World Age Group Championships 2005 – Race Report

Photo's

Honolulu - I am here for the World Age Group Championships and it's only my 3rd Olympic distance race. I question what's wrong with this picture? There's a lot right with this picture - it's Hawaii, there is sun, sand, palm trees and the place is buzzing with healthy looking athletes from around the globe. I'm already sensing that I'm about to have the experience of a lifetime.

I've been lucky enough to holiday here before and I'm familiar with the environment so embark on the basic tasks of assembling the bike, stocking the pantry and checking in with the Australian team at the desk they have set up at the Team hotel. The Australian team management have done a tremendous job in providing everything possible that an athlete would need; they have also set up a tent in Kapiolani Park- the site of the transition area for the race and it is here that we can have our bikes checked by the mechanics, meet for training, stretching, have a massage etc.

We have the Australian team dinner aboard a sunset cruise and it's a great opportunity to meet fellow team athletes and their loved ones who are there to support them. The guest speaker is Chris "Macca" Mc Cormack but we are also lucky to also have a few words from Luke Bell as well as the Australian Consul-General in Hawaii. This adds to the excitement that is building within me. The next "event" is the parade of nations where we "march" in our uniforms down the main street, head towards an outdoor amphitheatre area where we assemble by country, listen to various speakers and watch the New Zealand boys do the Haka. This is followed by a pasta party and the arrival of a friend who flys in from San Francisco. She is ex-pat who has come across to watch and support me, as well as being good moral support it has the added benefit of taking my mind of the race and calming my jitters.

The week is flying and by and it's Friday and we have our team breakfast. We receive messages of support and encouragement from Jackie Fairweather and "Robbo" that I personally find both motivating and moving. Our team captains also speak to us, some words of wisdom that strike some resonance with me is to tell yourself before every race that it is going to be "a perfect race". We take time to have a minutes' silence for Howard Cooper, a member of the team whom I had met that had passed away. Later that day, I have a cruisy ride of the bike course with my friend who has hired a mountain bike and find the "heartbreak" hill that looked so intimidating on paper was more than manageable. I make a mental note that I'm grateful for Wildwood, Mt Alexander road, Lorne and Hall's Gap.

It's Saturday, "the day before", I've done some light training, checked the bike into the compound and now it's early evening. We decide to head off early to Wolfgang Puck's for a quick meal of pasta. It seems that we were not alone in this idea and we're advised there would be at least a 30 minute delay as everyone was ordering pasta! I overhead the chef's saying "we are only selling pasta tonight".

Surprisingly, I put my head on the pillow and sleep quite well. It's race morning and I head down to the Aussie tent, collect my race band, set up transition and do a warm up (not to mention about 10 visits to the bathroom - as they say in the US). I re-read everyone's messages of support and then before I know it I am being herded off the swim start for my wave. With the swim over I head into transition and am on the bike course, I know all my fellow Australians were equally focused on the race but it was amazing how many of them took the time to shout Aussie or words of support. There were also the words of support and encouragement inside my head from all the squad members at Tri-Alliance who have given me so much positive feedback during the training leading up this race. I can't get Tim's unique way of calling me "machine" out of my head and I begin saying it out aloud. In hindsight this is crazy behaviour!

Off the bike and into the run where I was finding it a bit tough to pick up the pace in the heat but again seeing the yellow t-shirts in the crowd as well as encouragement from fellow athletes keeps me going. On the second lap, a lot of the Aussie athletes who had finished were there as supporters encouraging me to bring it home "not long now" and before I knew it I could see the finish chute and someone handed me an Aussie flag and I ran towards the finish line with such emotion.

I don't think I can really put into words the absolutely awesome experience that I have had, will re-live over and over again and never forget. Until six months ago, in my wildest dreams I could never have imagined representing Australia in a Triathlon at the World's.

I catch up with Julie and Norm at the tent, there is so much euphoria in the air and then head back to the hotel to call friends and family. I treat myself to a meal at the Hard Rock Cafe and then attend the awards and celebrations on the beach. I say good-bye to my support crew and then head off to the Aussie party at Lulu's where it's great to relax, party, have a drink and watch all the Aussies finish their race on the huge plasma screens. As I write this I'm still on Cloud 9 and think I will be for a long time to come.