The traditional early season kick off was up at sunny Shepparton. This year some would argue it was a little too hot. Rumours were circulating of non-wetsuit swims and temperatures in excess of 40 degrees. Fortunately the Temperature was ONLY 36 degrees, but the rumour of no wetsuits in the freshwater lake did come true, much to the dismay to some. Whilst the conditions were incredibly tough, there is an old saying about when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Some of the softer amongst us fried in the heat but the true legends rose to the surface.

Bradley "Supa" Campbell smashed the entire age group field. Whilst the man himself is always humble, those who train with him regularly claim that he is the best age grouper in Australia. This point was again illustrated with him beating all bar the very best pros. The Leversha's do what they do. Lynny raced herself to the point where she could barely walk to the podium to collect her 2nd place in what was one of the most courageous performances one could witness. I guess when it’s a day for the really tough it’s no surprise Lyn was amongst it. Not to be outdone Dave also podiumed, finishing in 3rd position in a time that most young blokes would be proud of. Other great performances came from half ironman debutante, butterfly boy Barney. Whilst he eventually melted on the run course he swam strongly and rode with authority before eventually suffering on the run. He obviously didn't suffer too much because it was difficult to wipe the smile off his face. Whilst his day was a wonderful debut, unfortunately he couldn't keep up with his very close friend Gael on the day. After spending time last year lying on the gravel, Gael came back this year seeking atonement. Mission accomplished completing the course in front of most, improving her time by almost one hour. The final notable performance was clouded in controversy. Scott Bisset flew in from overseas arriving at race headquarters moments before the start. Quite correctly he was told that he was too late to get a start. Unfortunately this decision was revoked and he proceeded to kick the butts of many of his training partners. One in particular certainly considered retiring out of the shame of losing to Scotty but has decided to press on. To everyone else who raced, congratulations on completing a very tough day at the office.

The weekend gone saw a large contingent of Knox members head west to Busselton for the Western Australian Ironman. A theme is developing here because again the temperature was hot..... VERY hot. A couple of our members discovered the problem of having girlfriends who are genuinely terrific athletes. New member Benny Wilde saw the writing on the wall early as he could see girlfriend Zoe catching him by the Km. Whilst surviving the oven like temperatures was a wonderful performance by Benny, it was with absolute awe that I watched first hand ironman debutante Zoe Clarke smash the run course like it was easy. She even managed to push another member to the finish line. Thanks for the push Zoe, your performance was simply sensational, running and smiling every step of the marathon. Inspiring!

Shano had talked the talk about his role in the super team in Busso and he proceeded to put everything on the line, absolutely smoking the first 2 laps of the bike. Unfortunately the bike course was 3 laps and somebody dropped a piano on him on the third lap. Doubly unfortunate for Shano was that while his day was falling apart his girlfriend Samantha, the youngest girl in the ironman field, was flying home. If losing to ones girlfriend stings, then being passed by Scotty Bisset is downright humiliating. Redemption beckons for Shano at Port Mac. Sam was another fantastic first time ironman finisher. Any first time finish is something to be very proud of but what about a podium finish on debut. Robert Scott showed how hard men go about things sleeping in a tent with nothing, no bedding, no luxuries, NOTHING. He then raced himself to third place in his age group. Amazing. The other quiet achiever was Martin Sime punching out a very consistent 9.55 in the atrocious conditions. Others who suffered but finished honourably were club stalwarts Jana, Rachel and Scotty. Also in the teams event Richard smoked the run course in a sizzling 3.08. Great running under the afternoon sun. Finally the greatest of all Knox Ironmen, Daniel O'Donohue completed yet another Ironman finish. Rumour has it that a sponsorship deal with Carpet Call awaits. To all those who raced, congratulations you should be very proud of your achievements. To everyone who provided support, both on course and via the phone, thank you so much. Your support means so much. For some of us the radar has already been refocused on Port Mac, for either redemption or continued success. See you all at Port.

On the home front the club will be having our combined Christmas party and Red Run on Thursday 17th December. Please bring your family and friends. The night will commence with the traditional race up the 1000 steps. This is very prestigious event. A very tough event where obviously the fainted heart either fail to perform or worse still fail to turn up. Any no shows will be seen as an admission of weakness. The run will be followed by a family Christmas get together. More information on this will follow but the big man in the red suit will definitely be in attendance for the children. For the grownups it will be terrific to all get together for a drink and a bite to eat. At this time of year it is terrific to relax with a drink with friends. Let’s all get together and celebrate the year that was. Merry Christmas.

Train Safe,

John Raymond