64 | AustrAliAn triAthlete
Carfrae - Ironman events are littered with
suffer stories. I love seeing the pain and
then the resolve on people’s faces like
they would rather die than give in. I’ve seen
so many people conquer the Ironman and
then go on to better, more successful
careers simply because they know that
they have the ability to achieve whatever
they set their minds to.What race experience sticks out for you
as the time you have suffered the most?
Bell – Two include Ironman 70.3’s at Lake
Stevens. The first one, a sprint finish with
Joe Gambles where I edged him out by
one second. The other race was with
Crowie where I just could not hang on in
the last kilometre. After running side-by-
side, he ran a 1.12+ while I did 1.13 flat.
Ironman Brazil [also sticks out]. Oscar
Galindez beat me by 28 seconds. The final
two kilometres was a dead straight road.
He was looking over his shoulder - I was
going as fast as I could. It was like running
two kilometres flat out, in slow motion.
Carfrae – The one that comes to mind
first is the 2012 Ironman World
Championship. I was in great shape to go
for the title, and things were going to plan
until about mile 14 of the marathon. I’d
miscalculated my nutrition and was
dangerously low on fluids - but I didn’t
realise until it was too late. The last 12
miles were horrible. What was more
painful, though, was knowing I had
messed up. I was right where I needed to
be - third place - and closing fast on the
win. But my body was having none of it.
Blatchford - The second time I raced
Kona (2014) really sticks with me. In 2013 I
came as a rookie and had one of those
amazing days where everything clicked. I
surprised myself coming third. But 2014
was a stark contrast. I came with big
expectations, only to begin cramping inWhat is the greatest display of suffering
you’ve ever seen in triathlon?
Blatchford – You can’t go past the
infamous scenes of Wendy [Ingraham]
and Sian [Welch] crawling across the line
in Kona [1997] - or more recently Johnny
Brownlee messing himself up to finish in
Cozumel last year.
Bell - A fantastic recent example was Ben
Hoffman at Ironman South Africa in April,
where Ben and Nils battled the entire race
only separated by seconds. Both these
guys were “on” during the race, but the
physical and mental strength, and will
power that Ben showed to hold off Nils
was exceptional.
Angus – I’m genuinely inspired by the
people at the back of the race who are on
their personal journey. The one that burns
in the back of my mind is Rick and Dick
Hoyt – where Rick is prepared to put
himself through another level of
discomfort pushing his son around the
course out of love and dedication.
the first two kilometres of the bike. The
cramps didn’t let up all day. When I wasn’t
cramping, I was riding or running in fear of
the next cramp. It was hell physically and
mentally. I thought about pulling out of
that race probably more than 100 times
that day. I don’t know what kept me going
except for my stubbornness and knowing
I’d dedicated the last 11 months to this one
day, and that I would only be more
disappointed with a DNF than any finish.
So, I soldiered on and came in 10th place.
That day I learnt that I had the mental
strength to finish an Ironman - in 9+ hours
when feeling horrendous. It’s something
I’ve taken with me into other races,
knowing if it’s not as bad as that day, then
I’m sure as heck finishing.
Luxford - All the Ironman races I have
completed - that form of physical
suffering is something I’m not sure I’ll ever
get used to. Most of the marathons have
been frustrating and disappointing.
Continuing to hurt yourself when you
know you’re not getting the time or place
that you’d ideally like is tougher than
suffering when you’re breaking a tape.
Angus – Hawaii 2015 was my mostLeGeND: The mighty chris Legh is
immortalised after his finish chute collapse
at the 1997 Ironman World championship. WILLING To SUffer: Go beyond what you
think your body is capable of.
STreNGTh: Suffering can teach you that
you are stronger than you think you are.© Korupt Vision© ITU Media/Janos M. Schmidt© Delly Carr© ITU Media/Janos M. Schmidt