Race Reports and News

Perth Triathlon

Last weekend I flew over to sunny Perth for the Australian National Championships to test my fitness. Similar to our National Champs few of the top athletes attended but in Australia there are so many amazing athletes that I knew the competition would still be tough. The biggest challenge I thought was going to be racing in hot weather, and it was 38 degrees so that was definitely a challenge!
With a small field we floated amongst the hundreds of jelly fish (non stinging but still annoying) awaiting the start. We have not done a lot of speed work in the pool yet and that was quite clear by the first 200m when I was off the front two and swimming solo. Luckily my training partner Lisa was right behind me so when we exited the water I knew we could still get back into the race. We worked hard to catch the leaders and by two laps were a group of 4, all wanting to save our legs for the run. There were bike primes for each lap so that kept things interesting but we really didn’t work too hard and I knew it would be all about running. This race was also a Battle of the Sexes so the men started 14 minutes after us and we could see them hammering on the bike to try to catch us. I thought for sure they would catch by the start of the run but we still had a decent gap.
The run started with Erin Densham setting a blistering pace and Lisa not far behind. I decided to stay in control but held them within reach knowing the heat would be a factor. There were also run primes for the 5 lap course so that made it more exciting as well. By lap 3 I had moved into the lead with Lisa right behind me, keeping the pressure on. The men’s leader Courtney Atkinson was coming on strong as well so I had 2 people watch for. I held the lead and really pushed the last km to have a solid lead and managed to hold of Courtney and cross the line first. It was a great start to the season and always fun to win. We now have a good picture of where my training has come and what needs to be done before the world cups begin. I am very excited to finish this next training block and line up with the world’s best in Mooloolaba!

Cheers,

Carolyn ☺
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