Well, there had to be one! We have been SO lucky to have 4 out of 4 stellar racing conditions for the 2XU series this year. More than we’ve had in recent years. But this weekend, it just wasn’t meant to be. And so Race #5 is the first blip. We all knew pretty early on that a swim was unlikely to go ahead, and in true fashion, you all took it in your stride. Beach running ain’t no biggie when you spend so much time down at Elwood.
Big thank you to all those who stayed and helped put up the tent in the miserable conditions and then again to take it down on Sunday. And a bigger thank you to Dan (from TTT#5) who supplied a table full of sugar (in the form of sweet treats) for you all as a reward for your hard work.
And congratulations to everyone who had a go at the duathlon. They are hard and fast, and everyone did well to battle it out, in not the best of conditions. We know you should be proud of your efforts. Special mention this week to all athletes who finished top 10 in their categories:
1st place: Javiera Jolien Chris Zoe Sarah Marc
3rd place: Louise Matt Lauren Alejandro
4th place: Ruby Maryann Santiago
5th Johnny / 6th Doug / 9th Jen, Narelle / 10th Zoe, Robert
Don’t know about you, but I’ve missed the countdowns. So here we are: 6 days until Challenge Shepparton 13 days until Ironman 70.3 Melbourne 20 days until Race #6 at St Kilda 55 days until Ironman Australia (Port Macquarie)
That means that coaches will be stretched between Shepparton and Elwood this weekend, as we show our support for our Long Course Crew. If you are heading up, we will organise a recon session on the Saturday morning, which will be followed by a Tips & Tricks session in the afternoon. We’ll have the tent up for a base on Sunday and will be there to cheer you on! If you are in Melbs and have some time, TTT#6 will be doing a combo session at 9:30am with Coach Gaz. Just reach out to him to see if you can lend a hand or be around for extra support.
As mentioned last week, there are a few tweaks to our MSAC sessions over this week. They are outlined below, and don’t forget with the public holiday on Monday for Labour Day, there will be no coached session that night.
We also wanted to take the opportunity to share some happy news. If you haven’t already heard, Ambassador Matty has become a dad! So, if you see his proud, smiling (and tired) face around, be sure to congratulate him. By all accounts he’s doing a wonderful job and has a couple (of hundred) photos on his phone already that he might just share with you! That’s why it’s only fitting that this week we share an article we worked on recently, delving into just who is Ambassador Matty?
And be sure to read all the way to the bottom of this week’s newsletter. Andy’s got the team store open for orders of the new, race-fit cycling jerseys. And Neda is collecting any old/unwanted shoes that can be rehomed to someone waiting to give them a second chance.
Super thrilled with the vibe around the squad at the moment. It’s definitely the place to be! Oh, and how could I forget…..shoutout to the good looking roosters in the pic above. These lads were representing the team colours in style over the weekend. We LOVE seeing you all getting around in the TA kit. Not only are you super easy to spot (hence why they get more cheers!), you look bloody good too. Ladies…time to lift your game. We need to see more of the yellow and blue army taking to the course. |