Canberra’s Inaugural Ironman 70.3 was a day of challenges with lake levels at an all-time low, and water quality questionable.  One of the Pro men described it as “tasty; like truffles”.  The rain started whilst we swam and was relentless for the first two laps of Coppins.  This meant for soggy socks and shoes for the run.  The sun did poke through briefly, evident by the sunburn on my shoulders.

Jemani unfortunately didn’t make the start as he had an altercation on his bike with a car on Friday.  All reports are he is okay, and I wish him a speedy recovery.  I believe three Tridents made the start line with Patty and I finishing, spurred on by a fantastic support crew of Tridents popping up around the course.  The performance of the day was Patty, who turned himself inside-out on the second lap of the run to chase down a 4:59:04.  I’m sure the satisfaction of that sub-5 hour was worth the incoherent babble at the end Patty-Cakes!

Follow them at ironman.com – Meredith is #1173 and Yvette is #1169.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arterracini/sets/72157628003894089/

I wanted to take a moment to let the Canberra triathlon community know that I am moving on from my role as General Manager of Triathlon ACT.

Looking back over the past four years, I find it remarkable to think of all the committed and enthusiastic people that contribute to triathlon in the ACT.

I want to extend my personal thanks to all the people that have contributed to Triathlon ACT, and in particular the previous and current committee members; the technical official team; Corey and his team in charge of the Junior Squads; the Race Operation Managers; the race crew; volunteers and sponsors.

Thank you for your support and thank you for your friendship.

In the last four years, we have faced a number of challenges and I hope that the revamped race calendar will assist TACT to continue to grow and will tackle some of these issues.

Lake water quality has been particularly problematic.  Great relationships with the NCA, Road ACT and ACT Sport and Recreation Services have assisted us in finding alternatives options for our events.  Thank you to all.  I also thank the competitors for their positive attitude and understanding in this regard.     

From a national perspective, our relationship with Triathlon Australia has become much stronger and I have particularly enjoyed working with CEO Anne Gripper.

Most importantly, I would like to highlight the contribution that the members make to Triathlon ACT.  Your membership helps us grow and support triathlon in Canberra, stage great events and assists us introduce hundreds of newcomers to the sport every year.

I have immensely enjoyed working for the triathlon community and believe the 2011/12 season will be fantastic.  I wish you all the best for your training and the races this summer.  The TACT staff – Brynne, Mikaela and Thomas (and soon the return of Sarah) – will be working hard throughout the summer season and beyond.

I’m now moving overseas to take on a job at the 2012 London Olympic Games.  My last day at TACT will be this Friday 5th of November.

Thank you,

Mathieu Meriaux