The Mooloolaba Roller Coaster

Mooloolaba Triathlon has been a race where I have had some very mixed results over the years. It has even become known as the Mooloolaba Roller Coaster to my family because of all the highs and lows it has produced. It was my first standard distance race, the place where I won Australian University Games and a race where I came off the bike with over a one minute lead in the ITU Continental Cup. It has also been the race where I was riding so far off the back of the main pack in the ITU Continental Cup that I was questioning if I belonged in a professional race and only last year I went from a podium position at 33km into the bike to sitting on the side of the road to change a pucture.

In 2017 the roller coaster was set to continue but the big question was whether it would be another high or another low. Regardless of the roller coaster, I love Mooloolaba and wouldn't miss racing for anything. Even though I didn't feel like I had the best race at Tweed Coast Enduro a few weeks ago, it did leave me feeling very positive for this race. My half-ironman race fitness may not be where I want it to be yet but I felt as though I had a fast standard distance race in me and Mooloolaba was where I wanted to see how fast that was.

I got to Mooloolaba a day earlier than usual this year and who can complain about an extra day sitting by the beach and drinking coffee at all of the local favourites! Leading up to the race everything went by without a hitch and as usual Saturday was spent riding bikes, drinking coffee and watching the ITU World Cup before thoughts got that little bit more serious about the task at hand and an early Sunday morning start to get the job done.

The walk down the beach to the race start at Mooloolaba is a great way to ease the nerves but more importantly take note of where all the swim markers are that you're about to navigate through. I managed to do both of those and before I knew it was at the start area going through my normal pre-race swim warm-up. I knew we were in for a fast swim with athletes like Clayton Fettell, Luke McKenzie, Dan Wilson and Casey Munro standing either side of me and attacking the start as soon as the gun went off allowed me to pick the best line and find some feet as quick as possible. Being one of the taller athletes does have its advantages when you have a beach start and porpoise through the shallow waters! As we rounded the first set of turn markers a small group had established a gap but I settled in to the second group and concentrated on not loosing contact of those feet. The swell picked up as we made the final turn for home and fortunately all my body surf training came to fruition and I could cruise in to shore on top of a wave.

With a long run through transition I had plenty of time to prepare and get my Xterra Speedsuit down around my waist before grabbing my bike and heading out. I'm no stranger to the Mooloolaba bike course and I knew how difficult the first few kms were going to be as you head out over the Buderum Ave hills but I stayed relaxed and prepared myself for the long highway stretch. The only opportunity we'd get to see the gap to the leaders in front would be after 20km so until then it was head down and get to work. I had a few guys around me which made that easy and as we neared the 20km mark I got a good grasp on how the race was unfolding. Dan and Clayton were out front followed by Tim O'Donnell riding on his own and Casey and Luke together not far behind. I was actually a bit surprised they weren't all together but that worked well for me and the two other guys I was riding with because the more split up the race was the better. Not much changed for the final 20km and to be honest coming off two half-ironman distance races I couldn't believe how quickly the ride came to an end. I was still feeling really good and ready for a fast run.

The number one piece of advise I've been given at this race over the years is to make sure you are still smiling by the time you reach the 1km mark and the top of the first hill on the run. Every year I remind myself of this and this year was no different. I felt really good as I started the run and running down the hill towards the far turn around I was looking to see what the gaps would be to those first five athletes. I was feeling comfortable and holding a 3:30/km average and Dan and Tim were the first two I saw. They had established a good lead over the rest of the field and were battling it out for the win. There was a big gap back to Luke who was in third and also Casey who was in fourth and I was next. I felt as though I was running better than both of them but only time would tell. As I rounded the turn at the top of the hill and started my second lap I did have a realization that there were only 5km left and I was racing standard distance, not half-ironman. "Was I hurting myself enough?" was the thought I had so I dug deep and pushed on to see if the gaps to 3rd and 4th could be closed. Making the final turn I had Casey in my sights and had closed the gap to Luke but was going to run out of road to catch him. Running down to the finish line is always a great experience at this race with so many familiar faces and the cheers you get. Even though I was slightly disappointed to again be just off the podium, to finish 4th behind Dan WIlson, Tim O'Donnell and Luke Mckenzie is no mean feat.

I may have missed the podium and the prize money but in comparison to last year I'm glad this years race is a high on my Mooloolaba roller coaster. Training is definitely heading in the right direction and I'm excited for what the rest of the year has in store with some big races just around the corner.

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