XTERRA: THE RACE

The racing format we now know as Xterra, started on the island of Maui in 1996. It began as a duel of the fittest, largely between mountain bikers and triathletes, but it has gone on to attract a variety of outdoor enthusiasts since. Although it had very humble beginnings, Xterra is now a global brand, and the fastest-growing multisport event in the world. The Xterra points series consists of more than 70 races in the US. Further afield, the Xterra World Tour holds championship events in Saipan, New Zealand, South Africa, the Czech Republic, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Germany, France, and Switzerland. The top ranking athletes from each of the national championship events are invited to compete at the Xterra World Championship each October in Kapalua, Maui.  For me, this meant racing alongside over 800 other athletes, with 9 women in my 20-24 age group.

I arrived on Maui at around midday on Tuesday the 22^nd October along with my trusty support crew – Mum, Dad and my sister Jemma. We hired a car, and headed north east around the island to our accommodation in Kahana; around 10mins drive from race HQ. I was fortunate enough to get in touch with a few of kiwi’s who were competing; largely through friends of friends. Two of whom were Nick and Judy Kensington. Possibly the loveliest people you could ever hope to meet. They had spent a year living in Maui, after competing in the World Champs the year before. Nick and Judy were awesome, and kind of ‘took me under their wing’ for the last few days leading up to the race. I was able to go over the swim course with them a few times, as well as the bike and run course. I biked the MTB course on Wednesday with Judy and although it was soon clear that the course was fairly tough, and it turned out to be longer than previous years; but we just cruised around and had an awesome afternoon. It turned out that biking the course on Wednesday was a wise decision, as the heat only worsened over the next couple of days, and being such a long, tough course, my tapering would not have been as effective if I had tackled it a day or two later.

On Thursday I meandered around the run course after a morning swim and I was stoked to discover that most of the hill climbing was over and done with in the first half of the run. After completing the run on Thursday I had now seen the entire course, and I was super excited. It was going to be very hot, but a lot of fun! Leading up to the race I was careful to taper well and stuck closely to the programme that had been set for me by Brendon (Thanks Brendon!). This meant that when it came to race day on Sunday, not only was my body well rested, but I was mentally amping for a race! Bring it on!!!

The race started at 9am, after a quick blessing from a local chief and the American national anthem. The pro’s started us off, bang on 9am. Two minutes later it was the men and after a further two minutes I found myself sprinting into the water with the women’s field. I was pretty happy with my swim, and I came out of the water first in my age group; still feeling pretty fresh. The conditions were the calmest they had been all week with next to no surf!

The 32 km mountain bike started off awesome also. The first few miles were mostly uphill with plenty of meandering corners and sandy patches; making for a slow but interesting first few miles. The course was also pretty congested with competitors, adding to the challenge. I held a pretty consistent place amongst the bikers around me in the first few miles and was happy with how I was going. After reaching the highest point of the race, we began the first major descent. All was going well until we hit a steep section of single track that had a fair few tight corners and sandy patches. It was here that things got a wee bit nasty for a few of us!! I seemed to be in a relatively big group of riders at the time which I found tricky (I definitely need more practise riding in bunches). At one point during a downhill section my handle bars clipped a tree and the next thing I knew I was down a bank with my bike on top of me. No major injuries though so climbed back up, checked my chain and gears, and jumped back on… only to fall straight back off and down the bank... again. I hadn’t even notice that my seat had been twisted 90 degrees in the first fall, so when I went to get back on my butt slipped straight back off again, duuuhhh!!

I was still all in one piece though (mostly), and my bike was still in order other than the fact that my handle bars had been turned so far that they had been forced over the top tube. I have since deduced that this came about when the handle bar jabbed me in the ribs. After a few seconds of pulling and a bit of swearing under my breath; I managed to correct them. And this time I was careful to straighten my seat! After having a wee giggle to myself about my ‘muppet’ moment I was back on the bike. I had lost a bit of time with this incident though and was now a bit sore. I was also now missing my drink bottle, and a couple of GU’s which had become dislodged during the tumbles.

Why it pays to stay on your bike...

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the last of the blonde moments (perhaps I should try dyeing my hair another colour). After reaching an aid station and getting another Gatorade bottle into my bottle cage, I was hot and thirsty and desperately wanted a cold drink... but I should have waited for a more convenient time. Riding downhill with one hand on the handle bars and one hand holding a bottle is not a smart move; over handle bars again, and this time onto stones. Rats!

My trusty bike and I were still all good though so I didn’t lose too much time. The biggest knock I got this time was a knock to my confidence. Knowing that I still had over an hour to go on the bike, and then 10ks of trail running, meant that I was now just keen to get through without any more major falls. Stepping back my speed on the downhill meant that I was able to get through more or less unscathed (only one minor fall when I hit a deep patch of sand). And after some more climbing, meandering, and a few downhill sections, I was back to T2, and was in third place in my division.

Because I had backed off a bit of the last section of the ride, my legs still felt pretty fresh. I loved the run, and managed to make up some of the time I lost on the bike. There were a lot of people really struggling with the intense heat on the run so I was able to pass a fair few (although mainly men). Although we had tattoos on our calves illustrating out division, it was really hard to see them by this stage of the race and I was unsure about where I was placed in the field. Overall the run was incredibly hot, but relatively uneventful. Seeing the finish line in any race is the best feeling ever , but on a scorching day like today, in the company of such fantastic athletes and with my family watching on from the side of the finishing chute, it was extra special. I was incredibly stoked to gain 2^nd place in the 20-24 age group, and also the 3^rd fastest under 25 finisher. Not only had I completed the race and absolutely loved it, I had achieved my goal of finishing in the top 3 in the world, in my age group. Stoked.

I just want to thank everyone who helped me get there and make it all happen. Thanks to my sponsors; Lysaght consultants, Cycle Obsession, Smiths Sport Shoes, and Ocean Blue Gym for your support. Also, thanks to the entire North Harbour Triathlon Club, and in particular those who I have been training with a lot. The North Harbour Squad has been an awesome and very welcoming club to be a part of since moving to Auckland earlier this year, and I have met the most amazing, inspirational and hardworking people. Also thanks to those back at home in the BOP, including my awesome team mate ‘Crazy’ Craig Jones, Steve Lake, and many others who have helped me out with trainings, advice and encouragement; it has all meant a lot. I would also like to make mention of the Hoare family (family friends of ours from Te Puke) who adjusted their travel plans to come over to Maui and cheer me on. Thanks guys!

Last but certainly not least, thanks to my family (also known as my support crew, photographers, managers, organisers, and well actually everything-ers). You guys are awesome and I am stoked you all jumped at the opportunity to come over and share the experience with me. Oh, and we are already planning for another trip next year hopefully!!! Wooohooo!

I hope to have a further post up in the next few days, just looking back at the journey to Xterra. But for now, you can find more photos and information here:
https://www.facebook.com/Hannah.Wells.Triathlete 

THE MOTU...

The Horizon Energy Motu Challenge is regarded as the North Island’s, and one of the country’s, premier multisport events. It is a demanding but fun event, which caters for many levels of athlete; from the first-timers having a go in the team’s event; to world renowned elite athletes such as Richard and Elina Ussher, and local favourite Sam Clark, who are vying for the individual title.

The race has four stages: a 65km Mountain Bike; a 17km Run; a 52km Road Cycle; and a final multisport stage involving a 27km Kayak, 8km Road Cycle, and a 3km Run. For this years event I teamed up with ‘Crazy’ Craig Jones again as Team Lysaght Consultants Racing. ‘Crazy’ would be doing the MTB and Multisport stage, and I would be doing the Run and Road Cycle.

We arrived at the legendary Ranui Motel in Opotiki on the Friday night, before Saturday’s race. After settling in to our cosy room, we headed off to the race briefing which was in the local theatre just down the road. The race briefing was in typical multisport fashion – relaxed and casual. After the briefing I had some of Mums amazing smoked salmon frittata for dinner and got into bed for an early night. At about 2am we were woken by a massive storm that had come over… ‘Arghhh I had to road ride in this tomorrow!?’ I soon realised there was nothing I could do about this at 2am and I managed to get back to sleep.

Luckily, the storm came and went pretty fast, and when I woke at 5am it was much more settled. We headed down town to the start of the race; the Mountain Bike stage. After seeing ‘Crazy’ off, Mum and I headed through the gorge to the MTB/Run/Road Cycle transition. The drive took a couple of hours and by the time we arrived the wind had picked up massively! We weren’t going to escape the notorious Motu winds after all.

After setting up my road bike in transition I had a bit of time to wait and watch as the mountain bikers began coming in, as well as getting ready to run. While waiting in my running gear for ‘Crazy’ to come in and hand over the transponder, a lady came up to me in a bit of a panic and asked if I was riding the ‘black and yellow Scott bike’. “Yes?” I replied hesitantly. She went on to inform me that my front tyre had just blown… Rats! Luckily I had plenty of help around me, and my wheel was taken away to get a new tube while I completed the run leg (A big thanks to Craig and Jim). Poor ‘Crazy’ had been suffering with the flu for the entire week before the race; he had a bit of a tough time on the Mountain Bike leg. When he came in I could see he his lungs were giving him trouble, and we had a bit of time to make up. So off I went...

17km of bush running. I was in my element! Actually, I got a bit too excited and ended up reaching the 4km mark in just under 15mins. I quickly reminded myself I still had a long way to go (including a 52km road bike) so I pulled my pace back a wee bit. The run was just awesome. I managed to pull back 11 places over the 17km, finishing in 1 hr and 16mins. Time went by reasonably quickly on the run, and once I got back to transition I realised I had forgotten to eat anything! Oops. I shoved a chomp or two in my gob as Uncle Bruce, ‘Crazy’ and Mum all helped me put on my bike shoes, helmet, glasses and gloves. During transition ‘Crazy’ told me that Heather Logie (Crazy’s friend – and soon to be my friend) was only a couple of minutes ahead. Heather was part of the Cycle Obsession Team – who are good friends of ours (and who also sponsor me) so we had a bit of friendly rivalry going. It was all on! :)

I had about 4 cars of supporters (consisting of the family and the Lysaghts Consultants employees) tracking me during the ride. They were stopping every so often to cheer as I rode by. Every time I went past I couldn’t help but give them a big smile. Good work team – you guys were awesome! I caught up to Heather not long before the notorious Trafford’s Hill. She was struggling a bit with cramp after the run and was riding with two other guys in a bunch. The guys ended up dropping off, leaving Heather and I to tough it out together. I managed to create a slight gap on the way up Trafford’s Hill (with my strength being climbing). However, she soon came whizzing past me on the downhill. I managed to jump on the back of her as she flew past, and I wasn’t letting go…

When we got to the bottom of the steep part of the hill, I began to try and pick up the power through the legs again; only to find they were now hurting. Not eating earlier had come back to bite me in the butt – quite literally. My hamstring and gluts had well and truly cramped up. I told heather that my legs were in a bad state and that I didn’t think I would be able to lead. She admitted that she wasn’t feeling 100% either, so our trudge back to transition together began. There was plenty of chat on the long windy road to transition. Heather was fantastic company, and thanks to her I made it back to transition without losing too much time. We got off our bikes and gave each other a big hug. She really pulled me through the last part of the ride, as I was really quite sore by the end. I admire her for her awesome personality and gutsy attitude. I was also pretty stoked to be able to finally meet Heather as I had previously heard a lot about her. She is the ex-World Single Speed MTB Champion and her mountain biking skills are unbelievable. If only some could rub off onto me! :)

After completing the 52km road ride section in 1hour 44 minutes, it was Crazy’s turn to try and smash the paddle. As usual, he did just that. Despite Crazy’s hydration system on the kayak not working the entire kayak, he was able to bring us home strong. He crossed the line at 8 hours and 14 minutes; making us the first Mixed Team home. Awesome! To top things off, I was able to have a good chat with Richard Ussher after the race; he gave me some great tips for Xterra (AHHH star struck!!). Not only did Richard and Elina both race amazingly, but I was also blown away by how nice and down-to-earth they both were. There really are some awesome people in this sport! :)

‘Crazy’ and I were a little disappointed to not break the 8 hour mark as that was our aim (as well as placing first in the mixed teams); but given that the race wasn’t perfect and that ‘Crazy’ had been ill the entire week leading up to the race, I think we did pretty well! I was also stoked that I was able to achieve the fastest female time for the 17km Run (beating second fastest, Elina Ussher, by 8 minutes).

All in all, it was a very successful and enjoyable day for Team Lysaght Consultants Racing. We had a lot of fun and I was stoked with all the support we had at the race. Congratulations to the other Lysaght Consultants teams (Team Alcohooligans, and Team Fire Breathing Ducklings). It was great to see everyone out there enjoying the day! And a big congrats to Dad and his team mate Jim, who rode as a team in the Motu 160 for Seeka Kiwifruit Industries. Woohoo! Go Dad! For me personally, I think I can learn a lot from this race; particularly when it comes to eating and drinking! I really felt the effects of not eating or drinking well in this race. It has made me realise how important it is going to be for me to monitor nutrition and hydration more carefully when racing Xterra. Not only will I be out racing for over three hours, it is going to be in some pretty intense heat! 

Well people, that’s it for the races here in NZ in the lead up to Xterra; wow time has flown by! Again I want to give a massive thanks to those who have made this Xterra campaign possible, including friends, family, and of course my sponsors: Lysaght Consultants Ltd, Ocean Blue Papamoa, Smith’s Sport Shoes Tauranga, and Cycle Obsession Mt Maunganui. I am very excited (and nervous) to give it all I have got. The next few weeks are going to be a massive learning experience for me (being so new to the sport and having never raced overseas before). But I plan on taking in as much as I can and doing my best. I cannot wait to get the chance to race against the World’s best! Yeeeoooow!!!

THE BIG 'O'

The UltrAspire Big 'O' is a trail run, organised by Lactic Turkey Events, which takes in the scenic tracks around Lake Okataina, near Rotorua. There are 35km, 21km, or 10km options, and I chose to participate in the 21km event; or at least that's what I thought...

The race had a leisurely start time of 10am; so after registering at 9am it was back to the car to tune in to RadioSport and keep up to date with what was happening in the America's Cup. The weather couldn't have been more different to what was happening in San Francisco. While Team NZ's America's Cup race being called off after exceeding the race time limit due to light winds; we were sat in the car sheltering from what were some wet, windy, and generally wild, weather conditions. Still, my race had to go on.

The race began on farmland. We headed out on what was a nice undulating course... for the first 5-10mins. Then we started hitting the hills. The first hill we reached was so steep it was a lot quicker to power walk up it, rather than run. While scrambling up the hills in the farm land, lungs going full-bore, one of the guys in our leading bunch looked across to me and said “Holy sh*t I didn’t expect to be walking this early!” I found this quite funny at the time (even though I was feeling a decent amount of 'hurt'). Little did we know that there were many more 'scrambling' hills to some!

After the farmland, there was a section of gravel road and we made our way up to the top of a range of hills. Unfortunately, due to the inclement weather conditions, the probable view was blocked by mist and clouds. It was still a nice run along the top. We then entered a section of recently felled forest and had to do a bit of climbing over trees and branches, before heading into some native bush. There was no obvious track through most of the bush sections, and instead we followed tape markers which were tied to the trees. There was quite a bit of supplejack which meant we were often climbing through vines and canes. The bush was so awesome; so beautiful and lush. You really can't beat running freely through bush like that. The wet weather, and extremely muddy track just added to the adventure!
After about 1hour 20min of running through what was largely bush, we popped out to a camp where the drinks station was placed. I was getting a bit concerned about the time at this stage as I remember hearing that the drinks station was about half way around the course... 1hour 20min...halfway!? This is when I first realised I may be in for a bigger day than I had expected!

Never mind though! Soldier on :)

 

I grabbed a bit of R-line sports drink from the station, and headed off towards yet another big uphill. Within 10mins I found myself walk/running/scrambling on all fours. The steep and muddy terrain meant that the climb was slow and hard work. At the top, it was a bit more bush, before climbing a fence or two, and heading out onto more farmland. This farmland section was quite long and exposed, and by now the weather had worsened; so it was just a case of head down and keep going!

The course did not follow any track, instead you had to run to each marker. The course was actually marked very well by the organisers; with markers every 5-20 metres. However despite this, at times it was a struggle to see the next marker in the dense misty weather. Up a few more hills (including one covered in gorse - ouch!) and we eventually started feeling as though we were getting closer to civilisation.

I was watching the time on my watch; 2 hr 15min… 2hr 30mins… 2 hour 40min… surely we are getting close?!

At 2 hour 50mins I arrived back at camp, third person home and first female home. After crossing the finish line I went over and joined the two guys who finished before me. They looked how I felt; pretty spent; they then told me I had just run 27.5km not 21km?! I was actually kind of relieved to hear this as that explained the massive race time!! (I was getting worried I was just very very slow!) Many of the people coming across the finish line looked exhausted and saturated, but happy (and relieved) to see the finish. This was the longest distance I have run before so I was pretty happy to hold up the whole race. I think many people had the same feeling!

My hat goes off to those who completed the 35km run, which turned out to be 51km…WOW. What a distance! Awesome achievement.
Again, a big thanks to the organisers and sponsors. A great event, and I might just have to come back next year so perhaps I can finally see that view from the top of the range :)

It is now almost exactly one month until Xterra! Eeek! The nervous excitement is building...but first, it's time to shift my focus to the Motu Challenge, where I will reunite with my Lysaght Consultants team-mate 'Crazy' Craig Jones.

Looking forward to it!

MONTY'S REVENGE

The Robinson Law Monty’s Revenge is a 55km multisport event, based out of Ohope in the Bay of Plenty. The guy who sparked it all off in the 1990s was Monty McGougan; a local legend and high performer in the local surf club. He had the idea of creating a multisport race as training for the surf club members and it's just morphed from there; past winners are a who's who of multisport from Sophie Hart and Rachel Cashin to Gordon Walker and Ben Fouhy. It involves trail running, mountain biking, and kayaking as an individual, pair, or as a team doing one stage each. I was to be racing in a 2-man mixed team, Team Lysaght Consultants, along with ‘Crazy’ Craig Jones. ‘Crazy’ Craig is another local multi-sporter who I have been lucky enough to train with when I am back at home. He’s a laugh a minute off the course, and an absolute machine on it.

It was a stunning morning in Ohope and a leisurely race start (10am), along with the awesome beach location, meant a series of random photos were in order.
See exhibit A below…

This year’s event began at the Maretotara Reserve, with a ‘Le Mans’ style start to the mountain bike leg. Although being a notoriously gnarly multisport event, this was not your typical dash for the bike; instead we sprinted up a stream which was knee deep in places!  But before long, I was off on my bike and about 10mins in we began an epic climb up and over the hill towards Whakatane. It was around 50mins of grunty climbing before I reached the top, with some sections “kissing the handle bars in granny gear” steep! The 360° views at the top definitely helped dull the pain a little though – Awesome. 

Photo Courtesy of Bruce Belcher

Photo Courtesy of Bruce Belcher

Then the descent; slow and easy for a start, with some pretty dodgy sections of loose gravel; but soon out onto farm land where we had to jump a fence, and scramble up a 15m bank – with bikes in tow. It wasn’t too far from there before I popped out by the Whakatane river and I handed over to ‘Crazy’ for the paddle leg; first female off the mountain bike.

‘Crazy’ Craig smashed it – like totally smashed it; he passed around 10 people, and came away with the fastest overall time for the paddle leg. He handed over the transponder looking like he had certainly left everything on the course. I was soon off up the stairs and into the final leg – the 12km trail run.

Photo Courtesy of Bruce Belcher

 Stairs, stairs, and a hill climb - about 20mins of it! But all worthwhile as it led to a really nice part of the run – undulating bush track – my favourite! I did have a few confusing moments through here though; there was no one around me and tracks were tricky to follow in places. It was a relief when I dropped down onto the beach and saw a marshal. I then continued around the coastline on rocks for a few kilometres. However, unbeknownst to be, I had missed part of the track – along with another guy I was following.  We ended up having to dive into the sea and swim for a few metres (rather refreshing at this time of year!!). Then all that remained was a 3km dash along the hard sand to the finish to also take out the title of fastest female in the run.

All in all, it was a fantastic little local event, with a pretty gnarly course which really kept you on your toes throughout the race. Craig and I managed to take out first mixed team, and first placed 2-man team, along with our individual titles on each of the legs. Gotta be happy with that! 

Big thanks to the EBOP Multisport Club and all those who helped make the event happen; including the major sponsor, Robinson Law. Also, of course, a big shout-out to our teams naming sponsor, and my major sponsor, Lysaght Consultants! Along with all those other businesses and supporters who continue to make my training and competing possible.

Team Lysaght Consultants will be out in the hills again in around a month’s time, this time at the infamous Motu Challenge; can’t wait!

SEVEN WEEKS...

I thought I would do a quick update on the sponsorship I have received recently. The awesome support from my sponsors helps to provide me with all the equipment I need, to train as hard as I can, leading up to the World Champs (only 7 weeks away ?! eeek!)

Just recently, I have been given a new pair of Asics runners and two running tops from Smiths Sport Shoes Tauranga, a new team race suit and t-shirt from Lysaght Consultants Ltd, and a six month gym membership from Ocean Blue Fitness, which I am able to sell in order to raise funds to get me to World Champs.

My major sponsor, Lysaght Consultants Ltd, have also recently given me $1500 towards triathlon gear and getting to Hawaii. This will be a massive help, and I am so thankful for their generosity.

As a bit of a 'thank-you' to Lysaght Consultants, I baked up a storm (with help from Mum!) and delivered morning tea to the team.

Afghans, Lemon tarts and good old sausage rolls….mmmmmmm. True athlete’s food ;) They were stoked!

I will also be providing some swim coaching to some of the staff at Lysaght Consultants. The company enters a number of teams (made up of their employees) into local events during the season. Therefore a couple of the guys are looking to improve their swimming techniques to increase the companies chances of taking out some of the corporate events. Hopefully I will be able to pass on some tips and get a good session in with these guys! 

First swim session with the Lysaght's crew will be this Monday (9^th of September), bring it on!

NDURO WINTER SERIES - RACE 2

Last weekend I came home to indulge in 45km of single-track awesomeness. 

The Galaxy Travel Winter Series, run by NDuro Events, consists of 3 races, ranging from 15 to 50km, in Rotorua's Redwood Forest. Last weekend was race two, and provided some great conditions - the tracks were riding perfectly, and we had nice mild temperatures out on the course.

There was a good turnout, with 3 course lengths being offered in this particular event; 15km, 30km, or 45km. There were 6 other girls entered in the open category for the 45km race, with almost an hour separating the first and last finisher.

The race started with a climb and was straight into a section of 'Genesis' that both Dad and I agreed was 'pretty munty' - almost everyone had to get off bikes and push here (too many people meant it got too messy to try and ride).

After Genesis was 'Rockhop' (which I had never done before), and then into 'The Dipper' (an old time favourite). The field had spread out by now, allowing  a pretty quick through here and onto 'Rose Bank' and 'Tahi' (both of which were also new to me). The track was undulating in places, and this took a bit out of my legs. There was also a big puddle/creek that you had to get off your bike for through - apparently some people attempted to ride it, only to end up in the drink!

Back onto the familiar (very familiar) terrain of the 'Creek Track', before heading up Nursery Road to 'Mad If You Don't', 'Ball and Chain', 'Yellow Brick Road' and 'Sandy Skid Road' - some more self-explanatory than others. 'Pondy New' led onto the 'Chinese Menu' tracks (i.e. 'Chop Suey', 'Sweet and Sour', etc) before hitting the dreaded Direct Road.

Legs were getting tired now - there had been such a huge amount of single track already - so Direct Rd was harder than usual. Unfortunately, my back was starting to hurt quite badly, and I had to stand up on pedals every so often to try and stretch it out. I have had 'niggly' back pain a few times when cycling, but today was especially bad.

'Hot X Buns' was the light at the end of the Direct Rd tunnel of pain. It is a grade 4 track which started out with a couple of nasty climbs, but soon turned downhill and was SO MUCH FUN! It was the most technical track of the race by far, and with my body being pretty tired after the big climb up, I found I really needed to concentrate. A fair few people bailed on this track.  

Still buzzing from the epic downhill, it was time to climb once again; back up through 'Lion Trail' and to the top of 'Tikorangi'. My back was now giving me real grief and I couldn't push hard up the hill as I usually would. Luckily, the end was in sight, and only a steady descent of 'Tikorangi' and 'Exit Trail' remained. I finished up in 4th place, behind some tough competition. Not a bad result considering the issues with my back, and the fact that a single track event of this length was all new to me. Oh, and I can't not mention that Dad took out the top spot in the 30km Mens Classic race. Nice work old fulla!

Overall, this was one of the most fun-filled races I have done; so much world class single track! But at the same time, having that much single track in a race also made it a super tough event.

NOTE: Sweet new shorts from cycle obsession!!

If you aren't familiar with the Redwoods, and want to know what on earth all those track names refer to, check out the link below:
http://www.rotoruanz.com/experiences/mountain-bike-trails#mtb_map

Or, if you also want to have a go at the Winter Series events, head to:
http://www.n-duro.co.nz/winter/evdesc.php

TEAM LCL

A year ago I would never have dreamed of eyeing up the world's premier Off Road Triathlon event. Racing any sort of race in Hawaii seemed a world away... and in fact in a literal sense, it still is.
There are many stars which need to align to make a campaign like this possible. There's the obvious well-being and fitness; there's the technical aspects of both training and equipment; and of course there's the necessary financial commitment. 
Committing to a PhD has meant another 3 years with minimal income, after having already completed a 4 year degree. I knew from the outset of this odyssey, that I could not survive purely under my own steam. I have had endless support from my family and friends with training, logistics, and organisation; but I always knew that I had to find a way to put myself out there as an athlete worthy of financial backing. 

Something I knew NOTHING about.

It came down to thinking long and hard about both what I need to get out of sponsorship, and what a business would want to get out of sponsoring me. I am slowly learning that this requires far more than just a 'one-size-fits-all' mentality. I have looked at big and small companies; both locally and further afield. I have written letters; taken photos; gone on visits; and as you've probably noticed by now, written a blog. 
As an athlete, our needs are rather straight forward: money; facilities; and gear. As a business, it is a little harder to define. Businesses want exposure: whether that is proudly displaying their colours or logo; being an ambassador or an embodiment of their company values and beliefs; or testing, endorsing, and providing honest feedback on their product. Different companies have different ideas of what and how athlete sponsorship can add to their business. 

I have put a lot of time into making sure I approach this whole idea of sponsorship in a way that allows both parties to get the best possible outcome.

Earlier this week, I found my sponsorship 'soul-mate'.

Lysaght Consultants Ltd is a Land Surveying, Engineering and land Development practice in Tauranga. One of the company's directors, just happens to be one of my biggest supporters, Uncle Bruce. But their decision to sponsor my Hawaiian Odyssey is much more than an Uncle helping out his niece. 
The team at Lysaght Consultants run a tight ship, and have developed a great name for themselves in the Bay of Plenty region. Their staff are close-knit, and have a passion for not only working on the land, but also playing on it. They are regular starters at most local multisport events, whether it is as individuals, or a corporate team. All staff members are encouraged to get out of the office and 'get the heart rate up' during lunchtimes; and a good level of competition is maintained within the company, through a whiteboard of timed laps of Tauranga's 9km 'Daisy Hardwick Memorial Track'. 

I love everything about this company's philosophy; I am so appreciative of the support they have offered me; and I am so proud to have the opportunity to represent them at the Xterra World Champs in October! 

My friend Crazy Craig and I are also confirmed to be representing LCL in the Motu Challenge in October. I think this will be the perfect way to cap-off my build up to the Xterra World Champs. 
Oh, and I'll be having a crack at the lap times on the whiteboard for sure!

For more info on Lysaght Consultants, check out my sponsorship page. 

TRANS-TASMAN

A couple of weeks back I had the opportunity to take my training off shore! Melbourne to be precise. I spent a week at the National Centre for Synchrotron Science to conduct a series of tests for my PhD studies. 

A Synchrotron, for those who are interested, is a type of cyclic particle accelerator. It guides particles using a magnetic field and synchronises, or focuses them to create a beam. It basically allows us to fire particles at stuff, to see how both the particles and the stuff reacts. 

Beamtime!

The work load associated with my PhD has been ramping up lately; making training a bit tough at times; but in this particular case it meant I could train whilst exploring some fantastic locations on the outskirts of the city! 

So pretty!! and not exactly what I had pictured when I thought of training in Melbs!

Aside from the odd from the occasional winter sniffle, my training is still on track. Now that we are on our way out of the winter months, I am looking forward to notching up a few more local events as I continue my preparations.

WINTER TRAININGS

If it's relatively cold at my parent's place, you can guarantee it is bloody freezing at the Reddies!! But if there's one reason to bare your legs on a cold winters morning... it's to shred some frozen dirt in Whakarewarewa Forest and the Redwood Mountain Bike Trails!!

I am so lucky to be able to come over to Rotorua during a weekend back at home. There's such a variety of terrain and trails, and also a variety of people to ride with. From a relatively tame outing with Dad; a good battle with my Uncle Bruce; or a full-on shredding with Crazy Craig; I never have a shortage of people to ride with.

Here's a few pics from a recent impromptu outing (hence having to go back to my old bike!):

A chilly morning at the Reddies!

 

A bit strange being back on small wheels!

3D ROTORUA MULTISPORT FESTIVAL

What a great day out! It's hard to know where to begin...

The 3D Rotorua Multisport Festival is now in it's third year and already it is pulling in some big names from around NZ. The main event is the 50km Premier Multisport title race, which contests the Australasian Multisport Championship. This race was contested by well known athletes like the Usshers, Trevor Voyce, Sophie Hart, Jess Simpson, and was won this year by Dougal Allan, and Simone Maier. My uncle, Bruce, also competed and took out 4th in his category! Woooo!

Unfortunately, my triathlon focus (and the distinct lack of a kayak) meant that I opted to contest the 42km Duathlon instead. The events on the card for this weekend took in some of the most amazing, world class, tracks and trails that Rotorua has to offer. My event was no exception, and involved a 31km MTB followed by an 11km run.

Starting an event on the bike was a new experience for me; although it was nice not to be soaking wet for once! We had a controlled start behind a pace car, and were instructed to stay in single file along the grass verge until we entered the forest. This made for a nice steady start, and we were soon into a climb, which meant there wasn't too much pushing and shoving. Part way up the climb was another 'first' in that we had to jump off our bikes and jump over a closed gate! Further up the course we were off our bikes again to cross a bridge and access a track on the opposite side. This caused a bit of congestion but, like clambering over the gate, made the event feel like a bit more of an adventure; which was cool.

After the 'steeple-chase' section was over, everyone was off; the pace picked up, the field spread out, and  we continued the climb. Then it was into 'Corners'; one of my favourite tracks! Track conditions were perfect, and I think this was probably the fastest ride I have had through that section of track. My legs began to feel the burn as we headed into 'Old Chevy'; not such a 'fav'. I was overtaken by 4 or 5 guys on this section. Into 'Sweet and Sour', and after a quick chat with Megan Dimozantos, she too headed past. The remainder of the ride was pretty uneventful and I focused on remaining consistent, and most importantly, staying on my bike!

At the end of the MTB section I was the 4th placed female. After a fairly smooth transition I was back into the forest on the run course and I soon reeled in Megan (although there wasn't an opportunity for chat this time). Track conditions for the run were also near perfect and nearing the end of the run lap I had Kylee McFetridge in my sights. I sneaked in front but she stuck quite close behind until we hit the steps, soon after the start of the second lap. I was beginning to feel signs of cramp in my quads which slowed me on the steps and Kylee seized her chance to continue what was now a see-saw battle. However, once back on the flat, the cramp was a distant memory, and I passed Kylee one final time; beating her by over 2 and a half minutes. First in my age group and second overall behind Sonia Foote. Gotta be happy with that!

Overall, I really enjoyed the race; which I think goes hand in hand with a good performance. Having moments of cramp meant I couldn't push too hard on the run, but I was still happy with my time. The bike could also have been faster, but it is early days, and I think I'm still 'bonding' with my beautiful Giant XTC rocketship!

Big thanks to Cycle Obsession for the awesome new race clothing, and for helping me out with bike bits and nutrition!

Also, a big thanks to Bruce, Steve; and of course Mum and Dad; who helped make sure I got plenty of time on the course, and in the Redwoods when I was back at home on weekends (not too mention the delicious home cooking!).

Until next time.

Han.