Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
XTRI.COM - March 17th, 2010
| 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 |
Thursday, February 18, 2010
INTERVIEW - www.justtri.co.uk
| 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 -  |
Friday, January 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
XTRI.COM - September 15th, 2009
| 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
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