-
2026 Australian Standard Championships Race Report
Wollongong Triathlon Race Report Wollongong Triathlon is technically a standard-distance race—1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run—but in reality, it’s a little less predictable. With the lighthouse road kept open, the course distances end up slightly off. The swim can range from 1200m to 1600m thanks to five turning buoys per lap (forming more of an “M” than a straight line), the bike is closer to 38km, and the run comes up about 200m short. Despite that, it’s my local race, and one I keep coming back to. Race morning had a later start than usual, which made for a more relaxed lead-in. I arrived early, got transition set up without…
-
2025 Australian Standard Championships Race Report
Risk, Resilience & Racing in Wollongong About a week before Wollongong, it hit me—leaving my world champs qualification to the last race of the season wasn’t the smartest strategy. What if I flatted? What if I crashed? This was my home worlds, and I really wanted to be there. I’d been managing a few niggles leading up to race day, so confidence wasn’t exactly sky-high. But as always, when the gun goes off, I give it everything I’ve got. The forecast didn’t help—unpredictable weather loomed—but that’s racing, and we were all facing the same conditions. Race morning flew by in a blur—as it always does. A late change from non-wetsuit…
-
2025 Australian Sprint Championships Race Report
“You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.” — Bob Marley We flew into the Gold Coast on Saturday around lunchtime—my first time flying in so last minute for a race. I tried to stay calm, but things didn’t exactly go to plan. Time vanished quicker than expected, and I ended up more stressed than I wanted to be. To top it off, I got a flat tire during my shakeout ride. But despite the chaos, I’m incredibly grateful for the support from my family—they helped me tick off everything I needed to do before race day. Thanks to the daylight savings change, I…
-
Challenge Canberra Standard Triathlon Race Report
My family and I traveled to Canberra on Friday evening before the race and had some pasta at Solita. The standard (Olympic) distance race was scheduled to start at 2:30 PM on Saturday, which created a couple of challenges. The timing made fueling tricky, and the heat was intense—it was the hottest part of the day, with temperatures around 30°C. Swim Leg The swim was a deep-water mass start, which I actually enjoy because it feels like a true race. When you pass someone, you know it’s for position. I lined up on the far right, hoping for a cleaner start. I got a clean start alright—there was nothing in…
Copyright © Luke Jones
