Marcel Walkington: 2018

My trip to Asia was something that I had been really looking forward to a number of weeks before I left. The plan was to race Tongyeong World Cup (South Korea) at the end of October then race Miyazaki World Cup (Japan) 2 weeks later. Between these two races I would be on a training camp in Japan organised by Triathlon Australia.

Throughout the final week of training in Melbourne, every session felt like a checkpoint as I progressed closer to the last hard session at home and it sure did put a smile on my face. Before I knew it, I had my bags packed and was boarding my 12:40am flight to South Korea. Arriving into Tongyeong at night gave me no indication of what the town had to offer but I was pleasantly welcomed to the scenic views upon waking in the morning. The days before the race followed the same usual procedure as any other race, short training sessions during the day accompanied by ample time watching movies in the hotel room. I was feeling relaxed and focussed for my race.

Race conditions were close to ideal; sunny skies with a slight breeze and no rain in sight. The swim took place in the flat waters of the Tongyeong port, the bike a 3 lap out and back with undulating hills and the run 2 laps featuring (about) a 45 second steep hill. I had a great start off the pontoon and within a few strokes I found myself in clear water and ahead of my neighbouring competitors. I knew I was in an ideal position as I rounded the first turn buoy in first place. I wasn’t sure whether I had much of a gap to the next athlete but I continued to push on to maintain my lead. I remained at the front and exited the water in first. I was happy with this part of the race, I had executed a swim that reflected how well I can actually swim. As I made my way through transition 1, I could see that there was a long line of athletes behind me. I quickly stripped off my wetsuit and made my way out of transition.

Unfortunately my good swim didn’t result in the ideal race situation of a small group to work with on the bike. Within a couple of kilometres the field had bunched together and my focus for the ride switched to maintaining a good position within the group which I did as I came into transition 2 towards the front. I had a slight fumble putting my shoes on through T2 and exited onto the run mid-pack. I used the first half of the lap to try and bridge towards the front of the race but once I got to the steep hill, my legs were stinging a little more than I had hoped. For the rest of lap I tried to get myself back into a good running rhythm. My legs never quite got going but I pushed on and finished in 16^th for the race. I had hoped to race a little better but I didn’t quite have the legs to put the race together. I still walked away having had a great swim, something that could at least put a smile on my face.

Later that afternoon I caught the shuttle bus from Tongyeong to Busan where I spent the night before flying to Japan the following morning. The bright lights of Busan city made it feel like I was in the middle of a computer game! It is certainly a city that I would love to go back to visit properly; staying the night wasn’t enough.

Japan was a great place to base myself for the days before the next race; the people are really friendly, the weather was warm and best of all the food is amazing! Here I stayed with 2 other athletes and Queensland coach Dan Atkins. The time between the two races was well balanced by sufficient recovery from Tongyeong, some harder sessions to fine tune the body and also easier taper sessions. Getting this balance right was key to having a solid performance for the Olympic Distance in Miyazaki.

I arrived into Miyazaki with full intentions to outperform my Tongyeong result. I raced in Miyazaki 2 years ago and finished in 15^th, so I was familiar with the location. Since the last race, they had slightly changed the course to make it a little more difficult on the bike with a few more technical sections and I saw this as a change that played in my favour.

My swim didn’t start off too well with a poor start off the line. However I did my best to move up as I approached the first turn buoy. But once there, I had numerous athletes pull, push and grab me slowing me right down. It was very frustrating, especially when you can see the front swimmers not having such issues. I spent a fair chunk of the swim feeling like I was being attacked and by the end I just wanted the swim to end. I exited the water at the front of the chase group with about 10 athletes ahead but I knew I had other strong riders in my group. Our group worked well together and after 5km we had joined the front of the race making it about 25 in the peloton. For the remainder of the ride I concentrated on staying towards the front of the group to avoid any causalities and avoid the ‘rubber band effect’ as gaps opened up out of the u-turns. I came into T2 feeling like I had conserved my legs well for the final 10km run. Out of transition I settled into a good rhythm and soon found myself running with 2 other athletes sitting in 4-6 position. Behind, about 10 seconds, was a larger group of 6/7 runners. I knew that I needed to hang tough and stick in the group I was with as we tried to chase the athletes ahead. Slowly we extended our lead to the others behind and into the final 2.5km lap our pace had picked up. Gaps started to open up and I kept on pushing through to finish in 5^th, a result that I was really happy with.

Finishing off a triathlon season with strong performances can really give a confidence booster for the following season. Miyazaki is my second best World Cup performance behind my 2^ndplace in Astana earlier this year. I finish my 2018 season with strong results ending up with a World Ranking on the ITU points list of 33. But now, it is offseason featuring 2 weeks of no training to recover the body!

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While overseas enjoying the luxuries of sunny days and warm nights, getting carried away with the triathlon routine makes it feel like an endless summer. But unfortunately my time in Girona had to come to a close for the year as the circuit of ITU races headed back towards the southern hemisphere.

My final European races had some mixed results including some strong performances but also some to learn from.

I was really happy with how I performed at the London Mixed Relay Cup racing for Team Australia. I went second for the team and put together a strong swim, bike and run combination which left me feeling like I had done my part to help the team as we finished in 3^rd overall. Triathlon Australia is putting more and more emphasis on the Mixed Relay since it is a new event for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. So any chance I get to race this new format is a great opportunity to practice the small intricacies which make the Mixed Relay such an exciting event.

Following the London Mixed Relay Cup I competed in the Lausanne World Cup in Switzerland. This course was always going to be a testing one as it included a very tough bike course with steep hills. I went into the race feeling like I was ready to mix it with some other strong athletes; I had performed well in the prior weeks of training which also gave me confidence. Unfortunately the way I had envisioned the race to pan out didn’t really happen. I had an average swim and then found myself struggling to get around the course on the bike. I was surprised and disappointed with my body that it wasn’t responding with what I wanted it to do. It turned into a long tough day for me in Lausanne and although I don’t have great memories from the race, I hope to be able to redeem myself the next time I am there.

My final race in Europe was for my French Team, Sainte Genevieve, competing in the French town of Quiberon. Once again the relaxed nature of the French races made for an enjoyable trip. A rough ocean swim getting swum over a number of times left me in the second bike group out of transition 1. I did my best to help salvage some time to the front pack by contributing to the chase however by end of the bike we had lost a fair chunk of time. Onto the run, I was able to stick with a couple of other faster runners from our bike group and could pick off some of the back markers from the initial front group. I finished up in 14^thplace and the team finished in 8^th which was something for us all to be happy with. Overall I am pleased with my year of racing for Sainte Genevieve finishing consistently in the top 15 and I look forward to racing for them again next year!

At the start of the year, I sat down with my coach Danielle and we outlined some goals for the season. The main idea of the year was to get some solid results in World Cups, race a couple of WTS races and aim to make the Elite team for the WTS Grand Final on the Gold Coast. In August I was notified that I was a reserve for the Elite team for the WTS Grand FInal and that I would be put on the waitlist with the potential of racing. This meant that my fate in racing was determined by whether enough athletes from other countries would pull out, allowing me to roll onto the startlist. It was a let-down to not be picked as a definite start but I had my fingers crossed that I would get my chance.

Triathlon Australia agreed to support my decision in wanting to race and allowed me to be a member of the Grand Final team, getting me to Gold Coast and waiting until the last possible moment to hopefully get that spot on the start line. And that is exactly what I ended up doing, I waited to the last possible moment, from being ready to go 1 hour before the start of the Elite Men’s race. But unfortunately it wasn’t to be and I didn’t end up competing. Was I disappointed? Of course I was. However it was something that was out of my hands and I did all that I could to put myself in a position to race.

Although the feelings from Gold Coast weren’t exactly what I had wanted to walk away with, I left with my visions set on my next couple of races to end the season. I have two World Cup races, one in Tongyeong, South Korea and one in Miyazaki, Japan at the end of October/start of November.

Usually the final races of the season can be tough to make it to as the body begins to show signs of wanting a break for the year. I am looking forward to finishing the year of racing and giving my body the chance to reset, but at the same time I am excited to head to Asia to race. I feel that I am really motivated and focussed with making sure that I finish the year well. Only a few more weeks of tough training to go!

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Once again I have well and truly settled into the European lifestyle as I base myself here in Girona, Spain for my summer. The extra sunlight on these warm days allow me to stretch out my training and avoid the early morning wakeups. While here in Europe, I typically start my first training session at about 8am which is either a morning run or a ride. I swim during the middle of the day mainly because it is so hot outside that you wouldn’t want to be running or riding! Then my last session gets finished later in the afternoon, sometimes as late as 9pm. The great thing about these long summer days is that you have more daylight to complete the training sessions and when you can spread them out it gives the body enough time to recover between the tough ones.

One of the main things that I have noticed about staying in Girona from previous years is the increase in athletes here, whether it be triathletes or cyclists. Each year there seems to be a considerable increase in people wanting to come to Girona and make use of it as a training location. And I don’t blame them with some of the most picturesque training locations being right at the doorstep of Girona. I think that it is great that more and more people are having the opportunity to come here and realise its beauty. I am a fan of it, even though I may be a little biased!

Before leaving to Europe, my coach and I sat down in Melbourne and outlined some key races that we wanted to target while. However my success in the Astana World Cup opened up some racing opportunities that initially we had not considered. One of those was to act as the travelling reserve for Triathlon Australia in the Nottingham World Triathlon Series Mixed Relay. Although this did not mean that I was racing (since I was the reserve) it allowed me to gain some valuable insight of the logistics for the mixed team relays right on the sidelines. It is certainly a format of racing that I would love to be involved with, especially since it is now included in the program for the Olympics.

Since I had travelled to the U.K for the mixed team relay, Danielle and I made the decision to race the World Triathlon Series in Leeds. This was not in my initial race calendar, but once again my results in previous races had opened up these opportunities and we decided to go for it.

With Leeds being one of the most difficult courses on the WTS circuit, it was always going to be a test for myself. My swimming has been coming along really well recently and this showed as I exited the water towards the front of the main group. However on the bike I was exposed by poor positioning and an inexperience to the fast racing that is needed for WTS races. Despite my struggle on the bike I still managed to put together a reasonable run performance. I crossed the line in 36^thwhich wasn’t quite the result I would have wanted however I feel that I had learnt plenty from the race.

My next few races that I had lined up were non-ITU races for my French and Italian teams. It is always a pleasure racing for my French GP team, Sainte Genevieve. I have been with them for a number of years and each year I return to meet the same familiar faces. I competed in both the Dunkerque French GP where I finished 9^th, and the Paris French GP where I finished 15^th. Racing in Paris will have to go down as one of my most memorable races with the transition zone and run finish right under the Eiffel Tower. Racing in front of such an iconic monument was amazing and I hope to be able to do it again!

I also represented my Italian Team, The Hurricanes, for the second round of the Italian GP series in Pescara. Our team manager Max Di Luca gave us some amazing hospitality for our time in Italy and looked after us better than we could have ever anticipated. I think anyone that has been to Italy before knows just how well they can cook a pizza or pasta and Max made sure that we embraced this with some long meal sits (which I thoroughly enjoyed!) It turned out that all these extra carbs helped for the race as I succeeded for the team and won! My win also helped The Hurricanes stay on top of the team’s ladder. I really enjoyed my time in Italy racing the Italian GP and I am sure I will be back in the future.

After representing my French and Italian teams I had a couple of weeks to prepare myself for my next main race which was Hamburg WTS. I have always heard people talk about Hamburg WTS as being the best race on the circuit with an exciting course packed with spectators. So to have the opportunity to race in Hamburg for the first time made me really excited. Each year the start list for this race is loaded with the best athletes from around the world so turning up underdone was not an option. After racing Leeds WTS I had been able to work on some of weaknesses that I needed to improve on and felt more confident with my ability to be there for this WTS racing. I had a strong swim and once again came out from the water towards the front of the main group. On the bike I did my best to be in the right position to stick with the main group. Admittedly, I did find myself working hard to keep up, but I was there and managed to still be there with the group at the end of the ride. I felt that this was a big improvement from Leeds WTS and was something for me to take away and be happy with. Unfortunately on the run I struggled with some stomach issues and it became a battle to make it to the finish line. I didn’t give up and made it there however I was a bit disappointed with how the race turned out as I wanted more from myself. Nonetheless I still had plenty to take away from my race in Hamburg.

Since racing in Hamburg I have had a couple of weeks to settle back into my Girona routine. The days have been getting hotter and the training has been building back into full swing. It feels good both physically and mentally to have these weeks between races to focus on the training as I prepare for my next races.

This weekend I will be in London to race the London Mixed Relay for Team Australia. This will be my first mixed relay racing experience, something that I have been looking forward to doing for a while now. We have a strong team and I hope to contribute my fair share for a great result.

Following London I will have a couple more weeks in Girona before racing in Switzerland for the Lausanne World Cup. This is one of my target races for the season and I look forward to being in top shape to give it my best!

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Like always, the weeks leading up to the departure of my overseas trip seem to come up so quickly. Before I knew it I was in the final week before leaving frantically trying to make sure that everything that needed to be sorted was in fact sorted!

My overseas campaign was set to kick off in Chengdu, China for the Chengdu World Cup. This race included a unique format that had a semi-final sprint triathlon on the Saturday and a final super sprint triathlon on Sunday. From there I would travel to Astana, Kazakhstan and spend 2 weeks preparing for the Astana World Cup (Olympic distance). It is always exciting heading overseas, especially when it is such a big trip like this one. I would be packing my suitcases at home in Melbourne and be on the road for the next 4-5 months!

I arrived into China 2 days before the first race on Saturday and tried to settle in as much as I could. The unique lifestyle and language barriers always provide some difficulty when trying to do simple things like going out for dinner. The safest option I had was to go for the basic foods like rice and noodles which I certainly became accustomed to after a few days.

From each semi-final, the top 9 athletes would automatically advance into Sundays A final. My main objective for my semi-final was to be in that top 9 whilst conserving as much energy as I could. I think I raced really smart for my semi, I had a strong swim and was up the front out of the water. I maintained my position towards the front for the bike and on the run I established myself into the top 9 and then made sure I stuck there. I finished my semi in 4^thplace and felt really comfortable with high hopes for Sundays final.

The final was set to be a fast race being only a super-sprint (500m swim-10km bike-2.5km run) so nailing the little things like transitions was going to be crucial. I had a pretty good swim start and found myself towards the front around the first turn buoy. Despite the congestion around the first buoy I could hold a strong position and exited the water in 7^th place. Behind me was a long chain of other athletes and not long after being on the bike the whole field came together. But we didn’t ease off the pace as all 30 of us zipped around the bike course. Again, I maintained my position towards the pointy end of the bike to avoid any casualties. Unfortunately this hard work of sticking towards the front was undone as I overshot my position in transition 2 and needed to double-back to my bike racking area. I came out of T2 just off the front group of runners. I tried to tail onto the end of them and at one stage I may have just made it but it wasn’t enough to move through those athletes. I continued to fight for the remainder of the run and finished in 12^th place. There were some positives to take away from this race however I left Chengdu wanting more and was motivated to improve on this result.

The following day after the race I flew from Chengdu to Astana with my training partner Tamsyn and Coach Danielle. It was a long journey but we were all warmly greeted by the Kazakhstan triathlon federation upon arrival into Astana. For the 2 weeks before the Astana World Cup we had organised to be ambassadors for the event. For this, we spent our time training with the local age groupers and juniors sharing with them our knowledge and passion that we have for triathlon. I also got to feature as a guest on the radio station Orda FM as well as take part in a segment for one of the local Astana tv shows. I had such an amazing time doing all these activities. The hospitality and helpfulness offered from the Kazakhstan triathlon federation was absolutely amazing and Danielle, Tamsyn and I cannot thank them enough for their time.

As race day approached the cold Astana weather became an apparent factor as to whether the conditions were too extreme to race a triathlon. With the water and air temperatures only just reaching 12°C the ITU officials made the decision to shorten the swim from 1500m to 750m. Despite the shortened swim, I was still happy that we got to compete in a triathlon on the day.

Diving into the water for the race was a slight shock to the body. I had never swum in such cold water but after a couple hundred meters all my exposed body to the water went numb so the pain of the cold subsided. I had a really good swim exiting the water in the top 10. I could see that there was a small gap behind me which meant that I was in the perfect position to get into a small breakaway. I had a fast T1 and exited onto the bike in 4^th position. Soon after I found myself in a group with 8 others. We all worked hard to establish a lead on the rest of the field. Each lap our lead grew on the remaining 60 athletes chasing behind us and soon we found ourselves with a gap of over 1 minute. At this stage I was feeling confident with how the race was unfolding and looking forward to executing the run. My T2 was really quick and I came out of transition in 2^nd place right on the shoulder of the leading Frenchman, Raphael. I felt comfortable and relaxed as I started the first lap of the run and I knew I was in for a chance; I just made sure to follow Danielle’s pre-race instructions of pacing myself. Raphael and I worked together but into the final lap of the run Russian Polyanski bridged up and now it was the 3 of us ready to battle out the final 2.5km. With just under 2km remaining I went for it and tried to gap the other two which was somewhat successful as I dropped Raphael but Polyanski was still there chasing me hard. I kept on fighting and pushed on but couldn’t get rid of him. With 1km to go he attacked and I tried my best to follow but couldn’t hold on. I continued to push and crossed the line in 2^nd. I was speechless as I finished, I couldn’t believe the result but at the same time I was so happy. A race that I had executed perfectly right from the start.

I left Astana with amazing memories. I enjoyed my time there and I hope to have the opportunity to return next year. Now I have made it to my second home in Girona, Spain where I will be spending the summer. In terms of my upcoming races, nothing has been finalised however I will likely race some European World Cups and potentially some World Triathlon Series races over the coming weeks and months.

Astana World Cup race video by World Triathlon:

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As summer comes to a close here in Australia, I am slowly casting my sight overseas to the warmer countries. It isn’t long before I begin my trip to the other side of the world and I certainly am looking forward to it.

I have had a quieter summer of racing here in Australia as my focus has been to work on training, getting my body fit for the year of racing ahead. I feel that I have achieved this and I am very happy with my progress. The numbers on my TrainingPeaks (where I log my training) show that I am far fitter than I have been in previous years which gives me a lot of confidence leading into my upcoming events.

My three main races this summer have been Devonport Sprint Oceania Champs, New Plymouth World Cup and St Kilda Oceania Champs (Olympic distance).

Racing in Devonport has been a common theme over the past few years. The course there suits me quite a lot with a swim in the ocean that has the potential for some surf, a ride with a very steep hill and a reasonably flat run course. I returned back to Devonport in hope of repeating my win in 2016 and going one better than my last year’s second place finish.

My idea of a surf swim was almost non-existent on race day as the ocean was virtually flat. I was still able to get a quick start off the line and found myself rounding the swim turn buoys in first place. On the return back to shore I settled on another athletes feet to bring me back towards transition.

One thing I feel I have improved a lot on is my urgency to get through the transition area quickly, which is what I did in this race. I slipped my wetsuit off over my feet, put my helmet on and was out onto the bike in first. It wasn’t long before a front group formed on the bike and this group stayed the same for the 4 laps. Going up the hill was certainly steep (as expected) but my legs felt strong and I felt I was recovering well through the rest of the course. Onto the run and I quickly established myself towards the front of the race. It was me and fellow Australian, Brandon Copeland, running together as we extended our lead on the rest of the field. I felt relaxed and comfortable for the better half of the run but I couldn’t quite close out the race and finished in second, a result which I was satisfied with and which I feel shows the training I have completed.

Following Devonport I had about 5 weeks before heading off to New Plymouth, New Zealand, for my World Cup race. New Zealand is a country that I always love returning back to and I realise how much I love it once I am there. The field in New Plymouth was a bit stronger than that in Devonport since it was a World Cup. Like my race in Devonport, I had a strong swim and exited the water in the front group. There were about 8 of us in this group however we didn’t manage to hold off the fast moving chase pack. So our front group of 8 soon turned into a large group of about 25. Once that happened, my main priority of the ride was to make it through with doing as little work as possible to save my legs for the run. I made sure to maintain my position towards the front to avoid any casualties and came into T2 right where I wanted to be, at the front. It didn’t take long before there was a group of 8 of us running together on the run with a couple of athletes just off the front. We ran together as a group in anticipation for the final lap of the 3 lap run where we all knew it would be a big fight to the line. I tried to break the group with a couple of surges but it wasn’t enough as some of the stronger runners took off. I crossed the line in 8^th place which I was quite happy with. This is my best World Cup result to date and a great step forwards in my development.

My final main race of the summer and my most recent, St Kilda Oceania Champs, was one I was looking forward to because it is a race that is only 20 minutes from home in Melbourne. Once again my swim proved to be my strong point as I came out of the water in second position. We had a small gap on the rest of the field but once onto the bike the group turned into about 10. The bike course was really flat with straight roads which meant that everyone was exposed, including our group to the chasing group behind. After about 15 kilometres on the bike we were caught by the chasing group which made for a large peloton of about 30. I made sure to stay safe on the ride and dismounted into T2 towards the front. Out from transition I found myself in a leading pack of runners with about 6 others. I stayed with this group for most of the first lap of the run but fell off pace which meant running solo. I was able to hang tough and crossed the line in 5^thplace.

Now my preparations have begun for my overseas campaign of racing and training. The final weeks before leaving is always a bit frantic with trying to organise all the logistics of the travel making sure that everything is done before leaving. But I am excited to begin my trip in under 2 weeks, starting with a World cup race in Chengdu, China. From China, I will continue to travel through Asia into Astana, Kazakhstan where I will spend a couple of weeks training before competing in the Astana World Cup. This will be a fun experience and will satisfy my curiosity for different and interesting places. Following the Astana World Cup I will continue to my European base in Spain, Girona, where our training group will be living once again for the sunny Spanish weather.

I am yet to decide my European racing schedule with my coach but for now my focus and excitement is on my Asian World Cup races.

Here is me making friends in New Zealand.

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With the year of 2017 officially behind me, I am looking into 2018 with fresh eyes and a big motivation to achieve my new goals. At this time of the triathlon season, the main focus for me is to get through a ‘base’ phase of training that includes a few more hours of low-intensity work. I really find this time necessary as I feel that my body reacts well to this type of training and often find myself coming out feeling fit, strong and ready to tackle races.

Like previous years, I spent the end of 2017 at a training camp in an ocean town called Lorne, located along the world famous Great Ocean Road. I spent the two weeks there with my Elotik Pro squad as we got stuck into some picturesque training.

One of the highlights for me was exploring the run trails. Behind Lorne is a rainforest that backs right up to the ocean. In the rainforest there are a handful of walking trails which we used for our runs, all of which wound through the iconic Australian backdrop of tall eucalyptus trees with the occasional kangaroo bouncing about.

Not to also mention riding along the Great Ocean road, which is the stretch of road that runs past the 12 Apostles.

Being back home in the Australian summer means that it is once again race season on this side of the world. I am fortunate enough to have some local races which take place almost right at my doorstep. So far there have been 3 races from the 2xu Triathlon series. In all 3 I have raced well and taken the win. So currently I lead the series with 3 more races remaining. The next one will be in about 1 week time.

These races are always fun to take part in. For me, they are more of a training race where I can go into them having done a bit of training the week prior and try to use the race to work on my skills. But more so just to get out on a Sunday morning and have fun!

In terms of upcoming major races for this Australian summer, I have planned with my coach some key events which I will target. The first for me will be the Oceania Sprint distance Championships in Devonport, February 17^th. I have had some great races there over the past years and look forward to attacking the tough course once again. Following Devonport I will prepare myself to race the New Plymouth World Cup on the 25^thMarch. I haven’t competed here before but I look forward to returning to my home country, New Zealand, to race. 2 weeks later I will compete in the Oceania Olympic Distance which is taking place near where I am living in St Kilda.

My racing calendar for the Australian summer is reasonably light, considering in previous years I have competed a lot more whilst here at home. There is some intention to this plan as I am using the extra time to concentrate on my training and really trying to get my body strong to attack the European season. I think that having this extra time will benefit me a lot and I can already feel the improvements.

Over the next few weeks I will continue with my regular training. Soon I will start to introduce some bike criterium races which I always find really tough but really fun at the same time. There are also local open water races which I will compete in, once again to offer some great race simulation.

The year of 2018 has only just begun but I can already feel the hard work taking effect. I look forward to continuing to push myself each week and experiencing the progress.

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