LUKE McKENZIE IN THE MEDIA

AUStRALIAN TRIATHLETE VOL 18.5 - PRO BIKE

2011-03-18T06:19:00.000-07:00

AUStRALIAN TRIATHLETE VOL 18.5 - DESTINATION TRIATHLETE

2011-03-18T05:55:00.001-07:00

AUSTRALIA TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE - ISSUE 18.4 LUKE & AMANDA TRIATHLONS TRUE LOVIN TWOSOME

2011-02-23T20:09:00.000-08:00

AUSTRALIA TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE - ISSUE 18.4 DESTINATION TRIATHLETE (PERTH)

2011-02-23T20:05:00.000-08:00

TRIATHLON & MULTISPORT MAGAZINE (COVER STORY) Vol 14 No. 2

2011-02-05T15:48:00.000-08:00

WWW.COMPETITOR.COM

2010-10-24T16:32:00.000-07:00

Triathlon’s Wedding Of The Year: Luke McKenzie & Amanda Balding

Published: Oct 25th 2010 5:09 PM EDT by Competitor.com

Luke McKenzie and Amanda Balding tie the knot in Kona days after Ironman World Championships.

Written by: Tawnee Prazak

Luke McKenzie was devastated about pulling out of the Ironman World Championships due to injury. However, his time in Hawaii was anything but depressing; McKenzie had something even bigger to celebrate. On October 12, he married his fiancé, pro triathlete Amanda Balding, at a private home overlooking Keauhou Bay. Family and friends from all over the world were in attendance. Between the Aussie crowd and triathletes fresh off Ironman — aka athletes ready to let loose — it was quite a celebration.

The happy couple on their wedding day. Photo: Larry Rosa

Luke and Amanda are one of those couples who are clearly meant to be together; it’s easy to see that after spending just five minutes with them. They’re fun-loving and always full of smiles and laughter. The same can be said of their friends and family. So it’s no surprise that their wedding was as good as weddings get. It was casual but sophisticated and classy – fine food and wine, but shoes optional. An all-star triathlete crowd was in attendance, with guests including Mirinda Carfrae, Craig Alexander, Linsey Corbin, Hilary Biscay and her fiancé Maik Twelsiek, Terenzo Bozzone, Samantha McGlone, Belinda Granger, Ben Hoffman, Matt Lieto, the K-Swiss folks and more.

Triathlete.com talked with Luke about his big day and how his decision not to race played a role in everything…

Triathlete.com: What was it like to pull out of the race and deal with that while still looking forward to your wedding?

McKenzie: That was a tough one for me. I guess it never crossed my mind that something like that could happen having the wedding just three days after the race. As the race got closer and I realized my back wasn’t getting better I started to worry. I was really excited to be racing in front of all of our family and friends that had flown in from all around the world. I even had 70 “Team McKenzie” T-Shirts printed for them to wear on race day. I wanted to have them line Palani hill!

Unfortunately on the Tuesday evening before the race after a week of very limited swim and bike training and a lot of treatment on my back I went for a run to see how it was feeling. I literally couldn’t even run a single step. My heart sank as I knew at that point I had no hope of racing.

I had made my decision not to race and my family and friends began arriving for the wedding and having their support really lifted me. I felt like I was letting them all down by not racing when in the end they had made the trip to see us get married first and foremost. Initially it was hard to let go of the fact I wasn’t racing with everything going on around town but by focusing on having time with our wedding guests it made me look beyond the race and be excited about the wedding.

Triathlete.com: How did Amanda help you get through that low/high?

Both McKenzie and Balding are professional triathletes. Photo: Larry Rosa

Mckenzie: Amanda was amazing. We sat down over dinner on that Tuesday night when I knew I wasn’t going to make the start line and talked about all the possible scenarios. I was pretty depressed knowing all the hard work I had put into this race preparation would be for nothing. So I began to think maybe I could still swim and ride as I didn’t have too much pain while doing either. But then what happens if I had myself in a good position off the bike? Maybe I would try and run and do more damage?!

When I told Erik my sponsor at K-Swiss he offered me a seat in the car he was driving on the course and told me that he wanted me there to learn how to win this race. That really struck a chord with me and I knew he was right. I had to make this into an opportunity to see the race from a different angle. I would get the birds eye view and see the dynamics of the race from the luxury of a car rather than on a bike or in running shoes. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing after-all?

Triathlete.com: Describe what kind of wedding you planned — the venue, the guests, the style/vibe, etc?

McKenzie: I actually googled “Places to get married in Kona,” and one of the properties that came up was this beautiful house on Keauhou Bay. We went to see the house on a previous visit to Hawaii and knew that was our dream place to have the wedding. It was perfect with several bedrooms for our wedding party, a huge catering kitchen and on a massive block of land that gave us several options to have the ceremony, dinner and the party after. Having the house for three days we got to utilize the property for things like swimming, snorkeling and stand up paddling as well.

Our guests were a great mixture of family from Australia and mostly friends from both Australia and the U.S. We had a few people that came all the way from the U.K., Europe and even a couple from Brazil! We are so blessed to have friends from all corners of the glob and to have them travel all the way to Hawaii we are forever thankful.

The style and vibe of the wedding was Hawaiian, Beach, Luau. Amanda and I are not religious people but definitely spiritual so the ceremony made references to the Hawaiian Islands and then creation of the earth and humanity. We wanted everyone to dress casually, and all of our wedding party went barefoot (as did a lot of our guests). We had an amazing spread of food courtesy of our friend Dhedra that flew in all the way from Miami, Florida! We had fun local Kona band, Leche de Tigre who had us rocking on the dance floor well into the night!

Triathlete.com: Did everything go as planned?

McKenzie: It did! Considering we only met our celebrant 10 minutes prior to the ceremony and we didn’t do a rehearsal, it still went off without a glitch. The only thing that was out of our control was we weren’t allowed to have our awesome band play after 9 p.m.; because of noise restrictions we had to shut them down. I am sure we all would have been dancing till 3 a.m. if it wasn’t for that rule!

Triathlete.com: What was the most memorable moment? What was a particularly funny moment/occurrence?

McKenzie: Too many to list!

1. I think the first would be that I “kissed the bride” before I was suppose to. That was funny and embarrassing at the same time.

2. Ten minutes after the ceremony when we went around all our family and friends getting high fives, hugs and kisses was a very special moment.

3. Justin Granger getting absolutely blotto (Aussie for drunk) well before dinner was hilarious too. I would have had my money on Belinda over Justin any day!

4. My dad, Peter’s, speech was hilarious and had everyone rolling around laughing.

5. Everyone dancing on the lawn as the band rocked away!

Germany's Maik Twelsiek and the United States' Hilary Biscay were in attendance. The recently engaged couple will be the next pair of triathlon stars to walk down the aisle. Photo: Larry Rosa

Triathlete.com: Despite not racing, it seems like last week was your best week ever…. true? Tell me why?

McKenzie: Without doubt the best week of my life! Like I keep saying to people: There will be plenty more Hawaii Ironman races in the future, but I only plan on having one wedding, and to share it with the our best friends and family in such a beautiful location I wouldn’t trade it for the world! I have married the woman of my dreams. How could it not be the best week ever?!?

I think it’s about having a good balance in your life of not over-obsessing about triathlon ever single second. You have to take the opportunities to let loose every once in a while, enjoy your surroundings and live in the moment. I am not just talking about your wedding day but also after an Ironman or big race you have completed. Don’t let triathlon rule your life; enjoy having triathlon be part of your celebration for life!

Triathlete.com: Now that you’re back home, what’s on the agenda?

McKenzie: We are finally home in Noosa, Australia! It’s been a long six months away living and racing overseas. We are so happy to be in our own apartment in our own bed. Top of our list is to get my back right and then we can make a game plan on what races I can do over the coming months. I really had my heart set on racing the Asia/Pacific Ironman 70.3 Champs in Phuket at the beginning of December, but that might be a little too soon? We will see over the coming weeks. For now besides the injury recovery it will be about enjoying life at home and catching up with friends.

Filed under : News
Read more about :Amanda Balding, hawaii wedding, Ironman World Championship, Luke McKenzie,

220 TRIATHLON MAGAZINE. OCT/NOV ISSUE

2010-10-22T16:39:00.000-07:00

KONA 2010 - competitor.com

2010-10-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

KONA 2010 - slowtwitch.com

2010-10-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

Written by: Herbert Krabel
Date: Thu Sep 30 2010

With several Ironman wins under his belt Luke McKenzie is looking to step up a few spots in Kona this year from his 15th place in 2009. The Aussie has been in Kona for about a week now and has settled in nicely.

Slowtwitch: How are you adjusting to Kona?

Luke: We arrived in Hawaii about a little over week ago straight from Cancun. Cancun was very steamy, so it made arriving in Kona a lot more bearable. We had a cold snap in Oregon just before I was about to leave and I was worried I wasn’t getting the heat acclimatization I needed, but now I am here in Kona I feel like I have adjusted really well. I love the heat.

Kona itself, well Amanda and I love every minute we spend here and never have a problem adjusting to the Aloha life.

ST: Is it any different from before?

Luke: We spent a lot less time here in the build up to Ironman than last year where we were out here a good month before the race. Because I wanted to get one last tune up race in Cancun that delayed getting here until three weeks out. There were already a big bunch of guys out here well before me this year, some as long as seven weeks before the race!

Earlier in the year Amanda and I based in Kona for a month preparing for Ironman Brazil. We have done the same camp leading into the Hawaii 70.3 each year and we thought we may as well follow the same formula and make the stopover on the way to Florianopolis. I think the hard time trialing on the Queen K set me up well for a strong bike in Brazil.

ST: Your frequent flyer account should look quite dandy.

Luke: Yes, this year has probably been our biggest travel year to date. That is definitely the part of the job I don’t enjoy at all. In and out of airports and planes lugging bikes and bags, but having said that we have been extremely lucky to race and train in some incredible places in 2010. We really enjoyed a change this season with the trip to Europe. The original plan was to do some racing but after Ironman Brazil the body and mind wanted a rest so it was good to spend six weeks just enjoying training without the pressure of a race looming. We have to thank all our friends in Italy and Spain for making that trip possible.

ST: After all this time there, does Lava Java still have its lure and fascination?

Luke: Funny you ask because I find myself going there less and less. It’s no doubt an icon and a great location but I tend to gravitate towards the more low key places these days. I have found several other great coffee shops around Kona so I am not always at Lava Java.

ST: Your season has been going quite well again. How do you think it compares to the years before?

Luke: This year has been a good one, although I am not sure it was as good as 2009? (yet). My win at Ironman Brazil was my best ever race over the distance but last season I had strong wins at Ironman Malaysia and Ironman Japan, then got pipped at the post at Ironman Louisville by just 30 seconds and finished with a top 15 in Kona. It’s always going to be hard to top a year like that. I feel better for not having had that mid season Ironman in July or August and I am going into Kona a lot fresher this year, so if I can get myself a top ten placing I would say this would be my best season to date.

ST: What is realistic for you this year in Kona?

Luke: Realistically I need to improve my marathon by 10 minutes here to be a factor at the very front of the race. I feel I have been working hard on it and only race day will tell. I really want to finish in the top ten this year. It’s been my goal for the past two attempts and I felt I should have been there last year but I ran terribly from the energy lab to the finish line and dropped several positions. An improvement on my 15th from last year at the very least has to be the goal.

ST: You have been spending time with Crowie and some other top ranked pros in Kona. What have you learned?

Luke: I have been lucky enough to train with some of the best athletes in the sport since I started triathlon way back in the mid 90’s. In 2003 I made my first trip to San Diego to base for the summer and that’s when I first lived and trained with Crowie. He has always been very helpful since then with his advice and even in the past week or two when we go out for rides and runs around Kona we are constantly talking about the race and tactics. I think the one thing I can take away from training with him is that the only person you can control is yourself. No doubt a lot of guys are going to employ different tactics to try and blow the race apart this year but if you can remain confident in yourself and run your race then that’s going to produce your best result.

ST: Anyone particularly who has put you in the hurt box? Or vice versa?

Luke: Just last weekend we did a solid brick session where we did some hard TT’s on the bike followed by a run out to the energy lab. I was strong on the bike and riding well but Crowie, Terenzo and Tyler Butterfield laid it down on the run. The pace they were running was very impressive and in the end it left me groveling to the finish. Those boys had me in the box that day!

One of my training partners and sponsor Guy Crawford of BlueSeventy is someone I enjoy putting in the hurt box. He is a good swimmer and we both enjoy smashing each other in swim sets!

ST: How is that new Plasma 3 working out for you?

Luke: Absolutely loving my new ride. Scott has produced yet another masterpiece with this new bike and I am sure there are going to be some fast bike splits made on this bike between the Commerzbank team, Linsey Corbin and myself over the coming year. We have it really dialed in to suit triathletes now, given it was initially designed between Scott and the HTC Columbia TechDev department for pure Time Trials.

In my first race aboard the Plasma 3 I managed the fastest bike split in Cancun against some strong cyclists, so hopefully she allows me to ride somewhere near the front out here in Kona.

ST: Any other new gadgets and toys we should know about?

Luke: Yes! Keep you eye out for an announcement on Monday for a new edition to my website www.lukemckenzie.com. I have been working with a group from California that is going to be doing some very cool things for the race (and race week) through my site. It’s going to be very interactive and hopefully give you a great Hawaii Ironman experience from anywhere around the world. There are going to be plenty of prizes from my sponsors too so it’s worth a visit! Follow me on twitter. www.twitter.com/lukemckenzie to be in the loop!

ST: When is the rest of the McKenzie clan arriving?

Luke: Team McKenzie arrives in just 5 days. Mum and Dad make it their annual vacation each year. My dad lives and breathes triathlon and wouldn’t miss it for the world. Amanda and I are getting married three days after the race so this year we have over 60 people making the trip to Hawaii to see the race and celebrate the wedding. My mum has organized Team McKenzie T-Shirts for all of them, so check out Palani hill on race day, hopefully we will have most of it covered.

ST: Final words?

Luke: I am just looking forward to being part of this whole event that gets the triathlon world buzzing each year. This race is everything I love about our sport!

KONA 2010 - firstoffthebike.com

2010-09-05T08:54:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, 18 August 2010

Luke McKenzie - setting his sights

It’s obviously been a good season for you but has it been a different season? Do you feel like a different athlete to last year?
This season I can’t complain with how it started out. To get two Ironman wins early in the season, I was over the moon. It’s been a different season for me in that I’ve been given that buffer to be able to focus on Hawaii now. So I’ve given myself a good break over the last month or two and sort of regrouped and really looking forward to the next ten weeks leading into Kona. To focus on this race (Kona) finally I’m pretty psyched about it.

Your race in Brazil, 8:07, course record, was it something you expected? There were some very good guys around you, some guys who had won on that course. Was that one out of the box for you?
Yeah, it’s definitely the goal to go there and try and win. I knew that those guys were almost unbeatable down there in South America. You look at the results over the past 10 years there and I think those guys have one 6-7 times out of the last 10 years. So I was up against it but I think I went there with a little bit more knowledge from my experiences of winning races over the last two years.

I didn’t let the little things get to me. I think I’ve learned a lot in that regard. I always tend to sit out there off the front and in the past I haven’t been confident enough to just keep on putting the pressure on these guys. In Brazil I definitely learned a big lesson. I kept the pressure on those guys all day and in the end they just fell by the wayside and I came through with the goods in the end. So I was just really stoked to have one of those races where I proved to myself that I can just duke it out with these guys.

There seems to be a bit more "ruthlicity" about your racing. I’ve just made up a word here, I’m quite proud of myself.
It’s an awesome word, I like it! I must use it.

There just seems to be a bit more ruthlessness about the way you race at the moment.
Well I think we’re seeing a changing in the guard in that respect. If you look at how these younger guys that are coming through now are winning races, it’s pretty evident that there’s no real sitting back on the bike anymore. You look at the way Terenzo is winning races, and even Andres Raelert in Germany.

I think gone are the days now where everyone just fluffs around in the swim and sits in on the bike. I’m really excited that this is how the racing is sort of panning out now because it’s really the way that I love to race. It’s more exciting to see guys having a go rather than all just sort of sitting around like I feel like they used to and wait for the run. So it’s just great.

You had a good result in Kona last year, you were part of the race coming in. You were making the race on the bike. Then getting that 4:26 (bike time) in Brazil, is that giving you more confidence to have another race like the one last year in terms of just being not just a participant of the Hawi Express but to get out there and actually push the pace?
After Brazil this year I’m really excited to go back to Hawaii again this year and at least try and put some pressure on like that during the race because last year I don’t think I committed to my move on the bike. I was sitting a minute to a minute and a half off the front of 12 guys that…some of these guys were earmarked to win the race and I just think maybe still feeling out the race in Hawaii I didn’t feel confident in myself in making that move. I think about it quite often and I know I shouldn’t have sat up when I did, I should have kept the pressure on last year. You can’t live in hindsight, I’ve just go to look forward to this year and hopefully…I feel like I’m definitely riding a lot stronger again than I was last year so hopefully this year I can do something similar.

So with all your races this year, you’ve had a lot of success. In terms of sponsorship and advertisers is Kona still the towering monolith over the sport? To do well there, is that your year?
Yeah I think so. this is the first year where I would say that I’m going there fully dedicated to putting in a good performance there. The last few years I feel it was quite necessary to go out there and race myself and learn how to win races and to experience the ups and down that is Ironman racing. I’ve put in a lot of racing over the last two years but I think now I’ve been able to give myself that position where I can now focus a bit more on what I ultimately want to achieve which is to win Hawaii. So I know that’s not going to come this year but I feel like I’m getting closer to being able to put all my eggs in that basket and try and do that.

And it’s something that you look around and see what’s going on in the sport at the moment. Are you one of those guys who tracks your competitors or is it simply just a case of this is my day, my race and the other guys will do what they need to do?
I definitely keep an eye on the other guys. I’m constantly impressed with the things these guys are doing but it’s also something that it spurs me on to get out there and train each day too. I love nothing more than tracking an Ironman like I did in Frankfurt a few weeks ago and then go out the next day and just give myself a hiding in training. I like to use that as fuel for when I line up against these guys, I really want to be competitive with them. I don’t think that I waste any energy on thinking about people in that way, I just think it’s more a motivational tool.

What are your thoughts on the likes of Chrissie Wellington and what she did in Roth?
Mate, she is a freak! That is an amazing performance. Easily the best triathlon performance in the history of our sport no doubt I think. The scary thing is we’ve all sort of been throwing stuff around the table. We think she can still go faster and I think there is possibly a chance in the future where she could line up at an Ironman and win it outright. I don’t know where or when that would be but I’m pretty sure it could happen now.

She’s certainly got the back end of her ride and her run amazingly dialled. Are you always sceptical of course length and things like that when you see really low times and fast times?
I know from experience just this year, I know we definitely got given a short swim course in Ironman Brazil this year and I was a bit…I don’t know how to feel about that. As a swimmer, I like to utilise my strengths and to only be in there for 42 minutes. I still came out with the lead but you think what if the course was the proper distance? Maybe I could have got an extra minute or two. This is the case for anyone that’s the strong rider or the strong runner, if the course is not the right length. These days with GPS, there’s no real excuse to get it wrong. I feel like sometimes maybe Race Directors are trying to cut the course a little short to make it fast, To make a bit of a spectacle of it. I mean that’s pretty much all I’ve got to say on it. I just wish that they would get the course lengths right.

And the WTC of course have been tinkering with their rules as they’ve gone forward this season and there’s been a lot of discussion from the pros about whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Are you comfortable where they sit at the moment?
The thing that I’m really pleased about is now we have a world ranking system for the Ironman guys. I really think that that’s something that was long overdue. I don’t know how to feel about how heavily weighted 70.3 is in the qualifying system for Hawaii. I really think that they might have missed the mark a little bit there.

The one thing that I think is tragic for Ironman in Australia is that it’s been given the status of virtually zero on the world scale of things and it baffles me to think back at all the legends of our sport that have won at Ironman Australia. For it to now basically be meaningless on the world triathlon circuit, I just can’t get my head around it. If you look at the calendar, there’s so many heavily weighted races in the States and in Europe. Yet you look in the Southern Hemisphere, besides Brazil and South Africa, if you’re an Australian athlete it’s going to be tough to qualify for Hawaii or make money. I just don’t think they thought that through. But what can we do? They’ve set it in stone now and hopefully they can maybe rectify it in the next year or so.

Moving onto to more important matters, pictures of your bike have been beamed around the internet at the moment. You must be pretty pleased to be getting on such a beast?
Yeah definitely. I’ve had a good relationship with my bike sponsor, Scott, since I’ve been on board with them and I guess in the last 12 months we’ve really be very proactive in our sponsorship. They’ve really supported me in my goals and what I want to do and when this new bike was available to tri-athletes just this last few months, I was really lucky to be earmarked as one of the guys to ride it in Kona and there’s only going to be four of us on this new bike. So I’m really stoked to have my hands on it. It’s a beautiful bike and definitely the best one I’ve ever ridden so I can’t wait to get out there and give it a good thrashing.

And we’ll be talking to you later this year in December. For you, what would be a satisfying end to your season?
I would definitely like to say I’d love to come Top 10 in Hawaii but I’ve been talking a lot with my dad and with my partner, Amanda, and I would really love to have a good crack at the top 5 in Hawaii this year. I think I’ve just got to go there and just have no fear and just have the race that I know I can have and not get caught up in any sort of…any of the other stuff that goes on at that race and just focus on what I need to do. I really think that my swimming, biking and running has gotten up to a level now where I can stop thinking about just coming in the Top 10 and just maybe look a little bit higher. So I think Top 10 is definitely an achievable goal but Top 5 I think would be something that I would really be having a crack for.

www.lavamagazine.com - FIRST LOOK: LUKE McKENZIE's SCOTT PLASMA 3

2010-08-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIAN TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE - ISSUE 17.9 LIGHTNING LUKE IN BRAZIL

2010-08-04T18:23:00.001-07:00

3T AD

2010-08-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIAN TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE - ISSUE 17.9 DESTINATION TRIATHLETE

2010-08-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

SCOTT AD

2010-08-04T18:12:00.001-07:00

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220 TRIATHLON APRIL/MAY (Australia) MULTIPLE AUSSIE CHAMPION REPORTS

2010-07-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

TRISPORT MAGAZINE - BRAZIL

2010-07-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIAN TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE. BUSSELTON: IT AIN'T HALF GOOD

2010-06-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

K-SWISS: Luke McKenzie 10 second piece

2010-06-09T06:03:00.000-07:00

BRAZIL MEDIA

2010-06-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

www.triathlonranking.com

2010-06-06T16:00:00.001-07:00

www.k-swiss.com/br

2010-06-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

www.triamax.com

2010-06-06T13:01:00.000-07:00

COMPETITOR.COM

2010-06-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

XTRI.COM - May 31st

2010-06-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

FIRSTOFFTHEBIKE.COM

2010-06-01T06:17:00.000-07:00

McKenzie's beautiful victory - Ironman Brazil

Luke McKenzie should never have won Ironman Brazil. There were a myriad of reasons as to why this was to be the case but for all intents and purposes Luke McKenzie's day should have netted him around 3rd at best. The field of locals that assembled at Ironman Brazil were some of the best in the world and they had the track record to prove it. The two big dogs who were expected to hand out the pain in Eduardo Sturla and Oscar Galindez were an unknown force but with 6 wins between them meant that tipping them over would be a mammoth task.

The McKenzie style of racing and the overall psyche that he has maintained over the past three years would have made a mockery of the last few statements. McKenzie believes that he can win every race that he starts and the more he wins the more the triathlon world will sit up and take notice of him on the start line. And while we don't want to be speaking ill of any Ironman victory this might just be the most satisfying one that McKenzie has clicked in his career for two reasons. The first would be the calibre of field that he beat and the second is the world class time (8:07) that he clocked in this classic win.

If soccer is considered the beautiful game then Luke McKenzie's win on Sunday in Brazil in triathlon terms was beautiful. Leading out of the water McKenzie made an honest race of it as he was alone for his work day which finished with 7 minutes of overtime as 8 hours later he was still alone and leading. A 3 minute lead out of the water courtesy of his number one weapon meant some clear road. His rivals were struggling including pre race favorite Reinaldo Colucci.

Halfway through the bike Colucci was making a gentle exit through the rear of the group and his day was done. At the end of the bike and into T2 McKenzie, still alone and without the pacing help of the chase group switched into run mode and took off in search of Ironman win number 5 knowing that the battle was about to heat up. The bike times were proof of a very fast day with Galindez – 4:24:49, Sturla – 4:24:55 and McKenzie 4:26:50. With only a 2 minute gap he would have to run for his life.

We pegged the women's race last week as a parade for Tereza Macel. A big statement perhaps but the race was always going to be made by herself and Dede Griesbauer. A two horse race/slugfest was ensuing. For Macel the wraps on her have been huge and she is starting to live up to the hype. Macel has long been thought of as one of the best swim bikers in the world but on this occasion Griesbauer was holding her own.

With the field imploding behind Luke McKenzie ran himself into history and into one of the fastest times of the season. His marathon was strong as he completed his beautiful victory the crowd went wild no doubt appreciating what he was achieving.

Macel was running hard in the marathon and it wasn't long before she had broken the elastic between herself and Griesbauer. By the end of the marathon the Team TBB member had a 7 minute lead and another Ironman title.

A rare day in Ironman racing when an athlete leads from wire to wire and Luke McKenzie showed how fortune does indeed favour the bold.

Men
Luke McKenzie (AUS) 8:07:39
Ezequiel Morales (ARG) 8:12:44
Asenco Santiago (BRA) 8:18:33
Eduardo Sturla (ARG) 8:20:25
Oscar Galindez (BRA) 8:33:00

Women
Tereza Macel (CZE) 9:19:13
Dede Griesbauer (USA) 9:26:09
Maria Omar (ARG) 9:36:04
Hillary Biscay (USA) 9:44:39
Donna Phelan (CAN) 9:44:45

SLOWTWITCH.COM

2010-05-31T03:24:00.000-07:00

McKenzie and Macel in Brazil new

Written by: Herbert Krabel
Date: Sun May 30 2010

Aussie Luke McKenzie led from start to finish at the 2010 Ironman Brasil Florianopolis to win his 5th Ironman title in record time. Tereza Macel won her 4th title, but had to fight Dede Griesbauer until late in the run.

The men

A superb swim by Luke McKenzie put him 3 minutes clear of any other Pro athlete and a couple minutes ahead of the fastest age groupers. Eduardo Sturla, Reinaldo Colucci and Oscar Galindez surely represented some serious fire power in the Pro men's field, but 3 minutes is still not the kind of lead you want to give the young Aussie who won Ironman China and Busselton Half earlier this year.

Early on during the bike it appeared that the chasing pack with Sturla, Colucci and Galindez made time back on McKenzie but the seconds came of the clock ever so slowly. At the 115k mark of the bike Sturla and Galindez had clawed themselves within 2:25 of McKenzie, but Colucci paid the price for the pace and started to drift back. McKenzie eventually opened up the gap again and reached T2 with no one else in sight.

McKenzie looked smooth on the run too and despite hard efforts by Galindez and Sturla to reel him in, the Aussie wasn't relenting. Sturla fell of the pace first and the bigger threat for McKenzie actually came from a bit further back in the form of Ezequiel Morales of Argentina. This fleet footed runner was flying along and by the halfway point of the marathon moved past the now fading Sturla and Galindez, but McKenzie was still way out in front. McKenzie crossed the line in a course record time of 8:07:39 and with it captured his fifth Ironman title. Morales crossed the finishline 5 minutes later in second place and Santiago Asenco captured third. Sturla found some late energy to finish fourth and Galindez hung on for fifth.

"So happy to get the win today. I was in a tough position for a lot of the bike only being about 2-3 minutes ahead of Oscar and Eduardo," said McKenzie to slowtwitch. "I thought they might reel me in close to the end, but I actually increased my lead by T2 to around 4 minutes. Oscar came at me early but I had a great day on the run. I felt strong the whole way and actually was able to pick it up over the last 5km as I knew I was close to the record. I didn't see Morales till late in the run (he was flying) I knew once I passed 30km I had it I just had to hold my pace."

Top 10 men

1. Luke McKenzie (AUS) 8:07:39
2. Ezequiel Morales (ARG) 8:12:44
3. Asenco Santiago (BRA) 8:18:33
4. Eduardo Sturla (ARG) 8:20:25
5. Oscar Galindez (BRA) 8:33:00
6. Petr Vabrousek (CZE) 8:36:16
7. Guilherme Manocchio (BRA) 8:39:12
8. Florian Greckl (GER) 8:40:01
9. Gabriel Raff (ARG) 8:40:27
10. Ivan Junior (BRA) 8:54:06

IRONMAN.COM

2010-05-31T03:15:00.001-07:00

McKenzie and Macel take Brazil

Shawn Skene wraps up the day of racing at Ironman Brazil

Published Sunday, May 30, 201

What an exciting day of racing here in Florianopolis. Both the men and women's races were hotly contested and resulted in champions that are both in the midst of career-making winning streaks.

Cool Hand Luke
In the men’s race, Australia’s Luke McKenzie took out the race in his typical fashion: all out. He led all the men out of the water by over three minutes, with Fabio Carvalho, Reinaldo Colucci, Eduardo Sturla, Oscar Galindez, Ezequiel Morales and Raul Furtado all exiting the water less four minutes behind the leader. The scene was set for a close race.

On the bike, McKenzie put his head down and went for it. Nipping at his heels early were Sturla, Colucci and Galindez. However, even working together the trio could never get much closer than two minutes to McKenzie at any given time. Eventually Colucci succumbed to the pace, faded and withdrew from the race. Sturla, the course- and bike-record holder, along with Galindez, were the only ones to be able to match McKenzie’s pace, but still couldn’t chew into the hard charging Australian’s pace.

Heading onto the run, McKenzie said, “Ì have never felt so good on the run, especially an Ironman run.”

The only challenge during the marathon for McKenzie came early from Galindez out of the transition. The Argentinean closed the gap to one minute at 10 kilometres, but that was all he had in the tank and eventually faded back after he could not sustain the pace.

McKenzie’s 2:54 run provided him his fifth Ironman title and his second of 2010.

Morales stormed towards the front during the marathon. The Argentinean had the third fastest run at the Ford Ironman World Championship last year and showed that his run there was no fluke. Morales had too much real-estate to make up coming off the bike, though and had to settle with the fastest run split of day and second place.

As Brazil’s highest placed finisher, Santiago Acscenco thrilled the crowd and become an instant hero with his third-place finish.

Sturla slowly lost touch with McKenzie throughout the run and eventually finished fourth.

1. LUKE MCKENZIE 8:07:39
2. EZEQUIEL MORALES 8:12:44
3. SANTIAGO ASCENÇO 8:18:33
4. EDUARDO STURLA 8:20:25
5. OSCAR GALINDEZ 8:33:00
6. PETR VABROUSEK 8:36:16
7. GUILHERME MANOCCHIO 8:39:12
8. FLORIAN GRECKL 8:40:01
9. IVAN JUNIOR 8:54:06
10. LUCAS PRETTO 9:01:53

ARTICLE - FHM SINGAPORE

2010-05-21T00:27:00.000-07:00

IM BRAZIL PRESS (if you can read Portugese?)

2010-05-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

AUGUST MAGAZINE - SINGAPORE

2010-05-17T00:16:00.000-07:00

IRONMAN.COM

2010-05-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

New Kid in Town for Ironman Brazil

Shawn Skene profiles four-time Ironman champion - Luke McKenzie

Published Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The usual suspects are all ready to battle it out in Florianopolis later this month in the men's race at Ironman Brazil, but they'll have some company.

Yes, both three time Ironman Brazil champions, Eduardo Sturla and Oscar Galindez will be shooting to claim their fourth title. Both are from Argentina, and between the two of them they account for the last four championship titles. In addition, Brazil’s own Reinaldo Colucci, who has two second place showings in his last two appearances, will be starting his fifth Ironman Brazil. While it might be reasonable to expect that this years winner at South America’s only Ironman will come from this trio, the boys from the south had better take note: there will be a new kid in town in Florianopolis this year.

That new kid comes in the form of Australia’s Luke McKenzie. With four Ironman champion titles, a couple of wins at the Ironman 70.3 distance and handful of podium finishes in the past twenty-four months at various race distances, the 28-year-old has the credentials to take on the South Americans on their own turf.

McKenzie’s is no stranger to the Ironman scene. As a teenager he accompanied his parents to volunteer at an aid station at Ironman Australia in Forster.

“I remember watching Pauli Kiru of Finland, who won four Ironman Australia titles in the early 90's, and I thought he was amazing,” explains McKenzie. “My family volunteered at the 38 km aid station and one year, when he (Kiru) came running through, I ran five meters behind him on the footpath all the way to the finish line. I left my family high and dry at the aid station. I went back though. It was then I knew it was always a goal to race Ironman and Hawaii after that experience,” said McKenzie.

Five years after watching his first Ironman, McKenzie was taking his initial plunge into triathlon at the age of thirteen. The result was a win and a triathlon career was born.

While being schooled in the St. George sprint triathlon series, McKenzie was selected for the Australian junior teams for the World Championships from 2001 through 2003. McKenzie eventually became a product of the Australian development system that has produced many of triathlon’s champions.

After some promising results, McKenzie secured a coveted spot with the Australian Institute of Sport Triathlon (ASI) squad. The ASI provided the valuable support, training and learning experiences through their camps within Australia and abroad that helped McKenzie develop. He launched his international career after some superb performances in Europe.

Early in his career there were some valuable Australian triathletes for role models. Brad Beven and the 1994 Ironman World Champion, Greg Welch were both tearing it up at all distances and set high standards for McKenzie to shoot for.

After competing on the short course circuit for a time, he did his first Ironman at 23 – putting together an impressive debut at the 2004 Ironman Western Australia.

“I led until 15 km of the run, then blew up. I had second until about 39 km, but Pete Jacobs stormed past me and I had nothing; a marathon is a long way.” He ended finished third in a time of 8:34:24.

“I had been in the sport for 10 years by that stage and I guess it was just where I felt I belonged,” continued McKenzie. “I still like to race Olympic distance and 70.3, but I just love racing Ironman.”

McKenzie’s resume now includes wins at the 2008 and 2009 Ironman Japan, 2009 Ironman Malaysia as well as his recent his win at Ironman China. There’s also a second place showing at last years Ironman Louisville and a pair of third place podium finishes at Ironman Western Australia. “It brings a smile to my face when I hear or read of those titles,” said McKenzie. “It took a lot of hard training, but mostly self belief that I can be an Ironman champion.”

McKenzie has displayed progress at the Ford Ironman World Championship over his four appearances, and solid understanding of what it will take for him to jump to the next level into the top ten. He explains: “I had always raced from the front ever since I started Ironman. In my first several races, I would plummet back through the field because I was not confident in my marathon. Over the past two years I have worked hard on my running to bring it up to the standard, and now I have a few Ironman titles, which are great. The next goal is to bring it (his running) up to standard to have a chance of winning in Hawaii.”

Kona holds a special place in terms of training, racing and life for McKenzie and his fiancé, third year pro, Amanda Balding. Currently training in Kona, McKenzie explains, “The last two years we have come to Kona in May and June to train leading into Ironman 70.3 Hawaii and to prepare for Ironman Japan. This year we changed the race schedule slightly and, although we aren't racing Ironman 70.3 Hawaii, we came back to train here leading into Ironman Brazil. With winter coming on in Australia it was time to leave and head north back to summer.”

McKenzie continues: “We love training here for so many reasons. I guess it's the climate, the riding out on the Queen K, the swimming in the ocean … just to name a few things. We also have a great support base with good massage therapists, bike shops and gyms. We actually have a lot of friends here now which also makes it a fun place to be.”

While McKenzie makes his fifth appearance at the Ford Ironman World Championship this year, the Island will take on more significance and meaning in his life. Balding and McKenzie plan to marry on the Island after this year’s race.

However, before his big day(s) in Kona this year, McKenzie has his focus clearly on May 30th, where he hopes wrestle the South American stranglehold at Ironman Brazil. We will have to wait to see how the new kid in town, with four Ironman titles to his name, can continue his winning ways.

Shawn Skene can be reached at: SSkene@Ironman.com

SCOTT USA AD

2010-05-10T15:48:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIAN TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE - May/June 2010

2010-05-10T00:05:00.000-07:00

BUSSELTON DUNSBOUORGH TIMES - HOT FIELD FOR TRIATHLON

2010-05-02T20:31:00.000-07:00

220 TRIATHLON APRIL/MAY (Australia) AUSSIE LUKE McKENZIE TAKES IRONMAN CHINA

2010-04-26T04:29:00.000-07:00

FHM MAGAZINE (SINGAPORE) COVER

2010-04-19T17:02:00.001-07:00

TRIATHLON & MULTI SPORT MAGAZINE (VOL 13 #4) IRONMAN CHINA 2010

2010-04-13T02:21:00.000-07:00

CYCLINGNEWSASIA.COM - Interview

2010-04-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

Coach: How To Go Faster; we interview the Ironmen and women of the China Ironman

Written by: Lin Ruobai
Date: Thu Apr 08 2010

Want to know how to go faster? We ask the fastest guys at Ironman China what works for them . . .

The China Ironman is finished for another year. As we said in our race preview here, this race has one of the best cycling legs in Asia. If you don’t fancy doing the swim and run the organisers will help you find some other athletes to form a team, allowing you to concentrate on riding a unique race course.

Once again the race was held in hot conditions - around 37°, and a decent wind kept racers honest on the bike course

We were very happy with our predictions pricking of race winners, getting 3 out of 4 tips right. Congratulations to the following on a great victory in their respective distances:

Ironman Men’s Winner – Luke McKenzie
Ironman Women’s Winner – Amy Marsh
70.3 Men’s Winner – Freddie Croneberg
70.3 Women’s Winner – Belinda Granger

Cyclingnewsasia spoke with the athletes and asked them for their best advice on how we can go faster:

Ironman Winner – Luke McKenzie

We caught up with Luke the day after his Ironman race victory where he was on route to a well earned 5 day surfing trip holiday in Bali.

Luke looking more relaxed with the pay check in the bank and en-route to 5 days surfing in Bali

CNA: Luke, congratulations on the victory, thanks for helping in our tipping. Tell us about how you felt on the course?

Luke McKenzie: Thanks, I am feeling better today than I was after the race. Obviously it was hot on the course but I like the heat. The swim was tough for me as it was 4 lap course and I ending up swimming through the slower swimmers on the 3rd and 4th lap. I knew the wind was making it tough for everyone so I decide to put the hurt on and drive hard. On the run, I was not looking forward to the last 21km of the marathon and with 8km to go I hit the wall and had to come home on mental will power.

CNA: Tell us about your bike?

Luke: I am really happy with the Scott. It fits me really well and I feel I can get good power through the frame onto the road. I have the Zipp 404 on the front and 808s on the rear which I think gave me a real advantage on this type of course (with the cross winds). I also know they are bombproof which is important as some parts of the course are more rural with some holes and deviations.

Luke’s Scott Plasma – one very fast bike

CNA: And your targets in 2010?

Luke: Obviously the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii and also Ironman Brazil. I hope I can get back to China next year but the 2011 race programme is not yet set in stone.

CNA: And cycling tips for our readers when they are doing Time Trials?

Luke: Make sure your bike fits well. Get a proper bike fit you are comfortable with. There is no point in being aero if you are not comfortable of you can’t get the power out.

CNA: Thanks Luke – enjoy the holiday.

GOLD COAST BULLETIN - COAST CONFIDENTIAL

2010-03-30T18:14:00.001-07:00

MANNING RIVER TIMES

2010-03-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

BLUESEVENTY AD 2010

2010-03-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

XTRI.COM - March 17th, 2010

2010-03-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

Luke McKenzie: A Start To Finish Win at Ironman China

By Luke McKenzie

3/17/2010

TORTURE! That's what the race at Ironman China was this past Sunday!

My main focus for the early season was my defense of Ironman Malaysia two weeks ago. Unfortunately I had an upset stomach and the continual vomiting and dehydration forced me out of the race. I knew I was in good shape and wanted to utilize my fitness so I decided to line up at Ironman China for a "second chance". I was definitely looking forward to taking on Macca for the first time outside of Hawaii at the Ironman distance. I was really nervous going into the second of the two Ironmans as I hadn't done much training between and I felt like I had lost a little fitness and I didn't feel as sharp as I did before Langkawi. I didn't know how my day was going to pan out.

My day started well as I moved straight to the lead in the swim. After 950m we exited the water and began the second lap. It was pure chaos! From the time I jumped in for the second loop I was swimming through and over the top of poor age group athletes (sorry!). I established a 90 second lead on the next guy and around 2.5 minutes on Chris McCormack, the man I was most concerned about.

The wind was howling on the bike and we faced a severe headwind and then crosswind over the first 45km. I was getting reports I was gaining time on Macca and Marcus Fachbach which gave me confidence to push harder on the way back to town. When we turned at 90km I had around 6 minutes on them and was hoping I could maybe gain another 4 over the next 90km. At around 120km I got word that Macca had pulled out of the race and Fachbach was dropping further behind and I was able to conserve some energy over the last 60km. By now the temperature was beginning to rise and I was definitely happy to get off the bike!

I knew we were in for a tough one when I started the run into the blast furnace headwind for the first 5km. I had a 12 minute lead starting the marathon on Jozsef Major of Hungary. Jozsef is known for his fast run splits and I knew no lead was safe as long as he was behind me. After the initial 5km slog to the first turn I was happy to be running with the wind for the next 10km. The problem was having no wind in your face made it boiling hot! I managed to build up a 13 minute buffer on Jozsef as I started the second lap but I felt like I was going up and down on the spot slogging back into the headwind. I turned at 30km and was expecting to see my lead dramatically reduced but I still maintained about 12 minutes. As soon as I crossed paths with Jozsef I fell in an absolute heap! I was ticking over really well and then all of a sudden I was on the verge of bonking. With a bit over 8km to go I got a slight cramp in my hammy and I had to walk for about 50m. Walking was going to kill my lead and I had to try and get to the next aid station and down some fluid, salt and coke. I spent about 1 minute there regathering myself. I had led from the gun, I wasn't going to lose this in the last few kilometers again, like I did at Ironman Louisville last year. Luckily I got back into a shuffle, the kilometers started ticking by and I was finally within reach of the line. I finished in 8:41:15 leading from start to finish. It was also a new Ironman China course record. Unfortunately within a few minutes once the adrenaline had worn off I started to go downhill and ultimately ended up on an IV drip!

I was extremely happy to win my fourth and what I regard as my toughest Ironman title. I am now looking forward to some downtime in Bali for 5 days before Amanda and I return to Australia and start to prepare for the American and European season.

Congratulations to everyone that finished the race in China. These Asian races may not be fast but they are definitely some of the hardest you will find anywhere in the world. You often feel like you are just racing your head rather than any other competitors. It comes down to mentally breaking through the pain barrier which I think makes crossing the line just a little bit sweeter.

IRONMAN CHINA - Top 10 Men

1. Luke McKenzie 8:41:15

2. Jozsef Major 8:52:29

3. Jens Groenbek 9:17:06

4. Shingo Tani 9:19:01

5. Mike SCHIFFERLE 9:30:16

6. Eneko Elosegui 9:31:46

7. Justin Granger 9:41:45

8. Hiroyuki Nishiuchi 9:43:57

9. Brandon Marsh 9:52:00

10. David Bentley 9:52:51

140.6 MILES OF AWESOME K-SWISS AD

2010-03-22T20:35:00.000-07:00

IRONMAN MALAYSIA ATHLETE GUIDE 2010

2010-03-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

GOONDIWINDI ARGUS - BACK PAGE

2010-03-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

INTERVIEW - www.justtri.co.uk

2010-02-18T19:11:00.001-08:00

Athlete Interview: Luke McKenzie

The next of out interviews is with the Australian Ironman athlete Luke McKenzie. He was won 3 Ironman races and ranked in the top 10 of many others. Luke was able to spare some time out his rather hectic training schedule to answer a few questions for us.

What brought you into triathlon?
I grew up watching and volunteering at Ironman Australia (lived right near Forster where it was run) and it interested me from a young age.

What is your sporting background?
I started competitive swimming at around 6 years old and continued with that till I was 13. I was a competitive cross country and track runner during high school at around the same time I took up triathlon.

I see from your schedule that you plan to be racing Hawaii this year. Is there anything in particular that you will be doing to ensure you are at the peak of your form for this race?
Yes, the whole season revolves around this race for me. I will travel to Hawaii twice this year to train in Kona and adapt to the course and conditions before October. I also direct my training to peak during August and September, that is when I will be training my hardest to ensure I am ready for the big one.

What does an average weeks training look like for you?
Usually 25km of swimming, 500-600 km of riding and 100-120km of running and 3-4 hours in the gym and core work.

What is your favourite training session and why?
I love an open water swim we do here in Noosa during Summer. We call it ins & outs and we usually run into the ocean, swim around a few buoys that are set over a 200-300m course then surf the waves back in and run up the beach. We repeat that for 1 - 1.5 hrs and it's a hard but fun workout!

Being a full time athlete must require a lot of motivation, how do you keep yourself motivated when the going gets tough?
I have lot's of reminders around my house of what motivates me. I have my goals written down and right next to my bed and I am reminded of them every morning and night. I also have an amazingly supportive fiancée Amanda, who keeps me motivated and focused on my goals.

When finished with training for the day, what do you enjoy to do in your free time?
If I have the energy I love to surf. I live close to the beach and usually try and get out there as much as I can when I am at home in Oz.

If you were not a pro-triathlete, is there anything that you would like to be doing instead?
I'd love to be a pro surfer but unfortunately I am not good enough!

I see you are based in Australia. What made you choose this over any other location?
Well apart from the fact that it is my home country it is a perfect location to train for triathlon. Noosa, the town where I live is very conjusive to training for our sport. It's a great climate, the terrain is ideal and the facilities are amazing. I base in the USA for 6 months May - October in Bend, Oregon and Westlake Village, California. I go there for the same reasons.

Do you have any tips for novice athletes getting into the sport?
Remember why you got into the sport ... to enjoy it! Respect the rules and other athletes and practice your technique!

You can find out much more about Luke, where you can see him race and about his sponsor's on his personal website - www.lukemckenzie.com - You can also follow him on the social networking site Twitter -

All Images Copyright www.lukemckenzie.com 2010.

AUSTRALIAN TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE - ISSUE 17.3 Dec/Jan 2010

2010-01-22T21:22:00.000-08:00

AUSTRALIAN TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE - ISSUE 17.1 Elite Bike

2009-09-15T19:18:00.002-07:00

XTRI.COM - September 15th, 2009

2009-09-15T19:18:00.001-07:00

Xtri's PreKona Chat With Luke McKenzie
By Betsy Delcour
9/15/2009

Luke McKenzie is an Aussie pro who's been putting his stamp on long distance triathlon lately. Celebrating his first IM victory in 2008 (IM Japan), he's since won two more Mdot races - IM Japan, breaking his own course record, and IM Malaysia - and was painfully close to winning IM Louisville three weeks ago. In addition he's dominated at several 70.3's as well as the occasional short course race. Now Luke and his fiancee, fellow pro Amanda Balding, are in Kona for his final training block before the big day. Here's what he had to say about his season so far, his travelling lifestyle and what his thoughts are for October 10th...

Hey Luke! Thanks for chatting with us! You’ve had an amazing season so far, with a total of 8 podiums out of 9 races – 5 of which are wins. Has your season gone exactly to plan? Were any of your races’ outcomes a surprise?

Thanks Betsy! I am really happy with my form during 2009. When I sat down at the start of the year Amanda and I planned a race schedule that was going to suit my strengths. Warm climate, hot and humid weather, hilly bike courses and non-wetsuit swims. I guess that’s the reason why I had more podium results this year (better planning).

The biggest surprise I think I had this year was the recent Hulaman Half in Portland. I was right in the middle of some big mileage and was feeling pretty flat all week. I decided not to travel to Lake Stevens Ironman 70.3 and just wanted to have a hit out at something a little more local. With the Hulaman not too far away from my base in Bend it seemed like a better option. I was surprised to see Kieran Doe and Maik Twelsiek on the start line and they were both in good form so it was going to be a tough race. I got off to a sluggish start but came good towards the end of the bike and had my best half marathon ever and won.

I read in one of your blog posts that you don’t expect to go top ten in Kona yet at this point in your career…are you sure you’re not selling yourself short? You’ve had some impressive races against some of the biggest names in triathlon, not to mention the athletes you’ve trained with!

I said it would take an “amazing race” to finish top ten in Kona given the depth of the field there. It’s not that I don’t “expect” to go top ten. I know if I put my swim, bike and run together to the best of my abilities I am a possibility of a top ten and I feel like I am still improving over the Ironman distance with every race I do, so who knows in Kona?! I just want to keep racing how I have been all year and if I do that then I think I will be in for my best Kona result yet.

Tomorrow you head to Kona for the final phase of your training for the big day. Can you give us a general outline of your training plan for these next few weeks?

Leading into Ironman Louisville I based in Bend, Oregon for a big 5 week block of volume. I got a lot of long rides and runs in my legs. I just arrived in Kona and now it’s time to bring up the intensity and a little less volume. A lot more TT’s and efforts and specific race pace work. Getting a lot of rest and recovery between training in the next few weeks is going to be important considering I have had a heavy year of racing.

You and your fiancée, Amanda (aka Memphis!), have travelled the world for your training and racing, most recently travelling back and forth across the U.S. in your camper van. How do you manage your training, nutrition and recovery with all the travel?

It really is easy and we enjoy it. We planned our road trip across to Louisville around training locations and sponsor visits. Since we were in taper for Ironman Louisville it worked into the schedule fine. Over a seven day period we traveled from Bend, Oregon and stopped to train in Sun Valley, Idaho (Scott HQ’s) where there is great riding and running. Boulder, Colorado where we caught up with all our Aussie friends and of course it’s a training mecca. Lawrence, Kansas, sight of the Ironman 70.3 event and home to our Aussie friends Pip Taylor and Justin Drew and finally Speedway, Indiana home to the fastest and best wheels in the world, Zipp. All these places had pools, running trails and good bike rides so it made for good training, catch up with friends and sponsors and an opportunity to explore the USA.

Amanda is an amazing cook and we have everything we need in our camper for her to whip up one of her magic meals. Of course there is a bed in the back and we take turns driving while the other sleeps, reads or watches DVD’s so the recovery is possibly better than when we are at home!

For you, what are the best and worst things about the weeks leading up to the IM World Championships?

Best things: Being in beautiful Hawaii. The weather is warm and I love the lifestyle. I love training out on the Big Island. That’s why we are heading out a month before the race.

Worst things: The town gets pretty congested with people in race week and even getting a coffee is a nightmare! There is also some pretty average fashion sense along Alii Dr (keep the race kits for the race) and some pre race run efforts on Friday afternoon that I would expect to see some sub 2.10 marathons on race day!

What parts of the course in Kona are most challenging for you? And how do you use your mentality to get you through them?

Just after Waikoloa Village on the way back from Hawi it seems to get tough. The crosswinds pick up and there is a long stretch slightly uphill to the bottom of Scenic lookout hill that seems to drag on forever. When you get to Waikoloa mentally you feel like you're almost at Scenic lookout but it’s actually about another 12-15 minutes away! Then it’s another tough stretch from the top of Scenic lookout up to the Four Seasons and the airport.

Race morning – what’s on your ipod? How do you prepare for the race – do you need to stay quiet and focused, or do you psych yourself up – or is it a combination of the two?

My race day ipod mix recently has included: The Presets, Interpol, Kasabian, Chemical Brothers, Art v’s Science, Bloc Party, The Dead Weather, Eagles of death metal, Grafton Primary, Cut Copy, Maximo Park, Pendulum, The Rapture, TV on the radio and Wolfmother just to name a few. It’s a mixed bag but they all have songs that get me psyched for the race! I like to listen to my ipod all morning before the race and just visualize the day ahead.

Who are your picks for the top 3 in the men’s and women’s races in Kona? Any dark horse predictions?

MEN (no particular order … will sit on the fence re: order)
Craig Alexander. Saw him in Boulder a few weeks back and he looks ready to defend the title. He has raced lightly this year and that could work to his advantage. Smoked it again in Muskoka over the weekend so he is on form.
Chris McCormack. Can never count Macca out. He will be hungry after last year. I know he has been super strong in training out here in Kona.
Eneko Llanos.

Darkhorse(s): Rasmus Henning. I was in China where he was absolutely scorching the course before the weather got ridiculous and he slowed (a smart move).
Terenzo Bozzone. Have been training with him here in Kona and he is so strong at 24 years old! Doesn’t have a weak leg which is important in this race!

WOMEN
1st Chrissie Wellington. I think we might see a new record in Kona this year. I’d be looking over my shoulder if you were a pro male doing about 8.50!
2nd Rebekah Keat. Looks like she has gone to a new level this year
3rd Linsey Corbin. Did a hard ride over the bike course with her here in Kona the other day and she was super strong! She is running fast too so I think she will be on the podium!

Darkhorse: Catriona Morrison.

Of utmost importance: what’s on the menu at Lava Java for you and Memphis? I believe last year there was a menu item named after you?

My new fav place in town is Killer Tacos near the bike shop. That’s where I hang for good food! Last year at Lava Java I had a protein shake named after me … that was good too!

How will you celebrate a successful race in Kona? Any more exotic travel plans?

Amanda plans to race Ironman Florida again and I may race Clearwater if the body and motivation is up to it. After that we will head home to Australia for the summer but you never know there might be a little side trip somewhere. Maybe somewhere I can go do some surfing?! I have been talking to Terenzo about going on a surf trip to Costa Rica maybe?!?

Thanks Luke, and best wishes for an amazing race!

Check out Luke's website at LukeMcKenzie.com.

XTRI.COM - September 15th, 2009

2009-09-15T19:07:00.001-07:00

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2009-09-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

Italiatriathlon oggi parla con.......Luke McKenzie

La redazione di italiatriathlon ha raggiunto il campione Ironman

australiano Luke McKenzie per porgli qualche domanda sulla sua carriera e sull'ultima gara disputata a Louisville.
Ecco cosa ci ha risposto Luke:

La scorsa domenica hai partecipato all'Ironman Louisville dove ti sei classificato secondo. Tuttavia hai dichiarato che quella è stata la miglior gara della tua carriera. Perchè?

Ho vinto tre gare Iroman nella mia carriera di triatleta e ogni volta ho imparato molto su me stesso, ma all'Ironman Louisville ho sentito come se spingessi il mio corpo verso un altro livello. E' una posizione difficile essere il leader della gara, tener duro davanti e resistere a chiunque voglia venirti a prendere. Quando sono stato raggiunto, in effetti correre cercando di tenere il passo in quegli ultimi km mi ha caricato e mi è piaciuto molto. Ti fa lavorare e combattere quel tanto in più. Ecco perché ho sentito che è stata la mia migliore performance in un Ironman. Ho sentito Chris McCormack dire la stessa cosa. La sua migliore prestazione di sempre è stata nel giorno in cui è arrivato secondo dopo Normann Stadler alle Hawaii. Aveva spinto il suo corpo come mai prima di allora. Quindi certi giorni il tuo meglio non ti garantisce la vittoria. Arrivare così vicini però ti rende più desideroso e motivato ad avere di più.

Quest'anno hai vinto due eventi Ironman, uno in Malesia e l'altro in Giappone, entrambi caratterizzati da condizioni climatiche aspre a causa del caldo e dell'umidità, le stesse che caratterizzano anche la finale del Campionato del Mondo alle Hawaii. Credi che questo sia un buon segno per la tua gara a Kona?

Devo scegliere gare Ironman che si addicano alle mie potenzialità, quindi i miei piani si orientano molto su un determinato tipo di gare in un sempre crescente calendario di eventi. Sembra che io vada bene in condizioni calde e umide, in frazioni di nuoto senza muta, su percorsi ciclistici duri, collinosi e ventosi e su percorsi podistici dove le aspre condizioni climatiche mettono in gioco il fattore “sopravvivenza”. Vedo anche questi eventi come esperienza per il fine ultimo che è vincere un giorno l'Ironman Hawaii.

Sembra che qualsiasi cosa un triatleta faccia, lo faccia per Kona. Cosa significa davvero Kona per un triatleta? E' vero che la vittoria è già tagliare il traguardo?

Ovviamente molti triatleti professionisti aspirano a vincere la finale dell'Ironman alle Hawaii. Alcuni atleti basano la loro intera stagione intorno a una top performance a Kona. A 28 anni non vedo un bisogno per me personalmente di focalizzarmi solo su una buona prestazione alle Hawaii quando abbiamo così tanti altri grandi eventi Ironman in tutto il mondo. Kona è il pinnacolo del nostro sport, è la gara più prestigiosa da vincere ma per il momento è la gara a cui partecipo per testare me stesso contro i migliori del mondo. Un giorno voglio vincerla e quello significherebbe tutto per me!
La vittoria è ciò che tu vuoi farne. Se è competere e completare la gara, allora oltrepassare il traguardo è la vittoria. Se è vincere la gara nella tua categoria age group, allora quella è la tua vittoria. Penso che ogni volta che spingi il tuo corpo al limite, dai tutto di te e attraversi quella finish line, questa è una vittoria.

Nel tuo programma non ci sono altre gare fino alla finale di Kona in ottobre. Dove e come ti allenerai fino ad allora?

Starò qui nella nostra base estiva di allenamento a Bend nell'Oregon per un'altra settimana, poi andrò a Kona un mese prima della gara. Amo allenarmi laggiù in difficili condizioni così farò un blocco di 21 giorni per gli ultimi ritocchi alla preparazione.

Cosa potresti dire ai giovani per farli avvicinare al mondo del triathlon?

E' una grande occasione per scoprire di cosa sei fatto. Finire un Ironman è una enorme conquista personale e una volta che ne hai completato uno sono sicuro che potresti fare anche qualsiasi altra cosa. Devi soltanto scegliere i tuoi obiettivi e credere in te stesso!

FIRST OFF THE BIKE.COM IRONMAN LOUISVILLE RECAP

2009-09-02T07:04:00.000-07:00

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Luke McKenzie's checks in from Louisville - so close!

Wednesday, 02 September 2009

I gave it everything I had. I wanted the win bad! I didn't give up till my body gave out, but unfortunately sometimes you are just beaten by a better man on the day.

We gathered at the swim start for the third running of Ironman Louisville on the banks of the Ohio river in pitch black darkness. I had chosen Ironman Louisville because I thought the heat and humidity were a good chance in Kentucky (wrong!) It turns out Canada got the heat this year!!! The temperature was actually perfect for racing at around 24 C for most of the day and clear blue skys.

The sun just started to appear as the gun was fired and we were off and racing at 6.50am. I was having a solid swim and happy with my pace as I knew John Flannagan would take off and soon be out of sight. I ran into a few problems along the way including smashing my foot on a submerged tree branch and getting a cramp in my calf with about 500 meters to swim. I exited the water in 48 minutes and 4th place about 4 minutes down of Flannagan.

As soon as I mounted my bike I was alone and chasing John. I rode at a good pace and was surprised that the time gap wasn't coming down. I kept hearing 4 minutes for most of the first half of the bike but eventually out of no where I was told I had hit the lead. I am not sure what happened to John, I didn't get to ask him? I came back into town with a 7 minute lead over a group of four including Raynard Tissink, Andreas Neidrig, Swen Sundberg and Viktor Zyemtchev. I was feeling great and I was pleased to recorded the fastest bike split of the day in 4.41.10.

Onto the marathon and I was confident I had what it took to win. I knew Viktor would be the man most likely to make a charge at me and doing the math in my head I knew I would have to run around 2.50 as I thought he would be capable of a 2.45 (wrong! He ran an incredible 2.43!!!) Going into the second 13.1 mile loop I had just under a 5 minute lead. I was feeling strong and still running 6.30 miles at this stage and was still confident I had what it took to win.

Viktor then "turned it on" and over the next 6 miles ran 3 minutes faster than me to have me within his sights. We saw each other at the last turn-a-round and with a 2 minute gap I thought, "I have to try and make a push." I gave it everything but at mile 22 I could see him right behind me. Running shoulder to shoulder from mile 23 I picked it up and ran with him till the 25 mile mark where he slowly edged ahead of me. The last mile I had nothing to give and I entered the finish chute to see Viktor raising the banner as the champion. I fell across the line 34 seconds later totally spent. So so close to capturing my third Ironman title for the year. I finished in 8.26.01 and ran a new marathon P.B. of 2.51.

I can honestly say I wouldn't rather it any other way. I thrive on this kind of racing and I really enjoyed the battle at the end of the marathon. I can say without doubt I gave it everything and that I had the best overall race yet in my Ironman career. I will take so much away from the race in Louisville and I already look forward to getting back into training for Hawaii in 6 weeks time.

Thanks to everyone for there amazing support. I have had a lot of messages, emails and phone calls and I really appreciate it!

RESULTS - IRONMAN LOUISVILLE, KY

1.    Victor Zyemtchev       08:25:27

2.    Luke Mc Kenzie            08:26:01

3.    Raynard Tissink        08:39:09

4.    Swen Sundberg          08:43:36

5.    Maximilian Longree    08:46:31

IRONMAN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY www.ironman.com

2009-08-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

Luke McKenzie
McKenzie has won two Ironman races already this year (Malaysia and Japan) and is certainly one of the favorites coming into Sunday's race. During today's presser we learned that he and long-time girlfriend Amanda Balding are now engaged – McKenzie popped the question in New York a little while ago.

The two have spent much of the summer driving around the United States in a camper van and are coming off a hard training stint in Bend, Oregon.

“It's a hard one training for this race and Hawaii at the same time,” McKenzie said. One of my big goals is to win an Ironman here in the United States. I think Louisville is the perfect race for me – it's a tough bike course and it's hot.

McKenzie also pointed out to us that the last two times he's raced Longree (at the Ford Ironman World Championship), the German has passed him during the marathon.

AUSTRALIAN TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE - ISSUE 16.8 (COVER)

2009-08-07T13:59:00.001-07:00

AUSTRALIAN TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE - ISSUE 16.8. IRONMAN JAPAN. THE EXPERIENCE, THE RACE

2009-08-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIAN TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE - ISSUE 16.8. THE NEWS

2009-08-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

TWEED WEEKLY MAGAZINE - Luke's run continues in Japan

2009-06-30T03:18:00.000-07:00

IRONMAN JAPAN POSTER 2009

2009-06-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

IRONMAN.COM IRONMAN JAPAN RECAP

2009-06-22T00:07:00.001-07:00

POWERED BY DELL NEWS PODCASTS

McKenzie Goes Back-To-Back; Klinger Takes First Title

Josh Tinson wraps up the day of racing at Ironman Japan

Published Sunday, June 21, 2009

Australia's Luke McKenzie and Liechtenstein's Nicole Klinger took the titles at Ironman Japan on a warm, yet cloudy, summer's day in the town of Goto-Fukue, Japan.

McKenzie was at the front all day, leading from the swim, through the bike and racing away from his rivals early on the run. Though the likes of Courtney Ogden, Cameron Watt and Keiran Doe put the challenge directly to the eventual champion, the four of which could hardly be separated through the bike, McKenzie showed just why he’s taken three Ironman titles in the space of a year.

McKenzie told the crowd upon finishing that it was with six kilometers to go that he realized the extent of his lead, which had his body wanting to shut down. Pushing on, he stopped at every aid station with three kilometers remaining and got himself home with a comfortable fourteen-minute buffer.

Courtney Ogden made his move early in the run, rising up through the order to take second place, with Ironman journeyman Petr Vabrousek notching up another podium.

For Nicole Klingler, it was a maiden Ironman title, and she had to work for it, making her move midway through the bike to set herself up for the 9:52:52 win. During the run, Klingler had to overcome Hillary Biscay, who lead all the way from the swim to the early stages of the run.

Late in the race, Australia’s Nicole Ward made a resurgence and at one stage was within two hundred meters of the lead, but the Liechensteinian took control and surged ahead to win by three minutes. Megumi Shigaki was in the mix for most of the day, finishing as the top female Japanese professional.

To recap the entire day's coverage, click on the live update tab on either the main page or on the Ironman Japan page here on Ironman.co

FIRST OFF THE BIKE.COM IRONMAN JAPAN RECAP

2009-06-22T00:02:00.000-07:00

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Luke McKenzie wins Ironman Japan

Sunday, 21 June 2009

Luke McKenzie destroyed the field in Goto-Fukue today to win his second Ironman Japan in a row. The Queenslander has recently been in hiatus on the big island of Hawaii, getting his body in tune for the battering he would be giving it on the Japanese island. His third place in 70.3 Kona showed promise of some good form to come. Fellow Aussie and journeyman Courtney Ogden was in second place.

It was a predictable swim start for the men as they exited into T1. Kieran Doe, McKenzie, Cam Watt and Tim Marr are all good swimmers and all got away in the lead pack and then set about the task of gaining time. The quartet led for much of the bike. 100km into the race, the ruling clique had 4 minutes on the nearest rival, Courtney Ogden. Ogden is not the swimmer the others are and had a lonely ride in pursuit of the bunch. After kilometre 110, Watt and McKenzie decided to duke it out for themselves after breaking from the other contenders. The race was now down to two. Rolling into T2 the lead extended to a threatening level and with their bikes racked, the pair had 6 minutes on the field.

Luke McKenzie is a changed athlete. It wasn't so long ago that with the swim/bike done, McKenzie might be content to aim for a top 5 position. Those days are long gone. What McKenzie lacks in raw speed like the Crowie's of this world, he more than makes up for in determination. He simply rolled up his sleeves and ran away from Cam Watt, throwing down the gauntlet to the rest the field.

That field rapidly found out the tough nature of the Japanese course. Kieran Doe was last seen walking into T2, his day done and Watt faltered after paying for a hard bike ride. Enter Courtney Ogden. The Aussie began his charge and picked off numbers as he surged around the course, making an impressive comeback. The other looming figure was that of Petr Vabrousek. Vabrousek is the most raced Ironman athlete on the planet and was looking to create his own luck on the marathon.

Meanwhile at the head of the field McKenzie had built a 14 minute buffer. But in the last few kilometres of the run, it appeared that all was starting to unravel. McKenzie was forced to walk through aid stations and conserve what was left of his fading energy, but fortunately for him the damage was done. McKenzie's time of 8:26:30 was enough to secure his third Ironman win of his career. Ogden held on to second, showing that a bad swim is not the end of the day and Petr Vabrousek got himself onto the podium. McKenzie's marathon time showed his building fatigue (3:02). But in saying that, of the top 5 finishers only two of the athletes broke 3 hours; Park (2:59:17) and Kuniaki (2:59:57).

The women's race was dominated by Hilary Biscay. She swam like a champion (52:15) and showed no signs of being beaten into T1. Once on the road she extended the lead. Behind her though the chase was being organised. The two Nicoles, Nicole Ward and Nicole Klingler were cranking up their bikes and eyeing off the lead set by Biscay.

Biscay arrived in T2 with only one thing behind her ... daylight. She appeared to be clearly the strongest athlete on the day .. or was she? Behind her Klingler was rolling. But at this point in the race it looked like Biscay would have another Ironman title on the shelf. But that's why we love Ironman. Klingler, some 10 minutes down on Biscay after the swim, just kept on coming. She was only 5:45 behind Biscay as she put the runners on and set off.

Some 8 hours into the event Biscay surrendered the lead. Klingler showed amazing pluck to keep fighting and to not let go of the dream of victory. The Klingler pass on Biscay was a telling moment. Nicole Ward however had not finished her day. She passed Biscay and pulled up alongside of Klingler. With another surge Klingler dropped Ward to hang on for her first Ironman win. Biscay battled on to finish in the top 5.

What we saw today in Japan was what Ironman racing is all about. For the women it was about those who have the self belief and the determination not to let go the dream of winning. For the men it was a case of the simple adage, he who fatigues last wins.

We spoke with Luke a few weeks back 70.3 Kona - take a look.

Results IM Japan '09 - Men

Luke McKenzie 8:28:31
Courtney Ogden 8:42:54
Petr Vabrousek 8:45:59
Park Byung Hoon 8:49:10
Kuniaki Takahama 8:51:28

Results IM Japan '09 - Women

Nicole Klingler 9:52:52
Nicole Ward 9:56:00
Megumi Shigaki 10:01:07
Hiromi Sato 10:07:50
Hillary Biscay 10:14:19

TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE (USA/ JUNE ISSUE) MCKENZIE, GRANGER CLAIM VICTORY IN MALAYSIA

2009-06-12T12:07:00.000-07:00

Ironman 70.3 Hawaii Attracts a competitve Pro Field (www.ironman.com)

2009-05-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

Dawn Henry previews this weekend's professional race on the Big Island

Published Wednesday, May 27, 2009

It's beginning to look a little bit like October along the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway. Triathletes are descending upon the Big Island's sunny leeward coast and trotting out their new rides in preparation for the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii. And, while this family-friendly race offers no prize money and no professional qualifying slots, it has still managed to attract a bevy of top professionals.

In the women's field, 2007 and 2008 winner Samantha McGlone is scheduled to return to defend her title. McGlone was forced to miss last year's Ford Ironman World Championship due to Achilles tendinosis and has been rehabbing since. Ironman 70.3 Hawaii will be her first race back in 2009. The challenging run course here that includes miles of uneven terrain and plenty of twists and turns should be the perfect test for her running legs.

McGlone will be racing against Belinda Granger (left), who is using the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii to test her fitness after surgery on an artery in her stomach. Granger underwent the surgery shortly after her win at Ironman Malaysia in February, and seems to have bounced back quickly. She has already spent a week in Kona training with husband, Justin, racing on Saturday on his new Ceepo Katana, and fellow Aussies Luke McKenzie and Amanda Balding, the winner of the 2009 Ironman 70.3 China, who is also in town to race this weekend.

The pre-race training camp seems to have agreed with all involved. "It's such good training," says Granger. "I'm kicking myself now that I didn't have the foresight to do this earlier in my career." The biking powerhouse, who loves to race in steamy conditions, says she's looking forward to wind on the bike and lots of heat throughout the day.

Also in the women's field is hometown phenom Bree Wee. Wee last raced this course in 2007 as an amateur. That year, she finished third behind McGlone and 2006 Ironman World Champion Michellie Jones. Wee added Ironman 70.3 Hawaii to her schedule this year after what she felt was a disappointing run in St. Croix Ironman 70.3. Wee is looking forward to racing in her own local community and she'll be sure to generate plenty of crowd support along the route.

The men's field is headed by 2008 Ford Ironman World Champion Craig Alexander. Alexander is in town for his first Ironman 70.3 Hawaii, but his 2008 Kona win and his second place in Kona in 2007 speak to Alexander's ability to take on the Hawaiian conditions. Alexander will be racing for the first time since his win at Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore in March, and since the birth of his son.

Top among Alexander's challengers will be Luke McKenzie and Chris Lieto. McKenzie will take on the 70.3 course for the third year in a row. He says he keeps coming back because, "I love the race, I love the course, I love the town and I like to test myself on the Hawaii course." McKenzie, who is spending several weeks in Kona, says that this is a great time "to do some good hard training on the [Ironman World Championship] course. It's a bit more relaxing atmosphere compared to the Ironman World Championship." McKenzie, who says his training is coming together at a new level, earlier this year won Ironman Malaysia, came second to 2007 Ironman World Champion Chris McCormack at Ironman 70.3 China and recently set a new course record at the Western Australia 2009 Busselton Half Ironman Triathlon.

Lieto's biking prowess could give him an edge on the hilly, windy bike course along the road to Hawi – he had the fourth fastest bike time in last year's Ford Ironman World Championship. Lieto will be joining the field after taking sixth place in the 2009 Avia Wildflower Triathlon and recently going head-to-head with McCormack at the 2009 UVAS Triathlon, ultimately finishing in second place.

The talent among the men's field doesn't stop there. Hawaii's own Tim Marr finished 15^th in Kona last October, and does most of his training year-round just next door on the island of Oahu. The Big Island's heat and humidity won't begin to phase the Hawaii native, who's had some of his best results in some of the sport's hottest races.

Also in town is Benjamin Sanson, who was first out of the water last year in Kona. Sanson might find some swimming competition in John Flanagan III. Flanagan, a first-year professional from Oahu, turned in the second-fastest swim time for an amateur last fall in Kona and swam away from the entire field in the choppy conditions of last year's Ironman 70.3 Hawaii.

Chad Seymour, also from Oahu, has been racing here since 2005. And Big Island triathlete Luis De La Torre will be looking to give the men's professional field some competition, even though he's chosen to stay in the amateur ranks. De La Torre was fourth overall at last year's event and will be using the home field advantage and a powerful run to charge through the course.

The biggest variable in racing on the Big Island is the type of day the island will serve up to race participants. Winds, heat, and humidity all come in variable sizes and the crystal-clear Hapuna Bay can lay flat and calm or whip up currents and chop to challenge the field. Regardless of the weather, though, we can count on a day of top-notch competition on Saturday from the men's and women's pro fields and throughout the amateur ranks as 1,400 athletes take on the 2009 Ironman 70.3 Hawaii.

2009 Ironman 70.3 Hawaii Pros by Last Name

1 ALEXANDER CRAIG M 36 MPRO AUS

9 ELLIOT LEWIS M 29 MPRO USA

7 FLANAGAN III JOHN M 34 MPRO USA

8 GRANGER JUSTIN M 38 MPRO AUS

4 LIETO CHRIS M 37 MPRO USA

3 MARR TIMOTHY M 30 MPRO USA

2 MCKENZIE LUKE M 28 MPRO AUS

6 SANSON BENJAMIN M 38 MPRO FRA

5 SEYMOUR CHAD M 27 MPRO USA

16 SUPLICY CAUE M 31 MPRO USA

12 BALDING AMANDA F 32 WPRO USA

13 FLETCHER CHRISTINE F 36 WPRO CAN

11 GRANGER BELINDA F 39 WPRO AUS

10 MCGLONE SAMANTHA F 30 WPRO USA

14 TINGLE LAURA F 25 WPRO USA

15 WEE BREE F 30 WPRO USA

You can reach Dawn Henry at dhenry@ironman.com

AUSTRALIAN TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE - ISSUE 16.6

2009-05-25T18:33:00.000-07:00

Index Page (top) & BlueSeventy Ad along bottom(Whats your choice?)

The News - Ironman Inks Official partnership with K-Swiss (Featuring Luke)

AUSTRALIAN TRIATHLETE MAGAZINE - THE BUZZ. A COFFEE WITH LUKE McKENZIE

2009-05-25T00:52:00.000-07:00

TRIATHLON MAGAZINE - GERMANY

2009-05-19T22:45:00.001-07:00