YOURIRONGUIDE is a huge supporter of the Age
Group triathlete. All who finish an Ironman deserve the medal and also our
admiration. Again this year, we have looked through the start list to select,
with the help of Xavier Coppock (TEAM Tri), the best of the best AG athletes we
believe will figure prominently at the finish line for Ironman Western
Australia 2015 as a form guide.
What an Age Group line up! We may have a triathlon
gold medallist who also won outright an Ironman in Austria (to be confirmed), a
3 times ITU open world champion (also to be confirmed), a current IM age group
world champion, 2 ex-AFL players attempting to make the distance and a
well-known Australian actor who has made it to the World championships before. A
great line up for a great event.
Males
18 – 24 Did
finishing IMWA scare the youngest male age group from last year? The special
mention here goes to Dallon Hay who is the only one from this age group
to enter again this year. It shows how brutal Ironman can be and how hard it is
to repeat year after year. Joel Macallister showed some early form to go top 5 at
Busso 70.3 but Sam Dwyer will be the one to beat. He finished IM Melbourne 2014
with an 8:55 and won that event back to back (the first year winning his age
group by 17 minutes). He also made the top 6 in Kona back in 2013 – quality of
the field.
25
– 29 Daniel Macpherson started his Ironman journey back in 2008 at IMNZ. Many
will know him from TV shows “Neighbours” and “Dancing with the stars” but he is
a true competitor. He will be towards the very front of this Age Group. A recent fan of Daniel let us know that he would be in the next age group up this year and so this also may be a story of the same name for two different people. Sorry girls - GMac may not be in the house after all.
Margaret
River local Jarrad Bolton qualified for the World 70.3 champs in Austria this
year but may find the longer distance more of a challenge.
Special
Mention to Beau Waters (ex-West Coast Eagles AFL player). He ran 1:28 off the
bike in Rockingham for 5th in
the lead up event and could surprise many in his first ever IM. News in that
his biggest challenge is staying calm and not firing off all of the bullets
early on the bike. With local pro Katy Duffield (Duffield Ironman Twins) as a coach, he will be well prepared for the event.
30
– 34 The top 7 from last year all take a break. Barry Oelofsen will tackle his
very first IMWA. That does not mean the Exceed triathlon club pin up boy is
underprepared however following a quick turnaround from Kona this year. Coached
by Brett “doc” Sutton, Barry is all class with an 8:58 IM Melbourne this year
to qualify for the World Champs. Hopefully he will be enthusiastically cheered
on by the current open WA triathlete of the year watching her second ever
Ironman. Chris Rancie will mount a challenge. His 9:02 IM Melbourne 2015 is a
high benchmark. The third man to watch for is Brad Wall. He went 8:51 last year
on this very course and was one of the first AG on to the run. He ages up this
year but should find no issue with that as he has trained under the watchful
eye of local pro Courtney Ogden (Ogsquad). He is our pick for the win. Nathan
Doig deserves a mention as well. The AFL boundary umpire and “The Running Centre” local can really run – he will be the fast finisher shown by a 1:18
half marathon to finish IM Mandurah earlier this year.
35
– 39 This has to be one of the highest calibre 35-39 age group fields ever
assembled in Australia if they all start. Trent Chapman was 3rd
overall at IM Oz a couple of years back and comes from the Chapman stable of elite
triathletes. He is rumoured NOT to be racing but only the start line will
confirm. Rob Johnston finished 11th overall at IM Oz back in 2011.
Peter Robertson is another athlete listed to start. We believe there are two
Peter Robertsons that would both be in this age group and both from Australia.
One is a 3 time ITU world champion and has been flying around as a pro at IM
events recently. He finished 3rd outright behind Cam Brown and Tim
Van Berkel in Cairns the year it rained in 2014 and ran with the leaders for
the first 15km. The second is entered to start IMWA (but you never know which
one?). Jason Shields , an ETPA athlete, was IM Cairns champion and adds to the quality , The list does not
stop there however. Simon Johnson has plenty of Kona background and is just
plain consistent. Brad Jones and Kevin Coyle both believe their training
programs and numbers have been spot on so no excuses from them that the form is
not 100%. Travis Atkins also must be mentioned here, he went 9:01 last year and
Travis Gray (Elitesportz) has been in good form with a 45minute PB at Mandurah
70.3 recently but would need to have the race of his life to step on the
podium. The fastest age grouper on the day will come from this field and they
will push many pros – game on.
40
– 44 Mike Musk (pursuit coaching) looks a very strong contender. His first
place at Mandurah 70.3 in the lead up (4:15) would give him confidence. A 9:09
in Melbourne shows he can run out a full Ironman. Rob Wormald (Ogdogs) has
also tasted Hawaiian air on more than one occasion and is a very well drilled
athlete who will be there at the finish. His form in the water during recent
open water swim sets looks like all boxes have been ticked and a recent finish
of 3rd overall at the Rottnest Long Course has to show good signs.
Special mention to Dean Hodge (training locally with Elitesportz). His progress
on the swim and run over the last few months adds to his strength on the bike (a
BMC tmo2 we think) and he currently looks very fit according to sources at
Vault Cycle Services. Late note, Dean has had some back issues recently and may struggle to be at his best. That's Ironman unfortunately. Best wishes to you Dean.
45
– 49 Local legend, Mathew Jennings
(coincidentally also riding a BMC), hits this age group for the very first
time. He has been to Hawaii every second year for as long as we can remember
and takes racing seriously. He was in Hawaii this year just to check out the
conditions from the sidelines. He will go head to head with Matt Koorey - the
ex-Commonwealth games triathlon representative we successfully predicted last
year who returns to defend his title. Reports indicate he has struggled with a
knee injury recently following his demolition of Port Mac 70.3. That day, he
won by 14 minutes (yes, a 70.3 race won by 14 minutes). If he starts, he will
be a major contender. Arnaud Selukov finished 3rd last year after being within
a whisker of leading in to T2. He cannot be discounted either. Jason Lord adds
to the mix with a sub-9:30 to his name and rounding out the likely candidates
is Vince Zofrea who went to the big island in 2012
50 – 54 Last
year’s champ David Boyes (half of our local Ironman royal couple) is not listed to
start along with all of the top 10 from last year who go missing. Wayne Crook
finished 11th last year but would need to improve to get to the
pointy end. Daryl Harris finished 4th at Busso 70.3 and 2nd at Mandurah
70.3 This shows speed but will it mean stamina? David Cane was 3rd at IM 70.3
Busso and also in good form. Mark Sladden is the dark horse. He won an AG
category in Brazil over the full distance and has proved very capable.
#Special mention for John Cooke. He is the
quintessential Ironman who just keeps finishing race after race. This year, we
believe he will get the golden legacy ticket to go to the dream land of Hawaii.
No one is more worthy.
55
– 59 Doug Robertson from Pursuit coaching – has
great strength on the run and that can be the most important leg in an IM. He
has worked hard to improve the bike this season in preparation for this event
and should be the big improver. Another Ex-Eagles footballer, John Annear, has
also shown a liking to Ironman racing qualifying for Kona in 2012. No
questioning his fuel tank over this distance. Others in with a chance are Jeff
Blackwell (Kona 2011), David Braus who finished a 1998 Kona (yep that’s 17 years
ago) and won IM France 4 years ago. Obviously he has the pedigree. Rusty Cook –
5th IM Cairns with 9:56 is a solid contender as well. John Hill however
is the man to beat if he starts. He has had heart surgery from local reports so
may be a question mark. How many times can one person complete the Hawaii
Ironman? Ask John and he will tell you 21 times!
60
– 64 Last year’s winner Thomas Valena is back again. In the recent lead up race
in Mandurah (the 70.3) Ian Mossenson finished 1st and Steven
Bertling 2nd. Good form but will it extend in to the longer distance
– we think so and they will be near the podium. The final mention is TEAM Tri
Coaching athlete Stephen Hempel who has been in great shape recently.
65
– 69 Masaaki Horino finished top 10 in the world this year and is the quality
of the field. He should register a win if he has a trouble free event (which
never happens). Michael Besser and Theophile Resutek will improve from top 5
positions last year to fill the podium.
70
– 74 Not often do we see a current world champion at the start line. Griff
Weste took on the best of the world and won in Kona this year in just over 13
hours!!! His run split was 25 minutes faster than the elite field that day. He
has to be the favourite here. Geoff Thorsen in the reigning IMWA champ and will
be in the mix. Dieter Reithmeier goes up an age group and will make the podium
after 3rd last year.
75
– 79 John Webber 2nd in AG last year finishing 16:29 and should win
this year. He went to Hawaii and competed in the 75 – 79 AG (11 competitors).
Only 3 finished. Can he record the finish and win here? We think so!
80+
Yataka Kojima finished last year in a time of 16 hours to win the 75-79. He
went on to compete in Hawaii in the 80+ category (there were 3 in this AG). He
failed to finish in brutal conditions as an 80 year old. Can he do it here in
Busselton? We will be at the finish line to see it if he does! – What an
inspiration.
W18
– 24 Kate Vernon (Pursuit coaching – Mike Gee) will compete in her first
Ironman but latest info has her a strong contender. Her training has gone well
and with some self-belief, she will be a contender. The open win at the
Rottnest Long Course event recently also shows good form. Jacinta Wright is the
only person to go back to back at this event in this age group. She finished 5th
last year and our tip is she will be on the podium now she has tasted the distance.
25
– 29 Lisa Luckin is listed as a starter but rumours are she has withdrawn due
to injury. Lisa would have been one of the favourites. That doesn’t mean there
is no other quality here though. Kate Lahart (Irish) finished Kona back in 2012
and if the heat does not get her, will be a realistic chance. Emily Loughnan is
a dark horse. She finished 6th overall at Busso 70.3 (first in AG)
beating a number of pro girls this year. Will this translate into Ironman
distance speed though? We think so. Chantelle Oliver finished 3rd in
the 18-24 last year and steps up an age group. Libby Storm (another local pursuit
coaching athlete) was 2nd AG state champ but is known more as a short
distance specialist. She has speed but endurance is the question mark. Clondagh
Glynn (also pursuit coaching) was 2nd last year in her first ever IM
and won her age group at the local Rottnest Island long course event. Local
information tells us she has improved all legs this year for a higher placed finish.
Holly Ransom is the final hot tip to make the top 3. A great field to watch in
this age group with plenty of chances.
30
– 34 Nera Jareb was the fastest Age grouper in 2012. Now that’s smoking and
quality you can’t ignore. Rosie Oldham’s 9:32 finish to be 9th pro
at IM Melbourne in 2014 give her good credentials for the win. She is coming
off a serious bike accident but still looks in great shape. Lauren McGregor is our final tip to make up
the podium. She trains locally with Elitesportz and has had a good build from
recent reports and would love another ticket to Kona.
35
– 39 Lee Anne Flugel spent most of last year out injured. A strong bike/run
will put her amongst the front runners at the finish. Andrea Hopkins looks the
one to beat however. Rumours from a close source are that she has been smashing
training lately and if the day goes to plan, she will stand on top of the
podium. She is another TEAM Tri Coaching athlete and if her coach Xavier has it
right, she will be hard to beat.
40
– 44 Exceed triathlon club’s Janine Willis has plenty of Kona experience. She
is our pick to win this age group. Kim Dorling (5th last year) and Michelle
Gemmel (who has raced plenty of times and has many top 5 results) are the picks
to make up the first 3.
45
– 49 We will apologise in advance here as it is highly unlikely but Kate Allen
is listed to race in this age group. We do not have all of the background to
each athlete but if it is “the” KateAllen (who turns 45 this year) then she won Olympic gold at Athens in 2004.
Born in Australia and married to an Austrian, she became the first Austrian
summer Olympic gold medallist in decades. She was also first overall at IM
Austria 2003 in 8:54:01. We wish Kate all the best (which ever Kate Allen it
is). Michelle Boyes moves up an AG this year. She finished 3rd at
the world champs in October and is the standout.
Special
mention to Carrie Crane who also epitomises the Ironman tradition and rumours
are that she will qualify for a legacy slot this year – good luck Carrie.
50
– 54 Helen Vagnoni has been
smiling her way through training as per usual. She has been twice to Kona and a
great chance here to notch a win. Margaret Tremayne (5th. last year) will look to improve and Karen
Taverner (2nd in a Cairns 70.3 earlier as a warm up) will hope to
take race pace in to this event and complete the podium.
Special mention to Anna Woodhouse who
continues to work hard for a finish to this event every year. She has a strong
determination which captures the Ironman spirit.
55
– 59 Karen Scott has run plenty of marathons and finished plenty of Ironmans. She
is well travelled and a good competitor. Jillian Burns listed as GBR but has
raced as UAE competitor and won her age group over 70.3 distance ids the other
contender in this AG..
60
– 64 Hisako Yagi will look to improve from a solid 3rd last year to
a win in AG this year. Mirium Nielson will also improve for second place.
65
– 69 The oldest female competitor this year is Ann Grundy. Crossing the finish
line will give her the win and everyone’s admiration.