34 | AustrAliAn triAthlete
Tim Don
Hamburg because I have raced so many
times for WTS and I know the area and
the city has a good vibe during races. If I
am doing ok, I would like to race a 70.3 in
August and then race the Ironman 70.3
World Championships and get on the
podium there. I usually like to race early,
and I like to race a lot, but since I can’t this
year, I will probably add some races
through December right after Kona, if I
make it.The Comeback Begins
It’s been a tough time for my family
and me. Some of the toughest things
have been those feelings of “what if.”
What if I hadn’t ridden that day, if I hadn’t
had the crash, what would my race have
looked like [last year]? What could have
been the aftermath of having a good race
in terms of my career? I felt I was in good
shape and that has played on my mind a
lot. The day-to-day stress of having a halo
on was extremely tough.
I have been amazed by the support
of family, friends, and people who are
fans of triathlon. There have been many
times I put on a brave face - times I slept
one hour out of 48 due to the discomfort I
had, but I still need to respond to emails
and calls. Our life changed dramatically,
especially for my wife, Kelly as it was like
having a third kid for her. She had to
shower me, clean all of my screws twice a
day, and help me put my clothes on. I
couldn’t help with the kids much either.
We’ve come through it and hopefully, we
are stronger for it. I guess we’ll see when I
do my first race.
I think questioning myself is what
keeps me going. Can I be as good, quick
and confident? And wanting to know the
answers drives me. They say, “winners
never quit and quitters never win”, so I
have to try and give racing a go and then
the questions will be answered. I will never
forgive myself if I don’t try. I am lucky that I
have amazing support from my sponsors
and I believe I feel like I have done everything
possible to get myself in the best mental
and physical position. I can train properly,
my body is ready, and I can hold 280
Watts for 20-minutes, which isn’t fantastic,
but it’s better than 279. There have been
times that I would have 100 per cent quit,
but for me, the big thing now is to leave it
all out there and have no regrets.
I can see myself getting to that 100
per cent recovery. The halo came off in
early January, so, physically, I am in a good
place. I had a hard collar on for three
weeks, which was restrictive, but it was a
relief having the halo off. Swimming is the
most difficult due to the rotation of my
neck and the up and down motion. My neck
is quite weak so we’re working on building
up the muscles since they haven’t moved
in about four months. I think the halo was
the right move because I feel like my range
of motion has really approved. I can see
myself getting to that 100 per cent recovery.
Ultimately, my plan for 2018 is to
race Kona and go for a podium.
Obviously, that’s a long way off in October
and my physical shape compared to a lot
of my competitors is way off. It’s got to be
a fluid thing. It’s such a unique injury and
the treatment is so unusual that we don’t
know how things will heal. You need your
movement for all sorts of things and
breaking my C2 in my neck hasn’t allowed
for much of that. At the moment, since
competing in the Boston Marathon in
April, I would like to do a 70.3 in June and
an Ironman in July.
I have always wanted to race
Ironman Frankfurt, but it might be too
close, so there is Ironman Hamburg,
which is at the end of July. I really fancyTHE UNTHINKABLE: Tim was hit by a truck
on a training ride days before the race.HOSPITAL: What does the future hold?