Husky Ultimate 2025 Race Report
Another year at the Husky Triathlon, but this time with my main focus set on the World Championships in Wollongong. This race was all about having fun. My day started at 4 AM, and by 5, we were on the road to Husky, aiming to beat the road closures. Everything was going smoothly, and before I knew it, I was lining up for the race—though little did I know, I’d forgotten something quite important.
Swim Leg
The swim had a rolling start, and even though we were in the last age group to go, I was surprised by the lack of traffic. I expected more congestion, especially around the buoy (where people tend to stop and tread water!). I thought I was swimming really well, but when I exited the water, I was slightly disappointed to see my time was slower than I had hoped. I clocked a 31:07 swim time.
Transition 1
On land, I pushed myself to run, even though it was the last thing I felt like doing. The stairs were tough, but passing people gave me the motivation to keep going. I found my bike easily in transition, stripped off my wetsuit, and put my helmet on. With bike in hand, I ran to the start the bike leg. T2 time: 2:04
Bike Leg
At this point, I didn’t know where I stood in the race (position-wise). I wasn’t sure who I was competing against, but I had mentally prepared for an individual time trial. I powered up the first hill and pushed hard for the first lap. At the final turnaround, heading back toward town to complete the lap, I hit a huge bump in the road. It took my breath away, literally, and must have weakened my bottle cage. Thirty seconds later, my bottle—with all my nutrition—flew off. Without hesitation, I decided to turn around and retrieve it. I wasn’t just chasing my nutrition; I’d also lost my Gorilla bottle cage.
I had to wait for some cyclists to pass before I could cross the road safely and grab my items, all while waving off a car to avoid running over my cage. When I finally got to my bottle, thankfully, only a bit of the contents had spilled. I managed to fix the lid to stop more spilling, and secured the bottle in rear seat caget. I was grateful for the spare cage since the new rules state I couldn’t store it inside my jersey. Eventually, I passed my wife and handed her the broken cage. All this delay affected my momentum, but it was time to refocus as I started lap two.
As I left town, I saw the pro pack heading the opposite way, nearing the end of their race. I knew they’d catch up to me soon, so I debated whether to wait for them or keep pushing and see how far I could get before they passed. I chose to keep going and was surprised when they caught me earlier than expected, about halfway through my second lap. I let them pass, led by a motorbike, before surging to follow their paceline. The road was constantly inclined, and even though I was following, it was still hard work. At the final climb, before the turnaround, I got dropped. My normalized power during that stretch was over 300 watts (almost 10mins) —definitely not the smartest move, and I didn’t benefit much from trying to keep up.
After completing my second lap, I started the third. About a third of the way through, another rider caught up with me. I asked if they wanted to work together, and we teamed up, though I did most of the work. It was nice to have some company for a change. I finished the bike leg in 2:20:10, then entered T2.
Transition 2
My dismount went smoothly, but as soon as I racked my bike, both of my adductors cramped up. I realized I’d forgotten to apply anti-friction cream to my shoes, and I worried about the rubbing. After struggling to get my shoes on, I finally started the run. T2 time: 1:35.
Run Leg
My legs felt like jelly after a hard 90 km ride (for my current fitness), but I trusted they’d improve and pushed on. I got an update from my coach and wife that I was in the AG lead, and 4th in OA AG. I just tried to settle into a solid rhythm. I didn’t push up the hill to the turnaround, but I caught up to Hamish, who was struggling with severe cramps. We chatted for a while, and I lost focus, forgetting to keep my pace steady. On the way back to the finish area, my feet started hurting. That’s when I realised—I’d forgotten to wear socks! With a long way still to go, I shifted my focus from running with good form to running as smoothly as possible to reduce the friction on my feet.
All time goals went out the window as I concentrated on not damaging my skin. With bigger goals this year, I didn’t want to spend weeks waiting for my feet to heal before getting back to training. The rest of the run turned into a survival mission. With immense relief, I finally crossed the finish line after completing the half marathon in 1:25:29. Total time: 4:20.24. 1st in AG, and 3rd OA AG (someone ahead of me was crook and fell apart on the run).
Reflections and Lessons Learned
I’m definitely a bit out of practice—or maybe just a little too relaxed—but forgetting to put socks in my shoes was a mistake on my part. That said, it showed me that running barefoot is definitely doable. In the future, I might just make that my plan. To do it right, though, I’ll need to train barefoot so my feet can toughen up and handle a race-paced half marathon.
My swimming still needs work. I was lucky to come away with the win at Husky, but in a world championship race, I wouldn’t be in the mix. Unfortunately, rolling starts are here to stay, so I need to get comfortable swimming solo and making up time in the water.
It feels good pushing hard on the bike—I still have plenty of energy at that point in the race. I know my limits, but it’s easy to get carried away. The downside is that it affects my run. The real challenge is finding that sweet spot where I’m riding hard but not overdoing it. Those 30-second surges over 400W (and spikes above 500W) are not the way to go. All that surging only leads to a slower run. Triathlon isn’t about who can bike the hardest; it’s about balancing all three disciplines.
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Husky Ultimate Triathlon Race Report 2024
Australian Standard Triathlon Championship Race Report
Big Husky 2020 Race Report
Copyright © Luke Jones
