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This would be the last time the World Championships would be held in Clearwater with WTC making the announcement that next year it would be in September and in Las Vegas! After an up and down sort of a year, I had mixed feelings leading into the race. I did not have the racing behind me compared with previous years but I had trained really well and was a lot fresher mentally. The field was smaller than last year but without losing any of the quality. Raelert was back and still undefeated after taking the title last year. A new face to watch out for was Phillip Osplay who was coming off some very impressive recent victories. Tim O’Donnell was looking lean and mean and had been in lock-down mode in the weeks preceding the race. Race day came around quickly and I felt ready to race and put it all on the line. I was quite anxious to get things underway race morning as the pressure and expectation that goes along with a World Championship was realized. After the swim course was moved into the canal last year due to rough waters in the bay, I think that we were all happy to be back on the beach toeing the line. The swim start was exceptionally chaotic with many athletes stumbling and some falling within the first 30 metres. My goggles came off but luckily I managed to get them back on. It was 1.2 miles of thrashing to get round the course. Visibility was poor with the sun still coming up and the water being quite choppy. I knew that a small group had got away but I felt strong and battled on. I stood up and realized that I was in good company with fellow Trek/K-Swiss athlete Raelert next to me. I exited the water 75 seconds back from around 8 athletes. I had a good T1 and immediately put the pressure on to reduce the deficit on the leaders. I quickly moved up to Cunningham and Reed and, with a little help from Raelert and Colucci, by the 25mile turn around, we were in touch with the leaders. The pace settled with the large group established. It wasn’t long though until the pace picked up as athletes got a sniff of the Timex bike prime at mile 42. I wasn’t planning on contending for the prime but found myself in the right position at the right time to take the $2500 bonus without digging deep into the reserves. Taking the prime created a gap between me and the contenders and I decided to take advantage of this. I put my head down and went for it. In 14 miles I managed to split the large group and gain an 80 second advantage going into T2. I felt strong heading out onto the run and tried to run a well paced 13 miles. I ran well but it wasn’t a world championship winning run. I was caught by the charging Raelert and Osplay around the 5 mile mark and shortly after by O’Donnell. I didn’t slow down, I just wasn’t running as fast as them! 5th and 6th were bearing down on me as I made the turn around. At this point, I started to find my legs and hold strong to the finish, maintaining my 4th position.
Overall, I was very satisfied to finish the season on a strong performance. I gave myself a shot at winning. I didn’t deliver but I was happy that I held on strongly after putting in such a huge effort to get away on the bike.
I’m looking forward to some down time now to let the body and mind recover from a long and tiring season. I am already very excited about building on this year’s performance and seeing what I am capable of in 2011. Results: http://ironman.com/events/ironman70.3/worldchampionship70.3/?show=tracker&race=worldchampionship70.3&year=2010#axzz16W5LGC2b Media: http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/trek_life/news/article/2415/2010/11/16/speed_concept_carries_trekk_swiss_to_703_world_championship/ http://www.wattieink.com/2010/11/wattie-ink-crew-kills-it-at-foster.html http://lavamagazine.com/racing/raelert-repeats-in-clearwater http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Raelert_repeats_Swallow_surprises_1795.html Ironman Wisconsin Champion on debut and new course record!
It was an excellent day and a great way to start my Ironman career. My preparation for this event would not be classed as ‘typical Ironman prep’ with an Achilles injury throughout much of June and July making it impossible to run at all! I only committed to the event 3 weeks before race day which led to a few interesting comments. I knew that I was swimming and riding well and was coming off two strong races over the 70.3 distance where my run was starting to feel good again. The only thing in the back of my mind was whether I could run a marathon off the bike when I hadn’t even run one fresh! Since July, I had started working with Torbjorn Sinballe from Denmark who was a 3rd place finisher at Hawaii Ironman 2008. This is the first formal coaching relationship of my whole career so it was new and exciting and I wholly believed that if anyone could get me through an Ironman, Torbjorn could! There were a number of factors that made me choose Ironman Wisconsin. Namely, it was the first points race for Hawaii qualification for 2011; it was still 9 weeks until World 70.3 Championship; it is one of the toughest courses on the Ironman circuit and finally, one of my major sponsors, TREK, is based just outside Madison. My decision was made! Leading up to the race, I was fortunate enough to stay with Trek Team engineer Mark Andrews and his family. This was the ideal situation as Mark is a 14 time Ironman finisher, an exceptional mechanic and knows the Ironman course very well. With a perfect pre-race week preparation, race day finally came around. I even had my girlfriend Mary and one of my best friends from back home in Tasmania there for support. In the hours leading up to the race, all I could think about was my race plan and what a long day was ahead of me. I knew that the pace of Ironman was going to be fine, but could I sustain it?  Compared to a 70.3 swim start, everything was pretty relaxed. John Flanagan, as expected, quickly moved clear of the first pack. I quickly settled in at the back of this group concentrating on remaining in contact and staying relaxed. I found the swim fairly comfortable and although the group of 5 split up with 400 metres to go as we lapped age group athletes, I came out where I needed to be. The transitions at Wisconsin are long and after exiting the water, athletes are faced with a helix ramp that goes straight up the transition. I was very cautious running up the hill in bare feet and took my time enjoying the phenomenal crowd support while making my way to the bike. I had a bike plan. I even wore a heart rate monitor which was a first. I knew what a good time was for this course and planned to ride accordingly. Within 10 miles, I was in 5th, 25 miles 4th, 35 miles 3rd. At this point, I was feeling good and was within 45 seconds of the lead. As the two leaders, Guillaume from France and Bocher from Germany, took over the lead from Flanagan, however, they hit the gas and started to pull away, leaving me in no-man’s land. I consistently lost time whilst trying to remain calm and reassuring myself that I was on track for the split I had set myself. I found the bike very long and lonely despite the fantastic crowd support and the toughness of the terrain. I struggled to maintain my calorie intake with all the climbing and technical nature of the course. With 15 miles to go, I was 6 minutes back. I managed to hold this time by the time I entered T2. 
Starting out the run, my legs felt good and I just tried to control my pace which was tough with time to make up and the adrenaline kicking in. I ran around a 6.15 min/mile pace through 6 miles and felt good although I wasn’t taking any time out of the leader Bocher and making only small inroads to Guillaume. This quickly changed, as in the space of 2 miles, I had cut the lead in half and by 9 miles had overtaken Guillaume and was closing in on Bocher. At the 10 mile mark, I moved into the lead and took the Timex run prem. I tried not to get too excited and concentrated on getting calories in and staying hydrated as the temperature moved into the 80’s. I had so much support out on the course from my girlfriend Mary, my mate Jarrod, Mark Andrews and Nick Howe from Trek and it felt like the whole of Madison! I completed the first of two laps in under 85 minutes and made my way out to do it all again! I held my pace until around the 20 mile mark where I had built a lead of 7 minutes to 2nd. I slowed slightly as I wanted to finish with my body in one piece! 
This was all thrown out the window as I turned onto State Street in downtown Madison with 1 mile to go! The crowd was unbelievable and I got chills all over my body. I picked up the pace and ran home strongly on the support of the crowd. Ironman finishes are so different to anything else I have experienced. There is so much more emotion involved as just completing the distance is an ordeal. It was fantastic to have so many of the people who have been such an important part of my development in the sport there at the finishing line. Not just recently, but from the career low points and the highs. 
Well…that was the best possible way to start my Ironman journey and I look forward to the next one. Who knows it might be Kona!
Post race media: http://ironman.com/events/ironman/wisconsin/roger-hospedales-recaps-a-record-setting-day-at-ford-ironman-wisconsin#axzz10NGE0pvw http://www.universalsports.com/news/article/newsid=492591.html http://xtri.com/reports.aspx?riIDReport=6740&CAT=0&xref=xx http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Gambles_Crawford_in_Wisconsin_1528.html http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/lifestyle/102773899.html http://www.firstoffthebike.com/races/1663-smokin-joe-gambles-the-man-at-im-wisconsin http://www.wattieink.com/2010/09/joe-gambles-wins-ironman-wisconsin.html http://triathlon.competitor.com/2010/09/photos/2010-ironman-wisconsin-photo-gallery_12740 Results: http://ironman.com/events/ironman/wisconsin/?show=tracker&rid=316&year=2010#axzz10NIXK0eB Timberman 70.3It was only 7 days since I had defended my title at Lake Stevens 70.3 and I was still suffering from post race soreness. In the back of my mind, I was thinking that Ironman was on the horizon so this was a great opportunity to get some race ‘hardness’ back into my body. I had always wanted to race Timberman 70.3 and it was a great excuse to race as it coincided with my girlfriend’s 30th birthday party at her family’s house just 45 minutes from the race site.
It was a super strong field with Andy Potts, Raynard Tissink, Tim O’Donnell entered. The course was fast but challenging, set in a beautiful part of the world in New Hampshire. The swim was wetsuit and I was keen to improve on last weekend’s poor swim where I exited over 75 seconds down on where I should have been. Luckily, the swim went really well and I exited the water in 4th at the front of the main pack. Only Potts and O’Donnell were in front but not too far. Once onto the bike I was keen to conserve my energy and see how the race played out. By the 10 mile mark, the group that I was surrounded by reeled in O’Donnell but there was no sign of Potts. He was out in front and going hard. Our group contained some very strong athletes such as Tissink and Matty White and they continued to set the pace but we gradually lost more time to Potts. With a little over 10 miles to go, Tissink attacked the group but no one wanted to go with the increased pace. By the time we entered T2, we were well back from Potts and around 90 seconds to Tissink.
O’Donnell and I found a nice rhythm together running side by side with White and Rich Allen hot on our heels. The pace we were running was only good enough to hold the gap to Potts and Tissink but we were unable to pull time back. At about the 7 mile mark, the battle was for third as we pulled clear of White and Allen. At the 9 mile mark, my legs started to feel the effects of the previous week’s race and O’Donnell gapped me down a steep downhill section. I tried to make up the ground once back on level ground but to no avail. I consolidated my 4th place by running home at a strong pace but I was careful not to do any more damage and save it for another day (Ironman prep!). At the end of the day, I was happy with 4th in an excellent field and I am really looking forward to seeing what I can do at the Ironman distance in 3 weeks time.
Race results: http://xtri.com/entries.aspx?RaceId=1732
Lake Stevens 70.3
It had been a rocky road to get back to defend my title but I was so happy to be back racing. My mind set going into the race was completely different to last year’s race. I was a little nervous and unsure if I was in the run shape that I needed to be to mix it with some of the strongest athletes in the sport. I had worked really hard on my bike and on a hard course such as this I hoped that it would pay off. The swim was non-wetsuit and fast with many great swimmers pushing the pace. The lack of racing on my part showed and I exited the water 75-90 seconds off the main pack. After a good transition, I went about trying to reduce the deficit. I felt strong and really pushed hard but from the time splits I was receiving I was not making up any time on the lead group of 10 guys. As I commenced the second lap, I was still 90 seconds back. This quickly changed once the front group started passing age group athletes on their first lap. By the 40 mile mark, I was back in the race and with the ‘pack’! I soon realized that one athlete was missing- Luke Bell, who I had battled with on this course in 2008 and who I eventually lost to in a sprint finish! Bell had pushed ahead and was up the road one minute ahead of all the other contenders. I kept the pressure on the group trying to at least hold the gap to give myself a chance of running Bell down. Entering T2, I was one minute down still on Bell and leading the charge of 8 or so other athletes. I was quickly into my stride and although trying to be conservative, with the achilles problems I had been dealing with, I soon opened up a gap on the guys who were with me off the bike and set about trying to chase down Bell. I felt really good and within 3 miles I was close to Bell and as we ran through the crowd for the first of four times I moved past him and kept the pressure on. It turned out that I ran the first 3 miles at 5.24 mile pace which in hindsight may have been a little fast! I continued to put time on Bell and the rest of the field and although my legs became very sore due to the lack of racing and hard running, I came home with the win and clocked a 1 hr 14 min run split. Paul Ambrose managed to edge past Bell to take 2nd. My time of 3hrs 57…..was only slight slower than last year’s record breaking performance where wetsuits were allowed. I am very happy with my race and have resigned myself to the fact that you don’t lose that much from a break and rest could actually be a good thing! Race report: http://xtri.com/reports.aspx?riIDReport=6682&CAT=0&xref=xx http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Gambles_defends_McQuaid_conquers_the_pavement_at_Ironman_70.3_Lake_Stevens_1489.html
Wildflower Half Ironman – 2nd place!
Well, this was my sixth consecutive trip to Wildflower and I was determined to continue my trend of improving each year! The field was strong with fellow Trek/KSWISS team mate and current World 70.3 Champion Michael Raelert competing as well as Abu Dhabi International Triathlon winner Eneko Llanos, Rasmus Henning, Phil Graves and Conrad Stoltz.
My preparation leading up to the event had been excellent. I had been back home in Tasmania for 4 months of consistent hard work and was looking forward to seeing if it had paid off. The swim at Wildflower is always fast and furious especially at the start as it is quite congested. I started well but got caught on the wrong set of feet and a gap opened to the lead pack. The group I was in worked hard to minimize the time gap and I exited the water only 45 seconds down on the leaders. After a quick transition and an aggressive first 5 miles of the hilly start to the ride, I found myself in second place. At this point, Raelert who had exited the water with the lead pack had a 30 second advantage and didn’t seem to want to give it up! I continued to ride hard with only a few of the strong riders coming with me. At the 25 mile mark, I was 90 seconds down on the powering Raelert and holding my own with Stoltz, Graves, Anderson and Llanos. As I approached the toughest section of the 56 mile course, which included the 2 mile climb known as ‘Nasty Grade,’ the group started to split up. Stoltz and Graves pushed hard to stay in touch with Raelert and I ended up by myself as I pulled away from Llanos on the climb. Coming in off the bike, I was nearly 5 minutes down on Raelert and around 2 minutes 30 seconds behind Stoltz and Graves. My legs felt good although my hip had tightened a little and I was excited to see if all the hard running training was going to pay off. I quickly found my rhythm and felt really good. I caught Stoltz at the 2 mile mark and Graves at 4 miles. I was holding Raelert but his lead was still big! The Wildflower run is 75% trails and coming down a very steep hill at mile 6, I rolled my ankle. It wasn’t bad but it aggravated my Achilles. With over 2 minutes ahead of 3rd and half the run to go, I went into damage control mode and tried not to upset my Achilles any further. After many grimaces and positive self talk, I crossed the finishing line in 4 hours and 1 minute. A best time on this course!
I was very happy with how the race went although it has left me with a few little niggles to deal with (hip and Achilles) over the next few weeks but at the same time a lot of satisfaction and motivation for the coming year. Media: http://www.wattieink.com/ http://www.slowtwitch.com/photos/Detailed/113.html Results: http://xtri.com/features_display.aspx?riIDReport=6443&CAT=3&xref=xx Reports: http://www.slowtwitch.com/News/Raelert_Dibens_dominate_Wildflower_1331.html http://xtri.com/features_display.aspx?riIDReport=6443&CAT=3&xref=xx |
