My last race of the season has come to a close. It was not the day I was hoping for, but I am glad I made the trip out to Clearwater to compete.

The competition this year was amazing and a lot of the pros brought their “A” game. The pace of the swim and the bike would have blown up the competition every other year, but for some reason 40 guys managed to hold on for those disciplines. It was spectacular. We were riding at 47km/hr (29miles/hr) for the 90km bike—and this was not because of the drafting. It was a relatively clean race, but the advantage of riding 10 meters apart is still an advantage, but totally legal. It was not until the run where everyone started to pay, including me—and pay big-time I did!

I tried to make a move with 30km to go on the bike, but I guess I had a big target on my back and was not able to sneak away. My apologies to the other 3 guys (Philip Graves, Fraser Cartmel, and Andrew Starykowwicz) for getting stuck with me. They were riding strong and I am sure a break would have lasted under different circumstances.

I was still in contention for a strong top-ten finish with 5km to go. The mind wanted it, but the body just wouldn't respond. I suppose Kona was still a little in my legs and the lack of quality speed work was not ideal given the speed of the field.

I eventually groveled home because there were no cars in sight to hitch a ride with and the spectators and volunteers kept my spirits high. My position at the end of the day was, well, worse than I thought it was, so let's just not talk about it.

Instead we should talk about Michael Raelert of Germany. His older brother Andreas finished second to me last year at this event and went on to a third-place finish at the Ironman World Championships in Kona this year. Michael had a great race today, which he finished off with a 1:09:05 half-marathon run that gave him a finish time of 3 hours, 34 minutes—6 minutes faster than my world record last year. Congratulations to you both and everyone else who made it to the finish today.

I have now packed my bike and sent it off for a courier, as it is vacation time for the next 2 weeks. Thanks to everyone for all the support over the past year. For me it has been an exciting 8 months that would not have been possible without all the help and support from a large number of people. You all know who you are, so thanks big-time!

So tomorrow is the Half Ironman World champs here in Clearwater Beach, Florida. I am entering the race as defending champion with the race number 1 on my back.

Recovery after Kona has gone well and I have managed to get a few speed workouts done, so my body should be in shape and ready to go when we kickoff tomorrow.

We start at 6:45 Eastern Standard Time, which is the middle of the night back in New Zealand. You can follow the race on www.ironman.com or my Twitter at http://twitter.com/terenzo1. I will also get an update posted as soon as I can after the race.

Well, this is the last race of the season for me, so hopefully I can go out with a bang not a bomb!

Looking ahead to the Half Ironman World Championships in Florida

I am currently back in beautiful New Zealand. It is great to be home, even if it is only for a short time after a busy year of training and racing on the road. My debut at the Ironman World Championships was 3 weeks ago in Kona, Hawaii. The conditions out there are like nowhere else. The winds can blow you off your bike, the temperatures can hit triple digits with 80% humidity—and let’s not forget the sharks!

I had spent the 7 weeks leading up to Kona training on the island with the 2007 World Champion Chris “Macca” McCormack. His knowledge was invaluable and we had a great time drilling each other into the ground. I was as prepared as I could be.

When race day rolled around, everything started unfolding great. I came out of the 3.8km swim in a good position, road the 180km bike well, and came off with the main group of guys. Then it was onto the 42km run. I ran the first half in 7th place and was on the verge of cracking into the top 5 when my body started to shut down, and I started to run backwards. The fluids and foods I was taking in were not going through my body. Instead they were just sitting in my gut. When I eventually crossed the finish line in 11th position my whole body had swollen terribly. All in all, I had a great time in the race and learned a lot that will help me in future years to achieve my goal of being the World Ironman Champion.

2009 has been an interesting year. I started off the season with the New Zealand Ironman down in Taupo. This was my first time racing the full Ironman distance. I had a great day and came in second behind 8-time winner Cameron Brown. From there I went to train and compete in the United States to escape winter in New Zealand. Between April and July, I competed in 5 events in the U.S. (3 firsts, a second, and a something else) and another Ironman in Germany, which also doubled as the European Ironman Championships. The competition in Germany was great—probably the second toughest Ironman outside of the World Championships. But the spectators where even more amazing. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets, and there was seldom a quiet moment out on the course. I ended up having a tough day, but still finished 9th.

After a good rest following Ironman Germany, I was ready to prepare for the big race in Kona. So after 4 weeks at home, I was back on the road and off to the Philippines. This was one of the highlights of my year. It was an inaugural event, yet the entire experience was world-class, and we were all treated like rock stars. The temperatures were a little hotter than the Ironman in Hawaii, so it was good preparation. Among the top competitors racing where Cameron Brown and Chris McCormack. I managed to have a great race and come away with the victory.

Now I’ve been home from Kona for 3 weeks, and I’m preparing to leave for my final race of the season: the World Half Ironman Championships in Florida. I am returning to the event as defending champion, but with only 5 weeks between this race and the Ironman World Champs, I am a little unsure of my expectations. I will be sure to fill you in on my return. In the meantime, here’s a 3 News interview (http://www.3news.co.nz/Bozzone-eyes-up-next-ironman-title/tabid/317/articleID/127671/cat/70/Default.aspx) I did while back home here in New Zealand. Enjoy.

My race recap of this exciting inaugural half-Ironman triathlon

Feel it HOT, HOT, HOT! That basically sums up my trip to the Philippines. The weather was hot, the people were great and had warm personalities, and the place was amazing. We were treated like rock stars and the venue for the race was beautiful. The Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 was truly put on at a world-class level, which is an amazing achievement for an inaugural race. Plus, I hate it in cold weather when I can’t feel my toes after the bike—so bring on the heat!

Onto a quick summary of the race. The pro field, although small, was definitely high quality with Cameron Brown, Chris Macca McCormack, Pete Jacobs, and Tim Mar summing up the male pros. But with the prize money only going three deep, it was going to be a fight until the end. The swim kicked off at 7 a.m. The pace was controlled as we all knew how hard the day ahead of us was going to be. Jacobs led most of the way on the 2-loop course around the wake board park—which I will come back to later.

All five of us where out of the water together, and it was onto the 90km bike. I had a shocker of a transition losing both of my shoes getting on the bike. I quickly fixed this and caught back up. Most of the ride was steady, except for when Brownie made a break for it at about 30km. He managed to keep away for a good 20km, but we soon reeled him back in. The crowds out on the bike and run course where huge. Thousands of locals were out there supporting and cheering. It reminded me of Ironman Frankfurt where there were half a million spectators.

Then it was off for the 21km run. The course was pretty flat, but the temperature was well over 30’C. Macca left transition at a crazy pace that I didn’t match. He gained a 30-second lead, but was always in my sights. At about 7km, I caught back up. We ran together for 5km. Brownie was not too far behind, and we were dying. We ran through aid stations trying to collect as much fluid and gels as we could to hydrate and cool ourselves down. I got a bit of a gap on Macca and didn’t want to slow, as I knew Brownie was close and he looked like he was running fast. I made the last turnaround at 15km and was homeward bound, but then I really started to struggle. I managed to hang on for the win, but my insides were cooking. Macca stuck it out for 2nd and Brownie came in 3rd. I guess if you count Macca’s Maori heritage, you can say kiwi’s 1/2/3. As for the women, we had Lisa Bentley 1st, Gina Kehr 2nd, and Charlotte Paul 3rd.

Once the race was over, we all had a go at the wake board park. What fun! I will try to get a picture of the insane move that I managed to pull. But when shown how to do it by the pros—and governor LRay of Camsur—my trick looked almost invisible.

All in all, a great trip. The community really got behind the event and put on an awesome show. I can’t wait to come back next year. Now it’s off to Kona.

Counting the hours until racing my next half-Ironman

I just arrived in Camsur, Philippines today. The weather is super hot and humid, which is great because the fat is just dripping off my body—or at least the fluid is. The Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 is on Sunday. Although the pro field is not that large, the quality is definitely here with Chris McCormack, Cameron Brown, Timothy Mar, and Pete Jacobs competing. Check out the race Web site  where you can vote for Macca, Brownie, or me in the “Clash of the Tri-Tans.” At the moment, I am in second behind Macca. Brownie, however, could be the man to watch on race day with his great results in half-Ironman distance races this year. But you should still vote for me!

I spent the past week training in Cronulla, Sydney with Macca. What a great place to train and hang out. Our group included Paul Ambrose, an up and coming pro you should watch out for. We had a great time and drank enough coffee to last us a lifetime. Chris’s family—Emma, Tahlia (5), and Sienna (3) were good fun. Thanks for having me, guys.

Unfortunately, I finished off the training week there with a bit of a bike crash. Actually it was a pretty bad crash. I was going about 50km/hr and hit a pot hole about 10 minutes from home. I did a great Superman impression, flying over the handlebars. Luckily my head broke the fall. Even luckier, I had my Specialized helmet on. I managed to get a lift back to the house from a kind person and got patched up. Then I packed my bags and got ready for the flight up to Manila on Philippines Airlines.

Things are starting to loosen up now. One of Macca’s advisers, who is also a muscle therapist, is up here with us and he has been looking after me. I should be back in fine form come Sunday.

If you live in or around Maryland, you likely know about the Eagleman Half-Ironman Triathlon held on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. But if you are from outside the area, you may not be privy to one of triathlon’s best-kept secrets.

Often heralded as the opening race of the triathlon season, Eagleman draws a number of professional triathletes looking to qualify for the Kona Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. And the 2009 race is no different.

Twenty-seven professional triathletes will descend on Cambridge, MD, for their chance at Kona. Heading the list is Ironman 70.3 World Champion Terenzo Bozzone. The ARX-sponsored pro heads back to Eagleman looking to take care of some unfinished business after a penalty in 2008 cost him the race.

Bozzone is joined by fellow male pros Paul Amey (2008 Eagleman winner), Richie Cunningham, Mike Caiazzo, and Chris McDonald, among others. Included in the female professional race are 6-time Ironman Kona Champion Natascha Badmann, Mirinda Carfrae, and Desiree Ficker, just to name a few.

To learn more about the 2009 Eagleman Half-Ironman Triathlon, visit www.tricolumbia.org/Eagleman/. For more information on Terenzo Bozzone and ARX, visit www.fastertomorrow.com.

I guess in this line of work—just like in any line of work—you have good days and you have bad days. This past weekend at the Wildflower Half Ironman in California, I had one of those bad days at the office.

The week started off great. After flying back to the west coast following my race in Florida, we headed down to Specialized Bikes in Morgan Hill. Although I didn’t get any product, I felt like a kid at Christmas as I got to hang out with the engineers and designers and look at the new bikes and equipment that will be coming out later in the year. I can’t wait.

The race started off great, too. I swam well and was out of the water not too far behind Andy Potts (one of the fastest swimmers in our sport). I then jumped onto the bike and began riding strong, at least that is what my SRM (power meter) said. But for some reason, there was a bigger group of guys than usual pushing the pace—and they didn’t slow for the whole 90km. We soon bridged the gap to Potts, but Bjorn Anderson had started to put some time onto us and was riding into the distance. We got about 75 percent through the course and hit one of the big climbs. To illustrate how fast we rode up the hill, Chris Lieto (a great biker) had put about 1 minute into the group in about 10km, yet halfway up the climb we had already caught him. Surely he was meant to be riding away from us? But these guys were racing up the hill like it was a 40km bike race. I probably should have backed off but I didn’t want to lose time, so I pushed it to stay with them.

We soon got off the bike and headed out onto the 21km hilly run. Potts and I were running shoulder to shoulder. I wasn’t feeling great, so after a mile I backed off the pace and thought he would come back to me. I was finding my rhythm and my legs were starting to feel okay until I hit the hill at mile 4 and had to slow to a walk. I think a drink bottle that I lost at the start of the bike was a bigger problem than I originally thought. It had all my calories in it.

I tried to keep going the best I could, but it was ending up like last year’s race where I blew up big-time. On the course, we passed a road that would have been a shortcut to the finish line and that is where I wanted to go, but I couldn’t do that so I just kept plowing through the run—almost running backwards. I went from 2nd place with a comfortable lead on the rest of the field down to 8th place.

This was definitely a race that I would like to forget, but after looking at how last year unfolded after getting thrashed at this same race I am sure the rest of the year will go okay. And maybe my weekend was not that bad after all, when I compare it to the troubles others had: Dixie, a great lady who helps organize the event slipped on the grass on Friday and broke her ankle. My buddy Chris Boudreaux was having a great race, then hit a pothole at full speed and pulled his back out and couldn’t finish. Another friend James Cotter hurt his back and was having trouble moving the days leading up to the race. And last but not least, James Bowstead was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the femur 10 days out from IM New Zealand and was meant to be up here training and racing with me but is still not back running.

It was still a fun weekend. A couple of my sponsors, ARX/Faster Tomorrow, Aqua Sphere, and Specialized, had a presence at the expo and I had a good time hanging out with them. Next stop for me and Kelly is the Columbia Olympic Distance Triathlon in Maryland on May 17th.

My race-day recap

On Saturday the 7th of March 2009 in my home country of New Zealand, in front of a spectacular crowd down in Taupo, I competed in and completed my first full-distance Ironman. I now know how it got its name! It was one of the toughest days of my life, not only because of the physicality of the event, but also because of how the event plays with your mind and tries to destroy you in any way it can. 

The day started at 4 a.m. for me when I got up and my beautiful girlfriend cooked me breakfast in bed (I can’t get her to do that for me at 6:30 a.m. most of the time). I then did a small bike and run warmup from our motel before heading down to transition to get body numbered and put air in my tires. The gun went off at 6:45, 15 minutes in front of the age-groupers. I tried my hardest to stay next to Brent Foster, who is an awesome swimmer, but that didn’t last long. A small bunch of 7 formed and we chugged around the 3.8km swim. Unfortunately Cameron Brown had been working on his swimming and we were unable to brake him. From then I knew it was going to be an interesting day.

Once I put on my arm warmers and socks (it was a little bit cold), we started the journey on our 180km bike. Here is the thing with Ironman: The pace actually feels reasonably easy for the first half, but the second half feels like death. I was honestly ready to get off my bike after lap 1 and call it a half Ironman! Eventually the second lap did start and I managed to get my special needs bag, which had a couple drink bottles and a Snickers bar in it, without too much trouble. There were 4 of us rotating the lead. Although we were not getting an advantage from sitting 10-15m behind the person in front, it was a great mental break to be able to ride and look at others rather than riding at the front with only bare road in front of you.

With 45km to go Dirk Bockel made a break for it, then at 40km to go Cameron Brown started to pull away and I couldn’t do anything about it. This was my first bad patch of the day. All I could do was concentrate on pedaling and count down the km’s. After eating my Snickers bar and drinking 2 bottles of Pepsi, I started to climb out of my slump and was able to ride properly again, breaking away from the remaining 2 guys in our group. Now the bike was over. But how the hell am I meant to run a marathon is what was going through my mind. Truthfully it was the crowd that started me off. The cheers were so loud that I couldn’t hear my body moaning at me, so all I could do was run. Brownie was 45 seconds up the road and Dirk had managed to stretch out to a 5 minute 30 second lead. For the first 10km Brownie was in my sights. We were both running quicker than we should have been, but he wasn’t pulling away. At about 12km that all changed. Heading back into town on the first lap I was hurting but I couldn’t give up because members of my support crew were turning up everywhere—and there was no way I was going to walk in front of them!

At the end of the first lap, Dirk was still up 4 min and Brown had stretched out to just over 2 minutes. All I could do was run my pace and keep my rhythm. I guess this is what they call the Ironman shuffle! With 10kms to go Dirk was only 2 minutes up the road and Brown had taken the lead and was showing his class by not slowing down at all in the grueling 42km. Dirk, also a first-time Ironman athlete, who was running time into Cam and me for the first 10km was now starting to struggle. He was walking through aid stations and I could see him coming closer and closer. With about 6km to go I passed him and all I could think about was making it to the last 2.5km where I knew the crowd would carry me home. And that is what they did. The pavement was lined with massive amounts of people and out of the corner of one eye I saw Harold, the mascot for Life Education. What an awesome surprise. I wasn’t sure how much time I had put into Dirk so I couldn’t slow and start high-fiving people because I felt like I would trip up or do something stupid in my almost comatose state.

Finally I was in the finish chute and all the pain and suffering from the day was a distant memory. I had done it. I had worked through all the mental barriers and made it to the finish.  What a day! And 2nd behind Cameron Brown—well that’s ok, for now.

Congratulations to everyone who finished the race, inside or out of the cut-off time. You are my inspiration. Seeing you guys out there still giving your all when most people have tucked into bed to call it a day—that is what Ironman is all about. And thanks to everyone who has been part of my preparation for this event. There is no way I would be where I am now without your help and support.

In a record-setting time of 3:40:10, our ARX-sponsored triathlete Terenzo Bozzone won the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Clearwater, Florida, on Saturday, November 8. Despite breaking his hand three weeks ago, Terenzo was able to best almost 1,500 of the world’s most accomplished triathletes in this increasingly popular triathlon distance, which includes a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, and 13.1-mile run. We are proud that Terenzo was able to win such a decisive championship victory so soon after joining the Faster Tomorrow family.
 
Our mission at Faster Tomorrow is to help endurance athletes achieve peak performance through solid science and optimal nutrition. And through our flagship product ARX, a blend of all-natural ingredients proven to increase endurance and shorten recovery time, we hope to enable endurance athletes of all ages and abilities to always be primed to train hard and reach their performance goals. Terenzo has been taking ARX for roughly seven weeks, and we are thrilled to have a top athlete like him credit the product for helping him. Faster Tomorrow’s advisory board member Matt Fitzgerald got the chance to talk with Terenzo shortly after the race. Here’s what Terenzo had to say about his incredibly successful 2008 season and his record-setting win in Florida.
 
Faster Tomorrow: You had an up-and-down season that began with the disappointment of not being selected for your country’s [New Zealand’s] Olympic team. What did it mean to you to finish the 2008 season on such a high note?

Terenzo Bozzone: Nothing compares to winning the Ironman 70.3 World Championship. It’s the biggest achievement I’ve ever accomplished, and it’s been a goal of mine for the last three years.

FT: How were you able to break through this year after coming up short in your first two tries at the Ironman World Championship 70.3?

TB: I learned to pace myself better over longer distances. You have to race your race. You can’t race a non-drafting half-Ironman the way you race a draft-legal World Cup. You have to stay in control from start to finish. Even if I hadn’t won in Florida, if I had raced my own race and done everything perfectly, I would be happy.

FT: What’s the most important lesson you learned as a triathlete in 2008?

TB: Again, to race my own race. I went to [the Ford Ironman World Championship in] Kona this year to work as a spotter and I noticed that the leaders who didn’t race their own race, but instead raced against others, paid for it in the later stages of the run. The longer you go, the more important it is just to do what you can do and not try to do more.

FT: Would you say you improved most in swimming, cycling, or running in 2008?

TB: After the Olympic disappointment, I didn’t have to swim as much, because the swim is not as important in non-drafting races. You have to be pretty well balanced to excel at the half-Ironman distance, because so many of the top guys are strong in all three sports. If you’re not at the same level you’re going to be playing catch-up, and you don’t want to put yourself in that position. Because I worked so hard on my swimming in the first part of the year I was able to cut back in the summer and maintain my performance while focusing on the bike and the run.

FT: What do you do to promote recovery in training?

TB: Recovery is huge. It’s pretty much what determines your success. If you’ve had a hard workout, the faster you can recover, the sooner you can have your next hard workout. I assess how successful a training block was by how many key workouts I was able to fit into it. In my most recent training block I was using your muscle recovery supplement ARX, and it helped tremendously. I was waking up in the morning and thinking, “Gee, maybe I didn’t go hard enough yesterday, because my legs aren’t that sore!”

FT: How do you deal with the mental aspect of the sport, especially in terms of staying motivated?

TB: The mental part of triathlon is very important. The physical part is easy, in a way. You just do the work. But sometimes you wake up in the morning and you’re tired and just not there mentally. For me it helps to remember my goals. Nothing is worse than finishing a race and knowing you didn’t perform as well as you should have because you didn’t work hard enough. I like to remind myself of that on the days when I’m not feeling motivated and it gets me out the door.

But most often when I find myself struggling with the mental side of things it’s because I’m overtraining. Lack of motivation is my body’s way of telling me I need a break. I know something’s wrong when I don’t want to train, because I love to train. It’s what I live for.

FT: Finally, Terenzo, is there any advice you’d like to share with your fellow endurance athletes who are reading this interview?

TB: Strength is a big part of this sport. The longer you go, the stronger you have to be. To build strength you need to put in the long miles, climb lots of hills, and hit the gym a bit as well. But if you want the real secret, you have to come train with me in New Zealand!

FT: Be careful. You don’t want too many people to take you up on that invitation, do you?

TB: Nah. The more, the merrier!