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Well… that was a weekend. Race #5 at Elwood (our home turf) delivered exactly what Elwood does best: unpredictability. The forecast said hot (tick), humid (tick), and dry until Sunday afternoon (big cross). Instead, we woke to rain at 5am Sunday morning. Because of course we did. And yet, as always, our crew showed up. The kids kicked things off brilliantly, the Fun Tri athletes followed in their usual enthusiastic fashion, and then the day took a very serious turn. A medical emergency in the water halted proceedings. Something none of us expect, but all of us must be prepared for. A competitor suffered a cardiac arrest near the swim exit and was pulled from the water quickly. The response from the Elwood Life Saving Club and emergency personnel was nothing short of outstanding. Resuscitation began immediately on the beach, and we are incredibly grateful that he was stabilised and transported to hospital. It was a sobering reminder of how quickly things can change. The vibe shifted, understandably. But what stood out most was how everyone regrouped. Quietly. Respectfully. Supportively. And when racing resumed, people got out there and got the job done. Not with fireworks and hype. But with grit and perspective. That’s sport. That’s community.
🏆 Podium & Top 10 Finishers (Tri-Alliance)1st – Zee
2nd – Andrea
3rd – Chase, Paul 4th – Bernie
5th – Johnny, Cindy
6th – Brona, Tyson
7th – Chris, Natalie
8th – Angus, Anastasia
9th – Maria, Jocelyn Huge efforts across the board...especially in those sticky, humid conditions.
🙌 The People Behind The ScenesRace weekends don’t just happen. A massive thank you to: Maria, Bernice, Narelle — holding down the TA tent set up while Les was coaching Andrea, Tanya, Narelle, Les, Jimmy, Johnny — pack down crew through fatigue and rain Alissa & Naomi — extra help all weekend, especially with the Kids event Tanya, Jen & Andrea — jumping in to help in the shop
You don’t always see the work behind the scenes. But we do. And it matters.
🌏 Colombo Chaos – Go Andy!While we were navigating Elwood drama, Andy Wood-Rich was navigating something equally unpredictable in Colombo at IRONMAN 70.3. The swim was cancelled due to reported crocodile sightings near the swim course. Yes, crocodiles. In the interest of athlete safety, organisers converted the race into a 90km bike / 21.1km run duathlon format. Not exactly what anyone trains for, but that’s endurance sport. Adapt and execute. Chaotic? Yes.
Classic Andy signing up for something unique and novel? Also yes. Despite the last-minute change and hot, chaotic conditions, Andy got the job done and crossed the line in: 6:31:23
350 / 388 overall
18 / 22 in M50-54 Bike: 3:22:51
Run: 3:16:45 Travel, heat, race-format change… and still a finish medal around the neck. That’s what having a crack looks like.
🏗️ Build Week #2 – Reset & RefocusWe now roll into Build Week #2. If you raced on Sunday, take a couple of lighter sessions early this week. Flush the legs. Move well. Then build back into it. If you didn’t race...no excuses. You should be pushing through and capitalising on the momentum. We’ve got one month until the final race of the series. That’s enough time to sharpen. Enough time to improve. Enough time to finish strong. Knuckle down.
🏟️ MSAC & Albert Park Closure – FULL SESSION BREAKDOWNAs of today, the Albert Park precinct and MSAC are closed for the three-week Formula 1 takeover (23 Feb – 16 March). For clarity:
The Victorian Government passed legislation granting the Formula 1 Corporation extended control of the Albert Park precinct. This has resulted in a three-week closure (historically it has only been one week). During this time: No external squad bookings at MSAC Limited public access Outdoor pool closed for maintenance (roof works, structural painting, rust removal and cleaning)
We cannot operate as normal at MSAC, but we are not cancelling sessions. We are adapting. Below is exactly what is happening: 🌊 Monday PM Swim – Half Moon BayOPEN WATER SWIM – Half Moon Bay (All Abilities)
📍 Meet on the sand
🕕 Be ready to hit the water at 6:15pm
Bring: wetsuit, paddles, fins, bands This gives us a longer swim format and something different. EPA water quality is currently rated FAIR, so tonight is ON.
Sessions proceed if rating is Good or Fair, not if Poor. We will update via NL and FB group if conditions change.
🏃 Tuesday AM Run – St Kilda West (New Meeting Point)Albert Park is not accessible. 📍 Meet Ollie at Corner of Peir Road and Beaconsfield Parade (near West Beach Pavillion).
🕕 Start: 5:45am Parking on Peir Road (the road between Catani Gardens and the beach) allows: Ollie will run the interval session from there.
All levels are welcome — this session scales to you.
🚴 Tuesday PM Wind Trainer – Elwood BeachMoved outdoors. 📍 Concrete/grass area next to Elwood Life Saving Club
🕕 Set up from 6:00pm
▶️ Session starts 6:15pm You must bring your own wind trainer (Les’ spare units are allocated to TTT athletes). Weather dependent. Check FB group for updates.
🌅 Wednesday & Friday AM Swims – Elwood Beach🕕 6:15am dryland band warm-up
🌊 In water by 6:30am Bring Wetsuit,, Paddles, Fins, Bands. Why it’s great...Sunrise over the bay, real race-condition practice, sighting & open-water skills EPA rules apply (Good & Fair = go ahead).
Nothing is cancelled. Nothing is reduced. We are not skimping. We are adapting for three weeks, and we will communicate clearly the whole way through.
⏳ The Countdown Is On (From 16 Feb)Japan Marathon – 1 March
⏱️ 1 week, 6 days IRONMAN New Zealand – 7 March
⏱️ 2 weeks, 5 days Gold Coast T100 Festival – 21–22 March
⏱️ 4 weeks, 5–6 days Race #6 St Kilda – 22 March
⏱️ 4 weeks, 6 days IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong – 22 March
⏱️ 4 weeks, 6 days
This is not hypothetical anymore.
This is the final block before some very big race days. Every session matters.
🔁 Wrap-UpThis week is about perspective and purpose. We saw resilience at Elwood.
We saw adaptability in Colombo.
And now we practice it ourselves for three weeks while APL transforms around us. Control what you can control.
Turn up.
Do the work.
Support each other. We finish this series strong. 💙💛 Team TA
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