Australian Triathlete – July-August 2017

AustrAliAn triAthlete | 63

Training TOOLBOX

Charlotte McShane - Going beyond what
you think your body is capable of and
challenging yourself to go to a place you’re
unfamiliar with. I don’t think you would get
very far as an athlete if you didn’t have the
ability and distinct willingness to suffer.
Liz Blatchford – What means the most
[to me] is the pride I take in overcoming or
conquering that suffering. That feeling
after it is all said and done and you can
look back and say, “Yes, I owned that
suffering today, not the other way around.”
There is physical and mental suffering,
and the great races are the ones where
both come together.

Our suffer squad:

Annabel Luxford – Former world number one ITU,

U23 World Champion, 27 70.3 podiums. Fierce competitor.

Race day poker face (unintentional).

Chris Legh – 90+ professional wins. Became the face of

Gatorade after infamously collapsing in the finish chute of

Kona 1997, suffering from severe dehydration. Despite being

fifth at the time, Legh was unable to finish and almost died

• the episode was immortalised in a widely aired
  television commercial.

Charlotte McShane – U23 world champion, winner of the

2017 Triathlon Australia emerging athlete award. One of the

hardest working ITU athletes on the circuit.

Damien Angus – One of the world’s best age groupers

across any distance with a PhD in exercise science.

An Ironman age group World Champion in 2005 and

2:28 marathoner.

Liz Blatchford – Multiple world cup and Kona podiums,

repeat Ironman and Ironman 70.3 winner. “Suffering is

integral to being a triathlete. If you are not willing to suffer,

you’ve chosen the wrong sport.”

Luke Bell – 23 70.3 wins and Ironman wins, 52 podiums.

Has pushed himself to unconsciousness and lost control of

bodily functions all in the name of racing.

Mirinda Carfrae – One of the all-time greats. Four-time

World Champion (three Ironman Kona and one Ironman

70.3). Strikes fear into the hearts of competitors with her

weapon run. Multiple sub-three-hour marathons in Kona.

Chris Legh - To be a good athlete you

need to be more than comfortable with

suffering. You need to be able to deal with

the discomfort of hard training days and

to step it up a little on the racetrack.

Luke Bell - For me, it is more about seeing

how hard or far I can push myself. I’ve

always been intrigued by what the body

and mind can do. [In some races you are]

able to ‘push’, ‘suffer’ to an unimaginable

limit - in others, when the mind is not

switched on, you can’t push close to

your limits.

Damien Angus - For me, the experience is

more about discomfort than suffering –

the concept of control is important. In

triathlon, it’s a choice.

BeLoW rIGhT: mirinda carfrae’s miscaculation of fluid
and nutrition at the 2012 Ironman World championship
cost her the win. She battled through the pain and
managed to finish in an amazing third place.

© Delly Carr

© Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images for Ironman