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

K-SWISS: Luke McKenzie 10 second piece

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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

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

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

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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.

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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 

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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.

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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

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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.