-
70.3 Western Sydney Race Report 2026
Crazy Traffic The night before the race was rough. Sleep didn’t come easily, although that’s hardly unusual before a big race. By 3:30am I was wide awake and staring at the ceiling, so I figured there was no point fighting it. I was staying with my parents, which meant a 50-minute drive out to the regatta centre. This time the kids were coming too, so it was an early start for everyone — including Indie. We made good time getting there, but traffic into the venue was chaos. At 5:45am we were still crawling toward the roundabout entrance, barely moving. After sitting still for a few minutes I decided enough…
-
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…
-
Geelong 70.3 Race Report 2026
Friday night, my wife and I flew down to Melbourne, keeping things simple with a stay near the airport. Early Saturday, we grabbed a rental car and made our way to Geelong—though not without a few delays—eventually arriving around midday. From there, it was a bit of a rush. Building the bike didn’t go smoothly, with some frustrating chain alignment issues eating into the afternoon. By the time I finally got out for a pre-race spin, it was close to 2pm—and surprisingly hot. The rest of the day disappeared quickly: food, course recon, registration, bike check-in. Before I knew it, it was dinner time and race morning was only hours…
-
Melbourne 70.3 Race Report 2025
The plan for Melbourne 70.3 was simple: go all in and chase a sub-4-hour finish.But that all changed when I broke my collarbone just a couple of weeks before the World Championships in Wollongong. In an instant, the entire season flipped upside down. I appealed to Ironman for a transfer, but the answer was a flat no. So, I had two choices — sit in frustration, or get to work. I chose the latter. Rehab became my mission. I pushed hard, probably too hard at times, but I managed to bank two solid weeks of training before race week. I wasn’t in peak shape — not even close — but…
-
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…
-
Taupo 70.3 World Championships Race Report
We touched down in New Zealand on Wednesday, just ahead of race day, and stayed at the airport for the night. Thursday, I made my way to Taupo, though not without a hiccup—our rental car had coolant issues, delaying things a bit. Finally, by Friday, I arrived in Taupo, ready for the big race, but not without a bit of drama! On Friday, I did a quick reconnaissance ride and had a heart-stopping moment. Coasting down a hill, a sudden crosswind caused me to experience terrifying speed wobbles at 80 km/h, according to my Garmin. Somehow, I managed to regain control, but it left me shaken. From that moment, 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…
-
Managing Temperatures While Racing
It was known well in advance that racing in Townsville, Australia would be a hot race. Being too hot is the enemy when it comes to performance. Ultimately, those who handled the heat best would have the greatest chance of success. For a couple years, I’ve been using a core sensor to measure my core temperature. To date I’ve not used the data for any specific training, however I find it interesting how my body responds as my core temperature changes. I’ve observed that when my core temperature exceeds 38.5, my rate of perceived effort (RPE) to perform also starts to dramatically increase. Above 39.3-39.5 and my desire to cool…
You May Also Like
The Basics of Tapering
-
Cairns 70.3 Race Report 2024
Years ago when I didn’t do triathlon, we happened to be on holiday at Palm Cove while the Cairns Ironman took place. Ever since then, the event has been of interest to me. With the long course world championships being hosted in Townsville in August, Cairns 70.3 seemed like the perfect prep race to get some familiarity with the conditions likely to be experienced. It certainly didn’t disappoint being among the best courses I’ve ever raced. We arrived the Thursday prior, which allowed enough time to go for a snorkelling day trip (on Friday) before shifting focus onto the race. I was generally relaxed, and quietly confident although my run…
Copyright © Luke Jones
