One of my favourite Half Ironman races has been and gone! Busso 70.3 definitely just keeps getting bigger and better and Saturday was no exception!

Guy and I made the 2 hour drive south on Thursday and it was great not to have to fly and pack up a bike to travel this time. Just get it in the back of the car! Thursday involved a school visit at Busselton Primary School, then the evening was a chat with the Pro’s, where I must admit I even learnt a thing or two from all the other amazing athletes.

Friday was a normal pre race day, a little cycle, Pro Press Conference, Swim with the Pro’s, registration, race briefing, bike check in, then feet up, carbo load and relax! The rain came down and appeared to get heavier and heavier as the day went on! As normal, there was not much sleep happening the night before the race, I watched a movie, read a book, but still I was wide awake! Guy however, was sound asleep which made me even more frustrated!! 🙂

During the night the rain came down….heavy! Thunder, lightening, you name it! It was going to be an interesting race if this kept up!

But race morning I could see the stars, but the wind was up and I could hear the waves and the ocean crashing from where we were!

Race start..7am and we were on our way! There was swell that was making it hard to see the next buoy. I took the wrong line to the first one and had to work hard to get myself back up front. Lisa had already made her way to the lead and I found myself on Felicity’s feet. That is where I was going to stay! On the way back though, due to the lack of visibility, we did find ourselves back in close to the shore and a boat came to direct us back out to sea and to the turning buoy! I swear we swum closer to 2.5km’s!

Onto the bike, and everything was going to plan. Now it was time to ride! But within the first 500m and trying to change gears, I had nothing! There was nothing happening! I was devastated! My gears were not changing and I was stuck. I began to slow down thinking I needed a mechanic fast, otherwise this race was over. Belinda went flying by fast and then bang….the gears were working and it was on again! Yah!!! Lets ride!

I love the Busselton course, it is so easy to break down into sections, get your head down and just time trial! Between 15 – 20km we had past and overtaken Michelle and Felicity and it was Belinda and I trying to limit the damage Lisa was doing up in front. She was riding strong!

The wind was picking up and the ride into town was tough! It was going to be even tougher on the second lap! But maybe it would be a good chance to put time into those fast runners coming from behind!

Off the bike and Belinda and I came in together, she was incredible giving me words of wisdom as we headed out together on the 21km run! I was off!

I knew what Felicity was capable off and what she ran last year and I was thinking to myself I may have needed another minute to hold her off. But who knows! Right now I was going to just run the best that  can!

I felt strong and ran the first lap solid. I was gaining time on Lisa, and Belinda and Michelle were running in 3rd and 4th. There was a tail wind out, head wind running back on the run course, so a solid effort was needed heading back into town. I was on top of my nutrition and having coke and water at every aid station. I was actually really enjoying myself and having fun! At about the 12 km mark I made the pass on Lisa and it was exciting to have the Female Leader bike in front of me! It is a dream to win this race, at home, and now I found myself in that position.

With 7km to go I made the final turn and as to be expected, there was Felicity less than 60 secs behind me! Whatever I had left was coming out now!!

I held her off until 3.5km to go! But unfortunately I was not able to match her run speed and less than 50 seconds separated us in the end! But wow….I loved that finish line! It was amazing! I took my time to high five as many people as possible, including mum and dad and take it all in! I was grinning from ear to ear!

Yes, I had finished 2nd, but I had a fantastic day! It was fun, the crowd support was amazing and I had a solid swim, bike and run! Congratulations to Felicity she timed her run to perfection! It was great for West Aussies to finish first and second!

Super Ruth had an amazing day taking 45 mins of her time from last year on a harder day! It was so exciting to see her cross the finish line!

I can’t believe the time has come and Guy and I are packing up this week for our USA adventures! It is Boise time!

I have had an amazing start to the year and could not have done it without all the incredible support of family, friends and sponsors!

K-Swiss, Novatron, FELT, SRAM, Quarq Power, Rolf Prima Wheels, GU, blueseventy, Ryders Eyewear, Paul Newsome SwimSmooth, Swish Design, Lazer Helmets, Computrainer, Recovery Pump,Rock Tape, Churchill Cycles, Simone at Nutrition works, Mark Eden for my massage, Coach Jeff Shilt and Triathlon Western Australia!

Mum, dad, Guy and Super Ruth all deserve a special mention! It has been a busy start to the season with many ups and downs, but because of you all when it has mattered I have been able to put it together and have a great day doing what I love! I can not thank you enough and can’t wait to see you in Boise some time this year!