Weekly News Number 40
A Sunday full of emotions! Whether it was in Kona, where the Ironman World Championship took place, or here in Australia at the legendary Supercars race in Bathurst. Both places were full of nerds. At one event, you've got athletes who are incredibly fit, while at the other, there's probably a bit more of a party atmosphere. But when you talk to the athletes and drivers, they're all after the same thing: getting the absolute best out of themselves and winning one of the biggest titles in their sport.
So why am I suddenly talking about car racing?
Sorry, but whenever I know someone who's involved in a big sporting event, I always find myself getting interested in it, even if it's a sport I know absolutely nothing about. And since Emma's brother races in Supercars, I'm obviously a little biased. All I really want is to see his car at the front. People can tell me all about team standings and everything else, but I just want him to win. I've actually wondered whether that's because I compete in an individual sport myself. I haven't really found an answer to that yet. But when you're a fan of someone, you obviously want that person to do well.
Kona – How Far Is Too Far?
As I mentioned, the Ironman World Championship took place in Kona on Sunday. And once again, there were some scenes that really made me think. In the men's race, the leader collapsed at around kilometre 30 of the marathon, while something similar happened in the women's race just about one kilometre before the finish line.
In my opinion, there's nothing healthy about doing sport to the point where you simply collapse and end up lying on the side of the road. What I find particularly difficult is the rule about outside assistance. If we athletes accept help from someone outside the race, it can lead to disqualification. I think there should be a rule allowing people to help as soon as a situation becomes genuinely dangerous. Surely someone's health should be more important than a race result.
But I also speak to people who actually think that's part of what makes Kona special. They say, "Well, that's Kona."
Yeah, wow. It's Kona, the biggest race in our sport. But when so many athletes are suffering in the heat and potentially putting their health at risk, I do wonder whether that's really what our sport should be about. On the other hand, I also have to admit that I can't form a final opinion because I've never actually been there myself. Anyone who signs up for an Ironman in Kona knows it isn't going to be an easy race. The conditions out in the middle of the Pacific are extreme, and your reason for being there has to be pretty big to take on a race like that. And we haven't even talked about the financial side of things. People spend an incredible amount of money just to travel to Kona and race there.
Bathurst 1000 The Other Big Race
Now let's talk about the other race that took place here in Australia last weekend. For those of you who aren't really into motorsport, I'll try to explain it briefly. Supercars is a major professional racing series here in Australia. Most races last around an hour and a half, a bit like Formula 1. But once a year, there's one very special race: the Bathurst 1000. It's the biggest and most historic race in the series, held on a legendary circuit just over six kilometres long that takes the drivers up and over a mountain. And they do that for 1,000 kilometres. Winning Bathurst is a massive achievement in this sport. The race has so much history and means an incredible amount to people here in Australia. I hope I've explained that reasonably well. Otherwise, feel free to Google the Bathurst 1000.
If you ask me, Sunday's race was pretty boring for a long time. There was only one safety car, and that didn't happen until about eight laps from the finish. What nobody knew, though, was that the race leader was running very low on fuel. The team believed they had enough to make it to the finish. Well, believing something and actually knowing it are two very different things. On the final lap, the leading car actually ran out of fuel and stopped, handing the win to the driver in second place. So what had been a rather boring race suddenly turned into a pretty exciting finish.
Something that might be almost impossible to imagine for those of you reading this in Europe is that thousands of people travel to Bathurst and camp right on the mountain alongside the circuit. Some even arrive early to bury the beer they'll need for the four days of racing. And yes, that's actually a thing. Paul and his son Alex were there, so I even knew people who were right in the middle of it all. I'll ask them if I can share a photo of their campsite. From everything I've heard, including from Emma's parents, the atmosphere must have been incredible. Still, I have to say that if I had the choice, I'd probably rather travel to Kona than Bathurst.
Training, Work and My Foot
So, what else happened this week? I have to say, apart from training and work, I haven't been doing a whole lot. But to be honest, I don't really miss anything either. Right now, I'm doing pretty much exactly what I want to be doing. Even though some days start at 4:40 am and don't really finish until around 5 pm, I'm really enjoying my work. What helps me the most is knowing that I have a source of income while doing something I genuinely enjoy at the moment. Sometimes I even come home with more energy than I used at work.
Of course, I can also give you another update on my foot. It might sound a bit strange, but as you know, it's something that's been bothering me over the past few weeks, and I'm still working on getting back to full fitness. At the moment, I'm gradually increasing my running volume and slowly bringing some intensity back into training. The strange thing about this injury is that the more warmed up my foot is, the less I feel it. But of course, that doesn't mean I should just keep putting more and more load through it. My plantar fascia still needs enough time to recover properly. There's not much more to say about it at the moment. I'm still doing my exercises every day and regularly heading to the gym for strength training. That's not only helpful when recovering from an injury but also important for preventing future ones.
Lucky to Find Some Water
I've got one last story for you, and this time I was pretty lucky. I often do my bike intervals out in Boreen Point, a small town about 30 kilometres outside Noosa. There's a café, a little shop and, as I found out this weekend, luckily also a campsite. Boreen Point is also right next to a lake where people regularly go sailing. On my way home, I like to stop there, buy something to drink and watch the sailing boats out on the water. Especially the little dinghies always remind me of my own days as a sailor. Even though I'm a triathlete now, I think there's still a bit of a sailor in me.
Normally, I stop at the shop, buy some water, sit down for a while and enjoy watching the boats. But on Saturday afternoon, everything was closed. My first thought was: Oh no, this could get pretty uncomfortable. I really needed some water for the ride home, so I asked a few people on the street if they knew where I could get some. It turned out that the water supply in the town had been shut off. Great. Luckily, I met a really nice woman who helped me out. She told me there was a campsite a little further down the road and suggested I try asking there.
So that's exactly what I did. I rode down to the campsite and managed to ask someone through a window if they had any water. Luckily, they did. And not only that, I even got a Sprite, which tasted unbelievably good at that moment. So there I was, sitting in the shade at the campsite, drinking my water and Sprite, just happy that I could now make it home without any problems. And as a bonus, I've discovered another place I'll definitely be stopping at again this summer.
And with that happy ending, I'll leave you for this week.
See you next week.
Cyrill
