.

Waitangi Weekend

2012-02-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

The last couple of weeks has seen me making progress on therunning front, it’s so good to be running again even if it is a snail slow1hour plod!

Swimming and biking is ticking over nicely, it has kept my fitnessthere and with the weight off my foot it won’t be too long before I am racingagain.

Made a trip to Auckland on Tuesday to see Incubus play atthe Vector which was awesome, they are wicked live and I even got my grove onfor a bit.

This weekend was the Contact Triathlon series in Kinloch. It was a great day of racing, Cameron Brown and Jo Lawntook out the Erin Baker Olympic distance race and in the afternoon there was somefast and furious ITU style racing which was great entertainment.

It was great to see Vo2coach athletes out in force thismorning using Kinloch as a hit out for Ironman NZ in March, a strong contingentof our athletes will be racing the New Plymouth Half Ironman next weekend theyinclude Keegan Williams, Avon O’Grady, Robyn Gutry, Candice Hammond, ScottWrenn, Scott Thorne, Ange Walker, Erin Furness and Davina Jones good luck toall of them!

Next weekend I’ll be swimming in the Huka Xstream River Swim. It’s a 3km swim down the Waikato rive (at theclean end!!!), hopefully I can stop in time and not go over the falls! www.thehuka.co.nzHopefully, the water will be warmer than it has been over the past few weeks,to be honest with the lake at my doorstep I haven’t been for all that many openwater swims, am only asking for a couple more degrees.

Welcome to 2012 a new year!

2012-01-22T23:27:00.000-08:00

Well it’s been a while since I last blogged. I have had a pretty quiet few months in thetriathlon world due to my aggravating foot injury.

It’s been a frustrating journey on the road to recovery, whilecontinually seeking medical advice for a quick fix of my Plantar Facia and heelbruise it didn’t seem to be that easy and rest seemed to be the repeatedly bestoption prescribed…… so it has been a pretty relaxing summer thus far. I have managed to keep up my fitness throughthe recovery period and a bit of part time work has been a good time killer,now it’s time to pound the pavements again!

A few changes/happenings over the past few months:
I am now working with Naomi Fergusson at www.ampedforit.co.nz, she is assistingme in securing new sponsors for the 2012 race season and I am literally ampedfor it, can’t wait to get back out there!

Taupo is my new training base in NZ, can’t go past the lakeswimming and off-road trails!

Started a bit of mountain biking, and far out how fun itis! The twilight series here in Taupohas a wicked atmosphere and plenty of competition.

At the moment I’m targeting June for races in the States,until then my main focus is getting my fitness back with some good oldfashioned training getting my foot used to the road again. I’ll be racing a few events in the meantimeto ease back into things:

25th Feb              Across the Lake Swim, Taupo
10th March         Sand to surf Ocean swim, Mount Maunganui
14th April            Xterra NZ, Rotorua

Also some results from November/December:

13^th November Harbour Crossing – State Ocean Swim Series - 8^th
10^th December Russell to Pihia – State Ocean Swim Series - 2^nd
http://www.sportzhub.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13561&Itemid=33

Focus 2012 leading into 2013:

Racing by June, back on thepodium
Tauranga Half Ironman 2013
Ironman New Zealand 2013
Qualify 2013 70.3 WorldChampionships

Rev3 Cedar Point 8th

2011-09-15T11:50:00.001-07:00

Rev3 Cedar Point was to be my last race of my American campaign for 2011, I was pretty happy with how the half Ironmans had gone but was still chomping at the bit to complete an ironman. Well I got an ironman out of my system still not quite the result that I would have liked but at least steps in the right direction after my June preformance.

Race day dawned and I was pretty bloody nervous to say the least. I recall saying to a good friend also racing Chris Mac Donald at the start line, dude why do you do this? I am freaking out here, he replied, I wouldn’t if I could swim like you!!! Awesome.

So I pulled my head together relaxed and embraced what was ahead, a long day!

The swim was in the calm waters of Lake Erie quite a nice sight with the theme park behind us. But due to a few storms earlier in the week there was a lot of sludge build up that we would have to wade through to start swimming, nothing like a bit for mud running to start the day! There are some cool videos that you can find at www.rev3tri.com

Once negotiating the muddy mess I set out at a steady pace with eventual winner on my feet. Half way through the swim I wasn’t in much of a mood to have someone sucking my feet for all 3.8kms so when I saw a slight gap open rounding the half way turning buoy I put in a little surge. I was a bit more relaxed then and managed to pull away and get around a minute lead exiting the water.

With a quick T1 I was out on my merry way, with no experience in Ironman, pacing always scares me but I soon found a comfortable pace and settled in for a long ride. Andrew caught me around the 20mile mark gave me his energy through a friendly hand shack and went to the front. Knowing he was a solid bike rider I wasn’t too sure if the next period on the bike was going to be crazy fast or what but soon found myself riding within 30-40secs of him for pretty much most of the ride.

So with only a hand full of seconds down running out onto the run I was fairly confident that if I kept up the calories I would have a good shot at this race. But Ironman can through you at any time and I was never completely confident that I had a top finish in the bag. Hitting the lead after a couple of miles I had good bounce in my step my foot was manageable and I was enjoying where I was at (I have had a niggling foot injury the past 2months). The next 15miles it was COKE WATER COKE WATER. Going into the unknown after half way through the marathon was both exciting and nerve racking, I was feeling good, but my foot was starting to hurt and I found myself changing my focus to trying to ease the pain in my foot. The pain got worse and worse till I was walking, I kept trying to run/jog hoping just hoping that it would ease and I could make it to the line on the podium but found it unbearable and a long walk to the finish line. I made it in about a 4hr marathon not flash at all but at least a finish time on the results, and more importantly I had a faster time at an Ironman than my mother, probably the main reason I hobbled to the finish!!

It was another experience in the bag, and have got this out of my system, for a while. During the race I missed the competitiveness that the Olympic and Half Ironman races offer, Ironman is a LONG day that can wait a little while longer!

So now I am home in NZ, time to rest this foot. Am not too sure on my plans just yet will work on that once I am able to run/walk pain free again, hopefully in a couple of weeks!!

Lake Stevens 70.3

2011-08-15T20:49:00.000-07:00

Swimming with the ducks!

Its great having an “ideal” plan but sometimes they just don’t eventuate to how you would like it to.

The whole trip was meant to be a fun 6hr road trip from Bend, Oregon to Everett Washington in the coolest van on the road the “manvan” with special guest super dog Mili (Matt’s Lieto’s awesome little fox terrier). So Friday morning we were packed ready to roll out, a quick fire coffee stop to start the day was a necessity luckily as the stop gave matt a chance to realise he had left all his drink bottles at home so we popped back to get them and then were on our merry way.

Three quarters of the way through while I was driving (gutted that I was when it happened) in cruise control all of a sudden warning lights started flashing and the steering wheel turned into a jack hammer. Making an emergency stop on the side of the freeway we couldn’t work out what it was but it seemed to be manageable at 50miles an hour so we limpet our way into Everett.

So finding the nearest mechanic the next morning we took it in to be advised that we were lucky to have made it hear, that the drive shaft had exploded along with the transfer case…awesome…car less and a race to do the next day!

Luckily we had some great friends that offered assistance and we were able to make the early morning start and somewhat prepare for a tough and competitive Half Ironman.

I had this great plan to push the pace in the swim and have a handy lead that would allow me to settle and then follow my main rivals throughout the ride. Being an undulating and somewhat technical ride I was confident that this would suit my strengths and I would have a good day. As it was I lead the swim but only by a handful of seconds. Early in the ride I gave up the lead not by choice but because my legs weren’t doing what my mind wanted them too and for the next 30km’s I was riding like I was on a recovery ride, slipping back to 6^th place with the rest of the top 10 not far behind. I then saw Matt on the side of the road with a broken chain, I felt so bad for him that our troubles were still continuing and that I couldn’t do anything to help (was ready to give him my wheel if he had a puncture) I thought I have to muster on and get to the finish no matter what. Pushed on and started to find the legs that I was hoping to have at the beginning of the race, and made my way back through the field. Managing to come in off the bike in third place beside Jeff Symonds a good 3mins down on the leaders we set off into the 13 mile two loop run. Jeff and I ran side by side for the first 6km until the reality of the pace and what I would potentially be like at the 16km mark (more than likely a bit like the manvans drive shaft and casing) I drifted off and settled into a rhythm that I felt a little more comfortable at.

So running into the finish shoot in 4^th place I was super stoked, I could have easily have pulled the pin during this race as things were so awful at points but I hung tough and showed that some will and stick ability you can change the outcome and be proud of a race.

So now I am recovering at the downtown Everett Travel Lodge with Matt and Mili waiting for the manvan to be repaired so we can make our way back to Bend, it’s been one of those trips where everything that could go wrong did go wrong. I’ve decided to miss the Alcatraz triathlon to take care of a few sore spots and get some needed strength back before my next few races in a month time.

Over and out!

Calgary 70.3

2011-08-02T17:29:00.000-07:00

Well its now 3 half Ironman's in 4 weeks. A 1st and two 4ths, Calgary the last of the three.

It was another early start to the day with a 3:20am alarm wake up, it is never easy getting up this early but I do seem to be getting a little accustomed to these start times with the last couple of races being quite similar.

The swim began out of town at Ghost lake, maybe its called that because of how freezing it was??? I had tried to go for a swim the day before as part of my pre race day prep but lasted all of about 3mins having to hop out because of mega brain freeze!!! Race morning I made sure I was a little more prepared, well mentally anyway.

I was pretty eager to push the pace in the swim this weekend and try split the field, this would have been a bit more effective if the temperature was warmer but the cold really slowed my turnover and I wasn't able to push as hard as I could. As it was I exited the swim first with the eventual winner Tim O'Donnell and 3rd place finisher Brian Fleischmann. Tim was in another league today as he took off through transition and that was the last we saw of him all day.

The bike leg wasn't to exciting, well being a point to point race you don't really get to see much of your competition unless you are passing or being passed. So Brian and I rode over the undulating bike course together which finished in Calgary. I wasn't feeling that flash on the bike today, maybe the last couple of races and the altitude had effects on my body but I tried to stay positive and continue to push on. At least the cycle leg had amazing scenery, the mountains in the back ground and the quite roads made it feel pretty fast and took a bit of the pain off my mind!

Onto the run I hoped to find the legs I had in Vineman, but today wasn't to be and it was pretty darn tough out there, I managed to get into a bit of a rhythm but over the last 5km really started to suffer and slipped back to 4th. Not to bad of a day but room for improvement.

So am pretty happy with how things are going, its nice to be in the money at each race. Like always I am getting to meet some really cool people on tour, my home stay Dave and Carla were amazing and made my trip so much more enjoyable and relaxing.

Currently I am Bend, Oregon training here for a couple of weeks before heading to Lake Stevens 70.3 on the 14th August and then onto San Fransico for the Triathlon at Alcatraz.

Vineman 70.3

2011-07-19T13:59:00.001-07:00

Another week another 70.3 raced, not quite on the podium this week but very happy with my 4th place finish.

On Thursday I packed my gear and waited for the "man van" to roll up to start our journey down to Santa Rosa. Traveling with good mates and triathletes Matt Lieto and Jesse Thomas made the 9hr drive down a fun and stress less trip. Jeff and Shannon were hosting us for the weekend and offered great hospitality; one big thing about racing well is being settled and relaxed before the race so having such an accommodating couple letting us stay was a perfect start to the race weekend.

After Rev3 I felt pretty good physically and thought that it didn't take anything out of me, but it took a good few days to start to feel the life back in the body and come race day I was nearly 100% again.

So race morning the alarm went off at 3:30am! An earlier start than I am used to but at least it would all be over with early too!

The race started well I was able to jump on the feet of Andy Potts right from the gun he is a super-fast swimmer and I knew I would start the day well if I came out of the water with him, a slick t2 had me into the bike first with a small group right behind. I was feeling ok but not flash as I tried to find my cycling legs! Andy then rode past me and I thought “he is riding strong”, then it was Mathews, as I found myself going backwards through the field. As i got further back there was a point where i knew that if i wanted to stay in this race I had to really dig deep, managing to hang on to the next athlete to pass me I was fortunately towed up to the front of the race again. As it was I started to feel better and a little more comfortable but still wasn’t riding like I am capable of. After a series of strong bikers split the field I found myself coming off the bike in 9th place over 3mins down to the lead.

I remember thinking "Steady Eddy" as a few went out so fast, running strong I built into the run and started picking places one by one. Catching people is always good for your confidence and helped me run my way into 4th place a result i am really happy with after last week and that this was by far one of the strongest fields at a 70.3 race this year!

Next is Calgary 70.3 in a fortnight so a little more time to recover and find those cycling legs of mine!

Ironman 70.3 Vineman
Santa Rosa, California
July 17, 2011
S 1.2 mi. / B 56 mi. / R 13.1 mi.

Results

Men

1. Andy Potts (USA) 3:45:58
2. Paul Matthews (AUS) 3:46:27
3. Joe Gambles (AUS) 3:47:04
4. Graham O’Grady (NZL) 3:48:56
5. Kyle Leto (USA) 3:50:05
6. Timothy O’Donnell (USA) 3:50:26
7. Chris Lieto (USA) 3:51:07
8. Matt Reed (USA) 3:52:30
9. Matt Lieto (USA) 3:52:31
10. Jesse Thomas (USA) 3:53:51

Gog

Rev3 Portland

2011-07-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

Well what a start to my American tour with a win from start to finish in the inaugural Portland Rev3tri.

On Tuesday I arrived in Eugene Oregon after a long trip from New Zealand, actually feeling pretty good late afternoon and thinking sweet I am going to adjust to the time zone no problems. As 7:30 rolled around I was ready to hit the hay a little earlier than I was hoping. Well I took a couple of days to get into a regular pattern but come race day I was all rested and rearing to go.

A couple of weeks ago there was a venue change with the new course being super flat and fast. It was a perfect day in Portland Oregon, the warm weather had bumped the water temp up to 72 degrees so the ruling is that it has to be a non wetsuit swim which suits me being a stronger swimmer.

I had been training well and new if I raced smart I could be in with a hunt. I pushed the swim and had a handy lead exiting the water. Being a strong swimmer gives me time to settle on the bike into a pace I feel comfortable at and allows me to focus on my race. This is exactly what I did and within a few km's I had my cycling legs and was getting into my groove.

I didn't have intentions on staying out front for the whole ride but was feeling good and in control so kept it steady throughout. It didn't seem loose time to anyone bar Jordan Rapp who had a strong ride to come into transition a minute down.

Heading out on the run it was pretty much the same, rhythm, control, and although the 2nd and 3rd place getter's were only 10sec behind in the end I still had a minute lead with 2 miles to cover so was able to save a bit of energy knowing that I am racing in a weeks time at the Vineman 70.3.

It was a perfect race leading from start to finish, and am really stoked on the result.

There is some great coverage at the following link were you can watch segments of the race and also a race recap!

http://www.vimeo.com/rev3tri

http://www.vimeo.com/26258029

Next up is Vineman 70.3, so a light week of training and lots of resting!

On the road again

2011-07-04T13:05:00.001-07:00

Well it’s that time of the year again were I pack up my bike and all most of my belongings and hit the road, this time to America for Five races in Seven weeks. One thing I like about America is it’s just a direct flight (San Francisco) and your there, the travel doesn’t really knock you around and you are able to adjust to the time change relatively quickly.

I love the fact that I am getting out of the cold weather and into a warmer climate mind you to be fair it hasn’t been that bad, maybe it’s the fact that I don’t own any winter cycling gear and am trying to convince myself that the weather isn’t that cold.

Other than some frosty mornings making getting out the door a little slower, everything has been pretty well. With Cairns not going quite the way I planned I have been able to refocus and put in some good sessions across the three disciplines so am confident that things will go well over the next few weeks.

So today I head to Eugene Oregon via San Francisco to stay with one of my sponsors of Rolf Wheels from there we will head up to Portland to race in the Rev3 Portland Half Ironman. This event is a new one to the Rev3 series and due to a course change a couple of weeks ago is now flat and fast, maybe a good event to get back into racing mode. As usual there are some classy athletes and a strong presence of New Zealand athletes competing, which hopefully like the weekend in Korea we can make a Kiwi clean sweep!

I am sure there will be race coverage on the race website www.rev3tri.com where you can follow my progress.

Will keep you posted!

Gog

Cairns Ironman

2011-06-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

Well what an experience that was

Race week taper was very similar to what I had done previously to win the Tauranga Half Ironman so is nice to know that its worked and will have me jumping out of my skin come race day.

Race morning I was pretty nervous! Not knowing what to expect was exciting but daunting. The weather was perfect, nice calm waters and clear blue sky’s setting a spectacular back drop to this new event.

6:45am rolled by and we were off, a few jumped the gun a bit so I was a little slow to catch up to the front. I missed the feet of axe swimmer Clayton Fettle who would pretty much swim the same speed as me all the way around the 2 loop course, but 30 meters in front. I felt really comfortable swimming and came out of the water a handful of seconds down on the lead but made up through transition.

Onto the bike Clayton and I shared the lead for the first 45km until 2 x World Champ McCormack caught up and then the three of use rolled around the 183km cycle leg. We had built our lead to about 6mins by the end of the ride to the group of five behind which was a nice buffer on some of the “runners” of the race. I had been feeling so good throughout the ride so was confident that if I stuck to my plans I could put together a solid run.

Heading out onto the run I half expected my legs to be like jelly but surprisingly they were fine and I was able to set into a good rhythm right away. This lasted about 6km then it was like someone had hit me over the back with a baseball bat. The weather was really heating up and there was no wind to cool us down, this pretty much stopped me dead in my tracks. The next 22km was brutal, run/walking between aid stations trying to get in coke and get ice to cool my body down. Things never got better and when I started to get cold in the 30 degree heat things weren’t right. I was devastated to pull out and it’s a feeling I never want to experience again, in hindsight sitting on the side of the road for 2hrs eating and drinking then walking to the finish would have been better than succumbing to the medical tent.

So breaking down my race to see what caused this melt down didn’t take long, I knew I had done the training so it wasn’t my fitness, pacing was spot on, I drank and ate enough on the bike as my energy levels were even right though and I felt good starting the run. I can only put it down to depletion of salts in my body which gave me a few of the symptoms that comes with this. I guess it’s a good thing finding out what went wrong and knowing that if I fix that things should be better. It’s just a bummer to find it out the hard way.

Ironman hasn’t scared me, it’s made me more determined and I can’t wait to have another crack at it soon!

Counting down

2011-05-26T01:21:00.000-07:00

Damn it’s coming around fast! Challenge Cairns only 10 days away!!! I am super excited to race my first Ironman distance event, it’s quite scary heading into the unknown but I am confident with my preparation and having such wise advice from my coach Keegan Williams helps me know it’s going to be an enjoyable experience.

It’s nice to start to ease off the training and taper down, each day I feel a little bit fresher and a little more energised.

I head off this Saturday which gives me a week to settle in and get accustomed to the warmer weather. Race day is Sunday the 5th June at 6:45am local time, I am sure there will be updates at Challenge Cairns and will try get someone to update as I am racing.

I would also like to welcome and thank Mother Earth for coming on board to help me continue my career as a professional athlete.

"The Mother Earth philosophy is to make delicious, wholesome, natural food. We believe in making food with minimal processing using natural ingredients and no artificial colour or flavours. This ensures the best tasting Muesli bars, snack nuts and dried fruit for you and your family."

Check them out at Mother Earth or even better get some at your local supermarket. My favourite is the Sultan Oat and Honey!!!!

3rd Noumea Triathlon

2011-05-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

So it was nice to be back on the start line again since my last race in the beginning of January.!

I don’t usually like to fly the day before an event, it’s quite hard and no trip ever seems to run completely smoothly. So Saturday consisted of a 5am wake up, a delayed flight then a bus trip to our Hotel via which seemed like every other hotel in Noumea! Arriving at 2:30 gave us a couple of hours to get our gear ready and do a light swim and bike. To be honest after this travel day I wasn’t quite primed to race the next morning.

Surprisingly there wasn’t a very large field with only 9 pro men and 5 women. But still there were a few athletes that have had some pretty handy results so getting a good solid hit out which I wanted was on the cards.

Starting off with a solid swim gave me a slight advantage over the main rivals, but part way through the ride our group expanded to four which we ended up racing side by side for the next 1hr. My training tailored for the Ironman in June had my legs feeling a little heavy and also my lack of fluids on the bike cost me a bit over the final stages of the run. Coming home in 3^rd only 40secs down on the win was ok, it was a good hit out and has made me more aware to the importance of nutrition and hydration which I can’t afford to get wrong in four weeks.

Now it’s another few days of solid training before I start to ease off and freshen up for the main event!

I want to Race!

2011-04-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

With a little under two weeks to the Nuomea International Triathlon I am jumping out of my skin to race again.

Six weeks ago I was questioning myself, thinking it is going to take forever to get back the form I was in after Tauranga, well it’s amazing what the mind and body can achieve. From struggling to complete a 90min run, to banging out 150mins of hills piece of cake is a nice indicator that I am getting back the strength and fitness I had in January. All I want to do now is put it to good use, race, and race hard.

Nuomea is perfect timing for my main event Challenge Cairns in June. It offers a tough bike course and similar weather conditions to what I will be expecting in Cairns. While it’s only an Olympic distance event on the 8^th of May, it still gives me the chance to practice transitions / nutrition / pacing etc. in race conditions, something which is difficult to simulate properly in training.

My coach, Keegan Williams will also be using the event as a hit out before Ironman Brazil in 5 weeks. We have been training together a lot over the past month so expect us to be ripping it up on the roads of Nuomea J

Will keep you posted!

Graham

King of the Bays, State Ocean swim series

2011-04-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

With the days getting shorter and the temperatures taking a chilling dive what better way to finish the racing season at the Final “State Ocean Swim series” of the summer, the King of the Bays Ocean Swim!!!

This is the premier swim series in NZ and attracts a field of all abilities even the odd dog (literally) has a swim around the coast. There are great prizes up for grabs, so stick round after the event to be in to win!

This year in preparation for Ironman Brazil and Challenge Cairns Vo2coached athlete Candace Hammond, Coaches Keegan Williams and Myself will be competing in the 2.8km (I’m going long) swim which starts from Milford Beach and makes its way around the beautiful shores to Takapuna beach.

Check it out at http://www.oceanswim.co.nz/

See you there

I'm Back!

2011-04-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

It’s been a weird and crazy few weeks, not one I would suggest to others though I might add...!

So having been exonerated from any wrongdoing from testing positive to morphine straight after my Port of Tauranga Half Ironman win in January due to poppy seeds in bread I was eating leading up to it, I have had a few hard weeks of waiting patiently for an outcome!

Just type the word “poppy seeds + morphine” into a google search will show the vast information and evidence available out there with regard to opium levels in poppy seeds (which metabolises into morphine). It went to the Sports Tribunal, and although I am unable to keep my title due to legal technicalities, I have been exonerated from any wrongdoing and am back into some hard training for My Debut Ironman Race in Cairns!

9 weeks to go and counting down....check out Challenge Cairns HERE.

Another Vo2 coached athlete Candice Hammond is also competing so check for updates on facebook and twitter over that time. Race starts 7.00am (local time) time on Sunday, 5th June 2011.

Here are a couple of articles and links that may be of interest:
Article 1: Bay of Plenty Times - Rigid sports rules in wake of O'Grady case
Article 2: Bay of Plenty Times - O'Grady stripped of title after eating wrong bread
Article 3: Karen Smyers - Confessions of a Poppy Seed Addict

And for a bit of light bedtime reading of the legal side, click here.

10 Day Countdown to Abu Dhabi International Triathlon – DUBAI

2011-03-02T00:06:00.000-08:00

Well, what a couple of months that has been, training has been good but never without some small hiccups, I was forced to pull out of the New Plymouth Half Ironman at the last minute but have bounced back and am focused on putting together a solid performance in Abu Dhabi next weekend.

Check out this link http://www.abudhabitriathlon.com/ to see the amazing destination I’ll be racing in less than 2 weeks from now! Looking at the field assembling you would think that it is the World Championships! This is a great stepping stone for me in the longer distance racing, to race the best over an unusual distance of 3km – 200km – 20km will be perfect for my development and preparation for Cairns Ironman debut in June....!

All the best to the athletes racing this weekend in NZ Ironman, particularly my coach Keegan Williams and idol/friend Cameron Brown going for his 10^th title!!!

It’s great that I get to continue my relationship with Nike wearing their shoes and training apparel for the 2011 year. Nike have stood behind me my whole career and provide me with endless product that has helped me consistently perform (and look good!) haha.

Kiwami is providing fantastic races suits for my 2011 Campaign - there is nothing better than feeling comfortable in a suit for 4hrs + of racing! Check out the website where you can even design your own. www.kiwamitriathlon.com

Port of Tauranga Half Ironman Champion!

2011-01-10T12:57:00.001-08:00

Well I couldn’t have started 2011 off any better with winning the NZ National Half Ironman title!

This year was one of the most competitive fields assembled at the Port of Tauranga Half with past winners, Cameron Brown, Kieran Doe, Michael Poole all wanting to take home the title once more. As for me it had been 6 years since I raced here but one race I have always wanted to win.

My day couldn’t have started of any better having a strong swim beside Kieran Doe, building a lead of 1min 40sec to the main field. We knew how Cameron Brown and Callum Millward were running both having wins in their latest races, and our chances of winning this race would be decided on the cycle leg. If we could build a large enough margin heading into the run we just maybe able to pull it off.

So from the first pedal stroke we set into working to extend our lead, and by the end of the ride we had 4mins 30sec on the chasing group. I was fairly confident at this point that I could win the race, doing the maths in my head they would have to have a super run to catch me. The first lap we stayed controlled pacing ourselves to have a faster second lap. At about the 7km I pulled away from Kieran and went it alone for the remainder of the race hoping that I would be able to keep this up till the end.

Like most long distance races you have bad patches and mine started at about 13km into the run, I think the heat and the fast bike ride started to catch up. It’s amazing how your thoughts can change instantly, from being confident in winning, to, will I finish at all. The next 8km was full of ups and downs and the last 2km I was running on empty, thankfully I timed my race to perfection crossing the line 10sec ahead of Callum who had a super run.

It’s taken a while for the result to sink in but am now really happy with my performance. I have been working hard for this race over the last few months so to win it from the front was a great feeling.

Thanks everyone for you messages

Graham

Eves Surfbreaker Triathlon

2010-12-27T20:50:00.000-08:00

This unique event, based at the Mt Maunganui Surf Club, combines surf, sun, sand and fun. It's also a great opportunity to burn off your Christmas dinner and most importantly blow out the cobwebs heading into the final prep for the Tauranga Half Ironman in just over a weeks time.

It had been 5 years since I last competed in this event finishing second back then so this year going one better was on my mind. Having not raced a sprint event like this for 10 months I was pretty nervous as to how I would manage over the 750m swim, 16km bike and 5km run. There were some top juniors racing and I knew they would be hard to beat over this distance.

Anyway the race went well, I got out what I wanted, a hard session on the lungs, and another win. Young Cameron Todd from Taupo gave me a real run for my money taking the race out hard in the swim and bike legs, it wasn't till only three quarters through the run I finally caught him. I manged to get a gap before heading down onto the beach to run the final 400m to the finish, this was the part I really wasn't looking forward too! I seem to sink in the sand but my slight advantage was just enough to hold off Cameron finish fast, phew we!!!

Pretty much all the work is down now for the upcoming half, I wont be updating till after the race as am going into hibernation now :-) so will write then!

Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year

Gog

1st Rotorua Half Ironman

2010-12-17T19:24:00.001-08:00

So if you want to race a spectacular half Ironman triathlon sign up for Shane Hooks Rotorua Half Ironman in 2011, his event is fantastic! Rotorua must be one of the most scenic places to visit and race a triathlon, probably why Lance is coming to race in January.

Although the weather wasn't fantastic, well for the volunteers and spectators so a big thanks to there help and support, it was good racing conditions for the athletes!

Starting at 6:25am helped keep the lake flat as a pancake with a great opportunity to get a fast start to the day which was the number one goal. Exiting the swim I had a handy 4min lead and set off on the out and back cycle leg.
Passing numerous lakes and climbing some challenging hills, a a bit of wind thrown in made it for a tough ride, it was great to see drafting at a minimum and every one enjoying the course. My ride was great with no dramas which I seemed to always have had in the past. Building my lead to around 15mins hitting the run was reassuring in that I could control my run and finish fresh and happy with a complete performance today.

Next up is Tauranga Half Ironman in January!

Wishing you all a Merry and safe Christmas

Gog

1st Karapiro Half Ironman

2010-11-13T10:38:00.000-08:00

Well I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season with a win on my home soil. It is my first race under a new coaching plan at vo2coach so to see results early in the season is encouraging.

The Karapiro Half is in its second year running and has a lot going for it, with a great location, spectacular scenery and three demanding legs to suit a pure swim/bike and runner, it is a race that everyone should slot on there calendar for 2011.We started the day off with a 2km straight swim down the World Rowing Championship course. While it was a fast swim I was a bit off the pace the rowers roar down there at clocking around 25mins and exiting in first place with a handy lead on the field behind.

The bike heads around Maungatautari and is a really honest ride having a mixture of flat and hilly sections through the quite roads of the Waipa District. With westerly winds whipping up during the ride the last 20km was going to be tough so being conservative early was wise. It was a lonely ride out in front but good practice for Ironman racing :-) and good chance to think about nailing the 4th discipline nutrition.

Having around a 3min lead to Matt Burgess off the bike who was having a great ride and race I was pretty confident by now that I could hold my own in the run. I learnt a lot with pacing myself in America this year, too many of my races I ran out like a ITU athlete and paid for it three quarters in. But today was perfect and while running within myself I was still able to keep even and controlled.So finishing with a win in front of family and friends was cool and I hope to continue the season with more top performances. Next up is Tinman on the 5th December.

2010-11-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

I am super excited to announce I will be working closely with the team at Everstride.

Everstride the creators of High performance skin care products for athletes are a young enthusiastic team that have put a lot of time into developing 3 great products which help with foot care and chafing.

Anti Chafing Sports Stick, Pro Therapy Foot Treatment, and Fungus RX Defense are fantastic formulas which keep your feet and chafing areas in perfect condition.

To have cutting edge products that take away the pain of chafing and blisters during my demanding training and racing schedule is a huge relief, its one less thing I need to worry about on my road to the top.

I look forward to a long great partnership into the future with the Everstride team.

Graham

NZ National Recreational TTT Champions

2010-10-25T23:22:00.000-07:00

Well over the weekend I was fortunate to be part of the winning team racing in the NZ National 40km TTT Champs (recreational division). Waikato once again put on some stunning weather for the event with not a breath of wind. With the course being pancake there were going to be some pretty fast times. It’s always a good opportunity to bring out the number ones with most of the competitors having all there bells and whistles on show.

Team PSP consisted of Andy Mckay, Jason Hart, Geoff Nottage and myself, we were a bit of a slow out of the blocks but did manage to get into some uniformity and knock out the k’s. We were a bit of the pace compared to the Open men but hey who cares, we weren’t there to set any records, so to get Gold medal was a great laugh.

Events like this is what makes sport fun, to go and race with friends, have some laughs, try and smash ourselves and the others in the process is all in good fun!

A great day, especially reminiscing afterwards at the local café.

Thank god we didn’t get chicked

Arthur’s boys – by Joseph Romano’s

2010-10-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

I was recommended by a friend to read this book (twice!) on the Golden era of New Zealand Athletics.

It’s an inspiring read on Arthur Lydiard’s influence on New Zealand athletics and the athletes he trained. By ruthless trial and error, mainly on himself he became an expert distance coach through the 100mile run week. Not only was he able to produce a detailed running schedule but it was his ability to read each individual, motivate them, give them confidence in themselves so that they could achieve personal bests, be it nationally or on the World stage.

The reason his athletes succeeded wasn’t because of raw talent but because of the hard work he imbedded into his pupils, consistent 100mile weeks was there staple and it was through this they built tremendous amounts of strength and stamina that no one could compete against. From 800m to the marathon Lydiard’s athletes dominated.

The book is riddled with personal bests, world records, Olympic medals and inspirational stories

I recommend having a read!

And remember it’s not the best athlete that wins, but the best prepared.

One season over another one starts

2010-10-02T12:27:00.000-07:00

2010 in America was a season to remember, training with super star Bevan Docherty helped me transition to the longer races with great confidence. Every race came with more experience and determination which showed not only in results but person belief.

Having a break in August worked out well and has given me a chance to compete over the New Zealand summer something which I haven’t done for a while. I am so excited to race on home turf and am really enjoying the new and exciting schedule I am pounding out at the moment. It seems like a fresh start training specifically for the longer distance and I can’t wait to test it out in November.

My first block of racing begins with a local race in the Waikato, the Karapiro Half Ironman, an event which is in its second year running and ticks all the boxes for a great race, Location / tough course / great atmosphere and the first one of summer!

After this I am competing in:

13th Nov Karapiro Half Ironman

5th Dec Tinman Triathlon

18th Dec Rotorua Half Ironman

8th Jan Tauranga Half Ironman

Keep up the training

Gog

Update

2010-08-11T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hey team

Well its been a long 10 days since Steelhead 70.3. I had a great time relaxing in Chicago doing all the tourist stuff.

Although it was a nice break it wasn't enough to recharge me to get through the rest of the season so I have decided to call it and have a break. It has been a long campaign here in the US, looking back it is now coming up 9 months which maybe a little too long. I would have liked to have kept up the racing but just don't think I can race at the level needed to be competitive.

Making the decision is a huge relief and I feel better for making it, after a couple of weeks I am sure I will be ready to get back into things and look at racing more later in the year, but for the next bit I will focus on recharging myself, then setting a plan form there.

Will keep you updated.

Thanks for the support

Steelhead 70.3

2010-08-01T05:13:00.001-07:00

Well there's not much to report on the Steelhead 70.3 triathlon yesturday. I had a ok swim not as fast as I would have liked but still managed to lead the field out and onto the bike. During the ride a group of 5 formed with the podium spots going to be decided between us. Then my lack of luck kicked in again and I flatted at around mile 40 loosing over 10mins trying to change it. That was my race, I did get going again and complete the run which I am pleased to do so but it is soooo frustrating...What if...who knows.

So now I have a few days touring Chicago before heading back to California. Am not to sure of my plan in regards to racing will have a think over the next week.

Graham

Vineman 70.3

2010-07-19T05:57:00.000-07:00

Well the week shot by since racing in Rhode Island and it was back on the start line this time in Santa Rosa which was a handy couple of hours north of Santa Cruz.
This race suited me to the ground, mainly the temperatures were similar to what I have been training in all year, FOG in the morning that would linger for the majority of the race then a nice fine day to finish the run, and coupled with a relentless course through the Vineyards of Santa Rosa.

Race morning I was up early and ready to rumble, this week I was glad to have fellow kiwi Kieran Doe racing, he is a great swimmer so it would give me someone else to push the pace with early. 30mins before the start it was fantastic to hear that the water temperature was 72 and that wetsuits wouldn't be allowed, perfect just a few extra seconds I can squeeze out of the others in the swim!
So as planned I was out front with one other athlete and we managed to split the field having a touch over a minute on my main rivals Chris Lieto, Kieran Doe and James Cotter then a further 90 seconds back on a few other strong athletes including my mate Jamie.

Out on the bike I set off smooth and steady, I wanted to ride like this till the others caught me and then hopefully ride with them as long as possible, a little later than I expected Kieran and Chris rolled past, I was feeling really strong and comfortable riding with them, this was my race today I thought. At about 50km I could feel that something was a little wrong, my power was shooting up to hold the same pace and I could here a rubbing noise, I had to stop and see what was wrong. Standing on the side of the rode I went to spin my back wheel, it didn't, a bolt had come loose that holds my break on and had jammed my back wheel. So off it comes and am trying to screw in this little screw with my fingers, what a mission!!! Then my chain had tangled and I spent what feels like a eternity trying to get that fixed to get my wheel back on. So finally I was back on the rode again but now 3mins down on the leaders and about a minute to a group of 3 that had ridden past. Then the rest of the ride went like this:

Ride hard to catch up to group in front
Catch group in front and start to ride past
Start hearing noise again
Wheel jams
Stop and repeat dramas above to fix bike
Loose another 2mins and 2 more places
Ride up to group of 2 that just went past and ride with them to finish.

Man was I glad to get off the bike, happy that I didn't throw it way by super super annoyed what had happened.

Heading out on the run I felt great, I didn't want to finish 5th I wanted to Win so I went for it, and was running well. It was a demanding run, no flat just rolling terrain for the entire out and back course. I got up to 4th by the turn around and wasn't far off 2nd and 3rd. things were going well until about mile 10 when I feel apart, my pace, my lack of nutrition, and my over exertion on the bike thumped me on the head and I was gone, I had never blowen so hard in a race. I drifted back through the field to cross the line in 8th place.

So pretty gutted to have the problems I had, pleased that I hung in there and finished giving it a good crack and again I take away more experience at the distance.

Next stop it is Steelhead 70.3 in a fortnight.

This is a photo just after the race, the effects of Blowing Hard

10th Rhode Island 70.3

2010-07-12T05:39:00.000-07:00

Hot and Humid in Providence.

That pretty much sums up the day for me, these weather conditions and me just don't seem to gel.

I had been following the weather the last couple of weeks noticing that it had been pretty warm. As its pretty cool in Santa Cruz at the moment I was trying to do a bit of heat training but it is the humidity that was hard to simulate.

Race day forecast was for another hot one and it was just that, so all I could do was try and manage how hot I got.

It was a early start to the day, having a split transition meant that I was up at 3am to catch the 4am shuttle to the start, not to bad as I was able to close my eyes and relax on the 45min trip. Once there I did a short warm up as it only took like 5mins before I was sweating profusely so it was nice to get on the start line then hear the canon sound to get into the water!
Off we went and I cleared out pretty quick and managed to shake the guys sitting on my feet then extend my lead to around 90secs by the end of the swim.

The field was pretty competitive, I haven't been doing much hard riding so I expected the group to catch me fairly early in the ride and my plan was to stick with them to the end of the leg. As it was I set out at a pace that I thought I could ride for the 90kms. To my surprise I ended up staying away for the first 60km before Paul Ambrose came passed like a man possessed then the main group working together caught me with only 10km to the finish. Its a little disappointing as its not until you are in the group you see how much easier it is to ride than out on your own but I was happy to be riding well and settle for a little before the start of the run.

The run, well that sucked! I had a slower transition than a few in the group but was still in touch and for the first 4km was running quite well. It was at that mark the humidity started to creep up on me and in a flash I completely shut down, it was like all my energy had been zapped out of me in a split second and my whole race went from fitting for a top 5 too I have just got to get to the next aid station which never seemed to come quick enough. Pretty much I grovelled around the course in a daze, definitely not pleasant.

So a mixed bag for me, sucks to not come away with a good result but there was lots of positives to go home with and hopefully when the conditions are right I can have the result that all my training deserves.

I head back to Santa Cruz today then will travel up to Santa Rosa for Vineman 70.3 this Sunday!

Rhode Island 70.3

2010-07-09T04:38:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Providence yesterday, the trip was pretty good really it took a while but was easy...nailed the red eye flight, a short bus and train trip, then the hotel shuttle got me from he train station so was here and able to relax by mid morning with no stress!! Plenty of time to watch the Tour and unpack.
Its pretty bloody hot here, meant to cool off over the weekend but will still be in the mid to high 20's, so thank god we start at 6am! Its definitely going to be a good tough race this weekend which I cant wait for, fighting the distance, temperature, course and the top field to the finish is going to be epic.

Back into the swing of things

2010-06-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well I have been back in Santa Cruz for a week now and am getting into the swing of things again. Summer has really set in having lots of stunning days which is making training so much more enjoyable. I am putting in the hard work and then relaxing flicking between the Soccer world cup, the US golf open and cycling on television...perfect. So its another couple more weeks of training before I hit Rhode Island and Vineman 70.3

Altitude, heat, wind, class field and doubling up = Explosion

2010-06-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

Well there's not a lot to mention about my race here in Boise yesterday.

It was a really tough day out there and the way I felt wasn't what I was hoping for. I wanted to be aggressive from the start, setting a good hard pace in the swim then riding hard to make the others work to catch me....well that was the plan. I did have a good swim leading out with a very handy lead but that was pretty much my day. I was no were near 100% and in tough conditions of heat and wind just exposes that if you aren't on your game its going to be a long day. I ended up calling it quits after the ride to focus on the next race and the fact I was completely empty by then.

Jamie and I head to Santa Cruz California to train for a few weeks before our next race in Rhode Island on the 11th July

Boise 70.3

2010-06-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

Travelling travelling travelling,

After my race in New Hampshire it was a 6hr flight back to Santa Cruz for a couple of days then back on a plane flying to Boise, Idaho. It has taken me a few days to recover from the Mooseman but I am starting to get the feeling back in my legs so hopefully we are good to go on Saturday!!

Its a very top class Pro field competing with the likes of the Current Ironman World Champion Craig Alexander, 2nd Place getter Chris Lieto, and fellow kiwis Bryan Rhodes and Jamie Whyte are also here racing.

Follow the race at www.ironmanlive.com

2nd Place Mooseman 70.3

2010-06-07T04:34:00.000-07:00

Finally a podium result and it was great to have it over the half ironman distance.

Newfoundland is a awesome area. The perfect place for a triathlon with clean fresh lakes scattered everywhere, quite hilly roads winding there way through the endless forest....just stunning. The weather had been pretty good all week but over the weekend a front came through and it was forecast for thunderstorms and cool temperatures. I am used to the cooler temperatures living in Santa Cruz over winter but wasn't really looking forward to the wet roads so had my fingers crossed that the heavens wouldn't open till at least the end of the bike.

Standing at the waters edge looking out to the beautiful lake was the perfect way to start the race, the canon was set off reaching defining decibels and had my ears ringing for the next 20secs but it was a good way yo wake up and get the adrenalin pumping for the start. I had a flier first 100m thanks to Bryan Rhodes taking off like a rocket so it set me up to take over the lead and push the pace early. The calm water and free space to swim helped me to establish a 15 second lead over the chase pack of 3 and another 2mins 30 back to some handy runners to watch out for so a perfect way to start the day.

So having my fingers crossed for the rain to hold off obviously didn't work as we had a short down poor during the swim and part way through the cycle leg the heavens really unleashed and it poured down till the end of the ride.
I was riding ok, I felt reasonably comfortable riding with Rhodsy and Tim O;Donnell these guys are really experienced at this distance so I thought the pace must be good for the 90km, although I feel good now maybe at the 70km mark it could be a different story?
The course was tough a 2 lap circuit with a couple of good climbs in there one that hit 16% in stretches! Maksym the eventual winner caught Tim and I at about the 25 mile mark, he was flying over the hills, too fast for us to handle so just disappeared once we hit the steep section for the second time. I thought we may peg back a little time over the last 20 miles of rollers but the dude was on a mission and we kept loosing time. I picked up the pace from the 40 mile mark getting a little gap on Tim and was able to build a extra couple of minutes on him and a chase group just behind, all guys that are great runners.

So heading out onto the run the rain had suppressed for the time being, I had a 3mins deficit to try and pull back and around a 3min gap to the group behind. The run was a undulating 2 lap out and back course, I found a good rhythm from the get go and felt pretty strong. Each mile I was gaining a little time on the leader and holding my own to the rest of the field. 13 miles is a blinking long way and the last 2 miles was definitely the hardest, my fitness was great but it was the muscle fatigue that kicked in over the final stages that was brutal. I couldn't quite catch the leader falling 90sec short but was really happy with my run today. I was thrilled to come in on the podium finally, and hope it continues over the next races.

I have a few days to recover before hitting the start line again in Boise for another 70.3, I cant wait.

Gog

Here are the top 5 results:

1      4:01:12  KRIAT             MAKSYM     
2      4:02:44  O'GRADY           GRAHAM     
3      4:06:16  WHITE             MATTY     
4      4:06:23  BERKEL            TIM       
5      4:11:12  BUTTERFIELD       TYLER

Taper Time

2010-05-31T07:47:00.000-07:00

Its that time again where I get to pretty much shut down. I have always struggled with tapering, doing so much to so little really plays havoc on your mind. But I am actually starting to enjoy the easy or taper weeks after training with Bevan. I think its fair to say all the hard work is done and now it is about mentally preparing for the races.

The last few weeks since the Rev3 have been good, I was able to shake the head cold I had and put in some good quality sessions. The next two races are Half Ironmans, the first is the Mooseman 70.3 in New Hampshire this weekend and then 6 days later Boise 70.3 in Idaho. Both are tough courses with top competition which suits me, and the experience I gained from my last 70.3 makes me excited to have the ideal day in these two races.

You can follow both events on www.ironman.com they have live updates throughout the race.

Will keep you posted

Rev3 Knoxville - 8th Place

2010-05-10T15:39:00.000-07:00

Well another weekend of racing is over this time I was in Knoxville Tennessee for a new event on the calender the "Rev3 in Knoxville". After a disappointing race in the Escape from Alcatraz a week earlier I was looking forward to putting together a better performance this weekend. The week was going well, I backed off in my training and was really freshening up.

Unfortunately I picked up a head cold mid week and it only got worse as the race neared. I did as much as I could to minimise the symptoms but come race day I was not 100% and finding it tough to pick myself up to race on a demanding course amongst a super competitive field.

After a short warm up and plenty of nervous toilet stops it was a relief to hear the start gun go off and get rid of all those nerves. Swimming has been going really well lately and I set off into a steady pace managing to tuck in comfortably to 3rd position while trying to save as much energy as I could for the bike and run. A quick transition had me heading onto the bike in 2nd place behind race favourite Matt Reed. Once we were on the road the pace was hot, I was riding ok but ok doesn't keep you in a race with such depth, and I found myself slowly drifting back through the field coming off the bike in 9th position. Heading out on the run I managed to pick up a place and gain on most of the athletes in front but I had lost too much time on the bike to be a bit more competitive.

Although I would have liked to have finished up higher in the standings I am pretty happy with how I raced all considering. It was great racing the best athletes around again, and I had a fantastic time in Knoxville, its a place I would love to return too.

Next race in Mooseman 70.3 in New Hampshire on the 6th of June so a few weeks to get healthy and ready to race again.

Here is a shot after the race, a nice spot to cool off!

Mmm what the

2010-05-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

In the weekend was the 30th Annual Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. Having finished 2nd and 3rd the previous years I was eager to have another top performance. Things had been going ok following New Orleans I felt pretty confident with my form there and was really looking forward to putting together a race I am capable of.

Race morning I was ready to go, I would try and hang with the top swimmers in the race and build on it from there.
I had a strong comfortable swim exiting with the front group, the only thing was that once I was vertical the comfort disappeared. Out onto the bike I new it was going to be a tough day I didn't have the power I had 2 weeks ago and I slowly drifted back through the field just hoping that something would click and I would be my normal self again. Pretty much nothing changed and I ended up coming into the second transition 8th and it stayed that way to the finish line.

I am pretty disappointed not to have been competitive and raced to my potential, I know I have done the hard work I can only think that I need to work on recovering properly between races. I have the Rev3 Knoxville triathlon this weekend, so its going to be a super easy week!!!

Hot New Orleans 70.3

2010-04-20T11:27:00.000-07:00

Hey Hey

Well I was glad to get that out of the way. It was the most nervous I had ever been before a race, just not knowing what it was going to be like was wreaking me. In the end I had a ok race finishing in 7th, and the field was pretty stacked too! At first I wished it wasn't such a competitive field for my first 70.3, but then I was like well at least this is as hard as it's going to get having 3 World Champions there. If I can manage it with them it should be a good start to the year.

Once the gun went and we were off I was a lot more relaxed and had a good start feeling really comfortable in the swim. On the bike I rode well with Bozzone, Van Lierde, Bockel, and Amey at a good strong pace. At 45km into the ride one of the guys let a gap form to Bozzone and Van Lierde and I was caught out. They were riding strong, I was feeling good but I didn't have the legs/confidence to chase to close the gap, as to what extent would effect me later in the race. So I continued pushing with Dirk to I think a 2:06 bike split.

I really struggled in the heat on the run and a blister in the middle of my fore foot caused me a lot of grief. 21km is such a long way, and when the makers are in miles the seem to take forever to tick off.

You know this was perfect for my first half, I know I can ride competitively now, I was reserved in the swim so I could learn on the bike and run, now I can change my strategy and swim to my potential and hopefully take it to the fields. And just race in cooler climates :-)

I have the Escape from Alcatraz on the 2nd May next so looking forward to that.

New Orleans 70.3

2010-04-13T10:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend is New Orleans 70.3 my first Half Ironman distance of the year. Training has been pretty good so far and my motivation is not lacking after watching Bevan carve it up in Sydney over the weekend.
I am expecting to learn a lot at this event and what better way to do it racing against experienced athletes Potts, Bozzone, Van Lierde, Bockel, and McCormack.

You can follow the New Orleans race this Sunday on www.ironman.com at 7am

TRAINING BUDDY DOCHERTY SMASHES FIELD TO WIN OPENING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TRIATHLON

2010-04-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

Bevan Docherty sent the triathlon world a message as he began the 2010 ITU Dextro Energy World Championship Series with a master class performance as he smashed a world class field in Sydney this morning.

33 year old Docherty swam comfortably, rode within himself and with great tactical smarts before destroying the field on the run home.

“This is awesome; it is great to start the season like this, especially in Sydney. I remember back in 2000 I was watching Simon (Whitfield) crossing the line in the Olympics and I thought how cool would that be to be there one day, well ten years later here I am at the Sydney Opera House. This is just such a buzz, such a great feeling, amongst the best in my career.”

Docherty paced his race to perfection with a strong swim and bike that included a break at the end of the 40km, one that would prove crucial on the run home.

“The plan was to go easy in the first kilometre on the run and hold back, that worked to perfection when I found myself on a break in the bike and had 20 seconds coming into transition and was feeling good.

I took it easy for that first kilometre, waited for the group and they smashed themselves to catch up to me, once they did they were buggered. At that point I told myself 15 minutes of pain, 15 minutes of pain Bevan and dropped them off one by one.”

The pace was on from the start with the Russians as expected leading the way through the 1500m swim but the field followed in close proximity with the New Zealanders comfortable in the main bunch.

On the testing 8 lap bike around the Sydney CBD and waterfront the Kiwis were quickly to the fore with Docherty asking questions of the field as he broke clear on the uphill on McQuarrie street heading away from the Sydney Opera House, taking young Australian James Seear with him. The field was only too aware of the threat the two time Olympic medalist posed though and worked to close the gap and shut down the break.

Hunter Kemper (USA) and Chuchko (RUS) did go clear with 3 laps to go on the bike and this time the chase group let them go, the gap increasing to 25 seconds on a small chase group coming into transition before the 10km run.

The main pack was a minute back but crucially, Docherty made a move late on the bike to be 47 seconds down on the leaders and put some vital time on the chasers, including Kris Gemmell and the remainder of the Kiwis.

On the run the chase pack formed with Docherty settling in with them as they looked to close the gap on Kemper, Tony Moulai (FRA) and Matt Chrabot (USA) as Chuchko faded badly in the opening kilometre.

Docherty put the foot down up McQuarrie Road at the halfway mark and soon had some of the best the sport has seen struggling in his wake. 2000 Olympic Games champion Simon Whitfield (CAN), Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS), Laurent Vidal FRA), Peter Robertson (AUS), Greg Bennett (AUS) and unfortunately Gemmell all faded as the big Kiwi surged to hit the lead with 3km to run.

The only one to go with the two time Olympic medalist was Polyanski (RUS) but with 1500m to go Docherty again surged in an incredible display of strength and the 23 year old was broken, so much so that he fell back into the field and missed the podium with countryman Alexander Brukankov and Frenchman David Hauss the other medalists.

ITU Dextro Energy World Champs Series
Sydney
Elite Men
1 Bevan Docherty NZL 1:51:27
2 Alexander Brukankov RUS 1:51:33
3 David Hauss FRA 1:51:34
4 Dmitry Polyanksky RUS 1:51:40
5 Simon Whitfield CAN 1:51:42
6 Tony Moulai FRA 1:51:49
7 Greg Bennett AUS 1:51:53
8 Laurent Vidal FRA 1:51:54
9 Matt Chrabot USA 1:51:56
10 Hunter Kemper USA 1:52:07

Santa Cruz

2010-03-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

Miami Internation Triathlon

2010-03-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

Well I now have the first race of the season under my belt and man was that tough.

I was ready to race and eager to see how the body was going to respond to race intensity.

It was a fresh start to the day with the water temperature a degree over the wetsuit legal cut off of 68 degrees. Choosing to warming up in my wetsuit was a brilliant move and I was warm and ready to go for the start. With only about 30 guys in the field it makes it easy to have a smooth start and I got away to clear water pretty quickly and set into a comfortable pace. Exiting the water a few seconds down on the leader in second place I was really happy to be feeling good and in a position to see the race. A slick transition meant I was able to hit the lead early on the bike. It then was pretty much ride as hard as I could before the "cyclists' came from behind. I was joined by Bevan Docherty and Matt Reed who really pushed the pace and I was hurting. I was yo yo-ing for the first 15km but slowly started to find my legs. At the 20km mark we were caught by the power house cyclists, it was a bit to early for my liking and they did a demolition job on us. The 3 of us could only try to limit the damage before the run. There was no hiding today on the bike, 40km of pressure was brutal and when I got off the bike in 6th place with Bevan and Matt we were a good 2mins 30 down on the lead, and me with some pretty fatigued legs!!!
Setting out on the run I tried to get into a good strong pace that i could build on throughout the run. I had a few stomach issues which unsettled me and my race tactics changed to trying to staying in front of a group of quick runners fast approaching. I managed to hold my position and cross the line with a minute up my sleeve to the next competitor.

I was pretty happy with the day, I accomplished what I set out to do, I would have liked to have run better but form the trip have learnt how I can achieve this. It was a race that provided exactly what I needed moving forward to my next race in 5 weeks.

Top 10 men

1. Matt Chrabot (USA) 1:46:29
2. Chris Lieto (USA) 1:48:00
3. Matty Reed (USA) 1:48:14
4. Bevan Docherty (NZL) 1:48:34
5. Andrew Yoder (USA) 1:48:47
6. Graham O'Grady (USA) 1:50:17
7. Richie Cunningham (AUS) 1:51:08
8. Maksym Kriat (UKR) 1:51:11
9. Paulo Henrique De Abreu (BRA) 1:51:16
10. Fabio Carvalho (BRA) 1:52:21

Miami International Triathlon

2010-03-11T18:11:00.000-08:00

Miami International

Well I am all packed and ready to hit the road again this time to Miami Florida for a Olympic distance non drafting race.

It's a little daunting heading into a hard race when you haven't competed properly for 4 months, you just don't know what to expect, is the body going to feel fast/strong/flat who knows. I find the first race of the season is a great oppertunity to set a standard to build from through the year. I would like to think that all the sessions that I have done this winter are paying off and this weekend will be no different to what I have experienced hanging onto Bevan most days.
My goal is to have a strong swim bike and run, to get better throughout the race and make sure all the little things are done well.

We head out tomorrow afternoon and the race is on Sunday morning at 7am.

You may be able to follow the race at either www.mitriathlon.com or www.slowtwithch.com but I will update my blog as soon as I can to let you know how it all unfolded.

Takapuna Triathlon

2010-02-22T12:50:00.000-08:00

Good morning,

Well Takapuna tri was exactly what I expected, hard and fast! It was kind of strange racing again when you have such a long break between events, my last race was in October last year! You don't forget how hard the race is but the little things that do count like starting, transitions, tactics you definitely need to remind yourself regularly to preform well.

I had a slow start and got caught up behind a few slower swimmers so it took me the rest of the swim to negotiate my way back up to the front group. A smooth transition followed but heading out on the bike I had a mear, my pedals and shoes where spinning out of control and I couldn't get my feet near them to start riding. As the bunch rode off I was getting more annoyed and finally once moving I had to chase for the next 4km to get back to the front. It was good to have the strength and power to chase and get back to contention but it was a careless mistake that wasted valuable energy for the rest of the race. The hard training I had in my legs left me feeling strong but I didn't have the "next gear" to kick into to make a break or feel really settled.
Coming into transition two, we were like headless chicks running through the narrow racks. One athlete was so annoyed he through his bike on the ground over a few pairs of shoes including mine, then I got a big shove buy someone else because I was "in his way" sending me flying and my foot through the spokes of the bike on the ground. Finally once out on the run I was pretty far behind feeling fairly average, I did pick it up in the latter stages which was the only time I felt good in the race, a pity the finish was too close!
I was feeling a sharp pain in my foot while running and when I finished and noticed that my shoe had gone from white to red and that something wasn't right. I have 6cm gash to the side of my foot taped shut and it has kept me on the couch for a couple of days now, its not ideal but maybe a forced rest will do me some good.?

So hopefully this foot heals fast and I can get back into training for Miami on the 14th.

Will keep you posted

Graham

Home time

2010-02-14T07:37:00.000-08:00

Wooow

Well I have sadly come to the end of the couple of months training here in Santa Cruz and am heading back home on Monday. To be honest my time here was the best I have every had in training location and training quality. I sit here writing this thinking how lucky I have been to be able to train with the one of the best athletes in the World. Bevan has been a great training partner and I think I have been a good one for him too. In fact I have been invited to come back for the rest of the year to continue training here but most importantly start putting it all together in some big races!

First up though is next weekends draft legal Elite National Series Sprint triathlon which I will have a hit out at then will head back here and get ready for the Miami International Triathlon on the
14th March. I cant wait to start racing as all this training has to pay off I am sure.

So tune in to tv one this Sunday evening at 5pm and watch me battle it out for a hour!!

The only core we do is “Hard Core”

2010-01-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

Over the years I have trained at a lot of different places and I thought that some of them would be hard to beat. But now after 6 weeks of exploring I must say Santa Cruz is my new favourite training location. It’s the first time I have spent a winter in California and for the so called “cold” time of the year it has been absolutely amazing. As for the training, I wake up every morning eager to get out the door and hit the trails no matter how tired I am.

We just came to the end of a hard training block and I survived, just, I do feel like I have been hit by a steam train though. Luckily now I have a recovery week!!! I will definitly be making the most of it before we hit phase two, which I am sure is going to be even harder now that we are fitter and stronger.

I am still yet to finalise my 2010 race schedule but it looks like I am likely to start with Takapuna Sprint Triathlon NZ on the 20th Feb and then Miami International Triathlon on the 14th March.

Gog

Santa Cruz

2009-12-07T09:02:00.000-08:00

Well its been a few weeks since my last race in October.

Since then I have able to spend lots of time with family and friends really brings spirits up.
It is nice after a long year of training and racing to switch off, play a little golf and chill out a Little.

But the down phase comes to a end and its that time again to put in some good hard base training for next year. I got a fantastic opportunity to go and train with Bevan Docherty in Santa Cruz for a couple of months. Santa Cruz is just a little South of San Fransisco, and a amazing place for training. With endless off road running, awesome cycling up the coast and in the mountains I am in my element and know its going to be a great few months here.

Will keep you posted on how I am surviving trying to keep up with Bevan :-)

Gog

Meltdown at Longhorn 70.3

2009-10-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

Well that was Brutal,

I knew that the half Ironman distance would be a challenge but didnt know that when you blow and blow hard it is a long battle to get to the finish line!! I learnt that today.

The last 2 weeks since Dallas Triathlon have been long, being on the road for the past 6 months I have got quite home sick, something I havent really experienced and can see how it effects the mind and body. I was in two mind sets heading in to this Half, excited to be trying out the longer distance, and nervous because of the quite 2 weeks and inexperience at racing for 4hrs.

Race morning I was quite calm due to the relaxed atmosphere the Ironman 70.3 series brings. It takes the nervous away and you can get straight into work in the swim. I had a good start and built on that throughout the calm 2km swim, exiting the water in 2nd position. But that is such a small part of the race, with a 90km bike and a half marathon to come is where the race is sorted out.

I started off steady, knowing it was a tough ride ahead, but didn't feel that flash as well. A few guys went flying by, my Hr had sky rocketed and I could only but watch them disappear in the distance.

A few more caught me but by now I had started to find my bike legs and was able to stick with the pace. Now feeling better I set the tempo in the group for long periods. At about 75km I decided to let up and let someone else set the pace, although its non drafting you get a lot of advantage following and thought I would take a break from the front. As I moved back i then saw the Draft Busting crew pull up beside me and flash a red card in my face...drafting...stop at the penalty tent at transition, 4min stand down, are you serious I said. I couldn't believe it, what a crock. Well there was nothing I could do but maintain, so i went back to the front and rode off by myself. Coming off the bike in 8th place I then had the joy of sitting in the tent for 4mins as I watched athletes roll on past. I was pretty tired from my bike effort, I think I went way to hard and with 21km of running ahead I probably need the rest :-)

Well the run was a challenging 3 lap circuit, up down up down, up down is all I remember. I felt great for about 1km then everything turned to custard. Hr was at max, pace was slowing, stomach was growling, hamstrings were cramping...how on earth am I going to get through the next 20km? It didn't get any better and I shuffled along emphasizing shuffled to the finish, I was parched as!

That was the toughest day of my life!!!

So my season is done, and it is such a relief too. I head home in a days time for a much needed break to recharge and spend time with family and friends, I cant wait.

Thank you all for your support this year.

Over and out

Gog

Toyota US Open Triathlon Dallas

2009-10-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

Man O Man

It was a Cold Wet morning in Dallas for the Toyota US Open Triathlon. With race kicking off at 7:30am it was another early start to the day catching the pro bus out the the swim start at 5am. The race began at the Joe Pool Lake about 40km out of Dallas then wound its way into town to complete the run.

To start the day off I had a good strong swim exiting the choppy waters in a comfortable 4th position. Transition was fast, guys were really pushing through the 400m run to our bikes, I jumped on my bike around 10th place but still only seconds of the lead.

On the bike it was quite fun. Its the first time I have been in a non drafting race where the stagger rule is enforced and there is a very talented field of athletes riding together. The stagger rule means that you cant be in the same line as the rider directly in front, and have to be out of the "drafting box" of 10m x 2m. So when one athlete passes another it changes the whole positioning of the athletes behind, meaning we are swerving all over the place as we ride along. You really have to concentrate the whole time to make sure you don't stuff up and get a penalty.

I was feeling so good, last week give me the kick start I needed and I was comfortably riding with the main group for 45mins till I noticed that my back tyre was flat! I was so gutted, I couldn't believe it, so close but so far from the end of the cycle. So I was standing on the side of the road for 10mins waiting for a lift back when a fellow athlete pulled over (shivering his butt off and calling it a day) and lent me his wheel. So I was back in the race, a little down on everyone but nether the less back competing!!! I rode in to T2 slipped my shoes on and headed off for the run. I was again feeling strong but it is hard to really push hard when you are so far behind with know one to race against, it ended up being more of a tempo run to the finish but still a good workout.

I was really happy with my performance today, all 3 disciplines went well and overall I am progressing forward each race again.

So I have 2 weeks now till the Longhorn 70.3 Triathlon in Austin, lets hope some luck goes my way for once!

Graham

Toyota US Open Dallas Triathlon

2009-10-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I am off to Dallas, a short 3hr drive north of Austin which is where I have been training the last few days. The body has somewhat recovered and I am ready and focused for round two this Sunday. It should be a fun but tough race with another stacked field putting on a show. Hopefully things are going to feel better this weekend and I can build on my 12th place in Los Angeles!

Will keep you posted.

Gog

Kaiser Permanente LA Triathlon

2009-10-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

What a day that was.

It had been a while since I raced last, in fact it was in Hungary on the 10th of August and although I had done a good block of training you never really get to simulate race intensities when training alone. I found that out today!!

It was a cool morning with a brisk breeze blowing off shore which really chopped up the ocean. The swim was tough , with having to navigate through the waves and then trying to sight the markers to the turn around. A large group of about 12 guys including myself came out of the water within a few seconds of each . This just showed the calibre of the field today as usually in conditions like this the field gets really strung out. Once on the bike the pace was on, I rode hard to stay in contact but the intensity was just to much for me and I found myself slowly drifting back. Heading into T2 the field was pretty split up, I ran out with not to much information on how far down I was but tried to settle into a good tempo and that was pretty hard! I hadn't ridden that hard for that long in quite a while and my legs were smashed. It took a bit of time to get into a good pace but I did feel better as the race progressed. I took a lot out of today. Although I was off the pace I am happy, I really enjoyed the day and the race (which is why I do it), I had periods where I felt good and strong, and I now I have a race in me which will be perfect for next weekend in Dallas. It was just what I needed.

It was really nice for a change to race in the early hours of the morning, I am so used to racing ITU events which always start late in the afternoon. So although getting up at 5am was very early I actually looked forward to it heading to bed and quite enjoyed not having to lye around all day!! The best thing was that I didn't have to wait all day to ride my new Rolf Prima wheels :-)

So I head off to Austin tomorrow to spend a week before racing on Sunday in Dallas! I cant wait!

Will post some results once they are on-line

On the road again

2009-09-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

Well it is amazing how fast time flys. Yes its that time again where I have to pack up all my belongings and head a new destination. Sigmaringen has been awesome, I love the setup here and everything seems to be going well. I have been enjoying the training and have gotten stronger and fitter through this period, I just hope it is enough to have some solid performance in the next few races. I am really looking forward to the next races as they are the pure triathlons, all non drafting events with quality fields. Races that give you a sense of achievement and really excite me.

First stop is the Los Angeles Triathlon on the 4th October, a Olympic distance race which will be a good blow out and set me up nicely for the following two races...Dallas a week later and then to finish the season Longhorn 70.3 in Austin on the 25th.

You can follow my next race through the race website www.latriathlon.com

Auf Wiedersehen :-)

Rolf Prima

2009-09-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that I have just signed with the leader in high performance wheel design,
Rolf Prima wheel systems!!! These wheels are fast, and I cant wait to get them rolling in Los Angeles in two weeks time.

I will be using the Rolf Prima TdF58's tubular's and new Rolf Prima tubular carbon Disc for my up and coming competitions.

Check out there website www.rolfprima.com for information on the lightest, fastest, and most unique wheels on the market.

Back to the Drawing Board

2009-08-25T07:52:00.001-07:00

Well it has been a very rough few weeks in Europe. I have been training ok but nothing like I was last year. I guess being apart of the National team you have to adjust to fit in with the team environment, it is taking me a while to adapt and see what is benefiting me and what isnt to progress forward. My racing as been very average and disappointing for me, I guess you can always taking something out of a race and I have!!! Actually lots!

I just had a weeks break in Portugal to recharge the batteries, I definitely did and am glad I took the time off. it was a lot of fun too!

So now I am back in Sigmaringen, Germany where we had the triathlon camp. This has finished now but I love the training here and want to spend some time to prepare for my last 3 racing in America. James Elvery is here also so I have good company to do some hard work and hopefully find some much needed form to finish the year.

I am here till the 28th of September then i head to Los Angele's to compete in the LA tri, then to the Dallas tri followed by the Longhorn 70.3 in Austin. I cant wait!

Will keep you posted on how training is going.

Des Moines Elite ITU

2009-07-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well what a week!

First up earlier this week I got sick, picking up a Cold. I was really hoping that would have been able to have shaken it before the weekend but again things aren’t that plain sailing.

Secondly four of us decided to drive to the race as flying was going to cost a fortune, and a 10hr drive with stops doesn’t sound that bad if all goes smoothly. So Thursday morning at 6am we set off on our journey to the race. This is when the trip really started to test our mettle…

2hrs into the drive we got pulled over by a cop for speeding, unlucky cause we weren’t going that much over, but hey we sucked it up and continued on.

30mins later we needed to fill up with gas. So we pulled into the next hick vill servo. Shit what does the van take? Diesel or petrol? We had no idea. The diesel pump fitted into the tank so it must be diesel....ah no, should have been petrol as am sure white smoke shouldn’t be pouring out the exhaust!!

2hrs 30mins later after siphoning the gas out of the tank with a straw we re-filled the van with Petrol and were finally on our merry way.

It started to get quite hot in the sun as we progressed down from altitude. And with air-conditioning being absent we were really starting to bake! After 5hrs of driving we had to stop and have a rest, also a good time to try getting some air-conditioning gas. Jizzy lub auto services said it would be fine to put 2 pounds of gas in for 100 bucks, sweet do it, do it as sweat was pouring off our faces! 20mins later we were told that our van is big and will need to take 4 pounds of gas for 170 bucks, do it, do it we don’t care right about now. Another 20mins passed and the bad news was explained to us, the compressor which pumps the air conditioning does not work and we cant fix it, sorry. Man we just about lost it, a wasted hour and still boiling hot. So we re filled our bottles and headed off.

5hrs later we had made it to the Marriott downtown Des Moines, the only problem was that we weren’t booked into this Marriott but the Court yard Marriott 15mins back in the direction we just came from.

So we drove there, Marty and Ryan started to unpack the car while I went in to check us in. Sorry you are at the other Court yard Marriott, you mean there is two? Yep as I look outside and see the van un packed! Man the guys are going to be gutted! Yep. Last time then we are going home, we re packed the car AGAIN and set off, 3rd time lucky…

Well not so lucky, 2 miles form the Hotel the van had had enough and decided to over heat on us. While sitting at the lights smoke was screaming out of the engine. Quickly we pulled into a drive way waited for the van to cool a little before filling all our drink bottles with water from an elderly woman’s home (which was very nice of her to let us considering we were 4 random foreigners!!) As quick as we poured the water in it was coming out the bottom like a sieve! Great, repeating this step 2 more times then floored it to the hotel crossing the line in around 15hrs.

Next day was to get the car towed and fixed, luckily it was just a slit pipe and was fixed in a jip!!!

After all this is was time to focus on the race in a days time, not ideal prep but we will have to make do.

My race wasn’t the greatest. It started with a poor swim, I had such a slow start and was not able to make my way through the 50 athletes in front to make the lead group. I ended up in a small group 1min down on the leaders. We rode so hard, I was punishing myself to catch up. At 35km we finally reeled them in but I was roasted. I was really wondering how I was going to get off my bike and then run 10km, at least there was a incentive of prize money just for finishing! I ran out in 44th place, not one of my strongest transitions! As I got into it I started to feel ok, not great but was moving along alright and slowly picked up a few places. I ended up crossing the finish line in 27th place. Not so bad but still way off where I should have been. It was a hard day!!

So the next morning we packed the vehicle and headed home, this time it was plain sailing making it back in 10hrs including a couple of stops, one to buy Petrol and fireworks and one to let off King Kong the biggest fire work you will ever buy!!! Then it was a good night sleep before getting to the airport to make our way to Germany.

It was a long 10hr cramped flight from Denver to Frankfurt, then a 4hr train trip to Sigmaringen. I am slowly getting over my cold, the weekends adventures and the jet lag! Hopefully the next week goes well and I am rearing to race in Austria on the 12th July!!!

Graham

3rd Escape from Alcatraz

2009-06-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

Hey there

Just over a week ago I raced again in Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. It was great to be back again and be apart of this cool race. This year I wanted to aim for a podium finish again or hopefully if all went well progress from my 2nd place last year.

The race started of well where I was swimming comfortably with the main group. My goggles had fogged up and I was finding it hard to see exactly where I was placed but was confident that I was in around 2nd or 3rd position. After about 20mins of swimming I thought it would be a good time to clear the goggles to get a better view of what was happening around me, when I realised that I wasn't in second but alone in 6th about 40+sec back on the lead group. It was quite disappointing to see them so far ahead as I really thought I was where I needed to be and was feeling so comfortable. Thank god it is a non drafting race and I still had a hour and a half of racing to go to try and catch up my lost time.

Heading out of the swim I pushed hard over the mile run to transition picking up one position before heading out onto the bike. I rode strong but conservative knowing that there is still the tough run a head and had made my way up to 3rd position with a couple of others riding alongside. So coming into T2 I was like 4mins down on the Andy Potts who was in a race of his own and about 2 minutes to David Thompson. I love the run here, it is honest and hard, I tried to push hard to catch time on the leaders but never managed to catch them finishing in 3rd place.

I was happy to get the fastest run and be on the podium again, but disappointed with a few areas of my race which effected the outcome.

Results

Andy Potts 2:07:25
David Thompson 2:09:51
Graham O'Grady 2:10:37
Brian Fleischmann 2:12:42
Victor Plata 2:13:52

Next race is Hy-Vee, Des Moines ITU , on the 27th June. The field is looking very competitive due to the massive prize purse on offer. Training since Alcatraz has been good, its back into taper mode now though and getting focused on putting together another solid performance in the weekend!!!

Thanks

Gog

Austin Texas ITU

2009-05-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

Hey there

Well what can I say, my bad luck continues.

I finally got over my foot injury and was able to get in a couple of weeks of running, maybe not as much as I would have liked but I was fit and looking forward to the race.

Coming down from altitude it is always nice to breath in some extra oxygen and feel a bit fresher :-) Race day was a scorcher, the temperature reaching the mid 30's. I had a average start and missed the main break away group of three which was a bit disappointing as I have been swimming really well. In hind site maybe was a good thing considering how hot it was. The three did stay away on the bike but were doing it hard and the heat took its toll on them big time. I was comfortable in the main pack on the bike, feeling better as the race progressed. About 2km from the end of the ride a athlete in front of me clipped a wheel and went down. I had know where to go and ended up in a heap on the pavement with another 5 or so bikes piling up on top of me. I was so gutted, I really wanted to have a good race, get things moving in a positive direction, so to have my race ended and trip dampened by some Muppet was really disappointing and heart breaking.

Luckily I didn't injure myself to bad, my bike was worse off with some buckled wheels, oh yeah and my bank account. So know I am back in Boulder with the New Zealand team which is really cool. My next race will be Alcatraz in a couple of weeks.

Over and out

Gog

Boulder Colorado

2009-05-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hi there

Sorry for the lack of updates. Have had a bit of a slow period the past month.
I got to the point where I was ready to get away from home and have a change of scenery (It gets hard living on the road at home). So I booked flights and shot off to Boulder, Colorado. I have been here now for 3 weeks and am enjoying being back.

Currently I am nursing a foot injury which has kept me from running for the last month. It really sucks but you kind of get used to all the injuries triathlon brings and have to just try focus on the other disciplines of swimming and biking. Am not to sure when I will compete next. I was planning on racing in the ITU Austin point’s race in a week but with the injury I may have to miss this. Next is likely to be Alcatraz provided I can be running in the next 2 weeks.

I just love this place here, there are so many people out training, there is so much to see and do, and I have another 2 months here, Fantastic!

Will keep you posted on my race plans

Mooloolaba WC

2009-04-01T22:33:00.000-07:00

Man triathlon is so unpredictable. Two weeks ago I was hanging on to the front bunch in the swim, feeling ok on the bike, and then ran really well. This week I had a sweet swim sitting comfortably near the lead, on the bike things were still going well, I was handling the fluctuating pace from all the attacks and was looking forward to a good strong run on a tough course. I just never got going; don’t ask why just one of those days. So I ended up crossing the line in 14th place, making a tiny bit of money and adding a couple of points to my world ranking.

Other than the average race I had a fun week away. It was really cool having my Grandfather and Mother there supporting me. We also got to have a great time touring around Mooloolaba and Brisbane.

So hopefully my legs recover before the weekend for the New Plymouth ITU point’s race!

Week ahead - Mooloolaba World Cup

2009-03-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note before I head off to Mooloolaba World Cup in Australia on Thursday.

Things have been going alright lately, have had some good sessions, the weather has been fantastic here in Auckland which has made everything that little more enjoyable.
Actually really looking forward to racing again, it kind of feels like ages since Nationals. When you get into that mode of racing it is just so much fun!
The field size doesn't seem to be that large but there are always some great competition to make things hard work.

Well will keep you posted on the outcome!!

Gog

NZ National Champs

2009-03-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

Well another race under the belt as we progress through summer.

In the weekend it was a trip to Wellington for the Elite National Champs. The good thing about this race was that it coupled as a ITU event which would provide valuable points to help towards World Rankings.

In the morning it was the usual pre race warm up then on the start line ready to race. I struggled a little to get going in the swim, I think the fact that I was shivering on the start line didn't help, but by half way I had finally made it up to the top 5 and was sitting comfortably. No one pushed the pace today so coming out of the water the whole field was pretty much all intact, and it stayed like this till the end of the ride! I was really happy with my positioning on the bike throughout the ride especially coming into transition where it counts. So running out in 3rd was perfect starting the run.

The tactic today was to build into the run, I found a good rhythm with a few others and we ran steady over the first 5km. At half way I started to pick the pace up and this was where the field started to split. I wasn't looking back and just put my head down to try get up to the front 2. Running out of road I crossed the line in 3rd place, a result that I am really happy with.

Now I am in Auckland for some testing and then fly off to Mooloolaba in a weeks time to compete in the ITU World Cup!!! Can't wait

Results:

1. Bevan Docherty NZL 1:52:59
2. Clark Ellice NZL 1:53:19
3. Graham O’Grady NZL 1:53:26

Latest Happenings

2009-03-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Hey there

Well a lot has happened over the last few weeks. I have been training well and building a good platform for the year.

Two weeks ago I competed in the Contact Cup Sprint Triathlon in Takapuna Auckland. A super sprint event of a 500m swim, 16km cycle and 5km run. Boy was it an intense race! Coming off some hard work it was a real shock to the body trying to push to the high intensity. The multi lap course meant concentration was at a premium and there was no room for error. I had an average swim due to the absence of a starting horn, luckily enough I was able to get on the back of the front group heading into transition. The bike was fast and furious and I struggled to find my legs to dictate the pace but was able to ride without any problems. Out on the run it was red line the whole way, I found it pretty tough but held a good tempo and crossed the line in 6th place, happy but critical of what areas I can improve on.

A week later it was Oceania champs on the Gold Coast, a race that nothing went my way. I had a strong swim exiting in the front bunch of athletes. After a lap into the 6 lap cycle I made a gap on the field with another, we managed to have around 45secs at the half way point, then disaster struck, my back wheel jammed. To cut a long story short I ended up coming off the bike 1min down on the entire field due to the wheel jamming more than once. At this point I was in two minds on whether to complete the race or save it for another day. I am glad to have carried on and finish as due to the extreme heat a lot of athletes struggled meaning I was able to run through a lot of the field and cross the line in 14th position. Due to hanging in there I gained a large number of ITU points bumping my world ranking to 49th from 119th!!! Just shows that you should never pull out!

Then in the weekend it was my turn to be a spectator and support family,friends and every other mad athlete racing in the Taupo Ironman! A big congratulations to you all that finished the event, I take my hat off to you! Its very motivating! For me it was special to see my mother complete the distance for her second time, crossing the line in 12hrs 12mins 2nd in her age group and New Zealand Champion! I think that is now the bench mark for me to strive towards!

So next stop is the New Zealand National champs in Wellington this weekend. Hopefully everything goes smoothly and I can put a good number on the board.
Well I have some great inspiration from the weekend to get me through it!

Talk soon

Graham

National Sprint Champs

2009-02-08T16:59:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Well the first race of the season is under my belt, and yes it felt like I haven't raced since September last year! It was once again in Kinloch, Taupo on a very demanding course. A non wetsuit swim in the warm waters of lake Taupo, a 3 lap bike up a nasty 18% climb and a undulating 2 lap run, and to top it all off in 30+degree heat!!!

I had quite a eventful weekend with my friends wedding in Auckland the day before. I got back to Hamilton at 1am and in bed shortly after before getting up at 7:30 to head to the race, not ideal race prep but I was still motivated to have a good hard hit out. And boy it was.

Bevan Docherty single handily destroyed the field riding away up the first climb and was never seen again. My race wasn't quite that impressive, I had a strong swim exiting out in 2nd position and then managed to stay with the front group that dwindled in size each lap, the main climb taking its toll on everyone. I have been in heavy training load of late and I felt it right from the start, although as each discipline progressed things did start to get a bit easier. The run was hot, I paced myself reasonably well and after having a slow transition was able to get a couple of places back and finish 4th over all and 3rd Elite Man.

All in all I was pretty happy with with race under my circumstances and am on track for some good form come March for Oceania's, Nationals and Mooloolaba.

Elite Men

1 Bevan Docherty Taupo 1:01:00
2 Tony Dodds Wanaka 1:01:40
3 Clark Ellice New Plymouth 1:01:51
4 Graham O’Grady Hamilton 1:02:16
5 Martin van Barneveld Wgtn 1:02:53

Round Taranaki Bike Ride

2009-01-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

Well I just had another little hit out in the weekend at the Taranaki Cycle Challenge, a 150km bike race around Mt Taranaki. As I do not have a Bike NZ cycling licence I ended up racing in the "fun" ride, still competitive but started 30mins after the Elite field. It has been ages since I last raced in a long fun ride so I was quite looking forward to it.

We rolled out at 8am on a perfect day, no wind and clear blue sky's!! I settled in amongst the pack as we cruised along the coast at a steady pace. After 20km I thought I would lift the tempo a little up a short climb to get things moving a bit. Surprisingly I got a gap and started to ride away, thinking a group would bridge across I rode steady for a while waiting. I looked back after a few km's and with no one in sight I decided to drop the hammer. Ended up Time Trialing the next 130km by myself crossing the line in 3hrs 48mins, 13mins ahead of the main pack.
About 2hrs into the race I thought to myself what a idiot what have I got myself into... I was picturing myself popping after about 3hrs as I didn't think the banana, muesli bar and 'up and go' with 2 bottles would get me through the 150km at this intensity. Luckily thanks to some very helpful ladies in the lead vehicle offered me some support (another drink bottle) and occasionally a short conversation to take away the boredom of the solo effort! Thankfully I made it to the finish in one piece and very happy with my current strength.

Results should be posted soon at http://www.cyclechallenge.co.nz/DMTC/web/home.asp

Next race is Sprint Nationals in Taupo on the 8th Feb.

Graham

Progress

2009-01-20T12:45:00.000-08:00

Sorry for being so slack on updating, no real excuse!

Anyway, things are going really well. New Plymouth has been fantastic for me over the last couple of months. Training is awesome, its just about cheating with so many running trails, quite roads and the ocean at my door step. Also being able to train with Clark Ellice has really helped the both of us strengthen our weaknesses.

I had a little niggle in my foot which put me back a month of any running but it is on the mend now and I will be able to get into racing on the 8th Feb at NZ Sprint champs in Taupo.

I did have a bit of a swim hit out last week at the Round the mount swim race, but due to weather conditions we had to settle for a 3.5km race of 2 laps in Pilot Bay. It was a pretty solid swim and I noticed the lack of open water swimming with my arms falling off at about 3km. I managed to come in 3rd about a min back on the 2 leaders and 2mins 30 ahead of 4th, so not to bad in the end.

Its going to be a jam packed summer of racing the next few months with the main races being Oceania's on the 1st March, Nationals the 14th March, Mooloolaba World Cup the 29th March and New Plymouth ITU the 5th April. All races I cant wait to compete in.

So will try be a pit more pro active with photos and updating my blog now that things are a little more exciting/eventful.

Gog

Day One

2008-10-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

Well its 4 weeks since I was last out training properly. Today is my official day back hitting the pavements for the summer period.

What did I get up to? Well the first week my body was trying to cope with the 45hr (crazy) trip back from Serbia! The rest of the time was spent with family and friends who I hadn’t seen in 5 months and also trying not to think about or get out training again. A week ago I moved to Auckland for summer, I am really excited for what is ahead and can’t wait to get fit again.
The season for me will kick off around January with the NZ Triathlon series.

Over and out

Graham

Serbia ITU

2008-09-23T11:01:00.000-07:00

Well another quick turn over and back on the start line this time in Kladovo, Serbia.

Wow what a interesting place this is!!

Kladovo is 250km south of Belgrade, a small town with pretty much nothing there. It was a 5hr bus trip on the local system to get to the hotel, we managed to score the back seat thinking we would be able to spread out and relax over the 6 seats. Yeah right we ended up cornered by the local idiot who was smoking and drink all the way talking Serbian to us! We finally made it to our hotel which was the only one in the town. I wasn't to sure what it was in previous times as the rooms were about a -1 star. I mean the phone was ripped out of the socket, there was graffiti over the walls and the bathroom rotting, man did we have a laugh!

Friday night was the race briefing so we got to see who was competing and get the run down on the schedule and course...2 lap swim, 9 lap bike and 9 lap run, with no timing chips nor lap counters, the woman will start 3mins behind...good luck!

So the race started at 2:30, the weather wasn't to bad, a little nipply and lots of wind. I was fortunate to get number 1 rank and picked my start position first. I had a dreadful start getting boxed in but managed to find clear water and work my way up to the leaders fellow kiwi Lee Greer and a Hungarian guy. We pushed the pace and ended up with a 45sec lead on the main bunch so was a great chance to put the pressure on in the bike leg and see if we can get a good lead.

Feeling good I rode hard doing the majority of the work between us. The bike course was crazy, there were dogs running round willy nilly, the men's and woman's fields racing together and what wreaked my race the hundreds of potholes scattered everywhere, I mean holes which were 5-10cm's below the road surface! As we weaved our way through the obstacles our lead kept extending and at 20km we had a nice 2min 30 buffer on the field.

Then pothole-bang-flat-no spare-race over, I was so gutted, all this was for that, as it was Lee and Mr Hungry had 3mins at the end of the 40km which and were able to cruise and go 1 - 2 Lee taking it out.

It was a real shame to finish the season like this, but cool to have visited another country, and also know that my for was still there after last week...guess it is "what if"

Now I am back in NZ after 45hrs of travelling, feeling pretty crap and wide awake at 3am - o man but so glad to be home in my own bed!

Podium ITU Vienna

2008-09-14T07:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I just finished 2nd in ITU Vienna Triathlon, a huge turn around from last week!!

I have had a really easy last 10 days to help freshen up for this event and it paid off. I was feeling quite good so were hoping things would come together here in Austria.

On Friday night we were sitting around waiting for race briefing to kick off, watching the athletes roll in, and with each strong athlete that we recognized we ticked another place and to be honest thought ‘there goes the top 10. Racing at 4 in the afternoon isn't the most enjoyable time to race, there was a lot of procrastinating that's for sure!

The race unfolded with a good start, in the 1 loop swim it was 690m to the first turn which meant there wasn't to much fighting. I was comfortably in around 5th place at the turn and remained there till the swim exit.

Out on the 4 lap cycle leg I pushed the pace early to try and form a group to get away but when I looked back there must have been at least 20 guys strung out in a line following. Nevertheless I worked hard on the front in the first 25km trying a few times to break away but nothing stuck.

At the 30km mark I led through the turnaround, which was a series of 3 tight corners, I got a gap and was off. Another athlete joined me and we went for it, driving it hard over the last 10km's. By the time we got back to transition we had I think around a minute lead.

I was running scared wondering how long it would take to get mauled by the 50 athletes coming off the bike together behind us. At the 500m mark I hit the lead of the race, the run was 5 ‘out and back’ loops so you could see what the time gaps were every few minutes. As I expected I lost a lot of time in the first 2km with every one in the chase pack racing each other on adrenalin in the first stages of the run. I was able to start out at a comfortable pace for me and build on that. I held the lead till just after the 7km mark, but managed to keep things together and cross the line 2nd 30secs off the win and a few seconds ahead of 3rd.

I am really happy, although it would have been fantastic to have won, I am pleased to have put together an honest race and finish on the podium.

Next race is Serbia ITU in a weeks time, so for now it is chilling out in Vienna for a week!!!
What a city, this place is mint!!

ITU Vienna Triathlon European Cup Elite Men

1 Nils Frommhold GER 1.43.44
2 Graham O’Grady NZL 1.44.13
3 Igor Sysoev RUS 1.44.20

Gog

On the road again!!!

2008-09-10T14:04:00.001-07:00

Well its that time again, packing my bike, all my belongings hitting the road for the final couple of races. This weekend ITU Vienna, Austria and the following ITU Belgrade, Serbia two places I have yet to visit. It should be a fun final week before returning home, sweet home!

Knokke last week wasn't good at all. I was a quite drained and just didn't feel 100%, I guess you get days where you feel great and others where you feel like crap. Today was the latter. It was a super competitive field with many of the top Ironman athletes showing up for a final hit out before Hawaii. I ended up getting to the line still in first gear in 13th. Since the race I have had a pretty easy 10 days so hope things are better this weekend.

Will keep you posted!

ITU Weiswampach, Luxembourg

2008-08-25T03:49:00.000-07:00

Hey Hey

So 6 weeks have past since I raced in Ireland (London doesn’t really count) and I was back on the start line this time in Luxembourg. It was a short 3hr drive to Weiswampach the day before so we could study the demanding course and know what we were in for. Training has been going ok, it is a shame to have punctured in London as it does stuff a couple of weeks up but you have to make do. Earlier in the week I feel off my bike again, yes again so this didn’t really help in making things ideal for the weekend but I was ok.

Surprisingly there was quite a big turn out at the race of about 60 athletes, and for the small prize purse it was a odd to see a strong field competing.

I had another good strong swim in 2nd place and comfortably.
The bike course was really tough it had 2 good climbs in it and a few undulations that would tire you out for the run. We had a small break early in the bike of four but were not working well together and got caught at about 7km, it was a shame as it could have been the race. So it was another bunch ride of 30 guys for the next 30km dodging the age groupers and woman’s elite races on the small windy roads then fighting for position in the last km's to get a good spot coming into t2.
The run was just as tough as the bike, with 90% of it off road on either grass or loose metal, I ran out in 14th place and managed to work my way up to 7th where I held to the finish. I struggled a little today, but am happy and can take some good things from it to help me in my next races.

So I have a few days to recover - train - and rest before Knokke, Belgium on the 3rd.

Graham

London Triathlon

2008-08-14T23:22:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Last weekend was the London Triathlon. I have never been to London so it was a nice experience getting to race there. I had a good swim coming out in the front group around 5th position setting me in the front pack on the bike. Only 10km or so into the ride I punctured, it is a real bugger not only because I was at the furthest point away from transition but that training was going well and I was hoping I could put it all together at this event. It was also a great chance to pay the bills with a US$80000 prize purse!! The event was run really well, with racing going all day, I think there was a total of 9000 competitors over the weekend! One thing from the weekend was being able to spend Monday looking around the city, I managed to see pretty much all the main attractions in the day before heading back to Belgium.

So I have settled back in and getting ready for Luxembourg ITU on the 24th.

Over and out.

Training update - France

2008-08-02T02:04:00.000-07:00

Bonjour

Well one more week left here in France of training before I get to head off again for ore racing!!!! I cant wait. Although training is fantastic here we are quite isolated from everything and there is only so much computer time you can handle. But it has given me a good period to do some quality sessions in preparation for my next racing period which starts in London on the 10th of August.

There is really not a lot to write about since my last post after Ireland, pretty much its train - eat - sleep. We did make a evening trip to Carcassone a town near by where there is a old castle with a village inside. It was nice to sit down and have a meal there with the other athletes and have a look around.

So I have a exciting schedule of racing and travelling ahead which I am really looking forward too

10th Aug London International Triathlon, London
24th Aug ITU Weiswampach, Luxembourg
3rd Sept Triathlon Belgium
13th Sept ITU Vienna, Austria
20th Sept ITU Belgrade, Serbia

7th Athlone ITU

2008-07-15T01:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in getting this post up of but I have just arrived in Limoux France after a long day of traveling from Ireland. On Saturday night I raced in Athlone ITU Triathlon which is located in central Ireland. It was my first time there and with a surname “O’Grady” I fitted in quite well. At first I was unsure of what the race would be like, being a little town and not too many people around, but come race start wow what a turn around, the town was jam packed and the atmosphere was great.

As for the race well not to what I am capable of and to my expectations. A couple of nights I came down with a fever, and have been coughing up crap off my lungs, so come race morning I was still contemplating on starting, well I have nothing to loose and I am here…. Apart from feeling like I was going to throw up and breathing through a straw the whole race I was glad to come 7th

I had a good first lap jumping out in 3rd but a not so great 2nd lap dropping back to about 10th or so, unusual for me as usually my 2nd half is my strong point in the swim, but I was in touch with the leaders and some hard riding early got me in the front group of about 12. The bike was a bit pedestrian everyone wanted to be the hero and break away by themselves rather that put time into the four bunches chasing us, so come about 20km into the bike we were joined by the 2nd pack of 10. Now everyone that didn’t want to run with a group now had 20 guys to run with, good one! I ran out mid field and pretty much got into 7th early and stayed there the rest of the run, I would have liked to have gone better but am happy with everything considering the circumstances.

Now I have a short break before I get back into training here in France. Liam Scopes and I had a night in Dublin after the race which was pretty cool. It is nice when you get a chance to look at a city rather than always flying straight in and out of races. So sitting in some local bars downtown Dublin listening to Irish music drinking Guinness was a fantastic end to the weekend.

Now I have 4 weeks training in France then head to London for a race there on the 10th of August.

Holten ITU

2008-06-28T23:03:00.000-07:00

Hi there

Well what a interesting race. I felt pretty good yesterday in the Holten ITU triathlon. It was a really bad day with the weather and on cobbles made it so dangerous even going really slow.

The weather was crap from the start, I wanted to do a bike warm up but because of the rain I did a 20min run instead (got a good sweat up) then did a 10min swim in the tiny closed off area they gave us (it would have been 75m x 15m long).

It was a 2 lap swim and it went really well. I didn’t have a really fast start for the first 150m but once it cleared a bit I ended up swimming away from everyone. 2nd out of the water was 20sec behind me. It’s nice to be out in front not fighting and feeling good.

On the Bike I decided to ride solid for the first part and see what happens, hopefully a group would join me. When I looked back there was a peloton across the whole rode a fair way back and no real breaks from what I could see. I felt really comfortable on the bike. As it was I was putting time into the field and at 15km I had 40sec. There was a corner where there were cobbles I got my line chopped by the motor bike, I wasn’t really going that fast, it was just the wet weather on those stupid cobbles and I went down at about 18km. So I jumped up put my chain on, checked wheels, straighten my breaks and handle bars, made sure everything was intact then got back on and still had 10sec before the bunch came. Bugger. I sat about 10m off the back after this for the next 10km, just wanting to stay away from any crashes (if I crash by myself what would i do in a bunch of 40!) Then another crash happened in front of me, with 5 guys going down, so the next 4km I rode 50m off the back trying to get my head right, I thought harden up and see what happens in the run. Rode back up and sat on the back, not an ideal place heading into transition but a safe one.

I went out reasonably fast in about 40th position, but not as fast as the others. I wasn’t sure how I would feel but felt ok and started picking up places throughout the run. My hip started to get quite sore and stiff at about 7km but wasn’t far to go then. My body isn’t to bad, I have a graze on my ankle and hip and they are both quite swollen, should be able to train Monday ok.

1 Zipf Jonathon GER 01:52:36
2 Yakovlev Sergey RUS 01:52:55
3 Severin Youri NED 01:52:59

12 O'Grady Graham NZL 01:54:05

Gog

Brugge Triathlon

2008-06-23T13:44:00.001-07:00

Morning

So I have just finished the Brugge triathlon finishing 3rd. Like I said in my last post the race was start was at 5:30pm, man was that a change from anything I was used to!!! What do I do all day? Well I went for a jog in the morning and then chilled out the rest of the day. Once at the race site I set up all my gear in two transitions chilled out again then warmed up.

There was about 1000 people racing in various wave start times, the pro went off first (thank god)! I had a strong swim exiting in first 30sec ahead, it was a bit of a slow start with not being able to get to warm up in the water but once I was going I felt quite good. The bike leg was one big flat loop through town then out into the country side riding on roads wide enough for one car. I lead for about 10-15km before Marino Vanhoenacker came storming by, that was the last I saw of him - wow what a strong cyclist. A few minutes later a group of 5 caught me and I was able to stick with them finish the bike leg in 3rd position all coming off together apart from Marino 2mins ahead. I thought that I was going to have a good run as I didnt find the bike to hard but today wasnt meant to be, I just never got going but still hung on for 3rd. I am happy with getting on the podium and another step forward.

Results

1 VANHOENACKER Marino - 1:51:49
2 DEVRIENDT Dennis - 1:54:16
3 O'GRADY Graham -1:54:58
4 VAN LIERDE Luc - 1:56:25
5 JAMMAER Bert - 1:57:05

Menen, Belgium

2008-06-20T02:10:00.000-07:00

I have just arrived in Menen, Belgium. I am staying with my good friend Frederik another fellow triathlete. Its a really cool little town but most of all a nice family to be staying with. The trip over was as usual from America to Europe - Long, I left Wednesday morning arriving here Thursday afternoon and you loose 8hrs so to be fair I feel pretty average right now. One thing that did help though was that I got upgraded to Business class from Chicago to Amsterdam!!! How awesome is that, it really made my day as I was pretty tired of sitting on the floor at the airport waiting for my flight.

So tomorrow I am racing in Brugge not far from here at 5:30pm, its a 1000m Swim - 45km Cycle - 10km Run. It will be a tough race with some 100 Pro starters and some good top athletes turning up. The weather is not quite as hot as Boulder but a nice temperature for racing.

Well will post shortly after the race.

Gog

Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon

2008-06-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

Hi

Well I have just returned back to Boulder Colorado after spending the weekend racing the Famous Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon in San Fransisco.

Wow what a race, I finished 2nd!!! 35sec back on World Champion Andy Potts and 20sec ahead of World Champion Craig Alexander. I love this race its a true test of a triathlete, there is absolutely no hiding on this course. With freezing choppy waters, the hilly ride and run makes it for a hard day at the office. I have been training at altitude the past 5 weeks, things have been going ok I have learnt a lot on the way you need to train here, some things I did well and others I wont be doing again. So I was a little nervous on how this race would go but new that I had done a lot of work and should get through it. As it was I had a really solid race. Coming out of the water within 15sec of the lead set me up for a top finish. Out on the bike it took me a little bit to get going but I was riding the hills well and comfortably which is pretty much the whole ride so I knew that I would have something left for the run. I wish I was able to settle earlier on the bike and have a go at riding with the lead pair but it wasn't to be and I had to change my focus onto running well. So heading out just behind Craig Alexander and David Thompson in 5th spot we all set chase on the 2 leaders 90sec up the road. I new that you would pay on this course if you run the first half to hard so I tried to pace myself to run strong in the testing stages. As it was I caught Craig and David a 3rd the way through on one of the longer climbs. It is a nice feeling when you run the hills well rather than struggling up them. I could see 2nd place not far up the road (well sand for that matter) and he looked to be struggling a bit from the pace set on the bike. With about 4km to go I caught 2nd and pushed past then could see Andy just up the road. The final 2km is flat with a tail wind so usually you don't make up much time unless there is a huge melt down and and is a class act so we pretty much stayed the same distance the rest of the way to the finish.

This was a really exciting day for me, after having last year off I am so happy to be racing at a competitive level again. I was just looking forward to racing and travelling again this year but to have a top result so early is fantastic. So next race will be in Belgium on the 21st June a Olympic Non Drafting race.

Top 10 men
1. Andy Potts (USA) 2:01:57
2. Graham O’Grady (NZL) 2:02:32
3. Craig Alexander (AUS) 2:02:53
4. David Thompson (USA) 2:03:04
5. Matt Chrabot (USA) 2:03:25
6. Paul Matthews (AUS) 2:04:40
7. Mark Fretta (USA) 2:05:29
8. Joe Umphenour (USA) 2:05:57
9. Shane Reed (NZL) 2:07:05
10. Kevin Collington (USA) 2:07:51