Apart from people like Mark (Emo) Emerton, there are not too many tri-athletes who can trace their racing history back to the beginning of the sport. I am one of those people. I started training to compete in the first Nepean Triathlon in 1982, but sadly missed that event due to illness. In early 1983 I completed my first triathlon in Lake Illawarra. So I have now been competing for over 34 years. Hence, for my first article as an Elite Energy Ambassador I thought I would reflect on some of the changes that I have observed.
Going back to my first race there was no dedicated transition area, simply the carpark at the Lake Illawarra Sailing Club where a helper looked after my gear. Some people turned up with fold out chairs to sit on in order to change clothing (and have a bit of a rest between swim-bike and bike-run) and often bowls of water to wash feet etc. It was not a remarkable thing to see people, both male and female, completing change their clothing for each of the race disciplines. The one element that made a huge impact on me was the level of support I received from other athletes and spectators. The enormous amount of encouragement I received from total strangers was wonderful. When I finished my first race I was super proud of my personal achievement. Like many I had come from a traditional Cricket/Football background, but nothing I had achieved compared with the feeling of completing my first triathlon. This was real sport! Those aspects hooked me into the sport of triathlon.
These days the transition areas are for athletes only, and only immediate race equipment is allowed to be stored adjacent to your bike. For some events there’s even a change tent provided for males and females.
In the early years there was no defined race distance, apart of course for Ironman. Mostly though, the race distance was broadly similar to the current “standard” but there were plenty of variations depending on location and race organiser’s ability to identify a course. I can even remember racing over the winter in Victoria where the swim was located in the cooling ponds of the Latrobe Valley power stations. Needless to say the water was as “black as spades”. Speaking of cards, I’ll put mine on the table; I’m not a fan of draft legal bike courses. This takes away from the individual aspect of a triathlon and I think that’s a bad thing.
Over the years race equipment has changed quite dramatically. Wet suits were not used, even in the 1984 Nepean Triathlon when the water temperature had dropped to 15C due to the opening of the Warragamba Dam. On that day it took me about 50m to get my head into the water! Bikes were “stock standard” race bikes, certainly no time trial bikes or carbon to be seen. My first bike was a steel framed monster I bought from Kmart at Blacktown in Sydney. It took some years before some bright spark put clip on bars onto the handle bars to make a more aerodynamic riding position. The howls of “wankers”, particularly from the traditional cyclists, were deafening. Suddenly we saw professional riders in the Tour de France adapting to the new technology and everyone’s attitude changed overnight. For me, I had upgraded to my first serious bike with Columbus tubing and respectable fittings. This bike is now proudly on display in my garage. The one area of equipment that has changed little is for running. Apart from better quality shoes and supporting inner soles they still look much the same as they did 30years ago, although the colours are certainly pretty flash.
The other key element of growth that has occurred over the years is the establishment of local clubs. Club tents and club colours now abound at all races. These never existed in the past; everyone was on their own. I discovered the Vikings Triathlon Club in Canberra over 10 years ago, and I have found a wonderful bunch of people who are now close friends. The social and training company, plus of course the regular coffee stops, are key aspects of my life.
Over the years we have seen a number of commercial race organisations come and go. The one “stand out” that defines this trend is Elite Energy, which has gone from strength to strength. I’ve been racing at “Big Husky” since its humble beginnings, so I have seen it grow to one of the most prominent races in Australia. So far, I’ve never missed this weekend. I can’t remember exactly why, but one year I did the sprint distance, but other than that I have done the long course every time. Sadly I pulled up with a dreaded calf injury once, so I have one DNF. Now Elite Energy has a whole stack of races, and their organisation remains first class. Working with a local organisation and not with a Chinese or European Company is something that is very important to me and should be recognised more often.
For me I have now completed far more races than I can remember, but the enthusiasm remains as strong as ever (even if the body is finding it a bit tougher). You can expect to see me on the start line on many occasions over the next few months doing Elite Energy Ultimates and Big Husky.
Rod Harrod
Rod Harrod is one of our Elite Energy Ambassadors, and is a shining example of our legend age groupers.