NTA Junior Asian Triathlon Tour

The July school holidays are normally a hibernation time or a chance to head over to Bali to find some warmth. For the last few years I have traveled to the Gold Coast to extend my coaching knowledge and learn from the best. This year I have been fortunate enough to be picked as a Team Australia Coach for the Junior Elite World Championships. So this time I was attending a camp based on being one of the coaches. This year saw a change to the schedule for the Juniors. World Champs are to be held in Mexico in September, somewhere that will be warm and probably humid on race day. So instead of just doing a training camp on the Gold Coast where some warmth could be enjoyed the team found 2 races to attend and made the 2 week camp visit a few countries. Jess Claxton has been named in the Australian Team and she joined me on this trip. We left a very cold and wet Perth and headed to Osaka, Japan, I think it was 32 degrees the first day we arrived, slight difference to the 17 and rain we had been experiencing in Perth. Once in Osaka we joined up with the rest of the traveling team. Liam McCoach from Break Your Limits Academy had flown with us from Perth and then we joined up with athletes from QAS and GCNPC who had flown from Queensland, Singapore and Thailand to join the trip.

Jess and I had been working in a heat chamber and completing course simulation on the Wahoo Kickr to hopefully make sure she was absolutely ready for the race. The Osaka race course was 4 laps over an industrial estate with a massive bridge, which meant 8 times up and over. Jess spent four 4 weeks working in the heat chamber on this course and we were confident we had done enough work to be successful and achieve our goals at this race. This was Jess's first Elite adult race. Osaka was an ITU Asian Cup race covering the traditional Sprint distance. Jess was the youngest athlete on the start list with the oldest being a multiple Olympian.

Unfortunately Osaka was not to be the race we had hoped for, Jess was in the lead group 4th out of the water and in a group that looked the goods, unfortunately Jess came down on a U-turn and broke her bike and the day was done.

Japan was very successful for the Australian Team with being able to win both the Mens and Womens races. Excited for other athletes but saddened to wonder what if, we left Japan to spend a week in Singapore. Singapore was a whole new level. It was the same sort of heat as Japan but the humidity was way more, just walking down the street brought the sweats on.
Singapore was a very different set up and way more casual, the Japan. I guess thats the difference between and event that has been running for 30 years and a new race. Singapore was a great venue very safe and closed roads.
Race morning was a very early start but also super successful. Jess and I had a planned for the race and Jess executed her plan perfectly to take the win. Jess has now started 3 international Elite Triathlons and has 2 wins, very good strike rate.

Below are some more random shots from the trip which I have thoroughly enjoyed and learned from and am looking forward to the next 5 weeks of building and preparation for Junior Elite World Champs to be held in Cozumel, Mexico in September. Have heaps of ideas to attempt at training and some great supporters helping me with some equipment to make sure the Jess is the best prepared she can be.

End of Season Reflection

WOW!!!!
2015/16 Triathlon Season was an amazing experience. We achieved so much.
I will keep this short as to not bore anyone, but will make a new goal to post much more often then I currently have been.
Congratulations to all the athletes on an amazing season.
Congratulations to Jessica Claxton who has qualified for the Australian Junior Elite Triathlon Team. Jess also won the ITU Oceania Junior Champs in Gisborne, New Zealand and the School Sport Australia Triathlon Champs in Hervey Bay, Queensland.
The athletes that traveled to School Sport Champs had an amazing experience, WA finished 2nd Overall, the best result in a long time, with that also came several medals. Jess Claxton and Josh Roberts combined to earn a silver medal in the Seniors relay and Caitlin Knight had the trip of her life and earned a silver medal in her individual race and on relay day.

Time Flies When Your Busy

Wow, it only felt like last week when I last posted, I know sounds familiar, but is now the middle of January and Duathlon Worlds flew by, with some good and some bad moments and now the athletes have qualified for the WA School Sport Triathlon Team and some more have also traveled to 2 rounds of the National Junior Series.
So won't make this a huge long essay about everything that has happened but will aim to be more regular with updates.
Duathlon Worlds was an experience, racing again was nerve racking but fun, there was no pressure for me personally as I had been to a World Champs before and because there was no swim leg for me to perform in. Was a whole different story for the girls, first ever time representing Australia. Congratulations to Sheridan Smith and Kaitlyn Illingworth Age Group Worlds is an amazing experience and you soaked up the journey and did everyone proud. Steve Smith also joined us in the experience and despite not enjoying his day, achieved some of his goals. I also got the opportunity to be involved in the Elite event as well, getting a coaches accreditation to be involved and having an athlete race. My athlete did not have the day she was hoping for but has now moved on and is enjoying the sport again, and that is what our sport is all about.

After Duathlon Worlds it was quickly into School Sport Championships and some local races. DETS athletes had some outstanding success within these races, with Jess Claxton and Joshua Roberts gaining automatic selection into the WA State Schools Triathlon Team to travel to Hervey Bay in Queensland in April 2016. Other members of the squad that have joined these two include Mitch Lees, Elliot Roberts, Jo Robertson, Breaze James and Caitlin Knight. Congratulations and I look forward to the next 3 months of preparation for this event.

In December I was lucky enough to be invited to the AIS to attend a National Development Camp as a lead coach of one team, unfortunately my team could maintain the lead, we lead right up until the last event. The NDC was held at the conclusion of the Australian Junior Triathlon Series Race 1 in Canberra. It was an unreal opportunity to experience the AIS and challenge my knowledge and ability. Hopefully it will take my coaching and my athletes to the next level. I was fortunate enough to have one of my athletes invited to the camp as well, Jess Claxton, she has had an outstanding winter and is now producing some outstanding results. Jess came 3rd in Canberra in only her 2nd year as an Elite Junior.

After Christmas Round 2 of the AJTS was held in Robina, Queensland. DETS took 3 athletes over, Breaze James in the Youth race and Jess Claxton and Tegan Scott in the Junior race. This was Breaze's first trip to an Elite Series Race and a nerve racking experience, Breaze had a great swim but missed some of the little 1%'ers that make the difference and finished 17th for the day. Jess Claxton displayed her strengths earlier on and showed she is fast becoming one of the strongest athletes in the field and again finished 3rd. Tegan Scott had a great swim but was left in an unfortunate position and had to do a lot of bike work all by herself with little support, she dragged a large pack of girls from 45 seconds down to head into T2 less then 10 seconds down. Tegan then held on to finish a strong 24th.

Wow what a few months we have had. Sitting down and reflecting is sometimes hard but so worthwhile, it allows you to experience and remember moments like these.

Looking forward to the rest of the season, Draft Legal Rockingham Triathlon coming up followed by 2 more National Junior Series races with more athletes making their debut on the National scene, plus plenty more local races and athletes stepping up to some long course racing.

Even in our darkest hours and toughest challenges, we must give it everything we have if we wish to succeed!

Itchy Feet and A Renewed Love

October 2012 was the last time I put on a Triathlon Race suit and raced seriously, It was World Champs in Auckland and it was freezing cold. My preparation for the event had been excellent and I thought I was ready to smash it and have a great race. The course suited my strengths, tough deep water swim, hard undulating bike course and a windy run course, which meant out of sight and out of mind of my opponents. I was the lightest and strongest I had been since probably High School. I thought it was going to be great, then race day came.

I don't think I've ever been so cold, 14 degrees in the water and miserable weather conditions. I did not enjoy one part of the race.

Coming back to Perth I decided I didn't want to be involved in the sport anymore and took some time off from training, sold the bike and left all my training squads. After 2-3 months I was approached by some Junior Triathletes at my school to start coaching them, I wasn't sure I wanted to do the sport anymore but I knew that I still wanted to be involved. I started off with a small squad of a few Junior Boys, before I knew it I had a full squad of nearly 20 Junior athletes and the 2012/13 season was almost finished, now ending the 2014/15 Triathlon Season I am working with close to 30 Junior Athletes and nearly 10 Adult Age Group Athletes. For the two seasons I was very happy being on the sideline cheering for everyone I worked with, knowing how much hard work they had put in and seeing the joy on their faces at the end of races and achieving their goals has been great.

 As a Junior Coach I have been lucky enough to travel with School Sport WA Triathletes and TEP High performance athletes all across Australia. I have been lucky enough to work with athletes that have medal-ed at National Championships.









Until recently I have missed the racing or training aspect at all, only recently have I begun to get itchy feet and want to tri again. The early mornings and long days in the saddle haven't left me, as I am up every morning with training. But last week over in Penrith and then Busselton have left me with a desire to do more again.

I have qualified for the Duathlon World Championships which are in Adelaide in October, so this gives me a good focus point to get started again through winter. The toughest part for me will be fitting my training in around the training of my athletes. I am a strong believer in the fact that I can not give 100% service to my athletes if I am training at the same time. School allows me a lot of freedom and thus makes it easier for me to plan my time commitments and train, coach and teach all during the day. Being Perth based I also have access to some amazing facilities and great weather to train in. I have access to a Wahoo Kickr at school which will allow some seriously focused training sessions condensed into small time frames, the ability to simulate courses and altitude without leaving my office will be of huge benefit. I am also lucky enough to be able to access Altitude Training equipment, which will fast-track my fitness as Worlds gets closer. For the running, which has never been a strong point for me I am lucky to have a strong relationship and friendship with Raf Baugh, head of Cloud Running, which will help me bring my running back up to speed quickly and safely without the risk if injury.

The ability to complete training sessions at less then my current weight is allowing me to complete more kilometres then my body can currently handle, this over load is keeping me fresh and improving my endurance, without needing me to factor in extra recovery into my program, thus allowing me to return to my previous triathlon fitness levels with reduced injury risk and on a faster timeline.

The Cloud Running puts me on a treadmill where I can control my body weight, speed and incline to simulate any type of running that I need. Currently I am using it heavily for my recovery runs. Raf and his team have been very helpful in getting me back up to speed and have actually created a new love for running, something that I have always struggled with, I strongly recommend visiting them.

I am very lucky with all the athletes I work with and the associations I have created through coaching that I am now able to take this big step back into the racing scene, I may never be as competitive as I once was and I will only be very select in events that I compete in, but I enter Winter and a new training regime with excitement, itchy feet and a renewed love for a sport that I have been involved with for over 20 years now.

I want to thank all my athletes, those on full programs, just swimming and the new up coming casuals who have such an enthusiasm for the sport for renewing mine, I look forward to a strong solid winter and an exciting new season ahead.

Maybe even a comeback to a 70.3 race, but lets not get too excited just yet.

Season Opens with a Bang

2014/15 Season is now well underway and we have started with some sensational racing.

Over winter we have trained hard and have added some serious depth and talent to the squad and this has really stepped the group up to a whole new level of competition.

During the winter break we have had some outstanding results in the National Duathlon Series, with several age group winners at WA Champs out at Champion Lakes and then Sheridan and Steve Smith and myself travelling to Adelaide for the National Titles. It looks likely that all three of us have qualified to represent Australia at Worlds next year, excellent work.

After the WA Duathlon Champs the crew headed south for a week long training camp, this time in a house that was much more suited to our needs. A proper bed and decent place to recover make a world of difference to how well the training works and pays off.

On the racing scene we have had several big outings recently. School Sport Champs on Thursday 6th November saw almost every athlete collect points towards State Team Selection, an outstanding day with several medal winners across all the age groups. Racing then turned to a new format for the WA Juniors with the introduction of a Draft Legal Series. The format was short fast and very very hard. The day consisted of three single races with about an hours recovery between each one. Athletes were put through their paces with a 250m swim, 6k bike and 1500m run. This really created some excited and showed the ability and knowledge of the athletes, drafting changed the format and meant athletes had to start thinking tactically. Excellent results with Jess Claxton taking out the girls with Tegan Scott second and Kaitlyn Illingworth fifth. Cambell Smith and Josh Roberts raced in the boys races and were always up there before making the decision to concentrate on other events and save their legs for the second day of racing. Sophie Foxcroft proved to be a resilient athlete who refuses to give up completing all of her races and then backing up the next day. Sunday 16th November saw race 2 of the State Team Selection events, the day after TEP race 1. This was going to be a real test of the athletes abilities as many had raced the day before. Josh Roberts and Cam Smith proved their decisions to save their legs was the right idea by winning their age groups. Outstanding results by all the juniors and maybe one of our best days out so far.

Its great to be finally racing after such a long solid winter and now we are starting to see the rewards of our hard work.
On a sadder note I lost a very close friend in October and have to thank everyone for their support and understanding with the matter. On Saturday 25th October we paid tribute to a close friend and it was a ride I don't think anyone in WA will forget in awhile. People tell me it was somewhere between 400 and 1000 riders but I'm not sure, all I know is it was overwhelming and awesome all in one go. Sitting on the front of a group so huge was something that will stay with me forever and I want to thank all my athletes for supporting me with this.

Our next big weekend is very close with a TEP Draft Legal race being held on Friday 28th November followed by TEP training Saturday and Intraclub Champs on the Sunday, huge demanding weekend and best of luck to everyone involved, following this we have some parents competing in Ironman who we will head down and support in the same way the support us at all our short course races, good luck parents and then we head into the first TriEvents race of the season at Hillary's on Sunday 14th December, which also doubles as the final selection race for the WA School Sport State Team, good luck to all athletes competing. Jess Claxton and myself have been invited to Runaway Bay, Qld for a Junior Elite Camp on the same weekend, so DETS will be tearing it up across Australia!!!!!

A massive thank you to all our supporters through winter and now into the season. Parents without you we wouldn't make it to training and racing and thank you to Nicole Foxcroft and Food Risk Management for their continued support, Mikey McConnell for his mentoring and support for me and towards some of the boys in the squad, its always nice to have an outside ear to hear things and provide an outside prospective. Al and Suzie and Al's Cycle Surgery for continuing to support so many of the Juniors and even some of the adults now joining the squad. And anyone else I may have missed, or if you are interested in becoming involved with us please feel free to contact us and get involved.

See you out there on the training track or ripping it up at a race venue real soon!!!!!

Winter Season is well under way

Winter has arrived and we have experienced all four seasons this week through training. From rain and wind on Tuesday morning on the bike, 4 degrees Thursday morning and really really cold before hopping in the pool Friday morning. Mixed in with some sensational afternoons with perfect weather conditions for running.

Despite the cool weather, swimming has gone from strength to strength, we are now in our second month of building are aerobic base and are getting into some real quality swim sets. The pool is great, if not a little warm. Arriving at the pool rucked up like your going to the snow and then stripping down to summer clothing is an experience each morning.

Running is also now really starting to develop some quality sets and the introduction of a weekly core strength session has really increased everyone's strength. Building the k's each week and making a nice strong solid base for the up coming season. The exciting part is watching everyone run so well already, with only 6 weeks under our belts everyone is producing the form that they had during the Triathlon season, which shows we are on the way to a big strong Summer.

Cycling has just begun and although the distances aren't huge, we are building a nice base and throwing in a good variety of little strength based drills, who would've thought a 30k bike session could still leave the quads burning and feeling like several hours on the bike. Beautiful crisp mornings always make the ride enjoyable, so long as we a wearing enough layers.

We have also been fortunate enough to expand our support base and network over the off season. 32GI and Food Risk Management are continuing on with their support of the squad and we are very happy to have Next Move Physio come on board and support our athletes with rehab, recovery and prevention of injuries. Next Move is based at Whitfords City in the Endeavour Business Centre and provide Physio and Exercise classes to help everyone.

Our athletes have also been very busy during the off season with some gaining new sponsors and many performing exceptionally at School Sport WA Cross Country Championships and the ACC Cross Country Championships.

We now move into a solid block of training with some real quality work coming up and some minor racing including The Western Australian Marathon Club Cross Country Season and Midland Cycling Club Pickering Brook Race Series.

Exciting times are ahead!

First Season... Amazing Success... Where to now...

Well the blog was set up along time ago with the intention of being regularly updated to allow fans to keep up to date with more detail then usually provided by photos... However that never happened and now we have come to the end of the season for all but one of our athletes.

This was the first full season as an independent squad with no assistance from anyone else. It was an upsetting series of incidences that lead to the squad becoming full time under head coach but, those incidents have tested us and made us stronger.

We started swimming as a group in August and from then on have not looked back, having one coach run all the sessions makes everything more streamlined and allows both athlete and coach to constantly evaluate and adapt to suit environment and how the athletes were feeling and traveling.

The squad has gone from strength to strength. Every athlete has achieved a PB every time they stepped onto the track or into the pool for TEP Time Trials. This is something I could only dream of as a coach, having the athletes always step up and perform makes me feel very proud and proves that we made the right decisions.

Athletes have cleaned up all across the country. The season started off with a bang at National Duathlon Champs with Ben Walton and Carly Scott both claiming their Age Group National Championship. Following this the squad went into a training camp to get ready for State School Triathlon Champs. The squad had a very successful State Schools Champ and came away with 8 athletes qualifying to represent the State.

Following on from this DETS experienced great success at all of the Telstra Tri Events Series Races, consistently gaining podiums and having Joshua Roberts and Kaitlyn Illingworth both win the Series for their age groups.

Joshua and Elliot Roberts also chose to travel to Australian Youth Triathlon Champs at Twin Waters and experienced the pressure of draft legal racing, both boys have come home stronger and are looking very excited to start the winter season and get ready for a big 2014/15 season. Tegan Scott and Cambell Smith qualified for TEP and traveled to Runaway Bay and Penrith. The first two races of the ITU Junior Series. Both events were big learning curves for both athletes and they have both come away stronger.

The last big event of the season was School Sport National Triathlon Champs held in Bendigo, Victoria. Despite the very wet and difficult conditions all athletes performed well and represented DETS and WA with outstanding results. Tegan Scott came home with a silver medal in the Senior Girls age group individual race. An amazing result helped by producing the fastest bike split of the day and one of the quickest run splits. On relay day DETS had athletes come home with medals and success in the Intermediate Girls Relay, Senior Girls and Senior Boys Relay's. All the DETS athletes showed what it meant to be racing for WA and made everyone proud.

It has been an amazing first full season and I can not wait for the winter training to start and the next racing season to arrive. I must say thanks to all the parents for driving the athletes around and their continual support and belief in the program. Must also thank Food Risk Management and Al's Cycle Surgery for their continual support.

Looking forward to a big exciting winter...