The Ironman 70.3 racing scene is predominantly US based which is great. Having raced in Europe during my ITU days and finding horse hoof mince not so compatible with Mum’s lasagne recipe, the English language is no longer taken for granted. Neither is the pronunciation of my name, isn’t that right Collin?

The racing is extremely competitive and cut throat; if you are looking to make a name for yourself in non drafting racing, the US is where you will ultimately end up. Along with your bike bag, back pack, laptop, suitcase and helmet in tow. So don’t be scared to fork out a few extra dollars for suitcases and bike bags with wheels.  You’re less likely to perform well when you’ve been doing bicep curls and split squats with a 25kg fully loaded bike bag and the weight of a 10 year old kid packed into your backpack because you were trying to ‘lose’ a few kgs from the suitcase.

So the planning of races begins: organising transport to and from airports, arranging home stays with locals that hopefully haven’t become famous for the most appearances on America’s Most Wanted. There are dozens of races to choose from; traditional races such as Wildflower, to the newer races with the likes of the ever expanding Rev3 series. I will coordinate with the Australian and Kiwi athletes as to who’s racing and see if we are able to travel, rent cars and stay together for races. I will look at six - eight races from March through to 70.3 World Champs in September in Las Vegas. It’s always easier travelling with a friend, especially when your cab driver grabs your thigh instead of the gear stick and you have to use your pump to make a navy seal like exit. 

I will be based in Boulder, Colorado again this year. It’s a fantastic training location with the Rocky Mountains for challenging climbing, reservoirs for swimming and a host of current and former triathlon greats to train with or sit pool side sporting dark sunglasses pretending you’re not watching what training they’re doing.