Radio Sport Interview

Hi all, see link below for recent interview with Mark Watson on radio sport.



http://www.sportzhub.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8782&Itemid=1



Things have taken a turn for the worst since this interview, a bout of Gastro-Enteritis than took 9 days to pass and a tear to my right knee cartilage have scuppered the last couple of weeks training. I have been doing as much as possible to keep fit, I have been getting advice from the best in the business re rehab and training. At this stage I haven't run since the 22nd of Dec, hopefully I will be able to run on the weekend. Instead it has been X-Skiing at the gym and some high cadence cycling on the rollers to keep the cardio system fired up. The knee is not too great on the bike either, I had to get Wifey to pick me up 3/4 of the way though a ride y'day as it was getting quite sore, especially when in the hills and when pushing high Wattage.

Not to worry, I will do all I can to as fit as possible on the start line come the 9th of January. Have a great New Years, as usual we will leave our celebrating till after the Mt Half!

Cheers :)

Taupo Half Ironman

Yesterday I finally managed to line up for my first race of the NZ summer. I had to miss the last two on my calendar as the winter/spring /summer transition always seems to deal me a bout of some kind of illness. This year a bronchial flu that rendered me out of action for around two weeks causing me to miss the Karapiro Half Ironman, and then not allowing enough preparation for the Tinman Olympic Distance race. So it was great to actually get in the water yesterday morning feeling good and ready to "feed it" to myself once again.

Rumours of Keiran Doe racing failed to eventuate which was disappointing. Any chance of racing against top athletes with a chance of beating them is something I love. Still, Keegan Willians, Tony Moulai, Blair Jordan and Brodie Madgwick were all here to make it quite a talented line up.

The Swim went quite well, I exited alongside Blair, Keegan and Brodie so I was happy with that as I had limited swimming in the lead up and was a little concerned as to how I would fare in the lake. Craig Stewart had a good lead after soloing to an excellent swim time and was quite a way up the road. I had a slow transition dropping my helmet and race number which caused me to lose the group. No biggie and within 5km I had reeled in and passed everyone apart from Craig. By around 12km I had caught Craig and was in the lead and set about putting time into everyone. My goal was to ride at 300W all day, however as I was pulling away from everyone I decide to back off a little and dropped it down to 290-ish to ensure a good run later on.

The Ride was pretty rough with torrential rain in parts, greasy roads making cornering very dodgy and some strong, gusty winds that freaked me as I was using a rear disc wheel. Still, it was warm and having the SRM power meter ensured even effort and I was happy and comfortable.

At the turnaround I had 3 Min's lead and by the end of the ride this had extended to 5m30s. I was stood down for 30secs in transition for un-clipping my helmet too early. I was off my bike, running through transition and un-clipped but left the helmet on. All new to me and very annoying considering I had been working hard for nearly 3 hrs to make the lead I had and now had people yelling at me to stop, the last thing I wanted to do! Still a good learning experience and a mistake I wont make again.

Once out on the run I dialed into just under 4min kms with my Garmin GPS watch pacing me. Its a very cool piece of kit to ensure you don't go charging off when full of adrenaline and end up ruining your chances of finishing well.

It was pretty comfy for most of the first lap and heading out on the 2nd lap I felt really good. Once at the turnaround I started to loose it a bit with the legs dying, I had to concentrate hard to keep my form efficient and flowing. I was running with guy who was on his first lap as part of a team, good to have him there to pretend I was actually racing him. I still had a 6min lead but was keen to keep running strong for the training effect to set me up for my next big race, the Tauranga Half in January. This is our National Champs where I am attempting to defend my title. Running up to the finish line was fantastic with heaps of friends and family there to cheer me on and of course Manda and Alex there at the end with my finishers medal.

I ran even splits which was pleasing considering the chequered lead up, and to win my first Taupo Half IM was fantastic and something that I have desired for some time. Im very confident of developing everything futher from here to be "fizzing" on January 9th in Tauranga.

Thanks to all the help and encouragement from all that have assisted and supported me. I hope this result goes someway to repaying the investments you have made in me =)

World Long Course Champs

My first World Champs racing in the Pro Category has come and gone, good times and a great race. An interesting distance, 3km swim, 80km bike and 20km run. It is really more suited to the Olympic distance guys stepping up than IM guys stepping down due to the extended swim and shorter ride. Still I was keen to see where I was against some sharp athletes. I had a farily good lead up, Taupo's weather made it challenging but I made the best of it and was in good form. I was ranked 38th and was keen to show everyone that I was better than that and deserve a smaller number next time!

Race day came with a howling wind blowing directly down the opening 1800m swim leg. This made things very tough from the start with a short heavy chop that made sighting tough and breathing tougher. Once the cannon sounded the pace was brutal, I hung onto a group for around 800m before losing them and swimming the rest solo (again!!!). The dirty black water and jellyfish added to the unpleasant experience and I ended up exiting the water 24th around 6 mins behind the leaders. I didn't know this at the time and set about getting on with the rest of the day.

Onto the bike, a 4 lap ride that only had one short section where you felt the full benefit of the wind behind you. The rest of the time was a "mean" side/head wind. There was a 12m drafting rule which worked well and I was impressed by the competitors adhering to it and the firm marshalling working hard to remind people of the rule.

It was a cool course and a lovely surface. I didn't feel as dominant as normal, my goal was to average 300W for the 80km, something I felt from training would ensure a good run. By the end I averaged 299W so pretty close. My heartrate was very low showing good fitness but I put the feeling of non-dominance down to too much wind-trainer riding and not enough on the road. I was lacking that little bit of extra strength I normally have and am confident of pushing more in the up-coming races. I had pulled in around 6 guys on the ride so was now up into the top 20.


Onto the run I started out pretty conservatively to make sure I did'nt cook myself in the 32 degree heat. I knew lap 3 of the 4 was going to be the killer so the focus early was to ensure I saved a bit up fo that. A guy from Monaco and a Brazillian past me early but by lap 2 I had pulled them back in and started working on the next few.

I also had the NZ gazelle Liam Scopes working on catching me so there was added motivation to keep pushing harder. My heart sank for Paul who had a re-occurance of a heart complaint, still put any non-finishers to shame by finishing it off and then promptly collapsing into bed back at the hotel.

I had a couple of flat spots but was happy with my strength and pushed on through to finish with a top 10 run split and 14th overall. A solid effort for me, great to see the running coming on well. I need to get this swim time down so am planning some real focus in this area. Coming from our winter, I had done zero open water swimming in the lead up, not good when trying to match top ITU triathletes. Had I come out of the water closer to the leaders a top 10 overall was definately on the cards.

All in all a great trip, big thanks to travel buddy Westy for all his help, putting up with me, sorting my dodgy hip and showing me around Perth. Also to Liam for pushing me hard and Bev McKinnon for his help and great support. Thanks to all my support team and sponsors, without you this will not have been possible so thanks to everyone. Well done to the rest of the NZ team, next year is in Germany I think, a 4-120-30 which would be a better distance for me. Better start saving!

City 2 Surf 1/2 Marathon

Coach Mark and I decided to write the City to Surf Half Marathon into the pre-World Long Course Champs program as a good race intensity session to help get my running up to peak form. I did this race 2 years ago in what was a personal best time of 1.14.56. The goal for me was to better this time over the same course, and to make sure the work I have been doing has been working and further tune me up so I am firing on all cylinders when the starting gun goes at the worlds. It all came off for me with a new PB of 1.12.08. 2mins48secs faster than my previous PB shows my running is really going to a new level which is great news and awesome to see the improvement.

We had a great day with the Tauranga turning on the weather as usual. The run goes from Tauranga city, over the harbour bridge into the Mt Maunganui industrial area. Then into the Mt CBD, around the Mt base track with a loop along the beach foreshore to finish on the Mt CBD main street. It is a nice fast course, apart from the Mt Base track which can really sting the legs, especially during the Mt Half Ironman. I ran the first 8km with Ben Ruthe and Kieran Doe but tailed off slightly before the base track. I just didn't have the leg speed to stay with Ben, the National Cross Country Champ and Kieran was running very nicely pacing off Ben. I ran to my own rhythm and lost just over a minute to Kieran and two to Ben to finish 3rd overall. I know I can go faster again, the focus for the next 3 weeks build to the World is on speed and power so I look forward to running as quickly there, only off the bike! I'm keen to use this race as a good annual test to gauge my improvement, 1.10 next year sounds really good to me!

After the race, the entire Milne clan hung at the park with my 5 nieces and nephews and 15 month old daughter Alex running riot with dozens of other kids on the play equipment. A good way to warm down and a good catch up with the whanau.

Next week its off to Hamilton to do a 10km run race for more of the same fine tuning. This time however there will a solid swim, then ride from Taupo to Hamilton on the Saturday, and a quality wind trainer session pre-race on the Sunday. Should be fun and I'm looking forward to the adventure.

Thought I would add in this quote from one of Lance Armstrong's "tweets", very cool...

http://twitpic.com/j00up

Have fun and be mad.......

Capricorn Half IM Race Report

Finally after a very long trip I am back home in Taupo NZ. The return trip home was a bit of a mission and was not very well planned and will not be repeated on future trips! The Capricorn Half is held in the Rydge's Resort in Yepoon Queensland. A beautiful location and a race I would like to make a permanent fixture on my future racing calendar. I headed over with fellow Kiwi athlete Andy MacKay and met up with Belinda Harper who was also competing once over there. The lead up to the race was good, we didn't have long there before the race but finished off our last bits of training and got accustomed to the course. One scare we did have was the announcement that wetsuits would not be allowed by the Elite Field due to the warm water temp. Not being the sharpest fish in the tank this was not the best news for me but I wasn't too worried. Andy was pissed as he decided at the last minute not to bring his race swim suit that you are allowed to wear when wetsuits are ruled out. We decided to take them along race morning just in case which was lucky as it was announced when we arrived that the ruling had been overturned and we could now wear them. Not good news for the ones not staying at the resort who had left them back at their motels!

The race has quite an iconic Swim leg with all competitors leaving transition together at 7.15am and walk the 2km down the beach to the race start. It is quite a sight to see 600-700 wetsuit clad athletes all walking along the beach together. It does play on the mind a little though when you see how far you actually have to swim! 2km in a straight line is a long way. The Elite race has a 5min start on the rest of the field, I got away very well and for the first time managed to sit in the front group with only Andy MacKay and another guy getting away. I was never in real difficulty and felt comfortable sitting on the feet of Tim Berkel and Matty White. The time went really quickly and before long we were rounding the last buoy and heading into the beach. The real bench mark was to have lost little over a minute to Andy, at the Taupo Half IM last December I lost 5mins to him so clearly things have improved nicely here. Good signs that I am developing my swim into more of a weapon that will be very important going forward.

I lost a little ground on them in the run up to transition but quickly joined the group again once on the bike. The course was dead flat but a surface that was rougher the the NZIM course. One guy was off the front but punctured leaving a group of around 7 athletes at the front of the race. I was dawdling in here and decided to hit the front and lift the pace. If I was going to beat the WA Ironman champ Tim Berkel I would have to hurt him on the ride as he is an exceptional runner. There was also 3 guys from the Aussie Long Distance Elite Squad so I wasn't keen to wait around for someone else to do the damage.

By the time we had finished the first of 5 laps I had about a 30 second lead. I was hoping fellow Kiwi James Bowstead would bridge up to me an we could share the pain a little at the front but I was on my own and certainly wasn't going to wait around. I rode hard but well below threshold and at an even tempo. The gap grew with each lap and I could see some real concern on the faces of the bunch as we crossed paths. It was getting very hot with the temperature up to 33C and before long my Tri-suit was covered in white salt from my sweat. I was wishing I had worn a conventional helmet to keep my head cool and not the Aero one that has limited air flow through it. I got through a bottle of fluid a lap and had salt tablets to top me up also so was doing all I could to keep hydrated. On the last leg into town I had a couple of moments of blurred vision and "goose bumps" that freaked me a little. My heart rate was still only 155-158bpm so I figured the intensity was aok and kept on going. Into transition and I had a 3min lead, perfect! I have run sub 1.20 before and new that something close to this would ensure victory. Through the first few kms I was going well with my Garmin showing I was running 3.40kms which was perfect.

At around 5km things went very pear shaped, my hands were tingling, I had more "goose bumps" and I lost all power in my running. I just couldn't run, it was very frustrating, leading a major race but unable to run at my potential. I was literally cooked and after going through the 8km mark eventual winner Matty White went by (giving me a pat on the ass as he went) signalling the end of my tenure at the front of the race.

I stopped at each aid station and douse myself with water and drank as much fluid as possible. This went on for the entire 2nd lap and it was with around 4km to go my core temperature must have been coming down as I could now run and finished the race off with something resembling the form of a decent runner.

7th overall with my best swim ever and setting the course record for the cycle leg was a mixed day out. I took home some cash for the bike prime so at least I have something to show for my efforts! Coming from the single digit temperatures we have had all winter in Taupo it is not surprising that I suffered in the heat. I was a great experience and served as a great lead up to the World Long Distance champs in October. I'm excited by my swimming and cycling form with the increased intensity that Pete McCullum has included at swim squad and the quality sessions Mark Watson has created for me on the windtrainer reaping rewards. My new QROO was sensational and new position on the bike powerfull and comfy. Time to get some heat training done and nail the next 8weeks of training.

Thanks to everyone for your support and kind wishes...

Dunc.

Races on the Horizon

In 19 days I will be lining up in my first Tri since IMNZ, yippee, its about time! It has been far too long between drinks and I cant wait to toe the start line again. Since the last post I have only raced once, the Counties Manukau 40km TT Champs. This replaced the scheduled 2nd big weekend I had envisaged. Instead it was off to Auckland where I had a Bike Fit with "Coast to Coast" Champion Gordon Walker and a weekend of training with Andy Mackay and Cam Durno. I was on my spanking new CD01, the latest speed machine from Quintana Roo. Having only been set up on it the day before I wasn't expecting too much but was looking forward to racing again. The course was a 2 lapper, flat with some reasonable winds to contend with. I couldn't get my SRM working so was racing blind, no Cadence, no Heart Rate and no Power. Although completely useless the SRM looked really cool and was definitely the most expensive dashboard accessory there;) I went as hard as I could and finished up 4th overall in 56mins. Commonwealth Bronze Medallist Gordon McCauley took it out 5 mins ahead of me and Aaron Strong was 2nd 3 mins ahead. I was really happy with my effort to be this close to top elite cyclists. I had done zero speed work and was riding a new bike in a totally new position so was far from being tip top. The bike was magic, it is my first Carbon Frame and I have to say I cant see myself going back to Titanium and certainly not Alloy after this. It is super responsive and according to the stats, more aero than the P4.

Since then training has been sporadic at best. I have had 2 bouts of illness, one of which I'm sure was Piggy Flu although they are no longer testing for it. I was in bed for 4 days, never before have I been affected by a flu that badly and it ended up causing me to miss 8 days training. The last 2 weeks have been much better and although cold, the Taupo weather has been reasonable so I have been able to get a few laps of the lake done.

Helping my training of late has been my new Garmin GPS watch. This is without doubt as good a training tool as my SRM (when working!). It is a very motivating piece of kit, seeing exactly how far you have run, at what pace, over what elevation etc is great data. It is especially good for helping to nail quality run sessions at a certain pace. There is no hiding, you are either running the prescribed pace, or you are not. It is also very good for holding me back a little on the longer and slower runs to ensure I'm no overdoing things. I especially like downloading the data after a long ride to see where you have been that day, round the lake rides are especially cool to look at when you pan back to get a view of the entire Nth Island and how far you have been comparative to the size of the country.

I fly out to Aussie on the 12th of August for the Capricorn Half Ironman. I'm using this as a lead up race for the World Long Course Champs which are in Perth in October. The Capricorn will be interesting as I usually have a few shorter lead up races but I am going into this one a little underdone. I think I will be fine though, especially on the bike where I have started to feel good again. Then its a matter of doing my best Cameron Brown impression and getting around the run as efficiently and quickly as possible! I am travelling with Andy MacKay so it should be a good trip and hopefully a little warmer than Taupo's winter.

I thought I would include my plans for the rest of the year and into 2010. Coach Mark Watson and I feel I need more hard racing this year so its a busy calendar which I cant wait to rip into so here goes.....

August, Capricorn Half IM

September, Cam Browns training Camp Noosa (1-2weeks)

October, World Long Course Champs

November, K2 Elite cycling race, Round the Lake Cycle (Classic), Rotorua Tri Series race.

December, Tinman Tri, Taupo Half Ironman, Surfbreaker Sprint Tri

January, Mt Half IM, Geelong 70.3

Feb, Kinloch Tri

March, IMNZ, Auckland Half IM.

I will update again after the OZ trip, be safe y'all, big ups to Julian Dean and Hayden Roulston for inspiring me so much over the last month, respect.....

Mid Winter Camp #1

Training for the Canadian Ironman last year was tough. Not only did Amanda and I have a little baby girl named Alex on the way it was also the most miserable winter I have ever experienced. I think it rained every day for the first month of Alex's life! I did a lot of training indoors on the wind trainer which came back to bite me during the race in Penticton. I had done some serious training time but you cannot fully substitute road miles with wind trainer time. In the end I wasn't conditioned enough and the body rebelled with chronic cramp forcing me to walk most of the run. This year, no matter what the weather is like, the plan is to ensure training is done more effectively to guarantee my assault on the World Long Course Champs in Perth in October is a memorable and successful one! To help make this happen, I have prepared 3 mini-camps in May, June and July around the N-Duro off road Half Marathon series. This involves 3 days of solid training on different roads to destinations not normally ventured too. Basically getting a little creative with the training and making things as fun as possible! Camp 1 has just been completed. The plan was as follows....

Day 1; AM Swim followed by a 100km Ride around Taupo roads and a 60min off road run.

Day 2; Ride from Taupo to Tauranga, 150km via the Pye's Pa Gorge, then run to the top of the Mt and back down.

Day 3; N-Duro off road Half Marathon, then return 80km ride via Te Puke to Rotorua.

The starters for the weekend were Andy MacKay, Cam Durno and recently crowed National Single Speed MTB champ Tim Wilding. A quality group of athletes and a good laugh to be around.

Day 1 was completed only by Andy and I. Both Tim and Cam had done some big miles the weekend before so were keen to save the legs a little for Sat/Sun (...soft?). It was a solid day marred by some technical issues with Andy's bike but we got through it with some mid ride Top Gear Cycles assistance. We had to rug up pretty well as it was single digit temperatures and frosty conditions but only light winds which helped to not freeze us totally. The run off the bike was great with us heading up into the Craters of the Moon mountain bike park to run some single track and keep away from the pavement.

Day 2 was aided by a stiff tailwind which allowed us to steam into the Mt in only 4hrs 20 min's. I had not done this ride before and was expecting 5hrs minimum! The tempo was set early on by T-Rex Wilding firing up his massive shanks to make every rise uncomfortable for the rest of us! We rode as we felt with no real plan for how things were to play out. It was a good fun way to ride and with some 10min TTing on the front from each of us were were soon at the Pye's Pa Gorge. This is a solid climb, not sure on the % gradient but it was granny gear all the way with T-Rex disappearing of up the road. All heart rates were well up to (and beyond) threshold and the legs were stinging. I couldn't help but think how much the race tomorrow is going to hurt with how my legs feel now! Once over that we got some wicked views of the Bay of Plenty and the Mt looming in the distance. After negotiating the Tauranga traffic we met Mand's and Alex at the base of the Mt, packed our bikes into the Taupo Intermediate School van and headed off up the Mt. I had never been up the Mt before so it was a great opportunity to use some of NZ's great landscape as our personal training facility. Geez its steep! Cam "Billy Goat" Durno trotted off in front with Me, MacKay and T-Rex following behind. Great views at the top and a group hug and pic, then barrelled back down for Eggs Benedict lunch and a soak in the Hot Pools, ....mmmmmmm toasty warm:)

Day 3 was here and I was knackered. My legs were actually quite good but the combination of Alex's teething and Amanda's cough combined for a relatively sleepless night! I moved out of our room and onto the couch at 4am only then to have the resident cats wanting to curl up with me! I think I got 2-3hrs sleep max so was not in a "lets go get em tiger" mind set!

The race was held at Sunnyville Recreational farm. It is a privately owned farm that has opened itself up to the public with MTB and walking tracks for anyone to use. All they ask for is respect and a gold coin donation for maintenance. Tremendous views and an excellent course which they think was 16km (I reckon 14km??).

Once again the Billy Goat left us in his dust with Mackay following, then Me with T-Rex finishing it off. The weather had really turned nasty during the run turning the course to a bog not suited to racing flats or roadies! The "Goat" appeared unaffected by the conditions and was the only person to go under the hour. We pulled of 1st, 3rd, 4th and 6th overall, not a bad effort considering the days previous. A group consensus was met, as we huddled away from the elements in the Mongolian Ger that housed the prize giving, to can the final ride back to Rotorua. We had nailed some solid miles and all come through unscathed and will all come away with some more strength to pull out and smack our opponents with in our major races later in the year. Respect to the bhoys. Cam "Billy" Durno has my vote for top dog of the weekend, will he defend this lofty ranking at next months round 2 in Rotorua?

Fire up the engines again....

Last Thursday Physio Jonty from Body Dynamics gave me the OK to get out and run to see how the recovering body felt. So up to the "Craters of the Moon" mountain bike park I went on Friday to do so light running on soft dirt tracks. I'm happy to say everything felt fine, no jarring and my tender right hip was not an issue. In fact I felt great! Normally after a month of no running my cardio system is rubbish and I puff, wheeze and struggle through my first week or 2 of running. I think due to the fact I have kept my swimming up I'm still reasonably fit. So feeling good and loving being out on a beautiful day with the tracks to myself I extended the run slightly and ended up doing around 50mins. It was pretty slow and I finished stoked and excited about being back in the game! Since then my legs have been stiff as boards and back to limping around the place! What a wally, never mind, nothing major and I will run again today and start getting a routine back into my weeks.



I have also had a couple of rides on my new Litespeed, what a difference to my last frame! A real pleasure to ride and its nice to have something I catch myself "ogling" over every time I go into the garage. I will try to make the most of the remaining good summer weather and get out on it at every chance. The pic is of another bee sting in my leg I picked up on one ride. Not as bad as the one I had earlier in the year on my eyebrow but impressive all the same!

I have over the last month put serious thought into what the year is going to look like. I have concluded that this year will have more focus on Half Ironman racing to work on my swimming and running speed. It will allow me also to race more often and travel to some interesting locations for some "life experience!". Here is what things will look like through to The World Long Course Champs in Perth in October....

1. King of the Bays Ocean Swim, 19th April


2. N-Duro off road 1/2 Marathon, Tauranga 24th May


3. N-Duro off road 1/2 Marathon, Rotorua 28th June


4. Putrjara 70.3, Malaysia 26th July


5. Capricorn 1/2 Ironman, Nth Queensland 16th August


6. Gold Coast Training Camp, Mid September


7. World Longcourse Champs, Perth 25th October

There is also the option of doing the Phillipines 70.3 a week after Yepoon. If Putrjara 70.3 goes well I may be in a position to do this, I will wait until after then to make a decision.

Its an exciting plan and the build up started yesterday! Training through the Taupo winter is going to be tough as it was last year but with more things to break it up this year is will be more manageable. After the Worlds it will be onto the NZ summer with the big goal being retaining my NZ title at the Mt Half. IMNZ will follow on from that as the demons must be exorcised!

I must also mention the "Tenon" team who completed the Oxfam 100km race again this year. They took 3.5hrs off the time from last year and ended up 4th overall. The terrain this race goes over is brutal and these guys nailed it. In their preparation two of there big training days included going over the Tongiriro Crossing, and back again! It just shows if you prepare well, race day is that much easier. Maximum respect to you boys, inspirational stuff.

Cheers

Dunc.

Movin on.........

2 weeks on from NZIM and I'm walking normally again after the crash and have begun planning for the rest of the year. I have been having regular physio with Jonty Garlick from Body Dynamics and we are making progress. There is a few funny things going on in my lower back and hip to the point that Jonty has recommended I have an xray asap as there may be a fracture of some kind in there causing pain that I am still having. Running is still out of the question so the Auckland Half is definitely a no go. I haven't rode yet either but hopefully I will be able to take my new Litespeed road frame (pic above, bike courtesy of "Bike Fixation" chur!!!) out for a test ride this week and start some gentle riding again. My right hip is still tender due to bruising on the bone. I am reminded of it at regular intervals whilst navigating my way through our small home catching it on door frames or dressers and at work on packets of timber or whilst climbing onto the forklift! I am definitely on the mend though and look forward to the xray tomorrow to see what is going on in there.

I have put some good time into thinking about the rest of the year, for now it's a swimming focus through to the "King of the Bays" Ocean swim. This is a good opportunity to have a close look at what I'm doing in the water as I'm determined to be in the front group out of the water next year. After that it's going to be a swim & run focus through the winter to avoid to many long rides in the "minging" Taupo winter! I am keen to do up to 5 Half Ironman races before IMNZ next year. At this stage I'm looking at either the Phillipines 70.3 or the Yepoon Half Ironman in August as a lead up race to the World Long Distance Champs in Perth in October. One month before these races is the Malaysia 70.3 which could also be an option but will depend on funds and work commitments. Following the World Long Course it will be back to NZ for the summer with the main goal being defending my Mt Half title! Then roll on again to IMNZ if all is going well.

It will be another exciting year with the focus on more racing and getting my swim and run up to my riding level in order to become a more balanced triathlete. I was happy with my running development over the last 12 months so am keen to continue this improvement. I'm pleased to be back in a positive frame of mind and an enjoying the extra swim miles I'm doing with Mitch Nairn (local national age group swimmer). The pic to the right is of Mitch, Shayne Nairn, Me, Mum and Richard (dark horse) Stringfellow at the 2.8km Sand to Surf Ocean Swim yesterday. It was a great event, Mitch was top 10, Mum did her longest ever swim, very gutsy in unsettled and sometimes rough conditions! Koro and Shayne banged out good times and I cruised around feeling OK and happy to have no back issues. A great day out and good to be toeing the start line again!

Cheers

Dunc.

another pic....

Hi again, I just had a pic through from Steve from Sportzhub.com that he took just after I had my spill. Nice pic, he is forwarding through a video of the whole incident as he got it all on camera! Once I have it I will post it here for everyone to have a laugh at:(

Bods still very sore, the lower back area is loosening with the anti inflammatorys but no change to the bruising around the knee and hip. I'm pretty dark on IM at the mo, my head is saying lets change focus to do more 1/2s and shorter racing. If s*%t happens as it did on Saturday, at least I can do another heap of major races within the season. 1/2s are where I have had my best results and there are so many to choose from it can make the year quite exciting to plan, we shall see. Anyway, back to the real world this morning and off to work @ Tenon!

Cheers

Dunc.

IMNZ 09

The past 12 months has been filled with a diverse mixture of highs and lows. The highs of the birth of Alex, the Auckland Half title, PB at NZIM 08, the lows of my long walk at IM Canada and the Taupo Half seat post debacle. Then to top if off, following on from the lofty heights of winning the Tauranga Half, I was smacked back down to earth y'day with an insignificant crash at the turnaround on the first lap of the bike ruining my chances of a PB & top 5 position. It had been drizzling all morning and the roads were quite slick but nothing that caused great concern and as I approached the turning cone, at a sensible speed and gentle angle both wheels went out from under me and I hit the deck with a thud. I didn't even feel it coming, no fish tailing or sliding, one moment I was on my bike, next moment I'm lying on the ground. As you do in those embarrassing moments when you do something stupid in front of a large crowd of people I bounced back up and got back onto the bike and off I went again, my knee was aching and hip throbbing but I've had far worse crashes in my time and expected for it to subside to nothing.

I continued to ride well holding the same time to the front group that contained Cam Brown, Dirk Bockel, Terrenzo Bozzone, Stephen Bayliss and Jan Raphael. At the halfway point I was the same time down on them as I was out of the water, holding my own and feeling good. My nutrition was excellent and apart from the sore hip all was looking good. I moved into 6th not long after passing one of the American guys who had been dropped from the front group and rolled on out to Reporoa. During this leg I began to get quite sore in what I thought was my lower back on the opposite side to what hit the ground. This continued to stiffen and occasionally pinch on the last leg. My watts started to suffer a little with the pain but not enough to think my day was over. Back into town and I felt good, not too fatigued and ready to get the running legs going. As soon as I got off the bike the S*!T hit the fan. My lower bag was pinching, a real "nervy" pain and my right hip did not like the jarring of each step so I limped into the tent wondering what to do. The medics gave me some paracetamol which did nothing, I hobbled over the bridge to the other side of the road and limped off through the screaming crowd. It was a bad look, I looked like a 98 year old with chronic arthritis. I tried to jog it out but it was too much and I couldn't comprehend running a marathon with what was going on. I had many words of encouragement and words of wisdom and after 2km pulled the pin. Gutting, I had worked harder for this race than any other and have had more help from people in the lead up to this than ever before. The sacrifices made in time and finances have been huge, a split second destroyed all that work and I'm left with some impressive bruising and a possible 8 week lay off/recovery from a tear in my Sacro-illial joint (top of the pelvis). That was what all the pinching was in my lower back, not nice and tricky to get right according to the race Doc.

So that is that, an unhappy ending for me:( Aside from my day it was a brilliant race with Brown smashing everyone again and my Luembourgan training partner laying his lads on the line to go off the front on the bike and make the race interesting (finishing 3rd). Mates Westy (11th) and Mackay (12th) had great days so big ups to them. I will pay homage to them all tonight at the awards and drown my sorrows somewhat.

Thanks to all the people which have made a difference in getting me to where I was pre race. You are all special people and I am forever in your debt! It's definitely not a good time to make any plans yet for the immediate future but I can assure you I will be back to move on to the next challenge.

Oh, the pics show the bruising and swelling to my right hip compared to the normal sized left, not a bad effort for going 10kph at the time!

Cheers

Dunc.

Bring it on!!!

2 days to go, bring it on. Taper week is going well and Im feeling better and better each day. I have felt fresher as each day passes and have to be a little carefull on the final easy sessions not to go too fast as your body wants to go! Less is definately more now, I try not to be too sedintary and lounge around too much as I can start to feel very lethargic and run the risk of the "core" muscles going to sleep!

Ive started my Carbo loading regime, pretty basic really, small meals higher in carbs than normal and I also use the Leppin Carb Loader to top up my levels. I had my final massage today and will do regular stretching through to the day to keep limber and get as much Oxygen to the muscles as possible. The main focus now is on the head though, its the most important part of the last week as it is easy to get distracted with all the hype and cool gears flying around the place. All people new to the sport should remember Mark Watsons quote from one of my earlier blogs, "all the gears and no ideas!". Its a good time to think back to the training you have done and the positive results you have had in the past. Believe in yourself and get excited about showing yourself and everyone else there on the day just how fit you have become!

Ive included a few pics of my race weapon for you to see, details are...

Frame; Quintana Roo Lucero Titanium

Saddle; ISM Adamo Racing

Componentry; Durace/Sram mix

Cranks; SRM Power meter

Wheels; Corima Disc and Deep Rim Front

Handlebars; Profile

Pedals; Speedplay Zeros

Thats all from me, see you out there!

Cheers

Dunc.

Tuning up...

Hi all, Ive been a bit slack not posting anything for 2 weeks now, apologies! The last couple of blocks of training have been tough but I'm very happy with how Ive have got through everything. Tuning up for race day brings you pretty close to that line of being ultimately prepared, or of overdoing it and crashing with illness or injury. I haven't crossed the line and am injury free and healthy (touch wood he says knocking his head:)). I have been quite tired through the day but in my last few quality bike sessions my Watts have been bang on the mark so I know I'm aok.

It is this time when heaps of interest develops with all the local community, the town really starts buzzing with all the little events and the promotions. Ironman is huge for Taupo and the positive benefits for the wider community are endless both financially and with the spirit and passion it develops. It is a time where I have remind myself that I am privileged to be able to be a part of such a fantastic sport. When I am tired and ready to taper I can get frustrated with every person you see asking the same questions, "hows the training", "not long to go know!", "are you ready to go?", "are you going to beat Cam Brown this year?". I think I must get asked these questions 10 times everyday! I have to turn them into positives and remember people are genuinely interested. I have become good at rattling off a pre prepared answer that I can say on the move to my next job in preparing myself for the big day! "Pressure is a privilege..." Maria Sharapova was quoted as saying, very true words.

This week consists mainly of some easy running, some moderate bike intensity and some full on quality in the pool. If I'm going to be placed well out of the water (setting up my day) I need to have my best swim ever. The work I have done lately in the water has me stronger than ever, its now a case of turning that strength into speed! The local "Cross the Lake" swim is on this weekend so will be a great race day simulation for pre race meal/breakfast and swim start. I wont be going 100% but it will be fun to be a part of a cool event and another over distance swim to make next week feel all the more easy! I also have my new Quintana Roo Superfull Wetsuit to trial in a race simulation (and show off before and afterwards!). My initial feelings are its the best suit Ive ever worn, super supple and the "virtual pull buoy" concept seems to suit me well.

Anyway, I better get away for today's session, another day in Paradise here, lets hope we have the same race day to see so super fast times and a spectacle to remember. Oh yeah, the pic above is of the latest Multisport Mag, I made the front cover for the first time! First of many I reckon, maybe the March/April edition will feature me too;o)

Cheers
Dunc:)

4 on 2 off :o)

Hi, not too much to report since last week. Coach Mark Watson has me on a 4 days hard, 2 days easy at the moment to allow me to get a little more intensity into each week. I really feel its working for me and it showed this weekend as I recovered well from the Cam Brown camp and backed it up with another good block.

I celebrated Waitangi day by doing a big training day with Dirk (Bockel), we swam the IM course ensuring to pass by the "hole in one" golf pontoon prior to opening hours! Dirk is a fantastic swimmer and was probably in cruise mode with me fighting to hold his feet on the return leg! Great race day simulation for me though as finding feet and holding them is crucial for a fast swim. The ride round the lake was awesome, very little wind and the temp pushing 30 again. Dirk had an hour effort to do on the flats from Turangi so I sat on his wheel trying to keep my HR down. I managed this nicely and the time went by very quickly. The only negative is the constant fear of traffic, we were single file all day but still had Cars and Trucks especially coming very close. These guys wouldnt pass farm stock or pedestrians as close, but they get off on giving us a fright and checking us out in their rear view mirrors to see our reaction once past. Unfortunatley we live in a community with such an aggresive culture and we are bascially powerless. Just look at the recent court case stemming from the dangerous driving incident at the K2 Cycle Race. Even when someone directly causes and accident and almost death they are not prosecuted. The guys who are here from overseas are truly shocked by it and will be telling their friends and fellow athletes not to come to NZ unless they want to risk life and limb on the road. Thats a real shame for our sport and the wider community as they bring in a heap of positivity and financial benefits. Anyway, we got around in 4 hrs 40 which is not a bad time considering we were not pushing things until Turangi. A good sign of my fitness and new found tolerance of miles was being able to play with Alex when I arrived home and hold a decent conversation with Mands!
Saturday was another big day, 5km in the pool followed by a 90min run and then a 2hr ride in the avo. Sunday was a 130km ride with 90km on the course at race pace. This was tough with some reasonable winds on the course. My timing was pretty good doing the 90km in 2.25 which equates to a 4hr50 IM bike. With training wheels on and no aero helmet I was happy with the effort. My heart rate was very rarely over 140 so signs are good for a fast ride this year. When I got home it was scorching hot, I had a 45 min run to do with some high intensity stuff. I was pretty dehydrated by the end of it and needed a cold shower to regain my composure! Poor Mum and Dad were in town and had to deal with post session grumpiness until I had polished off Manda's Quiche and Pasta lunch! Today was the last day of the 4 day block. I had a 2.5 hr run to do which I decided to do before work to avoid the heat. I left at 6.30 and did 2hrs off road followed by 35mins on the streets through town. It was another good run on the back of a fairly solid block of training so I was stoked to finish it off well. I had a 90 spin with a group of Euro/American athletes in the avo and felt ready for more! Pilate's this evening was tough through with my quads stinging from the miles.
2 easy days now, both with some easy sessions but a good time to refocus and get ready for the next block.
Congrats to Mum and Dad who competed as a team at the Kinloch tri on Sunday. Mum swam, good mate and local IM legend Richard "Dark-Horse" Stringfellow did the bike and Dad ran. They had a ball and all enjoyed their respective races. The team name was way of the mark ("old and Stringy") as they ended up winning the mixed team race!

Thats all from me, all is well, time for bed:)

Dunc

PS. just heard I'm on the cover of the Multisport Mag this month! Very cool, also I'm no.6 for IMNZ, good motivation to finish higher than that to have a faster number next year!

Familiarity is key...

Another awesome weekend with Taupo doing its best to impersonate a tropical paradise with very hot temperatures and a fair bit of humidity as well. We are truly blessed to live here in Taupo, it is in my opinion, the best place to live and train in the NZ summer. The variety of rides and runs is tremendous and we get to swim in the water that most of the people in the upper North Island drink!

I was lucky enough this weekend to be a part of the Cam Brown training camp based in Taupo with around 25 athletes of varying abilities. Being based in Taupo allows the athletes to become familiar with the course and feel what its like riding back to Taupo into the wind and how massive those wee hills on the run course actually are when your fatigued. There were a number of Iron Virgins as well as some seasoned IMers and Coast to Coasters taking part. It was a really good bunch of people and nice to meet and be motivated by some fresh faces. As always at these camps there was one individual who fit the old saying of "all the gears and no ideas". It was very funny when after shelling out plenty of questionable advise to anyone who listened he promptly fell off his bike at one of the pre-ride briefings :-O. However, I'm sure he learnt a lot from the wise council of Brown and Watson and will go away a more educated and humble athlete;)

Friday was a pretty lax day with me just doing a normal squad session in the a.m and then a group 1hr run in the avo. This was more a meet and greet time and a chance for people to become accustomed with the environment and lodgings etc.

Day 2 was a biggie, Andy MacKay and I were given the task of swimming the IM course, and then meet the rest of the crew at the motel for a 200km ride, completing the full course plus a bit tapped on the end. We had our fair share of efforts to do as well so it was a full on workout. I have just changed saddles to a ISM racer that took a bit of getting used to but was very happy with how it felt and helped my position on my QROO Lucero. We then had a run off the bike that was pretty intense, I held Cam and Andy for 15 mins but even with my new Pearl Izumi Streak racing flats the pace was too quick for me so I chose to back off and run my own pace back to base camp. The shoes felt great and will be my choice for the IMNZ run. All in all a great day and I was very happy with how I scrubbed up.

Sunday came with the intimidating prospect of running for 2.5hrs with one of the best runners in the sport! After a leisurely start the group soon thinned to 6 with Coach Mark Watson half wheeling all of us, cranking up the pace to around 4 min kms. I found this quite fun and was happy with how my legs felt so went with him. Mark isn't in the best shape of his life at present so he had a 5 min rest just before the run turnaround before jumping back into the group and slowly turning the screw again! We went with him and were back into town before we knew it. Mark pulled the pin and limped off looking for a coffee and cream bun and the group thinned to 4, Brown, Cam Durno, Andy MacKay and me. We decided to do the last hour off road so ran the beautiful mountain bike tracks to Huka Falls and back up the other side to town. The sun was shining and the cicadas chorus was deafening, long may this Summer continue! It was a great run and I was rapt with how I felt.

There is still room to improve before IM so it will be a case of staying smart and listening to the bod before the taper starts and Race Day is upon us. I'm like a kid in a candy store at the moment and can't wait to get to March 7 and show myself how fit I have become!

Take care, tune in next week....

Dunc:)

Jake the muss.......

Gordon Walker wrote an article in Multi Sport magazine a couple of years ago detailing a 2 week training camp he had been on in the Gold Coast. For most that attended this camp it was preparation for the Hawaiian Ironman, for Gordon it was leading up to the Motu Challenge here in NZ. In that article he referred to Cam Brown as "Jake the Muss" (for those of you outside of NZ and haven't seen "Once were Warriors" think instead of the roughest, toughest movie character you can think of). Last week I learnt that this description of Cam in relation to triathlon training was very apt!

The camp was to be 5 days, the top dogs were Cam Brown and Gordon Walker with myself, Andy MacKay, James Bowstead, Jaime Whyte and Wayne Oxenham along in an attempt to keep them honest. All in all we covered over 600km on the bike, Auckland to Whangamata (155km) on the first day, the infamous K2 cycle race course (192km) and the return ride to Auckland were the 3 biggies. We ran around 90km, most of which was off road and had 2 swim sessions.
One of the standout sessions was the first day, following the grueling ride down we had a 55min run, I thought this would have been fairly moderately paced but this was the session that would set the precedent for the rest of the week! We started out steadily and then turned off the road into a forest trail. This trail went up, and up, and up and up some more. After 15 mins of climbing, Cameron casually informed us that there was 5 mins of climbing left. At this stage we were blowing and the elastic was stretched to the limit! Andy and I hung in for 2 more mins before dropping and Cam, Gordy and James trotted off up ahead. I was close to redlining and with 4 more days of punishment left to go decided to save a bit over. Once at the top we admired the views of Whangamata below and then it was a rapid descent back to sea level stopping at a stream along the way to soak our hats in, as the temperature was over 30 degrees. We all met up at the bottom and ran back to town as a group, thankfully Jaime who had dropped on the ride was just getting out of the shower so it was pleasing to see he had made it safely (he called it a day after the next session laid up with a virus).

Following a quality run on the 2nd day we finished at the end of a Peninsular across the harbour inlet from town. There are 2 ways to get back into town, either run back the way we came, or swim in full running kit complete with fuel belts and sunnies across the channel to the harbour. Given we were already 10 mins over time on our run, the 2nd option was taken, it was a great way to finish and I recommend it to anyone (who can swim of course:)), the water was beautiful and it helped us all forget the pounding we had just taken trying to keep up with Cam on the 100 min run!

The last day had us retracing our steps from the 1st day. This was the 3rd time we summited the Kopu Hikuai, a 15km climb from bottom to top. I had dropped from Cam and James on the 2nd ascent during our K2 loop so was keen to hold them today. I managed this and as we went over the top the group was down to Cam, James and Me, not a bad effort given I'm lugging 13kg more body weight than both of them! Once home we had a short easy run of the bike to do, or so I thought. It was full noise for me, at times on the flat Andy (who had a Garmin watch to show our running pace) said we were running 3min 40s kms. To be doing this at the end of such a tough week and solid ride, in what was 30 degree plus weather was great. Awesome for me to push the limits some more and create some more mental toughness to use in IMNZ in 6 weeks.
We all collapsed into Brownie's neighbours' swimming pool with bottles of Electrolyte and water to cool off and reflect on what was a great week. Training with Cam and Gordy really showed me what it takes to be the best. Absolute commitment and follow through on every session is critical and the need to push the limits from time to time prepares them mentally and physically for the ardures of race day. Cam never dropped from any of the sessions and never showed weakness. The old adage of "if you haven't been there in training, you are not going to handle it come race day" fits well. This training approach for IM is new to me but it is clear that combined with rest strategies and periodisation, it is what is required if I want to develop as an athlete.

We have another 3 day version this weekend with "..the Muss" after a couple of easy days, I'm looking forward to it already and will update you all next week on what happens there.

Cheers
Dunc:)

...raising the bar.....

One week on from the Mt Half and I am finally starting to come to terms with the win. It was all quite surreal and it was small snippets of video and photos that helped me believe that it was in fact me out there and not some other bloke! I guess I wont be totally convinced until the race coverage is aired and I can re-live the day!

Following the race I had 3 days off normal training. I had a spin on the rollers on Tuesday and then was back into things come Wednesday. My recovery has surprised me as in the past I would have been a write off for a week! This improvement is undoubtedly due to the change in approach to my training. Mark W.s programmes have increased my durability and hardened me to the effects of racing. By being able to train again earlier will also increase the "training effect" from the 1/2 allowing me to springboard on to the next level.

This week I'm back to my job at Tenon, if only for 2 days before heading off to Auckland to join Cameron B. and a few other elite athletes for a 5 day camp. This is going to be wicked and I'm really looking forward to the hard work and more importantly the wealth of knowledge these guys all have. The schedule is impressive and I will be very interested to see how I handle the week.

I have been lucky enough over the last week to do some training with Dirk Bockel, an ITU triathlete from Luxembourg. Hes the guy that had all us Kiwis nervous at Beijing when he lead of the bike and held off the best runners in the sport for much longer than any Kiwi was comfortable with! Dirk is here in Taupo through to the Ironman where he is lining up for his first hit out at the distance. I have already learnt much from him especially in the pool where he is extremely proficient. It is great he is here and we will be able to help each other in the lead up to the big day.

That's all for this week, tune in next week for a run down of the big camp and no doubt some interesting tales stemming from it.

Cheers

Dunc:)

Mission Accomplished:)

Following up from my last Blog, I achieved what I set out to do at the Tauranga Half by going sub 4hrs for the first time. In fact my final time was 3.56 so I managed to take a shade under 10 mins of my last time for the race so naturally I'm elated. Oh yeah, did I mention I won? To repeat what my bike sponsor said when I texted him to let him know, "you're sh%$ing me?!!" To be honest I'm a bit lost for words as I think it's going to take a few days to sink, in but yes I am the NZ Long Distance Triathlon Champion! The day was full of drama for many, I will run through things as I saw them play out....

Race start was 6.30am, this means for most being in transition by 5.30am. Not an easy task to wake a sleeping baby at 4.30am, get her ready, have breakfast and get to the event on the other side of town but we managed. I had a good spin on the wind trainer and a 15 min warm up swim so was amping to go when the gun went. My plan was to mark Jaime Whyte and James Bowstead in the water as I knew they would ride hard all day. This went off without a hitch, I had to work hard on the downward leg of the 2nd lap but the rest of the swim was pretty cruisy. That was until we caught the slower age group swimmers completing their 1st lap. There was heaps of them, making sighting the people I was trying to swim with very difficult. It broke our pack up and we had to swim over quite a few. My apologies to any I bashed on my way through! It was our only option though as missing the train on the bike is not an option; riding solo is far harder than the combined energy of a group, even with no drafting. James had got up the road a bit from us so Jaime, Bevan McKinnon and I took to chasing him down before focusing on catching Cameron Brown, Kieran Doe and Steven Sheldrake. By the turn at the far end of the course we had caught them, pushing over 400 watts at times to make up the ground. Sheldrake punctured just before we caught him. He can't have had a spare as he didn't finish. I was feeling pretty comfortable but there was the odd surge that forced me to crank things up to stay in touch. Most of us were keeping to the drafting rules and riding clean but there was one in particular that was sucking a bit of wheel and looking around a lot. Cameron and Kieran both gave him a serve at different times. I said nothing but I think in future I will say something as it's not something I feel has a place in the sport. Apart from the first outward leg of the ride we had no draft busters with us at all, only press photographers and camera crews. That seems strange to me as we are the ones competing for the $$ so surely more focus should be placed on keep our race free of drafting?
We hauled in Kieran at the end of the 2nd lap before Jaime and James broke clear to try to put time into us. I was tempted to go with them but thought better of it. We could have gone with them but we were already averaging over 42kph so I felt that the extra effort they were expending would likely cost them on the run. Not long after Cameron pulled off with a flat tyre. Rotten luck for him as it was clear it was coming down to a running race and he would have easily been odds on to win that. I went to the front for the return leg to minimise the time lost to Jaime and James and entered transition 3rd. Kieran out transitioned me and quickly caught James. I eased into the run and before long found myself catching them both. Half way to the turnaround I caught them. They heard me coming up and Kieran turned and gave me a look of "what the...?? I ran through them and set my sights on Jaime. I caught him before the base of the Mt and took the lead as he stopped for a drink. This was unreal, I'm leading the Mt Half Ironman!! What a buzz, it was awesome for about 5 mins until my stomach started doing somersaults and I was forced to take a "pit stop" to relieve the pressure. Paula Radcliffe would have been proud of my effort, made all the more complicated by wearing a one piece! Thankfully I had a track clear of witnesses and was back into it without Jaime catching me. Running on this track is horrible for me, I lose all momentum and running and breathing rhythm. Back on to the flat stuff I felt heaps better (and lighter ;) ) and found my rhythm again. My family were all there along with many Taupo friends yelling at me to keep hauling ass. Along the water front I got heaps of support and by this stage people were telling me I had it in the bag. I don't thing they quite remembered Cam Brown's run last year making up 7 mins of Kieran's 8 min lead and it was still a threat that he may do the same and more this year by catching me. He was flying, his technique and form is so efficient and he clearly had all intentions of giving everything to try to catch me. I was confident no one else would come up but had to make sure I did enough to hold him off. Onto the base track and I ran it a little better than the first lap, it was still a real battle but once I got back to the Mall and could see the finish I knew I had it in the bag. I enjoyed this stretch making sure to high five all my family and supporters and even do a little dance! I was well under my goal time and wanted to have some fun. Crossing the line was awesome, a real buzz and wonderful to win my first Tauranga Half and 2nd Half Ironman Title (after Auckland 1/2 IM 2008). I had a few interviews and pics with Cameron and then was whisked off to my first drug test which was an interesting experience!

All in all it was a great day, I had my fair share of luck and my condolences go out to Cameron as his misfortune clearly benefited me. That's the way it goes though, 3 weeks ago I had my tough luck story with a mechanical at the Taupo Half resulting in me pulling out. Regardless of my position I have definitely developed into a better athlete this year and I can't wait to get back into things to get ready for the NZIM in March.
Another positive for me from the day was to see how strong our sport is becoming at the top level especially in the men's field. Jaime Whyte, James and Mark Bowstead, Blair Jordan, Andrew MacKay, Paul Westwood, Liam Scopes just to name a few are all class athletes still developing. It's great to be a part of a group that are all intense competitors but without egos to get in the way of friendly competition.
On another note, my coach Mark Watson has invited me to a Training Camp with Cameron at Whangamata in a couple of weeks, that will be a fantastic learning experience training with the world's most consistent Ironman performer and a chance to push myself further and find new limits. Mark has opened many doors for me since taking me on after the Auckland Half last year. His passion for the sport is infectious and his approach of doing the hard yards and pushing the limits is one that constantly motivates and enthuses. My sincere thanks to Mark for all he has done to help me over the past year.
Thanks also to all my family, friends, sponsors, partners and general supporters for your ongoing support and belief in me. It is very satisfying to be able to pay you all back in some way though this performance and I look forward to securing a similar result in March :)

Cheers....... Dunc.