Joe Gambles takes us through his Port Macquarie 70.3 Triathlon win

Joe Gambles is seen as Australia’s leading 70.3 professional triathletes and also occasionally breaks course records for races such as Ironman Wisconsin last year in his first-ever attempt at the Ironman distance. He is the consummate professional and a really nice guy. It was great to see him racing here in Australia as he usually sticks to living and racing in USA. He sent us in an email about his race last week in Port Macquarie after jetting straight back to the States to do some sponsors work and get back in to the swing of things.

It was my first half Ironman race of the season and my first in Australia for some time. Because of this, I was a little nervous but excited to see if all the hard work I had put in over the summer was going to pay off! It was a strong field with the likes of 10 times Ironman NZ champion Cameron Brown racing as well as a strong contingent of Aussies. I swam okay but I knew that the race would play out on the windy and rough roads of Port Macquarie.

Read: Joe Gambles 4th at 2010 Ironman 70.3 World Championship

The race quickly split up on the bike leaving four of us out in front through the halfway mark of the bike. I felt comfortable and at the 75km mark, I sensed fatigue from the other athletes so I made my move.

Going into the race this hadn’t been my plan but it was an opportunity so I took it. I managed to open up a 90 second lead off the bike which was a nice buffer with many strong runners trying to chase me down.  I settled in quickly onto the run and managed to increase my lead to around 4 minutes through the half way. At this point I just tried to stay relaxed and hold form. The last few km’s were tough but the energy of the crowd got me across the line.

I am now back in the USA and will be until the end of the year. My main focus this year will be on World Championships 70.3 in Las Vegas in September. I will then contest my first Hawaii Ironman in October.

There is a lot for me to learn about this race as it is different from every other race with the conditions that Hawaii throws at the athletes are brutal. In the lead up to these World Championship events I will race the following triathlons: Rev3 Knoxville, Rev3 Quassy, Boulder 5150, Vineman 70.3, Boulder 70.3.

It will be a busy year!

Joe Gambles recent results