine. In a world that is everchanging Multisport mag now comes as an ‘eastern seaboard’ edition with each of the state associations contributing.
have ‘bragging rights’ as the premier club.
– this is personal, this is about you.
I seem to always be writing this whilst on the road. At present I’m sitting in a local café in Lorne, having undertaken my morning ride, and I wonder whether people really get that this is a ‘lifestyle sport’. Triathlon is something that’s portable, adventurous, challenging and best of all likely to have you meet some incredible people (and make new friends – even though this sounds a little corny as you get older).
I’ve spent some time over the last few months talking to people about their perceptions of triathlon. It was surprising that many of the comments ended up in a theme of – too hard, I’m not fit enough, triathletes are really fit, etc. I suppose that’s understandable. The sport is often showcased in the media through IRONMAN or the world championships, which for many couldn’t be further from the reality of most events. The contrast in participants is like comparing the AFL and a local suburban league, the Australian Open tennis and a country tournament... get my drift?
So find a triathlon near you and check it out. You’ll be surprised, and I guarantee there will be someone just like you ‘toeing’ the start line and celebrating across the ‘finish line’.
With winter behind us and a successful Victorian Duathlon Series we really do ‘kick off’ the season now as Victoria’s obsession with the AFL dims and many will turn to their summer pursuits. The inaugural Victorian Triathlon State Series will become a focus for members as they race and accrue points towards the ‘age group’ end of season awards and clubs do similar to
No matter what shape, size, age, or level of experience; you are one of us because we want to include you and have you fall in love with triathlon just like we have. We are inclusive, welcoming and genuine about finding the right balance for you. We encourage you to start small and think big, make swim, bike, run part of your lifestyle and not to compare yourself to anyone else
For all your Triathlon needs, visit
www.triathlon.org.au/vic MultisportMagazine
Have fun this summer, you may never be the same! Grant Cosgriff Executive Director, Triathlon Victoria PS – What if I’m not a member? Well, put simply you should be! Members are afforded year round training and racing insurance coverage which provides great piece of mind, especially when out training on the bike. Members also get connected to clubs, coaches and like-minded people to train with, learn more and have fun. So, what’s stopping you? Give the office a call or search www.trivic.org.au for your nearest club.
VICTORIA IN FOCUS
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Victorian Duathlon Series Wrap up The Victorian Duathlon Series came to a conclusion with race four held in brilliant spring sunshine. The series was held over four events at the Kevin Bartlett Reserve in Richmond. We had competitors aged from seven to seventyone years old, paratriathletes from all classifications, multiclass athletes from Ashwood, Rossbourne School and Port Philip Special Schools, Australian Age Group World Championship team members and competitors racing in their very first duathlon event!
Sprint Duathlon World Championships in Spain. Best of luck to the Victorian members at selection time!
This year saw a record number of series entrants making each event a ‘must enter before the day’ to secure a place on the starting line leading to two sell-out races. With the successful inclusion of the kids racing and the Multiclass State Championships we look forward to 2016 and further growth.
Congratulations to Scody Dash Series overall winners Brooke McCullough and Lloyd Cosgriff and Brooks Sprint Series overall Age Group Series winners Olivia Schenk, Anthony Crews, Olivia Knowles, Paul Marchant, Catherine Guest, Ryan Constance, Vanessa Jackson, Stephen Hadley, Carole McGregor, Brett Franklin, Karen Barrow, Andrew O’Loughlin, Bronwyn Morris, Daryn James, Celine Hepworth, Jennifer Dowie and Kevin King. The overall winning club for the series was Melbourne Triathlon Club with Bayside Triathlon Club coming in second followed by Tri Alliance in third place. Congratulations to all winners. The Duathlon Series presentation will take place on 28th October.
The National Qualifying Sprint race saw competitors battle it out for national qualification points and inclusion in the Australian Team at the 2016 Aviles ITU
Triathlon Victoria would like to thanks the host clubs - Hawthorn Triathlon Club, Bayside Triathlon Club, Yarra Tri Club, Melbourne Triathlon Club and SBRG
Performance and all the volunteers/officials and a special mention to Duathlon Series partners - Physiohealth, Brooks, Scody, Fast Finish Event Timing, Rocket Digital, Aqua Force, Bumble Beanz Coffee Cart, Sports Accounting Australia, Pic2Go Australia and VicHealth.
28 & 29 November 2015
MULTISPORT FESTIVAL Mount Martha Village
SATURDAY: Tri Pups Kids Triathlon I Enticer Triathlon SUNDAY: Mornington Long Course Triathlon (1.9/90/21) Mornington Olympic Triathlon (1.5/40/10) Mt Martha Sprint Triathlon (500m/22/5)
BE PART OF THIS FANTASTIC NEW EVENT
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Training for Heat in Cold Weather Q: I’m wanting to finish off my Ironman goal of doing every Ironman in Australia but struggled in WA with the heat. Any tips to be able to cope with the Cairns IM heat to finish off my fourth IM apart from move from Geelong? Brent Hi Brent! Thanks so much for your email and what a great goal that is to do every IM in Australia. One of the best things about IM racing is the many different courses out there and even within in Australia Busselton, Cairns, Port Macquarie and Melbourne certainly offer very different experiences and challenges. You are smart to start thinking of strategies for tackling the heat and humidity of Cairns now, rather than at the last minute. Strategy equals success in our books! Our best suggestion for learning to cope with racing in the heat? As you said, move to QLD! (Ha, apart from the weather Geelong really is a lovely place, don’t you think?) In all seriousness, we suggest the following to help you along your journey:
TESTING
It would be very beneficial to get some
physiological testing done to determine your sweat rate and mineral loss. This will allow you to optimally plan your nutrition and hydration intake for a hot race. Everyone’s sweat rate is different, so unless you know what you’re loosing as individual, is it hard to determine exactly how much fluid/electrolyte you need to take in. There are many private labs which provide this service such as ‘Exercise Research Australia’ in Melbourne, or you could contact one of the University’s which has a Sport Science Department and I’m sure you will be able to find a masters/ PHD student willing to put you through your paces. Often they are looking for ‘guinea pigs’ to do testing on, so put your hand up! Deakin University in Geelong offers Exercise and Sports Science, send them an email and I’m sure they would be happy to help.
HEAT ACCLIMATISATION TRAINING You can expose yourself to small amounts of heat training by using a windtrainer, a treadmill and a humidifier.
We once knew a person who would train in their laundry with wet towels in the dryer! The key here is to only do short, sharp sessions (we would suggest three times 45-60 minute sessions per week; one windtrainer, one treadmill and one windtrainer/treadmill brick) and make sure you rehydrate properly after each session. You don’t want any associated dehydration affecting the quality of your other training sessions. Don’t push things out past the hour either, your body only needs a small amount of exposure to start adapting, so killer two hour plus windtrainer sessions in the heat
Our passion is to inspire people of all ages to find joy in a more active lifestyle and turn their sporting dreams into reality...
• Adult Triathlon Program Options • Junior Triathlon Programs (Geelong & Torquay Area) • ‘Run Fast, Run Free’ coaching programs • Swim Squads Phone Michelle today on: 0402 299 589 - Torquay www.hemleys.com.au
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TRIATHLON
is unnecessary. Three times max of one hour sessions per week in the eight weeks leading into the event should do the trick.
ARRIVE EARLY AT THE VENUE
To acclimatise to a new environment, you really need 5-7 days and again, we are all individuals. We would suggest arriving in Cairns as early as you can bearing other commitments and while generally staying off your feet and in the shade, you can expose yourself to a little heat in your taper training every day. The human body is very smart and quickly adapts, so while your first few training sessions will feel terrible, you will cope better every day. This is something that is well worthwhile doing. When we travel internationally to race, people are usually very prepared and make sure they arrive early so that they
can adjust to travel differences as well as climate. However when competing within Australia, most triathletes fly in right before the race with only a few days to spare as time and culture differences do not need to be considered. If you are going to dedicate so much time and money to your IM goal, you may as well give yourself the very best opportunity, so see if you can squeeze a few extra days at the race venue before the race start. Cairns is not a bad place to hang out! Also make sure in this week preceding the race that you are well hydrated with water and electrolytes. I usually add a few lemon and lime wedges to my drink bottle to assist with this process.
CAIRNS RACE DAY:
A few things to consider for race day: • Consider the type of clothing you will be racing in. Lighter, breathable material in light colours is best. • Wear a cap rather than a visor, so that the sun isn’t bearing down on your head (your head can absorb a lot of heat if exposed!). This also allows you to place ice in your hat through the aid stations. • Likewise, if you are going to wear
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an aero helmet, make sure it is properly ventilated. • Take ice at every aid station and put it in your hat, down your top, down your shorts... anywhere really to keep cool! • Know that heart rate is always higher in a humid/ hotter environment (by as much as 10-15bpm). If you race to heart rate, keep this in mind or you could be pushing too hard trying to stay at a designated heart rate, which will spell disaster as you move through the day. You’ll really have to listen to your body regarding pacing, rather than your monitor or garmin, if the temperature is high. Best of luck Brent, we can’t wait to hear how you go! We hope these tips were useful to you, Michelle and Dale. TRIATHLON Michelle & Dale Hemley are passionate coaches with over 20 years experience in endurance sports. They have competed with great success in triathlons from Sprint to Ironman and have raced the prestigious Hawaii Ironman five times between them with podium finishes in their respective age groups. www.hemleys.com.au
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Chasing Dreams in Chicago
back of a cold Victorian winter. The tight-knit crew came away with four top six finishes in the Aquathlon and Standard Distance by Josh Dew in M3035 Aquathlon, Head Coach Stephane Vander Bruggen M35-39 in Aquathlon and Standard Distance and Coach Kate Bramley F25-29 in the Aquathlon. In the Sprint Distance they scored three medals Stephane won bronze in M35-39, Shari Livingston won silver and Kate won gold in F25-29. “Personally, I was happy with my race after quite a slow swim having not had much open water swimming in the last few months. My team mate Shari caught me on the bike on the second of three laps, but I was able to keep her in my sights and caught her in the bike-run transition said Kate.
Representing more than 40 nations, nearly 2000 age group athletes pushed themselves to the limits in search of World Championship titles. From 16 to 90 years old, athletes proved you can swim, bike and run at any age! Set in iconic downtown Chicago, athletes raced the Windy City’s streets, twisting around historic Buckingham Fountain with views of Chicago’s skyline, it was a race MultisportMagazine
week these incredible athletes won’t soon forget especially Kate Bramley, Coach from Geelong Performance Coaching who came away with an almighty result! Geelong Performance Coaching had seven athletes representing Australia and Belgium at the ITU Triathlon World Championships in Chicago. They were very proud of their results competing against a strong United States field, coming off the
“I’m glad we practiced our transitions in training over winter as I had the fastest time for the second transition and ran the second fastest run time to finish strongly and be crowned world champion. “It was a feeling of relief and excitement as I watched Shari cross the line in second and then share our joy with Coach Stephane post race, who even shed a tear.” Congrats to USA for topping the medal tally with 106 gold, silver and bronze medals collected throughout the week. Australia finished second with 22, followed by Great Britain with 21.
TRIATHLON
Old Age-Grouping in the ITU World Championships Words by Peter Dwyer This was my third ITU World Championship having previously competed as a 70-74 age-grouper in Auckland and London. Chicago has been on my bucket list for many years and the decision to enter was easily made. This will be my 20th season in the sport which commenced after watching my twenty-some daughter compete in the early nineties. I had become bored with fun runs and racing a sailboard had become just too hard. Before I did it triathlon looked easy but I joined the MPTC and have been actively competing ever since. I competed in local events for many years winning the odd age-group championship and series along the way. In 2011 an even older colleague talked up the virtues of competing at the international level and I entered for my first ITU Grand final in Auckland in 2012. I won my qualifying race in Canberra and Melbourne and was duly selected for the team. Just prior to the season’s end I was diagnosed with severe obstruction of the left coronary artery and was subject to what they subsequently referred to as ‘elective open heart surgery’ or CABG. As
it happened the cardiac care folk were very positive about my rehabilitation and I was still able to compete in Auckland.
“I thoroughly recommend cardiac intervention; it has taken about five minutes off my sprint distance times”. About Chicago. A wonderful venue for a triathlon held in and round their waterfont Millennial Park utilising the sheltered yacht harbour, a six lane freeway for the ride/run and two loops of the Buckingham Fountain. All of this with the dramatic Chicago skyline in the background. The ride course was three laps of a flat 2.5k freeway tarmac plus about a 1k hook off a minor road. All triathlon courses have their foibles and for most cyclists it was a couple of sharp speed humps on a short off ramp descent. These were engineered to alert the
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motorist to modify speed for the right angle turn coming up. For the unsprung cyclist in the aero position it provided sufficient jolt to tilt even the tightest handle bars down and propel horizontal drink bottles ahead in the manner of a torpedo. An official was designated the task of picking them up so it probably happens at this point each event. So how did I do? Well not so good. My preparation had been great and I left Melbourne four days before in the best shape I can recall. I was optimistic about a eighth or better placing. I had twice placed fourth in my first two seasons in this age group. It was not to be however Three days before race day I developed a head cold; first my voice went and then my hearing. By race day I was running a temperature and my only thought was to finish. To add insult to injury I suffered a flat tire in the second bike lap but thanks to PitStop lost less than two minutes. So tenth place was a bonus under the circumstances. It is very pleasing to still be physically and mentally able to compete and at seventy-three there is some notoriety in being about the oldest going around. Being patronised for being old rather than performing well is a small burden to bear. But competing at the ITU level is something special; no longer the freak show. There we were nearly forty of us old grizzled survivors competing, prolonging adolescence to new limits. Tenth or first it doesn’t get better than this. MultisportMagazine
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COACHES CORNER
Coaches Corner
Multisport Mag caught up with Head Coach of Team Barefoot, Stephen Foster to answer a few questions!
Favourite treat? Cheese and rice crackers (probably why I’m not losing those last few kilograms).
When and why did you start coaching? I started dabbling in coaching (swim squads in 1986-87) and then was a part of the formation of M.P.T.C from that. I started coaching seriously in 1997 after I finished racing professionally and after someone suggested I do it. So I followed in the footsteps of 75% of all ex pro-triathletes... I took up coaching. I think we now out number athletes!
What’s on your iPod? IPOD? What’s that? Back in the 1980’s, Runner’s World ran an article entitled “Real runners don’t wear Walkmans”. Harden up and start focusing when you’re out training, not drifting off into music land. They are dangerous to use whilst out riding and I ban them from all my training sessions.
Describe your coaching methods I’m very much ‘old school’ style of coaching. I had the fortunate opportunity to learn my trade from some of the best coaches in the world including Dave Saunders and his father Ted Saunders, mentor of the great Phil Anderson, Charlie Walsh, Jim O’Doherty and Wayne Laws and numerous other geniuses who were ‘old school’ using methods still relevant today. You can’t re-invent the wheel and take shortcuts like many are attempting. Build the engine and then make it fast. What makes you a successful coach? Knowing your athletes and their individual personalities. They are not robots so don’t train them like robots. In your opinion, what makes a great athlete? The right attitude and how much they are prepared to suffer and sacrifice. Tell us something about yourself? My motivation to become the best in the sport was fuelled by my fear of failure and being left behind. I’m teaching myself to play the ukulele (think Eddie Vedder from music group Pearl Jam, not Tiny Tim’s Tip Toe Through The Tulips). I am a little O.C.D much to the annoyance of my partner and athlete, Robyn Metcher, who is the complete opposite. What shoes do you run in? Currently New Balance 880’s (reasonably light and nice and spongy). What annoys me is when a running shoe company makes a winning shoe that everyone loves and they go and cease production for a newer, often worse model. Much to the frustration of thousands of runners around the world. Will running shoe companies ever wake up?
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Most commonly used app? Unfortunately us ‘older generation’ have to keep up with the modern times, and so it’s Facebook (Team Barefoot) to keep everyone up to date and help promote sponsors. Although you won’t see me posting a photo of my latest cup of coffee or whinging about this ‘harsh cruel world we live in’. Let’s keep it positive... What bike do you ride? A Cannondale slice with mixture of Dura-Ace and Sram and Gravity-Zero race wheels (85/50). Best piece of Coaching Advice?
“There are no shortcuts to success”.
TRIATHLON
The older I get, the better I was! Back in 2014 Andrew Johnston and Digger Elrick from the Mornington Peninsula Triathlon Club, were pondering over the early days of triathlon in Victoria, the 1980’s, which was actually the inception of triathlon in Australia. From this came the idea of contacting a few people and having an informal gathering over a few bevies to talk about the good old days. Andrew set up a Facebook Group page ‘Old Hands’ 80’s Triathlete Group’ with the hope of connecting triathletes and triathlon administrators/supporters who helped to anchor the sport of triathlon in Victoria during the 80’s. The group now has 189 members. A date was set for the gathering and just to see who was still rolling the wheels over, there was the option of a group ride (the Australian Championships course, from Frankston) to be followed by bevies and stories - ‘the older I get, the better I was’. A group of about fifty scrubbed up remarkably well, in appearance, with yarns and memorabilia. There was representation from those living in Melbourne, Victoria country and even interstate trekkers! The day was full of laughter, reminiscing and plans already being muted for the next reunion in the hope of attracting more out of the woodwork. It was then put out for debate to the
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Victorian Triathlon stakeholders come together for Victorian State Series
group as to what format they would like for the 2015 reunion. Along with the requests, also came the growth in the Facebook group and discovery of old photos, results, t-shirts etc. Fast forward a year and the plans are well in place for this year’s event. Forget about ‘just a ride’ before bevies, it is now a triathlon no less! Forces have combined with David Hansen from SuperSprint and the group will have a dedicated wave in the first of the 2015/16 Gatorade Triathlon Series at Elwood on Sunday 29 November - look out!! Doning the lyrca for the 2015 reunion will be Rob Zwierlein, Tim Marquardt, Baz McCormack, Oscar Carlson, Craig Elvish, Andrew Musgrave, Craig Beeching, Digger Elrick, Charles Kovess and Andrew Johnston to name just a few. Starters are encouraged to be as true to the 80’s as possible – clothing, bikes, egos etc. This will then be followed by a BBQ with no doubt, lots more stories and laughs. More starters from the era are welcome and no doubt spectators will also be entertained. Head to facebook and check out ‘Old Hands’ 80’s Triathlete Group’ to follow their progress.
Triathlon Victoria is excited to announce the 2015/16 Victorian Triathlon State Series. Triathlon Victoria, SuperSprint Events, Sole Motive, IRONMAN, XOSIZE Events, In2Adventure and affiliated clubs will come together for the first time to offer members the chance to compete for the title of State Series Champion. “There is remarkable diversity amongst our individual participants, and the offerings from our Race Directors. The State Series I believe is something that will encourage participation and support quality events. Competitors will notice the ‘State Series’ branding and are encouraged to talk with any of the Triathlon Victoria staff for more information” said Executive Director Grant Cosgriff. With eleven races across all the multisport disciplines and triathlon distances (including six State Championship events) the state series has something for everyone. President of Triathlon Victoria, and Board member Steven Gatt says “this is a demonstration of our priorities at Triathlon Victoria... working collaboratively together and connecting all triathlon stakeholders to grow participation and provide athletes with the best possible racing experiences”. Adam Renn, Event Director at IRONMAN said “IRONMAN is proud to be a part of the inaugural Triathlon Victoria State Series and excited to welcome athletes to Ballarat for IRONMAN 70.3 Ballarat as the Long Course State Championship event.” The State Series began at the Duathlon State Championships and now heads to the Yarrawonga Mulwala Multisport Festival where the Aquathlon State Championships and Standard Distance Triathlon will see individual members accrue points. The State Series Awards for Individual Champions, the Champion Club and Performance Club will be awarded to the highest aggregate points score across the State Series at the 2016 Triathlon Victoria Awards and we look forward to celebrating and recognising the success of athletes, clubs, volunteers, officials and coaches at our annual event! MultisportMagazine
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VICTORIA PAPARAZZI
Is this You?
Established in 1996 YarraTri is a friendly club suitable for beginner through to elite athletes.
Please contact us on 0430 537 287 or email: info@yarratri.com.au
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We have members competing in mini races through to Ironman. Over 20 squad sessions per week and personal coaching opportunities.
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WIN 2 ENTRIES TO TRIATHLON PINK Do you have a question for our Triathlon contributors? Simply head to our facebook page and private message us with your triathlon questions for a chance to win two entries to the Melbourne Triathlon Pink event for you and a friend on the 17th January 2016 www.triathlonpink.com.au
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• Enjoy • Enjoy the wonders theMultisport wonders of riding of riding a bike! a bike! “Team Magazine Kokoda Challenge injury nuff said!”
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Email us your goriest photo’s with a description of what happened to: editor@multisportmag.com.au We want missing toe-nails, bleeding nipples and oozing blisters people! The Ed’s favourite will win a Striderm Anti Blister Pack – helps prevent blister formation during prolonged physical activity.
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ADVENTURE RACE Grab your mates and form a team – of 2 or 4 people – and race through the Alps to explore the remarkable landscape around Falls Creek. You’ll work together to navigate from checkpoint to checkpoint and get into the spirit of adventure. ›› Kayaking, trail running, mountain biking + adventure games ›› Teams of 2 or 4 athletes who race together ›› 1 or 2 day options = race in the day and rest at night! ›› Designed for beginners through to experienced adventure junkies. Achievable for just about anyone!
TRAIL RUNS
Join us for a collection of 4 spectacular trail runs along the beautiful single track surrounding Falls Creek. Run across lofty mountain summits, through fields of alpine wildflowers and past bubbling streams with fresh mountain water. Saturday: 11km Alpine Ash Run 3km Summit Sprint
Sunday: 5.5km Falls Creek Explorer 19km Heathy Spur Run
Trail running does not get much better!
13-14 FEBRUARY 2016
www.MountainRaid.com.au
L A V I T S E F ISPORT
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MU D N A L S I PHILLIP
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Photo: Michael Myers/OxfamAUS
You’ve got what it takes, but it’ll take everything you’ve got. Register Now!
MELBOURNE | SYDNEY | BRISBANE | PERTH
TACKLING POVERTY THE HARD WAY WWW.OXFAM.ORG.AU/TRAILWALKER
OXFAM TRAILWALKER