MSC Latest News - October 2006
The season is here in Australia at last. The first major National event is the Southern Hemispheres largest triathlon festival held at Noosa. It's a great event and one that I hold close to me as it was this event that was a pathway to me becoming a professional athlete. It's a bit all a bit hazy to think back that far but at the same time to think how quickly time has passed really drives home the well used line of making every second count.

We get limited windows as age group athletes to really go for our big goals and it's easy to sometimes talk a bit to much about taking the bull by the horns rather then just going for it. Having the support of family and friends makes us also help remain focused as well so don't forget to share what you want to achieve and get the support system going strong to have your best season yet. Train Smart - Nick

Latest News

Life Stream Triathlon - October 7

Last Saturday saw the annual Life Stream Triathlon take place in Mackay in North Queensland. As race director now for the 4 years the event has taken place is was extremely pleasing to see it become the biggest event in the North QLD region with just on 240 competitors.

The best thing of course is that the event continues to raise funds for the Life Stream Foundation who organise activities and support people with intellectual disabilities and so far this event has raised over $30,000 for Life Stream.

This year we organised an event ambassador for the race. Brad Beven - 5 time Australian Champion, 19 time ITU World Cup winner and good mate to me was used to help promote the event in the lead up, do school and shopping centre visits and as so happens came along to win Saturdays race from a fast finishing fellow northerner Max Fegan from Townsville.

Recent Results

Melbourne Marathon October 8

Trish Lenz - first time finisher 5hrs (just a tick over) - big effort Trish. Some health issues in the lead up saw the training take a back seat but a goal and dream was set and today it was realised.

Gold Coast Half Ironman October 1

Some standout MSC performances with some serious PB's put down. The winters training was paying off big time for the crew. It was great to get to meet a few of the crew for the first time and get to see everyone race. A massive spike in competitor numbers from 600 in 2005 to over 1000 this year certainly saw the bar raised and competition for the IM OZ spots become a bit tougher. Squad member results below.

Justin Hunter 4.19 PB / 3rd 30-34
David Chick 4.27 - 5th 35-39
Dan O'Rourke 4.29 First half - very solid
Vanessa Williams 5.04 Good hit out for World long course
Steve Buth 5.18 - Another PB
Peter Seldon 5.24 - First race back for season
Emma Griffiths 6.20 - another 10min off PB - Bring on WA!

Greame Orr - First half IM in 4.55 but found out the hard way about drafting rules!

Chris Dimitrief - one of a few who suffered a flat tyre due to a scorned local sprinkling thumb tacks on the road! Good luck in Hawaii Chris from all at MSC


MSC members / Triathlon World Championship
Results from Sept 3

Shane Vivian - male 35-39 - 67th / 2.25.08
Jenny Tanner - female 60-64 - 3rd / 3.02.31
David Hill - male 50-54 - 75th / 3.13.36
Jill Harris - female 55-59 - 14th / 3.24.32

Upcoming major events for MSC

Hawaii Ironman - October 21
Sue Stevenson
Chris Dmitrief

Noosa Triathlon - October 29

Leonie Pedrazzini, David Coulter, Dan O'Rourke, Justin Hunter, Vanessa Williams, David Alsop, Jason Cheshire, Peter Fry, Polo Harrison, Matty O'Neill, Nicola Gregory, Luke Reynolds, Peter Brown, Angelika Hannon, Marc Withnall, Peter Degnian, Catherine Spiteri, Graeme Brewer, Jess Fleming, Graeme Orr, Jason Smith

Port MacQuarie Half Ironman November 5

Steve Buth, Matty O'Neill, Carl Schmidt, Mike Broadbent


Long Course Worlds Qualifiers - November 19 (Canberra)

Vanessa Williams
Allan Moustoukas
Peter Brown

Allez Sport Athlete of the month

Our MSC / Allez Sport Athlete of the month award has been awarded to Jackie Coulter. Jackie had a great Half IM Debut at Yeppoon and even though it was held back in August I have been waiting to award the next prize to Jackie who was in fact second in the 55-59 category who did a very slick time. From nowhere 3 years ago to a very respectable result - through a lot of hard work of course. Jackie wins a gist voucher courtesy of Allez Sport in Mooloolaba.

The Latest Hell of the west update from race organisers

Entry positions are filling fast, Motels are taking bookings, and the Goondiwindi Triathlon Club are once again gearing up in preparation for the 2007 Diesel Care "Hell of the West" Triathlon held on the 4th of February.

With over $8500 worth of cash and prizes up for grabs, the 2007 event is sure to be another benchmark in the Australian Triathlon Calender. As always prize money of $150, $90 & $60 is awarded to the first three finishers in every individual and team category (regardless of the number of entrants) with bonuses for the first individual male, female and team that cross the line.

And who could forget, the Major Random Draw Prize. Thanks to ZIPP Australia, one lucky athlete will take home a set of ZIPP Flashpoint Wheels.

Entries are available via the website at www.hellofthewest.com where an online link can be accessed or a downloadable version of the entry form can be printed out, or simply access the links below. Also, make sure to check our accommodation listings and book early!

INDIVIDUALS: https://www.registernow.com.au/sports/Register.aspx?EventID=242

TEAMS: https://www.registernow.com.au/sports/Register.aspx?EventID=243

ENTER ONLINE BY THE 1st OF NOVEMBER AND RECEIVE THE EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT!

So pack up your joggers and swim suits, throw in your sunscreen and your sense of adventure, and travel to Goondiwindi once again to compete in the notorious "Hell of the West" Triathlon.

Lance Armstrong Interview by Brian Metzler

Lance Armstrong isn't your typical first-time marathoner, but he'll be a rookie road runner when he takes to the streets of New York on November 5 during the ING New York City Marathon

Lance Armstrong isn't your typical first-time marathoner, but he'll be a rookie road runner when he takes to the streets of New York on November 5 during the ING New York City Marathon. Although the seven-time Tour de France winner has a running and triathlon background, it's been more than 16 years since he last trained as a runner. We caught up with him on Sept. 20 during a training run with the Niketown Running Club in New York City. Armstrong, 35, led a spirited group of about 100 runners through the Upper East Side and across the Queensboro Bridge into Queens, where after about 4.5 miles runners were treated to a post-run party at the Water Taxi Beach.(Lance cranked it up during the run, at one point running a couple of miles at about 5:45 pace and dropping all but a handful of runners.) One of Armstrong's primary motivations for running his first marathon this fall is to celebrate the tenth anniversary of his original cancer diagnosis (October 2, 1996) and continue to raise money for cancer research through the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the 10/2 apparel line from Nike.

Runner's World Daily: You're about six weeks away from the marathon. How's training going?
Lance Armstong: Yeah, it's going pretty well. The hardest part has been the pounding of running. Literally years of no running and then running again regularly, it's been a little harder on my body than I thought. I've had a lot of aches and pains, especially in my hips and joints. Running is an impact sport, certainly as opposed to cycling. The biggest problem I had was with my left hip flexor and that has cleared up.

RWD: Oprah ran a marathon, P.Diddy ran a marathon, now Lance Armstrong?
LA: Yeah, but P.Diddy didn't finish within an hour of the winner. I'd like to finish within an hour of the winner.

RWD: Are you following a specific training plan for the New York City Marathon?
LA: Chris (Carmichael) and I have talked about it, but it's not very organized. It's very low-key, partially because my schedule is all over the place. I do a lot of things to stay in shape. I kayak, I swim, I ride, I go to the gym. I swim more now than I have in the last 15 years or more. I would be miserable if I didn't work out every day. And people around me would be even more miserable. I got used to that therapy for the last 25 years. And if you take that away, you take away that therapy.

RWD: What kind of running have you been doing?
LA: I have a very low-key approach to the marathon. Lately I've been running 45 to 60 minutes. Usually it's about five to ten miles. On Tuesday, I ran seven miles in Central Park. My longest run so far is 13 miles, so it would probably be a good idea to get some longer runs in. You can tell my training isn't very scientific about this. Most of the time I'm running with people and we're talking about business or life and my scheduling.

RWD: Will running be a staple of your future?
LA: I wouldn't say running is an obsession, but I run to stay fit and running the New York City Marathon is a big goal. I've never run a marathon before, and it's a challenge that I've wanted to do. I did one Half-Ironman a long time ago, so I guess I've done one half-marathon. I typically ran a little bit in the off-season, but not that much because the potential for injury was always there. I tend to like trail running more than I like running on the roads, just because it doesn't beat you up as much. I find myself doing that more and more.

RWD: Why did you pick the ING New York City Marathon?
LA: It's an important couple of months for me. It's my ten-year anniversary, which ties in nicely to the marathon, which is something I've always wanted to achieve and be able to do. New York is the biggest and greatest in the world.

RWD: When did you first start running?
LA: I started running back when I was 12 or 13 or maybe younger. I was doing 10ks with my mom. But when you're that young, you don't run that fast. I was running and swimming, so then I got into triathlon. And that's the reason I got a bike for the first time.

RWD: Is there any truth to the notion that you might get into triathlons again?
LA: I would never rule out doing a triathlon, but I wouldn't do it as a pro. If I did it, it would be the same approach as I'm taking for the marathon. If I finished New York City in three hours, that's fine, and if I finished an Olympic-distance triathlon in 2:30 or something like that, and I'd be happy. I'd do it just to finish it. People have a hard time believing that. People have always believed I would come back to it. But to do something like (the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii), that would require full-time dedication and full-time training and I could pretty much definitely say never to that.

RWD: What can you say about the Nike+iPod gear?
LA: I like it a lot. To me, music is a great enhancement to exercise. I didn't have the opportunity to listen to music on the bike because of the safety factors, but I feel naked without it on the run. I listen to a lot of music, a lot of it is pretty angry. Not metal, but high-energy like Linkin Park and bands like that.

RWD: How do you view running differently than cycling?
LA: Being on the bike is so much different than running. Your heart rate is lower, your stress level is lower on the bike. It's harder to eat on the run, there's a lot more impact on your body while running. On the bike you don't ever hit that weird euphoria that runners talk about. That runner's high. I've never had that. And it wouldn't be good to have it on a bike. Imagine if you got that euphoric runners high as you're climbing a big hill and then you have to go downhill at 70 mph. That's not a good combination."

RWD: So why do you like running so much?
LA: The good thing about running is that you don't need to travel as much. I travel so much now that taking a bike to a new location is tough and then not knowing the roads is tough, and if you show up with a pair of shorts and running shoes and find the nearest trail or running loop and you're set. It's much easier logistically to do it. Running is huge. It's huge here in New York City and even if Austin, there is a large running community. It's nice and different to be in that crowd, as opposed to be in the bike crowd. There is a lake loop I do down there and people do a double-take or a triple-take and say, "hey, what's he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be on a bike?" But I actually ran before I rode a bike, so maybe not.

RWD: Will you finish and say "I'll never do that again" or do you have more plans?
LA: I might just be that guy. Most likely. But never say never. There's a thought in my head to do a marathon a year and choose different places to travel to. But right now I want to finish the first one and see how it goes.

RWD: Is it annoying that your name gets brought up in any sports story related to performance-enhancing drugs?
LA: I get lumped in with all of the stuff that happened. I mean, if something happens with Marion Jones or Barry Bonds or Floyd Landis or Tyler Hamilton, I get lumped into that.

RWD: What are your thoughts about Barry Bonds?
LA: I have to say I understand what he's going through. I think there's probably more of an association just because of the BALCO stuff and the grand jury testimony. Barry is more - it seems from the outside - he's a tough character. He's not gone out of his way to try to fix the situation or make friends there. But I don't really follow baseball. Mostly because I don't understand it. If you can do tobacco and play the sport, then it's technically probably not a sport.

RWD: And that's different than your approach, right?
LA: My impression is that people, or fans, or people potentially on the fence, they like it when you come out and fight. They like it when you say, "No, no, no, you got it wrong, this is what is right" and you lay out the facts, again. It's like our approach has been with these bozos that try to get sideways. We sue 'em. And we win every time. And winners write the history.