Race Reports 1982 - 2005
 


Welcome to my page !

Here you'll find many race reports from the very early days of Australian Triathlon right up until the very last Ironman held at Forster in 2005 , enjoy !

I was fortunate to be on the beach for Arguably Australia's first ever Triathlon at Elouera Beach in 1981 . 25 years later I still have a keen interest in the sport . Whilst not competing as regularly as in the early days I have witnessed the growth of the sport from day one !

In this page I'll have race reports and hopefully some photos from some of the more important races to me , I hope you'll get a kick out of these reports.

You may know some of the people mentioned in these stories , some are still racing , some have disapeared , others became world champions but they were all part of my triathlon career at some point.

Hawaii 84
Forster 85
Honolulu Marathon 85
Hawaii 86
Forster 2005
Other Reports
 

Hawaii Ironman 1984

Gee 23 years has passed since I first did the Hawaiian Ironman but really it doesn't seem that long ago . I have been asked several times to put down in writing what it was like back then . So here goes , the memory hasn’t faded that’s for sure.

In 1984 The Ironman was a mere 8 races old . The race numbers had steadily grown from 15 in 78 & 79 to 1200 in 1984 . Apparently over 8000 applied before 1200 toe’d the starting line . I was fortunate in 84 that there was no qualifying for overseas entrants , in a weird twist if you weren't born in the USA you got straight into the race !! 1984 also benefited with the increased media coverage following Dave .Scott’s and Scott Tinleys epic duel where a bare 33 seconds separated at the finish line .

Stepping back a bit I commenced triathlons in October of 83 , my first race was a quadrathon held in Saratoga near Gosford , it was around this time I saw coverage of the October 1982 Ironman and being absolutely amazed . From the quardathon I progressed through the local tri’s , Elouera , Nepean , Narrabeen , Lake Illawarra .

In about January I got the crazy notion to do Hawaii , perhaps buoyed by seeing the 83 IMH on Wide World of Sports . In the days before Internet and e-mail , I had to write to Hawaii asking for an application and then wait for it to be returned . Upon receiving it I quickly filled it in arranged a chq in USD$$ for the entry fee of 100.00 , got my passport photo and sent it in . Rather stupidly of me at the time I also sent away and bought some Ironman merchandise , I never did wear it though till after the race .

Anticipating my race in Hawaii I travelled to Melbourne to compete in the inaugural "survivor" the only half or near enough anyway , (2,80,20) race in Australia . Good friend and wonder kid Clayton Stevenson was also going down , along with Greg Miller so it was going to be an interesting weekend, I survived the race quite comfortably and that built my confidence up for Hawaii. I waited nervously for several weeks until I received the letter that commenced " Welcome to the Ironman ..." I was in and it was only about 5 months away . Up to this point I hadn’t told anyone about plans except my parents whose first words were "your stupid " ! ( in a nice way)

I remember telling my good mate at the time Stewart Taylor ( ST) that I was doing it , I’m not sure he fully believed me but he told me he knew of another two guys who were going , Warren Buchan and John Wilken both local lifeguards , Bucho I knew well but had no idea who Wilko was . After proving to ST I was actually racing , his first words to me were " I coming to watch !" . I was stoked after thinking I would be alone , at least now there would be a small contingent of Cronulla guys over there . Several days late ST told me that Paul Bannister , another local lifeguard , Bucho’s best mate and top triathlete in his own right was also going to watch . Peter Casacelli another local surf club guy would announce he was coming over with us in a couple of days too , this was going be fun .

Now you have to remember in 1984 there were no triathlon coaches or books or manuals , triathlete magazine from the states was about 4 issues old ,so we had no idea how to train . I had read stories about Molina and Tinley and Scott who did roughly 16k of swimming , 500k of riding and 100k of running per week so that was the template . With work there was no way I was going to be able to do 500k of riding , at least not on the road anyway . Welcome to the world of wind trainers !

I had been swimming with Dick Quinn’s squad up at Caringbah over the summer . I was anything but a fast swimmer but was solid in the water and knew the swim would be of no real concern , I had also run a couple of marathons , in the low 3’s , by then so I knew the run would be achievable .But that bike , what had I got myself into and at that time my bike was a Bennet Mirage with side pull brakes and 1 ¼ inch tyres . A new bike would be a major purchase and a necessity . I duly brought a new fully Italian road bike from a LBS and that would be my ride for the next 20 years or so , in fact It’s still sitting on a wind trainer at home .

Not long after I started my IM specific training I was at swimming when Dick pulled me aside and told me Greg Miller was also going to Hawaii to race . Like myself Greg had kept his decision to race fairly quiet until accepted into the race . That made 4 Cronulla locals and several friends to spectate .

Greg was in his 40’s and was super fit . A former first grade Rugby league player for Saints and he also played in the Cronulla Sharks first ever team . Great guy with a great sense of humour and a diligent trainer , Greg would take me under his wing and together we would do some training together , including some rather bizarre sessions (more about that later).

It was through Greg that Bucho , myself and Wilko would meat the Eastern Suburbs guys . Billy Roney was their unofficial leader and he too had played first grade league for Easts . Others from that way were Chris Wooldridge , a local surf clubbie , Paul Stone a doctor(?) , Harry Turner , Colin Gray , and the inimitable Russell Black who had done IMH in 1983 so he was a wonderful resource .

Each Saturday we would drive over to Billy’s place on Bronte beach and then run upwards of 2 hours or so to la Perouse and back , these runs were great for me , Russell would tell his stories , Billy would impart his knowledge and the insults would be traded thick and fast between the shire boys and the eastern suburbs crew and an easy 2 ½ hour run would be completed .

Bike riding was mostly through the Royal National Park and a couple of times Greg and I road to Woolongong and back . Most of my riding was done on my wind trainer and I spent many longs hours sitting there grinding away , thankfully for some of the time the Olympics in LA were on so there was something to watch .I also had a little local ride (the 4 peninsula’s ) that I would ride a couple of times per week . Running was no problem and neither was swimming In the final few weeks I was regularly hitting 16 -20 ks per week in the pool and getting 100 ks of running in . I knew I wasn't going to be fast but I was gaining confidence that I would finish .

I remember several run sessions with Greg , including one epic session where we started at 3.30 am , so as Greg would be home to start work at 7.00 . This run was over 40k’s and took us around the airport from Caringbah . Needless to say we got quite a few strange looks as we ran past some drinking establishments that were still open at that time.

Finally the time had come to leave , we were going just over 2 weeks prior to race day to give us plenty of time to get acclimatised to the heat and train over the course. Most of us had booked the same flight across and we had booked into the Seaside Hotel right across the road from the start/finish line . Bucho , Banno , Wilko and Peter Cas had booked into a luxury condo a few miles up the coast.

Arriving in Kona with the group was great it made it so much easier to organise transport etc. Driving into town it all seemed just so familiar , straight off the TV coverage , de ja vu .

We checked into our hotel , I was rooming with Chris W and arranged to meet for a swim . Diving off the pier we were amazed by the clarity of the water and the fish swimming around . Back in 84 the game fishing boats still used the pier and weighed and skinned their catch right there , but we never once saw or heard of a shark . Plenty of dolphins turtles and other sea life but no sharks.

The next weeks were spent training in a group or solo out on the course , I rode to Hawi at least once but was weary of the heat and winds and mostly turned at either Kawaihae or one of the resorts out there . The shop at Kawaihae served a great ice cream sundae which became a bit of a ritual and reward , they also had the only tap between Kona and Hawi to get a refill . The folk from the Kona Resort about 10 mile out of town also used to place a couple of large Gatorade drink containers out each morning that you could get a refill from and that was greatly appreciated .

ST arrived a few days before race day and bunked on our floor , he knew Chris from Surf Club carnivals so he was made quite welcome . He was the current Australian Open Surf champion and he used to have the triathletes at the pier scratching their heads each morning when he would swim the course easily in a lazy 45 minutes . I lost count the number of times people would ask " who is that guy ? , is he racing ?’

I remember one day going with Greg to seek a bike mechanic who had set up in a luxury condo down the coast a bit , during a bit of small talk he nodded to a quiet guy sitting in the corner gluing a tyre on and said " he will win it" He didn’t but he did come close , the guy : Mark Allen .

Had some fun times with the boys in the days leading up to the race , shopping was always interesting , also just hanging at the pier under the banyan tree was always an easy way to pass the time.



The functions in those days were at the old Kona Surf resort which was six miles up Alii Drive and it was also the site of the bike to run transition. The Carbo was great , they showed video from the previous years and there was lots of energy and emotion on display . I remember the food not being too bad either .

Finally race day dawned and I was up about 4.00am for breakfast which consisted of papaya , some dry biscuits and water , lots of water . Bill Roney had really impressed upon us the need to be very hydrated . I walked down to the swim start with Stewart and was numbered and checked my tires , everything went as clockwork . I saw Russell , Bill and Greg and wished them all a good race and jumped in the water . I wanted to be alone so set off to find my own space away from the others . The helicopters were buzzing low taking photo’s and the contestants were rasing their hands to the sky , it was very emotional , then suddenly the gun went , the race was on and there was no turning back now .

The swim wasn’t too bad at all after a rough first couple of hundred yards , I jumped out at 1 hour 13 mins and ripped my tag from my cosies and gave to the timers , there were no chips in 84!! A quick shower and then into the tent , a volunteer smothered me in sun cream , on with the skid lid , I made sure to pack my bags because I didn't want to lose my IM swim cap or goggles and then I was out to find my bike . A volunteer had it ready and I was off straight up Palani Hill and then onto the queen K. The course has changed slightly over the years but in 84 it was basically out to Hawi and then back to the Kona Surf Resort .

The first miles went by easily , passed the airport

, past the flags , the knob , through the resorts and through Kawaihae, the winds at this stage were fairly negligible however it was hot . I made sure to follow Bill’s instruction and pour a bidon over me at each station and drink a bidon and take another bidon , I’d also eat a banana each station too. Going up to Hawi the winds finally hit and boy did they hit , it was hard just making headway , it was just past Kawaihae that Mark Allen flew past in the lead and it was many minutes before the next rider , Dave Scott came by , already it wasn't looking good for Scott . Riders started flying past a bit more regularly and I was able to spot Bucho with his spray painted green and gold helmet fairly high up in the field . Finally the turn around was made and I was stuffed , I had no idea how I was going to make it back because the winds , the heat and the climb had taken it out of my legs over the past 6 or more miles . I turned and without barely peddling I was recharged as I was pushed by the wind , if only this would keep up but alas towards the bottom of the climb the winds swung across the course making for a tiring journey across the lava fields .Backin those days there were a couple of cattle grates you had to cross about half way between Hawi and Kawaihae , at speed these always gave you a few good bumps ! I marked my progress in increments of landmarks and when I got back to the airport I knew I was only 12 miles from the finish , it was shortly after Mark Allen came by still leading but in obvious trouble , Dave Scott was closing and looking great . I recognised others including Tinley and John Howard . I gave Bucho a cheer and also a NZ guy we had met Kim Harker who was also having great race , closer to town I saw Chris , Greg and Bill all having super races.



Riding along Allii was a buzz , lots of spectators and runners going in the opposite direction , there was a final short sharp hill about a mile form the finish and this was crowded with cheering spectators and the road was covered in messages , which gave you a real lift as you coasted down into the Kona Surf car park transition. I had ridden a touch over 7 hours which I was quite happy with .

The change rooms were the ballrooms of the resort and again a volunteer assisted you with every need . Out of the transitions and it was straight up the hill I had just ridden down , Greg Miller had told me to walk up it backwards , well I walked it but I couldn't do it backwards .

The run down Allii to town was awesome lots of people , makeshift showers in front of the houses and still many bikers riding in , every now and again someone would shout your name which gave a boost . As I came to town I saw the helicopters approach which meant the winner was just about there , I passed Dave Scott just near the final corner onto Alii drive again he looked great , Tinley came by as I made my way up Palani . I wondered what happened to Allen but came across him shortly as he shuffled his way back to town in about 5th spot .

Going out , while not easy , was made bearable by the chance to see the runners coming back into town , I was stoked to See Bucho looking great well into the top 20 or so and also Greg Miller shortly afterwards having a phenomenal race .

The run out along the Queen K was hot , no other word for it , for about 4-5 miles before the turn around you could see the giant Bud Light can which marked the turn around shimmering in the distance but it never seemed to get any closer . I continued to drown myself in fluids both water and ice cold coke with ice . I ate oranges and chocolate chip cookies too to pass the time , finally the turn around came and then it was straight back along the queen K to town , 10 miles or 16 ks - easy . I passed many walking and many more in a painful shuffle but I kept going towards the glowing lights of Kona.

I got the dreaded glow stick just out of town but by then it didn't matter , running down Palani I could hear the announcers and the crowds . Turning onto Allii was a magical experience and the last couple hundred yards were awesome . I got my lei and finishers shirt and went of for my massage , from out of the blue popped Banno and ST how they got there I'll never know but they wormed their way in , Banno’s words have stayed with me for ever he said , "Rosco you surprised us all by how well you went" coming from him that meant the world . I had finished 428 out of 1104 in a time of 12.55 . The heat of 1984 would be remembered for many years to come and still ranks as one of the hottest on record.



What an experience ! The boys filled me on what had happened , about Buckos dramatic finish where he all but crawled across the line , Wilko’s sad DNF , Greg Millers top 100 and age group placing , Chris Wooldridge’s top 50 placing , Bill Roneys age group placing . What a great day topped only by the announcement that the ice creams were free if you finished the race !!

We stayed till midnight watching everyone come in and gave a huge cheer to Jim Hazel who competed his first triathlon that day in a tad under 17 hours . The Jim Hazel story was quite amazing in itself . A good friend of Bill Roney’s and a doctor also he rang the race office to offer his services on race day . Apparently the guy at the other end of the phone replied along the lines of " hey brah you come from Australia you no work you must race " ! So Jim found himself in the race - of course he had never raced before and had absolutely no experience but that didn't matter to Jim , he got to the finish line and became an integral part of Australian Triathlon History .

The next morning, strangely I was fine - no muscle soreness, nothing I ran up the stairs played tennis with no drama’s , the others were envious . The awards that night was great , the slide show produced cheers whenever a recognisable face was shown and the food was fine , plenty of free Bud Light however my throat was so parched that it was hard to eat or drink anything .

Packing the bikes and leaving Kona on the Monday morning was actually quite sad , but I knew I would be back and soon . Chris and I had a couple of days in Waikiki before flying home which were a bit anticlimactic from memory , I think we spent most of the days asleep .

Finally it was time to go home , a surprise party was held for me at the Southwells residence where they presented me with a giant trophy. How cool was that ?

So what was Kona and Ironman like in 84 ? Well for start technology was non existent , there were no aero bars or clipless pedals , bikes were standard road bikes with Italian Compnentry , no Shimano et al. No specialist triathlon wear and definitely no gels , gu's or energy replacement drinks or bars. Yes there was gatorade but that was it. Food on the course were sandwiches , bananas , oranges or chocolate chip cookies

Kona it self was still asleepy little resort, no traffic lights were in town and once past the airport you were lucky to see another car , there were no Borders , Walmarts , Costcos or Starbucks back then. Lava Java was a vacant block of land and Pacific Vibrations was out of town about half a mile down Alii. Pay n Save was there as was Sizzler and McDonalds had only just opened. At the bottom of the King K hotel was a Department store called Liberty House but that was it. Game fishing boats still weighed there catch nightly at the pier, and ice creams were bought from a shop right under the old Galley Restaurant , right there at the start finish lin. The best restaurant in town was called the Kona Ranch House across street from the Seaside Hotel , I had my dinner there the night before the race, they made the best meals and topped it off with freshly baked mini loaf of bread with each meal Sadly they closed on a couple of years ago. Hotels were pretty much the same in town , I'm not aware of many changes here except for the closing and redevelopment of the old Kona Surf Resort where the bike/run transition and parties were held

Forster 1985

It could have been on a run through the Eastern Suburbs with Bill Roney’s gang in the lead up to Hawaii 84 or then again it could have been whilst shooting the bull after dinner at Stan’s smorgasbord in Kona shortly before IM 84 . I can’t quite remember when I first heard about the plans for Australia’s 1st Ironman distance race but I knew I wanted to be part of it .

Bill Roney was definitely the architect , and I remember a guy called Fergus Neilsen from Toohey’s running with us in the lead up to Hawaii so I’m guessing plans were well ; truly underway then .

So the Stage was set for the Toohey’s 2.2 Great Lakes International triathlon over the classic Ironman distance . To be held in Forster Tuncurry . I remember Bill’s flyer for the race stated the flattest fastest course in the world . more about that later)

After I came back from Hawaii , the Ironman bug started to bite amongst local Cronulla guys . Tony Southwell jumped in straight away along with the late Billy Stafford , Bucko and Banno , Banno just had to do it after witnessing Hawaii and his great mates performance , and also an underage Scott Carney . Several of Australia’s top triathletes like Steven Foster and Marc Dragan also signed up . The big catch were the Internationals , Tinley and Allen along with Grant Boswell ,an unknown Erin Baker , Jacqueline Shaw and the Puntous twins . Scott Molina was due to come but withdrew after a bike crash a few days prior.

Training for this race was similar to Ironman training the year before . I had had a brief layoff after returning from Hawaii and around January started to think about Forster . I had gone back to TAFE in 85 so I had a bit of spare time between classes and could duck out for an hours run during the day which was handy .

From memory I don’t think I raced any triathlons between Hawaii and Forster however - not completely sure but my mind is a blank on that one . Maybe Lake Illawarra but couldn’t swear to it .

It was good having Tony Southwell to train with because Greg wasn’t backing up at Forster and neither was Chris W . Tony had just come home from working in the Californian ski fields and was dead keen on this triathlon caper. He attacked his training with gusto and was a great partner . At the time he was a at best a very very average runner and I like to think that by running with me I helped develop his running to an acceptable level . My swim coach Dick Quinn was also a regular partner . I have a vivid memory of dragging Dick around the shire on a massive brick which started with a Waging ride and then about a 20k run straight off the bike . Knowing Dick he probably finished it off with several beers as well .

Backing up from Hawaii in 84 to the best of my recollection was only myself , Bucko and Col Grey . I thought this strange in itself.

Around this time we really started hitting the sand hills , Billy Stafford was the "king of the dunes" in those days , later Head Lifeguard Ron Siddons would claim that title and now it probably belongs to John Wilken , not that there’s many dunes left anyway . Billy would lead us around the dunes for up to 2 hours and he would have strategically placed bottles of drink hidden at various time intervals . I think its safe to say a 2 hour sand hill workout is one of the most taxing sessions one could endure.

Lets clear up one point now . I have never trained correctly , with perhaps the exception of a good couple of marathons where I rang low 2.50’s , I have never correctly trained. I have always been fascinated with the mega miles of guys like Molina ; De-Castella , these 2 guys were my heroes. What I particularly liked was that there routines were exactly the same week in week out . I should have been a bit smarter but having come to the sport with no background in any of the three sports I was happy to tag along .

In light of the above , so began the Tuesday night mystery run . Starting at my place with just Tony Southwell but soon to expand upwards to sometimes 10 -12 , we would head out on a mystery tour of the shire for up to 2 - 1/2 hours. Back alleys , pedestrian lanes . Ovals were out specialties , each run used to have at least one little twist , be it a creek crossing , a fast 800 around Sylvania track you name it . One run even included a sprint through some poor persons back yard after we got lost down a small track at the back of Oyster Bay . Every Tuesday at 4.00 was this run and I still think about it and miss it . Wilko and myself carried this tradition on for several years until other obstacles got in our way . Great times but I digress .

Back to Forster , I left feeling OK and looking for a slight improvement on Hawaii . I drove a visiting American by the name of Glenn Turner up to Forster . Glenn had raced Kona the year before and posted the 10th fastest bike time that year . He also had received publicity by way of several shots of himself in Tri-Athlete magazine. Glenn told me the whole way to Forster , which in those days was a 5 ½ drive from Cronulla how he was going to win the race . Tinley Allen they didn’t scare him , he was in peak form and ready to race. I remember driving through Bulahdelah Glenn begged me to stop so he could get some Pancakes . In 1985 pancakes were unheard of in Australian restaurants and especially rare in Bulahdelah .

There was only one way to Forster in 85 and that was the lakes way . Which was fine by us because it gave us a chance to check the course out . Bill had told me where the turn around was and upon spotting the markings on the road we paid attention to the worlds flattest course . We thought we made a mistake because almost immediately we climbed a hill which was steeper than anything we had ridden in the Royal national Park . This was followed by a similar never ending climb . Surely there was a mistake but the only mistake was Bill’s description of the course being flat . Several more climbs greeted us before we drove into town and located on accommodation . At least the run was almost pancake flat !!

Forster had gone into the race in a big way , there were giant billboards near the entrance to town , flags and banners lined the streets and shops all displayed posters in their windows . I wonder if they knew what they got themselves into . I rode part of the course up to the big climb several days out and noted the rough road surface , I immediately went and bought puncture resistant singles to use . This was going to be quite a challenging race. So much for a flat fast course Bill .

Over the next few days athletes drifted into town , my unit just near the caravan park was the perfect spot to hang out and check proceedings . All talk was on just how tough the race was going to be. The bike shop did heavy business as athletes searched for a smaller gear to get them over the mountains.

Bit of bad luck happened to my good mate Paul Bannister days before the race . Driving up with his family he was dropped off at Pacific Palms to run the last 20kswhich he duly did , however upon reaching his unit he was confronted with the site of 2 crushed bicycles . They had been strapped to the roof of his car and his mother had inadvertently forgotten them as she drove into the underground garage . Ooops ! Not sure what Banno said .

In the final days before the race it was time for relaxation , Tony Southwell and I hung out quite a bit and took time out to restage one of our favourite photos . It was a photo of Scott Tinley at Nice posing with his bike over his head , quite a cool pose , so Tony and I did our version at the finish line and also in front of the giant billboard which was out near where K Mart now stands .

Race office in those days was at the back of Ken Bagg’s shoe shop in main street Tuncurry . Things have sure changed . A Calcutta function slash unofficial carbo night was held a couple of days before the race at the Tuncurry Pub . People bought and sold athletes , some poor person bought me but they weren’t going to get much for their money . Food was quite good however and I remember Dicky Quinn hooking into a few beers which at the time I thought quite odd .

On another occasion myself and another athlete ( forgotten who sorry, Scott Carney perhaps ) went to Forster High and spoke to students about the Ironman, other athletes went at different times too. It was well received and the students were very interested . I wonder if any went onto become triathletes ?

The carbo was held as usual 2 days prior to the race , this year it was held in the ballroom/ disco of the RSL club . The food was sensational best ever of any triathlon function I have been to . Toohey’s 2.2 , being race sponsor , was also freely available . Can’t remember the entertainment but it was a good night and set up the race quite nicely . I do remember that Mark Allen wasn’t there and Tinley maybe came for only a few minutes . Jackie Shaw was the only big name in attendance .

The day prior to the race Tony , Scott Carney decided to have leisurely body surf off main beach to keep loose . The surf was quite big for main beach and I remember poor Scotty getting swept out right down towards the break wall as he struggled in the surf . Scott Carney was a young kid from Caringbah just starting to dabble in triathlons , unfortunately he wasn’t quite old enough , he was only 17 , so he entered under his brothers name. He went on to become a helicopter pilot in the Australian Army and was involved in the black hawk disaster . Who knows where he is these days .

Night before the race Tony Southwell and I shared a meal at the restaurant of one of the local motels , I remember we ate Chicken Schnitzels , because the catchcry for the night was "where’s my chicken schnitzel ?" mimicking ScottTinley from an earlier TV race where he said "where’s my bag" ( I guess you had to be there . )

Race day came and after a rough sleep we drove out to Pacific Palms for the swim start. I don’t remember abnormal prior to the start , just hanging out with Tony , Staffo and the other local guys , with 160 odd starters it wasn’t exactly crowded in the bike compound which was the parking area of the Pacific Palms recreation club .

It was time for the race to start and all of a sudden I remember feeling the cold . If you look at the race photo you can see everyone getting in the water holding their arms out of the water . It was cold but at no stage did I ever think it was too cold . Remember wetsuits weren’t around then .

Swim start and off we went , pretty uneventful swim ,straight out and back in the lake , very wide so there was lots of space , as per usual I swam off course quite a bit but made it in to shore in about 1.07 . Jim Hazel ran up to me , grabbed me and asked " Ross are you OK " , "yep yep" was my reply , not knowing quite why Jim was so concerned . "Tinley & Allen are out" he said , "I know "I said thinking he meant they were out on the road . I still didn’t realise quite how bad the situation had become . I jumped on my bike and started the first loop of the town of Pacific Palms before heading out the lakes way to the turn around . Around here somewhere I pulled up beside another triathlete . " Are we going the right way ?" I asked .He looked at me and was foaming from the mouth .Several minutes later he fell from his bike and that was the end of his day !

Out on the Lakes Way and ride went fairly smoothly , it was a tough ride , bumpy undulating and as previously noted downright mountainous . Over the climb for the first time and around the turnaround I was feeling good , passed Dick Quinn going the opposite way and I think he was quite surprised to see me so far in front , " whata re doing up there?" he shouted . Not bad to beat your swim coach out of the water by a couple of minutes , I reminded him several times after the race .

Right at the turn around Wilko and his wife Lindy were set upon armchairs watching and enjoying the day, our good friends Banno and Bucho were right in the thick of it now that the 2 favourites were out of the race . Banno of course on a new bike !

Given the small field , even smaller now after the swim , it was easy to spot people on the bike . Grant Boswell , Bucho , Banno and Tony Southwell were all riding well . Glenn Turner however appeared to be well off the pace .It appeared as if the Puntous twins were well in the lead on the ladies side . Behind me Staffo, DQ and Scotty Carney amongst others.

Into the turnaround at Pacific Palms and it was refreshing to see quite a few spectators including my brother who had driven up for the day .

The second lap was definitely harder and the wind was now also quite a bit stronger . I was quite a bit ahead of my previous Hawaiian time and felt pretty good . The final 20ks along lakes way gave the slower riders an opportunity to watch the leaders out on the run . I was really looking forward to the run at this time .

Transition was at the RSL club and I was in and out quickly .out along the Lakes Way - 20k out and 20k back , easy run right ? Not it was boring , windy and surprisingly undulating especially around the lakes in the kilometres just prior to the turnaround .

Passed the leaders as they were closing in on the finish on the outskirts of town . Cheered for Bucho ; Banno and then saw the disconsolate figure of Glenn Turner back in about 20th place , exchanged pleasantries and left him , never to see him again . Hi 5’d Tony about 4k from the half way and then set my sights on home . Just over 20k to go . A Few k’s out of town it started to get cold and I remember Bob Talay driving his van around offering T shirts to keep warm , did he do it for everybody or just me I’m not sure but it was a nice touch . By now it was very cold but I was almost home , so didn’t really care . The run went up along the river and past the pub in those days before finishing where it does now at the Surf Club . There was a great crowd there and I remember the joy of finishing that one .
A Kiss from Karen Pini and can of 2-2 and a sleeveless sloppy Joe greeted the finishers in 85 . I had finished 47th out of 108 finishers , 50 odd started but failed to finish the swim leg , wonder how many backed up for another attempt . My time was 12.02 .

Incidentally that Sloppy Jo remains the best finishers shirt I ever received in over 100 events .

In 85 the massage area was inside the surf club , I laid down on a table and was greeted with a "g’day Ross" , looking around I saw an old school teacher of mine , Bruce Overton. Turned out he was leaving teaching and starting a career in physio therapy , he was always a cool teacher so it was a pleasant but surprising surprise . He still has a thriving physio business in Caringbah to this day .

I felt OK after a rub and a few cokes and some food . Ken Baggs gave us some free 2.2’s , Tony & I went and sat in the bleachers and watched the late finishers , we were waiting for Staffo , Dicky Quinn and a few others . We were surprised when a queue of kids formed in front of us and asked us to sign the race posters . I actually saw one of these posters in a shop window a few years later , people would have wondered who the hell signed it !

Billy Collis of Billy’s Bushies was the last finisher , he ended up with a dislocated shoulder somehow, but after he finished we all went home, great day and great first up race .

The awards was a lunch function from memory and was a well catered affair . Allen & Tinley had split but the others remained , including Erin Baker who had blitzed the female race , it was the start of her wonderful career . Grant Boswell was the male winner , with buchu & Banno both finishing top 5.

It was at Forster that we met Mickey Morera from San Diego . Mickey stood out in his loud floral shirt , that Greg Welch would also make famous . Mickey was a great guy and his home became a home away from home for many Aussie triathlete in San Diego, including myself . The Shirt became synomonous with Aussie Triathletes and you had to earn the shirt . I remember the envy I felt when out of the blue 10 years or so later Tony showed up at a function wearing "that" shirt ! Welchie eventually earned it by winning Ironman Hawaii .

The night after the awards a large group of triathlete converged on the Chinese restaurant in the main street of Forster for a dinner that went well into the night . Jacki Shaw , The Puntous’ , Mickey and several others lasted well into the night .

Some funny things from the race were Bucko being so cold on the bike he shoved a newspaper down his top . Bucko again stopping for a chocolate paddle pop during the run . Banno winning the swim after former Olympian Graham Windeatt cramped on the waters edge with Banno gleefully running past to claim the win.

Did you see the race coverage of the event ? It was shown at 7.30 pm as part of "John Law’s World " midweek on Channel 10 , pretty fine coverage too it was .

So that was the end of Forster 1985 . The race wasn’t held in 86 but was on again in 87 , but it would be 20 years till I raced there again !

Honolulu Marathon 1985

In 85 I won a trip to compete in the Honolulu Marathon by competing in the Blacktown Cities Marathon and placing in the under 24 division . It was the International Year of the youth and I gratefully accepted the prize .

Ian Winton was the guy from Blacktown Council who did all the arranging , he was a Cronulla local and his daughter would marry Ian Ross , another local triathlete with a pedigree in Ironman racing .

I remember I got the phone call late one afternoon and it was an anxious few days before a confirming letter arrived .

Since the Blacktown marathon was in early August and Honolulu in December it didn’t leave much time , plus the fact I was at TAFE doing my HSC and training could be interesting . I managed to keep my running up throughout that time and was looking forward to going back to Hawaii for the second time that year . Earlier in the year I went to Hawaii for 5 days on the back of a cheap special , $499.00 ! Too good to refuse .

After telling a few people I was off to Hawaii again I kept on being told about this guy called Welchie. I had no idea who he was and had certainly never met him , but from all reports he was a fantastic runner . Remarkably I remember when and where I finally met him , it was outside the old bakery/pie shop on Port Hacking Rd near Caringbah Public . Despite the fact I had never spoken to him before we got along straight away . I still didn’t know much about him then except he had recently moved in to the shire and that he had a rep as being a pretty fine runner .

My training for the Honolulu marathon was probably the least organised and structured of any race I had ever done . Exams at TAFE and the study involved meant I had very little spare time to train. Looking back at my logs it would appear as if I barely trained at all but at least I had a base from the Cities in August. The exams finished mid November barely two weeks prior to leaving for Honolulu and I did cram 2 2hr runs in there.

I travelled to Hawaii with a mate who was heading on to the States and Canada for a while afterwards. Welchy travelled with a running guru called Frank McCaffery and young runner called David Woodcock . ( Whatever happened to him ? He was certainly a talented runner). Can’t remember which hotel we stayed at but it was probably an Outrigger .

I think from memory we arrived about 5 days before the race and the day after I arrived I went for a long run around Diamond Head and up to Hawaii Kai probably about 15 miles or so. Not very Smart but anyways.

The day before the marathon there was a small local biathlon with a Xmas theme , all competitors had to wear little bells on their shoes , 800m swim and 5k run . Welchy and I entered as a team , I swam and he ran. I swam quite well but unfortunately the USA women’s Olympic Swim team was there and they motored right past me and onto the run change over , Welchy tried hard but we couldn’t catch them. But it was a fun event and something that is missing from local races here in Australia . That night I went to the carbo load at the Aloha tower and despite swapping a few T Shirts it was fairly forgettable.

Race Morning dawned very early as the race actually started at 5.00am ! The Start was right at the Aloha Tower in downtown HNL and we got underway with fireworks . There was some very fine runners in the field including Simeon Kigen , Juma Ikaanga , Ibrahin Hussein and Bill Ryfsneider .The womens field was dominated by top Dutch runner Carla Buerskens . I was up the front with Welchy and took off with him but could only watch as he went with the leaders from the start , I decided to slow it up a little to ensure a comfortable finish as I still thought I was severely under done.

Settling into my pace it was a buzz to run through the deserted Waikiki streets just as dawn was breaking , there were plenty of supporters through this part of the course . Around Diamond Head and out to Hawaii Kai , the aid stations were fantastic , all dressed up in themes and all giving plenty of encouragement and support , even at 6.00 in the morning it was quite warm. Near the turn around we did a little loop and it was here I saw the leaders coming back , I remember seeing Reifsnyder and Hussein leading with their entourage not far behind was Welchy !!! I was having a fairly good race and I knew I was certainly in the top 200 or so,not bad considering their were about 10000 in the race.

Coming back towards the finish you run up Heartbreak Hill near Diamond Head , having run it only days before I new it wasn’t too bad but the positioning in the race makes it tough. The finish line is in Kapiolani park and the crowds were at least 5 or6 deep the length of the straight .

Ibrahim Hussein went onto win the mens race in 2.12 and Carla Buerskens easily won the womens in 2.35

I crossed the line in about 3.07 not my best time but certainly credible given the preparation and also the course , I finished top 200 . I found Welchy easily and together we went and savoured some of the food and drink that was available in the park . We bumped into the Cowman and had our photos with him and shortly afterwards we met Scott Tinley’s brother Jeff who was repping I think for Adidas back then . I wonder if he knew he was talking to a future Ironman Winner !!!

The Honolulu Marathon is incredible just in sheer size alone , runners were finishing for hours to come and indeed the last runners took about 10 hours or so , amazing . It certainly was a great race and one I would love to do again.

In the days afterward we did the touristy things such as hiring a car and checking the North Shore out , including having a body surf in the shore break at Waimea and also at Pupukea Sandbar which is adjacent to pipeline.

The day before we left I took Welchy across to Kona to show him where I had raced the year before . We hired a car and drove up to Kona and hung out in town for a day . To say Welchy was incredulous is an understatement . Every Shop we went to , and there wasn’t that many back in 85 , Welchy would introduce me as having done the iron man the year before , whilst it felt good for my ego , little did everyone know then the career he would forge out on the Kona lava fields and elsewhere . This little trip is documented at Greg's Website ( Greg Welch.com )(20 Questions with) and also in Frank McCaffery’s book . It was whilst in Kona on this trip that I decided I would go back to Kona in 1986 . Welchy was every bit the cheeky little bugger back in those days too ! He used to give the shopkeepers and market stall holders grief with his wit and repoitre and he was chased out of a shop on more than one occasion but the shop keeper !!

Back in those days too the US to Aussie Dollar was almost on a par and we brought up big at the running room & IT & B as well as the surf shops and Tower records.

Hawaii 1986

In March of 1986 I travelled to New Zealand to watch the NZ Ironman . Chris Southwell was racing and Alan Mitchell from Tri Sports arranged for me to get a Press pass for the day .

The day before the race , I raced a local 10k race and actually led it for the first couple of K’s before exploding and struggling home . I won a watch that day too .

Seeing the race from up close was great and it was won by Scott Tinley and Erin Baker , and it was great to be at the finish line and get straight into the press conferences etc. Glenn Davies who had raced Forster in 85 and made a habit of racing in Speedos and colourful T Shirts took second .

Watching the race inspired me to have another shot at Hawaii , so off went the application again . After a couple of weeks I rang the race office and spoke to Earl who confirmed I was in the race . No waiting around for me this year .

Training began again , however made a couple of changes this year . Firstly I switched swim coaches to Kevin "nasty" Neilson at the Cronulla complex . The attraction of training with guys like Stewart Taylor , Robert Chapman , Wilko , Banno , Steve Warren and the late Richie Walker was the main attraction, not that I was in their league . Also Dick Quinns squad had moved up to Aquadot at Sutherland so to go to Cronulla and swim with those guys was the main motivator . The camaraderie of that winter is something I will never forget .

Biking was again a big issue for me , I am not comfortable on the road and with the time factor as well did most of my riding on the trainer , with a few National Park rides thrown in for good measure . I also kept riding my little local ride which amounted to 33kms a couple of times per week . I again piled on the running and was regularly putting in over 100 ks per week .

Ran the old "Wang" marathon in July in just a tad over 3 hours , so was happy with that . The Tuesday mystery runs continued and Saturdays were again the long run for the week of upwards of 2 & half hours . Sundays were spent on the trainer sometimes up to 4 hours . For work I was a personal gardener / handyman so had a bit of spare time to train .

Training over the winter went well and soon it was time to head off . Mum & Dad had decided to come over this time so that was really cool .

I flew out with Chris about 10 days before the race and we settled into the Kuna Seaside. Wasn’t long before we hooked up with 2 other Aussie blokes George Duggan and John Ross. George was Johns sidekick , he wasn’t racing but gee he was a great guy and funny as . Mum & Dad would arrive only a day or two prior to the race and would stay at the Hilton .

Days before were spent training on the course , swim in the morning , brekkie , ride , hang out , run , dinner , sleep was the order of the day . Volcanoes ? Nope no sightseeing till after the race. Kevin had given me a programme to follow in the days leading up to the race , so I followed that closely and felt good as race day got closer .

We actually rode the course or at least 106 miles of it twice before race day . One day it was so windy near Hawi that Chris and I were picked up and blown across the road . As in 84 the folks at Kona Resort about 12 miles out of town thoughtfully placed a large jug of icy Gatorade at their front gate , which was always a relief when out on the bike . Likewise about 4 miles along Alii Drive from the pier the folks at Casa de Embeko had two large coolers of water and Gatorade , so it was a regular stop on any run . Their were also one or two showers set up along Alii drive to cool yourself down on a training run .

Kona hadn’t changed much in the 2 years since I’d last been their and I enjoyed being able to show the newbie’s around town . Surprisingly the girls at the front desk of the Seaside remembered me from 2 years prior as did Mike McMichaels (more about Mike in 1994) at Pacific Vibrations which were still in their old location about half a mile out of Kona.

Mum & Dad settled in at the Hilton and were next door to a family who took to wearing Pigg Power T Shirts . Mike Pigg was just starting to make a name for himself as a pro triathlete his family came out in full force . The Hilton with its aircon rooms was pure luxury compared to the Seaside but where else besides the Seaside could you be lying in bed 5 minutes from the start ? Well maybe the King Kam but in those days there was a large price differential .

A couple of days prior to race day Chris and I were hanging out at the pier after a morning swim when a young American guy cruised up on a tricked out Nishiki funny Bike . "Where's ST , Where's ST ? he shouted at us , Chris and I thought he was just another loud mouthed yank and dismissed him, but later that morning we were sitting at a breakfast establishment reading Bob Babbits Competitor magazine when Chris showed me a photo and said "hey isnt that the guy from the pier this morning ?" And it was too , the guy , Kenny Souza or Kenny Kaboom as Babbit christened him.

Bike check in was a scream , Mickey Morera and the San Diego guys had set them selves up under the Banyan tree at the pier , armed with a programme and a megaphone they called out to everyone who was checking in their bikes as if they were long lost friends , very cool and funny. Knowing Mickey , Emilio and the others I didn’t fall for it.

Also at the bike check in was Scott Tinley’s bike , it had a little doll hanging off it by a noose with Dave Scott written on it , and it certainly attracted a lot of attention . Don’t think Dave was too worried however because his bike was left in the back of a pick up truck right at the pier .

86 was the first year that prize money was offered so the field was stacked.

The night before the race I followed the same routine as I did 2 years prior . Dinner of Fish & Chips and salad at the Kona Ranch House which was across the road from the seaside , perhaps at that time one of only 2 or 3 "upmarket" restaurants in town ,plus they made the best little loafs of fresh warm bread . Unfortunately the restaurant has now gone but it was at least still there in 98 when on my honeymoon .

Race morning was up at 5 am for the same brekkie as 84 , papaya and some dry biscuits and a banana washed down with water , down to get my numbers marked and then back to the room .Put the Walkman on and listened to Prince’s "Baby you’re a star" and Bowie’s "Everything will be alright Tonight" .

Ten minutes before race start ambled down to the start with Chris and Jayne Allen , saw John Ross and a few others . Didn’t see mum or dad but that was the plan anyway would see them later that day on several occasions , they were watching the start from near the Hilton and had a better view than they would have had in town anyway .

The swim was away and felt a lot stronger in the water , near the turn around I came upon top Aussie girl Louise McKinlay and we swam close most of the way home . Out of the water in 1.06 , 7 mins better that 84 , so obviously the change of swim coach paid off !

Out on the bike and straight up Palani , I was pleased to see and hear mum& dad near the turn onto the Queen K , they made good time to get from the Hilton to their and took some great photos .

It was hot and windy but nowhere near as hot as 84 or as windy as it had been during training . I followed my plan from 84 and had a bidon of water at each aid station and ate as many bananas as I could fit in . Remember in those days there was no energy bars or gu , it was banana or a sandwich or nothing !! The ride itself was unremarkable and I got off the bike in about 6 and a half hours . Remember also that Tri bars had only just been invented that season and only a few of the top guys had them , also clipless peddles were still not common and the majority of the field rode toe clips still. But hey Oakley Pilots were all the rage and everybody wore them , mine I customised by spray painting the frame in green and gold , they looked good !!

Started the run well and ran along Alii seeing mum & dad near the Hilton again they took some great photos and then made my way out into the lava fields . Passed Dave Scott nearing town . Had a few rough patches during the run but ended up with just a touch over 4 hours for the marathon and a PB of 11 hours 53 mins .

I had to be happy with that !!

Tony Sattler our friend from Manly had come an incredible 7th place on the back of a impressive run , Chris was in just a tad of 10 hours and John Ross finished a few minutes in front of me . We stayed at the finished line until the last finisher arrived and then it was time for the lights to be turned off and it was all over .

The awards again was excellent and very moving . Great slideshow of the race . Plenty of free Bud Lights .

Had a chance to meet Dave Scott a couple of days after the race and had a great little chat with him also had the opportunity for him to sign a couple of his training manuals to give to some mates back home. One in particular I had him sign for Robert Chapman then Australian Ironman Surf Champion , when I told Dave that he knew all about the sport and in particular the Coolongatta Gold which he descibed as being a tough race !

A couple of days in Waikiki and then we headed across to the mainland and did the Disneyland thing , Great Fun , in the end Chris and I got so bored with the rides we wouldnt go on them unless they went upside down ! . This was to be my last Ironman for quite some years , though I never lost touch. Sadly on my way home during a visit with some friends in Auckland that I received the news that Richie Walker had passed away whilst competing, a very sad moment indeed and a great loss to both the sport and his friends. !


Forster Ironman 2005

“Ross P your an Ironman , that’s number two for you !” Mike Reilly

I had always hoped I would do another Ironman , it was a goal of mine to do one when I turned 40 , but 40 came and went and with a mortgage , 2 kids and a full time career, it seemed as long my Ironman career had ended 20 years ago. Add to that the fact that I had only raced a Noosa  in 1996 and a World Cup in 1992 in the past 20 years , you could say my triathlon career was not all that recent !

Somewhere however in mid 2004 , a small seed was planted in the back of my mind to race the 20th anniversary Forster Ironman race . It was at this stage only a very small idea as I had precious little time to train and there was also a small problem in so far as I had sold my bike about 6 years ago to pay some bills !! Oh and did I mention I was perhaps some 16 kilos over my old racing weight ?

Around August I made a commitment to myself to get myself back into shape , starting slowly I started training with an eye to Forster , but first there was a qualifying race to do . I really would have liked to race the Forster qualifier but decided , smartly in hindsight , that I was no where near ready for it , so I entered Canberra despite the horror stories I heard from friends about the tough bike course .

Two weeks prior to Canberra I solved my biggest problem , after weeks of scouring E-Bay and the trading post I found a second hand Giant TCR 2 at the right price and that quickly became my new steed ! Oh and by the way , despite my new bike performing more than admirably they weren’t wrong about the toughness of the Canberra Bike Course !

Following Canberra I was fortunate enough to snag a lottery spot for the Ironman . I was going to the big dance , 20 years after I had last raced it ! I wondered how many others would be backing up 20 years later ? I wondered how many would be backing up without racing anything in between ? ( only one other I subsequently found out , John Hickey )

Weeks of training flew past , I wished I had another month or so , but before I knew it the family was loading the car and heading north for the big adventure ! I‘m not sure the Kids really understood what their dad was about to do , as they kept asking me what I was going to get for winning the race !!

A week or so before departing I heard the news that Forster was to be no more , this meant that I was going to do the first and the last Forsters , pretty
cool I thought !

Pre race energy in the town was amazing and I must confess to possessing more than my fair share of nerves , after all I had forgotten all about this
Ironman caper . Forster and the race had grown somewhat since my last time there , however the locals were well & truly behind the race just as they were back in 1985 !

Race day finally came and I must confess it passed in a blur , the day went so quickly , one minute your waking at 3.00 am next your staggering up the stairs with tired and heavy legs .

So what happened ? Well the swim was as I suspected , pretty chaotic and at times quite rough , though I was fortunate to find some clear water down the
back straight , exiting in 1.07 I was quickly through the transition and off on the great unknown of the bike , I had not ridden 180ks in training and in fact had been 20 years since I last rode the distance , I did have several 4 -5 hour rides
under my belt and was confident of handling the distance though the time was an unknown factor . The first part of the ride is quite fast and I probably got sucked in abit and went a little to fast , I knew I would pay later so I slowed to a more comfortable pace , my goal was solely to finish so I didn’t intend to blow myself up to early . I found the course relatively easy and ended with a ride of six and a half hours .

Getting off the bike at a combined time of 7.40 I thought to myself , “hang on I can go sub 12 easy here”  far surpassing my expectations , boy was I wrong !

From the moment I stepped out of the change tent I cramped terribly in my calves , so much so I couldn’t run more than about 150 metres at a time before my calf muscles reacted with a violent cramp spasm and then I would have to walk to stretch them out . it was damm frustrating that’s for sure , I saw my sub 12 disappear with the sun and the run became a survival fest , I was buoyed by
support from a lot of old friends out on the course , finally I found myself heading back into town and with 3 Ks to go I finally realized that I was going to finish , apart from my calves I felt remarkably fine . The last K was a blur , I was going through a whole range of emotions from relief to frustration , I could hear the crowd and see the bright lights I was focused on the finish line so much so that I ran straight past my wife and kids who were at the barriers yelling themselves silly at me and waiting to give me a cuddle and high five ! Sorry guys it was hard to see or hear anything up that finish straight !! When Mike Reilly announced me in his own inimitable style my journey was complete .

Crossing the line the handlers grabbed me and started leading me toward Karen Pini , but somewhere in between, Dicky Quinn grabbed me and gave me the biggest bearhug imaginable so I missed out on my kiss from Karen this year but at least I got one 20 years ago!

Big thanks to Ken and Glenda for putting on a magnificent race , also to the Tri travel guys for making everything so easy before the race and also to Glenn at Cannibal for his support and encouragement . But the biggest thanks go out to the
volunteers on race day for making it so special ! Most importantly thanks to my wife and kids for allowing me to live my dream !

See you in another twenty years !

The Cities Marathons

I couldn’t tell you the years I ran the Cities. 85 definitely , probably 86 and 87 as well . The cities was a tough run , up and down all the way along Parramatta Rd and you had to run most of it on the footpath Some highlights

85 ran about 3.14 and picked up the random International Year of Youth prize to Honolulu marathon .

86 Ran with Chris Southwell , we agreed to run together comfortably as a training run as prep for Kona but he was hit but stomach cramps and made a pit stop about 12 k from the finish , think I finished in about 2.57.

87 Ran with Johnny Wilken - great run , about 2 k from the finish I was in the top 10 and running well , I had just dropped Wilko on a small rise and thought you beauty , I‘ve got him !! Another runner came charging past me looking fresh as a daisy , to this day I still don’t know where he came from but anyway it didn’t bother me until I heard Wilko bridging the gap back to me huffing and puffing "I’m not going to let this P***k beat me" as he gave chase and caught him . I finished 11th in 2.51 still my PB and very happy .
All up I think I ran 4-5 Cities on the old course
 

The Canberra Olympic Trials Marathon 1984.

I had entered Hawaii in early 1984 and I figured like a lot of novice triathlete in those days that I better run a marathon .

I chose Canberra , partly because there was a guy at swimming who said he was going down to do it ,he never did but anyway.

So I drove down to Canberra by myself and put myself up at the Telopea park inn right at the starting line which was convenient .

It was a big field and anyone who thought they had a chance to go to the LA Olympics were there to try and run a qualifying time . I had no goals but to finish it . It was a big deal that year and the ABC were showing TV Coverage .

I started steady and maintained my goal of running 8min miles throughout hoping to run 3.30. It was windy and cool throughout which didn’t reallymakefor the best running conditions . At about 20 miles I had severe stomach cramps and limped into a toilet where I stayed for about 5-6 minutes at least , I thought my race goal was shot but after leaving I found a new strength and ran to the line finishing in 3.26 , I was very happy with that time for my first marathon .

Highlights were seeing Deek out running and watching the race and seeing Australias premier female marathoner Lisa Martin easily win the race. From memory Grenville Wood won the mens .

Got a great T Shirt and medal from this race bot proclaiming "Olympic Marathon Trials " so I have kept these to show my kids and tell them about when their Dad tried out for the Olympic games , unfortunately I was an hour too slow !!

Driving home that afternoon was certainly tricky with sore legs and a tired body . Having finished this race certainly gave me confidence that I could complete Hawaii .


Survivor Triathlon

In March of 1984 , Race Director Ramon Russell of Victoria put on a self proclaimed Australian Triathlon Championships in Frankston Victoria . The distance was to be over 2, 80 , 20ks and later the race would take the persona of "Survivor".

As I had already entered Ironman this race would be a good test . I drove down with afriend from Cronulla and met up with good friends Greg Miller and Clayton Stevenson at the motel. Ramon Rusell would achieve some infamy in later years but to his credit he put on a great race and later launced the Nissan series across Australia. Back to Frankston , the swim took us out beside Frankston pier and back in to the transition , where the bike took us out along the coast road to Sorrento ( I think) with a couple of good climbs thrown in, the run retraced part of the bike course with agood sized hill thrown in and back to the finish at the pier .

There was a fair sized field for 84 , and there was pre race hype that several top Americans were going to show , but in the end they didnt. Neve the less all the top Aussies at the time were there.

Clayton Stevenson won the race , nearly blowing a huge lead of the bike , but he held on just in the run . I can't remember exactly who it was running him down , maybe Dragan or perhaps Andrew Steele or even Kevin Charman but they closed the gap considerably . I finished it OK and it gave me a lot of confidence leading into the prep for Hawaii.


Check the Headband !                                                Clayton out on the Bike
 
 
  1987 Hawaiian Ironman Spectators Report

After racing 1986 Ironman , several of the guys from Cronulla headed back to watch the 87 race. I honestly cant remember who was racing it , maybe Tony and John Southwell and one or two others, the sport had definitely by this time taken a hold in the shire.

In our little group was Chris Southwell , Mark Burgess ( more about him later ) and Al Mitchell from Triathlon Sports magazine.Good friend Johnny Ross was also on tour as a spectator this year as well , so it was neat to catch up with him again.

We settled into HQ which again was the seaside hotel , great folks and as I said earlier , can't beat the location

Days prior to race were spent hanging out in town , swimming and running.

A couple of days prior to the race we hired a car however the only place one was available from was Kona airport. Since we wernt racing Chris ,arkand myself decided to run to pick it up ( during mid morning of course!) . I can still remember the heat of the day ! About half way out there were roadworks and the local workers had put up barriers along the Queen K, well MArk in his wisdon decided to use them as hurdles and for several hundred metres hurdled his way along the Queen K in 40 degree heat. Chris and I were in stitches and the riders returning from ptheir morning ride back into town could not believe it either ! I guess you really had to be there to really get the picture and the insanity of it all , but 20 years later it still brings a smile to me when I think about it.

Watching the race that year was a lot of fun , numerous beers were drunk throughout the day and a good time was had by all, the pictures below should some things up quite nicely. The race was another Dave Scott Victory though again Mark Allen gave him a scare at the end of the bike before fading again badly at the end of the run. Greg Stewart from Melbourne ran himself into third place to be the highest Aussie finisher ever at that time. Again we hung around the finishing line to midnight to cheer everybody in , this relaly is one of the great things to do in our sport. Alan Mitchell from Tri Sports was their for the first time and he used his press pass to get us into someplaces we probably shouldnt ahve been from time to time. At the carbo night I was plucked fromour table , for some unknown reason , by the film crew and was given a starring role in the presentation night slide show , I had to be filmed being eaten by giant lobsters on the beach !!! Great fun and I still watch it from time to time for a laugh.


With John & George Poolside and shortly before taking over McGurks fish and chip shop !

Thredbo Alpine Challenge

Thredbo Alpine Challenge In 1990 word got around about a new race being held in Thredbo . the Alpine Challenge , incorporating running , swimming , mountain biking , road bike and kayak paddle. That sounded like fun !

Of course good friend John Wilken was up for it , it was tailor made for him .

We traveled down on a Friday and checked into our hotel , Black bear inn (?) , Thredbo in summer was really nice , very green and clean crisp and cool air .

There was a field of about 50 or so individuals as well as a dozen odd teams . Not bad for a first up race. One guy in particular stood out , turned out to be the eventual winner , but even before the race wasn't short of confidence , had an old bomb car with graffiti all over it " Thredbo or bust" "Kromers challenge" etc etc Brought along his full cheer squad as well . He went onto win the 6 foot track several years later too.

Anyway to my race , it started early about 7.oo ish from memory and it was freezing cold , the first leg was a 10 k run around the village half way up Crakenback and around the surrounding trails . It was so cold I wore tights , long sleeve top , spray jacket , gloves and beanie , running was my forte back then and I finished no far from the leaders , it was then onto Mountain bikes for a ride of about 15ks again around the village , up crakenback and along some trails but this time it also included 2 water crossings , not being very experienced on Mtn bikes I crashed on both crossings and ended up soaking wet , needless to say I lost many places on this leg . At the transition it was back into a run of 16k from Thredbo to the ski tube station , rather undulating with lots of twists and turns , I'm sure a lot of you know the road . It was good though that your handler could cruise along beside you and hand you drinks etc before they shot off to set up the next transition at the ski tube car park.

Here you jumped on to your road bike and road to Jindabyne , again the road is very undulating with a couple of good climbs , plus the surface is exceptionally bumpy . It was not a fast ride !

At the lake it was time to pull on the wetsuit ( you needed it !) and head into a1.5k swim . A quick change and it was a 10k kayak paddle , not being too comfortable with a K1 I chose to paddle my racing ski , wasn’t a bad choice given that the wind had now come up a bit but it was decisively slower . The paddle was a 3 lap course which was good cause you could wave to your support each time around .

Dumping the ski after the paddle it was onto the bikes again to ride back to Thredbo , pity my poor handler who had to lug the ski back to the car and onto the racks by herself ! Any the ride back to Thredbo was a killer , big climbs rough roads and very little energy left ! Half way along my handler caught up to em and gave me some coke which provided the instant lift but I was still a fair ways back.

Arriving in Thredbo there was little left to do except complete another 10 k loop around the village and up crakenback , talk about tough !

Hit the finish line finally , time was about 6 odd hours from memory , not bad for all the distance we covered !

An awards were held at the Keller bar that night . The race was held the following year and then that was it !



1994 Hawaiian Ironman Spectators Report

1994 , along with a few friends , including famed supervet "fearless" Phil Scott form Noosa decided to go and watch the Ironman . For a variety of reasons it had been several years since I had last been to Kona and 94 also had an attraction that it was the year that many were freely tipping Welchy to grab a win . There was also an old guy , coming out of retirement that held a lot of interest.

Our tour started off well when we were upgraded to Business and spent the 12 hours , we went via Cairns , to HNL upstairs in the jumbo’s hump . Leather seats two abreast it was quite luxurious and comfortable , the drinks went down smoothly and later sleep came easily .

Across to Kona and settled in to the ole favorite Kona Seaside , this place is just so central you cant beat it , sure their are more fancy digs but for convenience sake this place takes the cake .

We got there on the Tuesday , from memory , and the days were spent just hanging out . Shopping at the expo , swims in the morning , shooting the bull and catching up during the day , very relaxing , even snuck in a game of tennis or two .

Couple of days before race day went into my favorite surf shop , Pacific Vibrations , now in its new location in town , and was happening to speak to Mike McMichaels the owner and all round nice guy . He mentioned he was in charge of water safety and would I be interested . You bet I would , he said he would grab me a board and made arrangements for meeting race morning etc.

No one needed to tell me what a cool experience this would be .

We went to the Carbo night , which now days was being held in the King Kam car park and watched the goofy Ironman parade , met up with lots of old friends including Micky Morera which was pretty cool . Met up with Mike and he gave me my access pass .

Race morning came and I was up at the same time as the athletes ! Made my way down to the King Kam beach , flashing my credentials to get through the restricted areas . Was given a great old board to paddle by Mike , it was actually a Brewer Gun !! I wondered what stories this board could tell me ! Was given our Swag , T Shirt and cap , which to save getting wet I stashed in a secret hiding space . Had a group photo taken for both the slide show and also Mike’s shop wall .

We were given our instructions , mine were to paddle off the start and then form part of a barricade of swimmers to guide the swimmers along to the turn around point and keep them apart from the line of swimmers returning from the turn around .

Minutes before the start I found myself holding back the masses and forming the start line , Welchy swam past and I wished him luck , I think he was surprised to see me out there !! Dave Scott actually came up close during his warm up as did Mike Pigg and several others whilst Tinley took the time to have a rest and shoot some bull holding onto the board.

Helicopters flew low over the swim start and they caused quite a ripple on the surface .

As the clock ticked closer to 7.00am the paddlers inched back and the swimmers inched forward , didn't matte how many times they were told to get back they kept coming , I guess I was in their boots before , so I knew the scenario .

Finally the cannon sounded , I was barely 10 metres in front of them and had to sprint to stay ahead , what a view !! Talk about an adrenaline rush !! After a minute or so , things died down and I went off to the side and paddled with the lead group , I could make out some of them from time to time but it was quite tricky .

Almost straight away the currents started to push the swimmers off course and out to see , people in the boats were yelling at the board paddlers to get them on track but it was easier said than done as we were being pushed around the ocean too .

Things settled by the old Hilton and about then I thought I better turn back and take my allocated position , I paddled with some of the stragglers and joined up with the pack of paddlers supporting the last swimmer for a while . It was quite amazing to see how slow and how far back the last swimmer was .

By now the leaders were streaming back so I took my position about 200 metres off the pier and watched them go , I could see Welchy right up there next to Dave Scott but couldn’t recognise others . The helicopters accompanied them all the way back to the ramp and their exit . They were out of the water and away but the field came through in one long line.

After about an hour and a half of swimming time it started to get quite spread out , the bulk of the field were long gone and now only a few dozen remained , most of whom were breast stroking or even in one case back stroking . Packs of paddlers formed around the last few swimmers , cheering and giving them all the encouragement we could . When only one swimmer remained we all guided him right up to the ramp where he touched ground with only a minute or two to spare .

Water safety had been a great and rewarding experience and I would recommend it to anyone that could paddle and had some water savvy , I say this because I covered quite a bit of ocean that day and at times had to sprint as fast as I could to get away , and had to endure not only the swells but quite a heavy chop at times from helicopters , boats and the swimmers.

I returned to the beach handed back my Brewer and went back to my hidden stash of clothes , thankfully they were still right there , what a surprise !

Back to the room and put the telly on , where the race was being shown live , then went and found the others for breakky and a swim before we took up our position in front of the Seaside to watch the bikes come back into town and the lead runners head out .

Later in the afternoon I met up with Tony Southwell and we decided to head out of town about a mile on the Queen K to watch the run leg . How cool was that out in the middle of nowhere , boy was it hot though , thankfully we took a few drinks with us!

The helicopters approached so we knew the lead runner was coming - It was as expected Greg Welch , we both gave him a huge cheer and I think Tony ran beside him about 100 metres or so . Only a minute or two back came Dave Scott . What happened next surprised both of us , Dave's wife Anna and his children were also out near we were and as he saw them he stopped and gave each of them a cuddle before he headed off again , I never ever saw that reported anywhere and as he got to only 10 seconds back of Greg I wonder if that could have cost him the race or at least some time in the lead which certainly would have been a talking point !

We waited till Welchy headed back into town and then made our way back towards the pier , unfortunately we missed his finish but got there just in time to see Dave cross the line . What a day ! We hung around till midnight and watched all the finishers come in , that is still one of the best parts of the IM experience !

Next night was the awards banquet as always this was really well done , amazingly Dave Scott got to give a longer speech than the winner , this sure wasn't the best year to win Ironman because you were overshadowed by second place . Saw my picture in the slide show too BTW. A rather large party took place that night at Kona Amigo’s though due to being rather tired I left before stumps , and missed the dram that occurred later that night with a rather famous collarbone !

Flew out of Kona on the Tuesday and had a few days at Waikiki before flying home , shopped , surfed and climbed Diamond Head as well as the mandatory trip to the North Shore .

So that was the Gatorade Ironman for 1994 !



The Elouera Gold

In about 87 I got an invite to compete in the inaugral Elouera Gold , structured around the Surf Lifesaving events of the time this race was being put on by Elouera Surf Club and open mainly to the members of that club and also the neighbouring clubs , though a few others got in as well!

At the start line I was quite nervous , it was going to be about a three hour race and well I was decidely undertrained whne it came to the board paddle.

My good mate Wilko being a local lifeguard was also invited and I was a little bit annoyed when the Race Director signalled him out at the strting line as being the best runner in the field and making sure he knew where the turning flag was.Right ! I thought I'll show them and I did leading the first 5k run leg by about 20 odd metres at the end of the run . Jumping onto the ski Wilko out transitioned me and took off slightly in front into the 3-4 foot surf , bizarely after he cleared the break he turned left towards Wanda instead of heading South to Cronulla , I watched him do this and waited till I started turning in the corect direction before calling him and getting him back on track .

It didnt take long for the clubbies to fly past me on the ski leg but jumping back onto the sand for the next run I quickly passed most of them again tomove into about 3rd position , the board was next and again I was severly flogged by the clubbies and got off well backbut with another 3k run coming I knew I could make up some lost time , which I duly did and went into the swim about 7th or 8th , I dropped a further few places in the swim but with 3 more Ks to run on the sand I ended up running into 7th place , not bad for a faded old washed up triathlete ! My running ability certainly helped me in this race.

I remember at the presentation later I was asked how did it compare toan Ironman Triathlon ,I gave the answer "it was heaps tougher" and all these years later I probably havn't changed my opinion , the disciplines are tough and they certainly extended me and their certainly isn't the chance or walk or coast when your out in the surf ! Tough but Fun and I wish I had of tried another race of this type , who knows maybe I'll still get to do the Coolongatta Gold one year !

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Who's this crazy man ?

At a Early Nissan Series Race at Windsor , love the Skid Lid - were they Australia's first tri specific clothing I was wearing? Anyone know the brand ?

In summary I've been fortunate with my sporting career , whilst never very succesful result wise I have met most of my goals and have been active for the past 25 years. I've been lucky to have been able to train with some of the best , from Scott Molina , Tinley and others to Brad Bevan and Greg Welch both here in Australia and during visits to America and New Zealand. I've had some great training partners , you know who you are ,over the years who taught me a lot , I've also had a lot of support from various people and I thank them all !!

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