TORQUAY’S IRONMEN READY FOR HAWAII

The 2011 Hawaiian Ironman triathlon left Torquay’s Ben O’Neill with heat stroke.

He finished in a time of 10 hours and 13 minutes, but he said he feels better prepared for this year’s event, which will be held in October.

Ben and three other Torquay locals, including brother-in-law Ricky Leyonhjelm, 27, Nathan Taylor, 45, and Grant Hornsby, 40, will set off to compete in one of Ironman’s most trying events covering a course that consists of a 3.8-kilometre swim, 180-kilometre bike ride and a 42-kilometre run in 30 plus degree heat and around 50 per cent humidity.

“I’ve grown up in a family watching mum and dad compete in triathlons. When we were kids we used to go and watch, we were born into it,” Ben said.

“I’d done triathlons before but that was my first Hawaiian Ironman and I completed it in 10 hours and 13 minutes, I came 16th in my age group. This year I’m hoping to get around 9 hours 30 minutes.

“I’m much better prepared. I’ve built a heat chamber at home where I get the temperature up to 40 degrees and have a treadmill and stationary bike in there.

“The first year I arrived two days in Hawaii before the event and got really bad heat stroke and sunburn during the race. This time I’m getting there two and a half weeks before.”

To prepare for the gruelling course on October 13 across Kailua-Kona, Ben said the group had been getting up most mornings (three weeks on/one week off) at 4.30am ready to train.

“We’re riding up to 400 kilometres a week, swimming up to 10 kilometres a week and running anywhere between 70 to 100 kilometres. We’ve been doing that for the past 12 weeks.

“On the weekends we’ll ride anywhere on the Great Ocean Road from Torquay to Apollo Bay. I’ve done a lot more training in heat and humidity in preparation.”

Ben said after qualifying in September he began training intensely and loved pushing the boundaries of his body.

“In 2011 I was unprepared and had a moment where I wanted to stop, it’s usually mental and it doesn’t last long. In that race seven years ago on the bike I felt like I had to pull out, once I stopped at an aide station I was able to push through,” he said.

“I’m very competitive and I like to push my body to its limits. At the start of the race there’s over 2000 people, it’s like a washing machine. There’s lots of people on top of one another so I go out pretty hard at the start to avoid that.”

As the October 13 event edges closer, Ben said he’d passed on his personal experience to his brother and the event would be a family affair.

“My advice to my brother-in-law was not to get sunburnt. He’s watched the race so many times, so he knows what it’s like. My sister, my wife, her parents and my parents are all coming over.

“I’m hoping this year to place in the top 10 of my age group. I came 16th last time and this time around I feel a lot better prepared. I’ll be wearing full body garments and I’ve got a better bike.”