CRASH LANDING

Mitch's Destination:

Noosa Heads, Queensland

Mitch's Race:

5150 Noosa Triathlon

My flight from the USA arrived in Brisbane on Friday morning which gave me just enough time to change my clock, unpack my bike and turn up to the start line of Australia’s favourite race, the Noosa Triathlon! It was great to see my family/cheer squad at the airport… Mum Leanne, Cousin Steve and God-daughter Willow were the first faces I saw once I had escaped customs with the precious jar of peanut butter I smuggled in. It was a typically humid day in Queensland, and things were just as I left them after my last visit to the Sunshine Coast. It took me most of the day to regain my bearings, but I was back on track after tucking into one of Mums meals for the first time in a long time! I realised  that karma had bit me for the peanut butter when I discovered that only one of my racing flats (runners) had survived the trip home! After desperately searching in all my bags I was resigned to the fact that it was lost. Not the best start to the weekend but there was nothing I could do! After a good night sleep I set about completing my pre race routine, which allowed me to feel human again after the long trip home.

Race morning was damp and cooler than expected. Once again I was happy with how I slept and was looking forward to taking on the impressive field. I had several KPIs I wanted to achieve during the race and I was determined to prove to myself that I had improved during my time in America.

When the race began, I followed the swim carnage along the canal for as long as I could until I was popped off the back around the turn buoys. I was desperate to minimise any loses and keep the race alive so I red lined to transition alongside a small group of chasers. Packs had inevitably formed on the road and our smaller group raced hard to get within 100m of the main bunch only to be slowly but surely pressed back after climb up Garmin Hill. It was miserable conditions on the bike but it was important to keep pushing in order to get back into the race. My legs felt good and I pressed hard on the way back to Noosa. Unfortunately I came unstuck at a roundabout in Tewantin which effectively dashed my hopes of a high placed finish. I escaped any major damage and hoped back onto my bike after a laugh with some of the volunteers manning the corner. I was eager to stay focused and execute the run well to justify the hard work I’d put in over the last month. I managed to hold it together and hit the line strong with a 32 minute and change run split, which gave me some encouragement to take home.

I finished the day in 18^th and finally felt like I could take a deep breath after the pressures of living and racing abroad. Although it wasn’t the impressive day I wanted, I got another look at the race and became more motivated to come back and do it better next time around. Once again the team at USM Events demonstrated how well they do things with their exceptional presentation of the race and festival events. I was lucky enough to enjoy a split second of fame on the television coverage, but hopefully next time my name is being called during the race, rather than in the warm up! At any rate, I’ll take the publicity... Congratulations to all those who raced and achieved what they wanted and for everyone else, I’ll see you on the training track! Don’t be late...

Mitch's Pictures:

Blink and you've missed me!

Biking on Noosa Parade

Running on Noosa Parade

Mitch & Willow