Interviews
The rise and rise of Luke McKenzie
Monday, 18 May 2009 10:48
Luke McKenzie's star is on the rise. In the past 2 seasons McKenzie has stepped up and now lays claim to being a legitimate contender in any race that he fronts up to. Luke has made a new home and realigned his training and approach with great results, spending more time on the podium in the last two seasons than at any time in a career that is definitely on the build. The two time Ironman champion chatted to us just before he jetted off to his next race in Hawaii.
The last few seasons have seen you go from strength to strength. Has it been a change of training or a change of mindset?
I think it's a little of both. This year my relocation to Noosa (Queensland) has given me a fresh outlook on my training and my training partners. I lived on the Gold Coast for 13 years and trained out of there. Making the move to Noosa has definitely refreshed me, so that's helped. And having some of the best athletes in the world here during the Summer has also rubbed off on me. Being able to train with Belinda Granger and Greg Bennett and some of those guys has really helped me. I've started to race with a bit more confidence. And that's something I've really tried to build on in the last 12 -18 months.
How hard is it to race Kona as a pro?
It's a tough one. It's one that I'm still working really hard at. For some reason I don't feel like that I have gone anywhere near my full potential at that race yet. I guess it's been a race that I haven't really focused on yet. But it's a race that this year, I'm really looking forward to knuckling down and trying to get a result there because I fell like I suit that sort of race and the conditions. I really want to perform there. The last three years I just haven't got that result there yet, but that's absolutely the goal for this season.
Talking about the business of triathlon, how important is a big result in Kona for you?
I don't feel like I've got any pressure at this stage to put a big result in at Kona, but personally I feel that I'm due for one. I feel like I'm doing everything right in my training and I'm getting it right in most of the other races. It's just that when you get on that big stage and you throw in every guy who's won an Ironman during the season, well, it's a whole different ball game.
Your best result is an 8:12 Ironman in Western Australia (Busselton) in 2008. Is that the best race you've put together?
Yes definitely. Busso (Busselton) was a race I never expected to be in if you had asked me 8 weeks before. I came off Kona and I wasn't happy with how I performed (29th). And that's the beauty of having that race there 8 weeks later. I thought, why not utilise this fitness and go to Busso and see what I can do. I didn't really do much in the weeks after Kona. I went to the World 70.3 titles and I surprised myself there (7th). I thought it would be a bit of a stretch to get another 3 weeks out of myself for Busso, but when I got there everything just seemed to click on the day. I had never really pushed myself to that limit in a race. I really hurt myself in the back end of the run. That was probably because of the lack of training in the 8 weeks beforehand, but it felt good to really push myself that hard and get to the finish line in 3rd that day.
Your last 3 results have seen you on the podium (Busselton Half Ironman 1st, China 70.3 2nd, Ironman Malaysia 1st) but the one that intrigues us is China. How torturous was that day?
(laughs) Mate, I can't begin to describe it! Only the people who attended that event will ever know just how hard that was (laughs). The funny thing was I was originally going to race the Ironman there and after Malaysia I got really sick and had the flu for 2 or 3 weeks. I had to make the choice not to do the Ironman which I was really upset about because I'd told K-Swiss, my major sponsor who were sponsoring the race, that I was going to come and race the Ironman. Then I had to tell them that I wasn't going to race. They suggested doing the 70.3 and thought I could do it.
I got there and Macca (Chris McCormack) was there racing for his sponsor so it turned into a bit of a contest. The weather was absolutely brutal on race day (temperatures around 45 degrees) and through the bike I could tell it was going to be one of those days in which you just try to survive. Macca put a bit of a gap on me and I didn't see him again. I was pretty happy just to try to get myself around the course without doing too much damage. I think I did that. You know on paper I got absolutely belted by him (McCormack) but at that stage I didn't really see the point. He already had 5 - 6 minutes off the bike on me and in those conditions there was no way I was going to run him down so I just made the best of a day that I could get a bit of training done and not do too much damage to my body.
Do you think that the WTC need to step in with a heat rule or would that ruin the sport?
That's a hard one. On the day (China 70.3) the 70.3 was run in conjunction with the Ironman and I was telling anyone that would listen that there was not enough aid stations on that run course and you were going to kill someone in this Ironman if you don't do something about it. I really honestly thought that they might have to step in and maybe only run 1 out of the 2 laps.
Everyone survived it on the day, but I think there are going to be a lot of people who are going to have some repercussions from that event after pushing themselves so hard. Every single person who was coming across the line was going to the medical tent and every 5 minutes there were people getting carted off to hospital in ambulances.
So I think in the future the WTC need to look at implementing something during the race for when conditions like that pop up. Unfortunately, if it continues to happen, someone is going to die and it's not going to be good for our sport.
You've raced all over the world for many years. Who do you think is the toughest competitor in Ironman right now?
I definitely think we've got a good little rivalry just here in Australia right now with myself and Pete Jacobs and Tim Berkel coming through. In the past it's been Luke Bell. I haven't really raced Luke much recently but it seems in the last year or two Pete (Jacobs) has really stepped up. He won the Australian Long Course Title this year and was second at Port Maquarie and second at Roth. That guy is an amazing athlete. It's exciting coming through at the same time as these guys. Tim (Berkel) is in similar form. His win at Busso was an amazing race. They're two guys that I look forward to racing. We'll be all racing each other through our careers so I think it will be only good for our sport that we are all pushing each other.
Do you like to talk the talk out there in the course?
(laughs) It's funny ... I get on really well with both of them. I haven't really known Tim (Berkel) until this year and he's a great kid. I actually raced my first Ironman against Pete (2004 Busso) and we had a back and forth tussle the whole way. We've never really had any animosity and there's a good healthy rivalry.
What's the biggest curse in triathlon - drafting or compression socks?
(laughs) I've used the socks for a recovery but I think they're a bad fashion statement! But drafting is something that is definitely becoming quite a problem. I really hope that the referees can do something more than they are right now. I understand that the events are about participation but I want to see more draft busters out there. It is getting worse and worse. The refs need to enforce the rules.
Tell us about your favorite training day.
Definitely my Wednesdays up here (Noosa). When I wake up we go down to the ocean and do a group ocean swim and do 'ins and outs' in the surf and it's great when there's a few waves cracking. We do that for an hour and a half and then usually we go and grab a quick coffee and something to eat for breakfast and then we go for a 2 hour run in the Noosa National Park. That's an awesome day. Usually I just rest in the afternoon or get a surf in.
To keep check on Luke's progress, take a look at his webite at www.lukemckenzie.com
