TAREE triathlete Rhett Pattison is aiming for a sub 10 hour time when he makes his debut in the World Ironman Triathlon to be run at Kona, Hawaii on Saturday October 11.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"If I can do that I'll be stoked,'' Pattison said.
He turns 40 the day he flies for Hawaii with his family.
"I'll be one of the youngest in the 40-45 division so that's something I suppose,''he smiled.
This will be his first trek over the Kona course. Pattison qualified from an event at Melbourne earlier this year. While he admits training has been tough, he's looking forward to whatever Hawaii has to throw at him.
"This is something that I've wanted to do for a long time,'' he explained.
"I had to keep telling myself that when I was training on my own during winter. Especially in the long rides over the last month when it always seemed to rain.''
He'll be in Kona for a week before he races and he hopes that will be long enough to adjust to the heat. He's sought advice from a couple of race veterans to help in his preparation.
"I've spoken to Dan (Crossingham) and Richard (Sewell) about what to expect over there,'' he said.
"But really, I won't know what it will be like until the race.''
The course, he understands, isn't that technically tough.
"It's pretty flat,'' he said.
"But it's the strong winds and the heat from the lava fields that cause the problems.''
Pattison went for his last long ride on Saturday. He'll taper off this week before heading to Hawaii and will do a bit of light work next week when he arrives.
He was clocking up to 15 hours a week when training at his peak and he's confident that he's adequately prepared.
Pattison expects the 180km bike and the 42.2km run will both be arduous.
"It's going to depend on how windy it is,'' he explained.
"But I don't think anything about it is going to be easy.''
However, he'll have a bit of support on the sidelines. His family will be there along with Dan and Belinda Crossingham and Troy and Vanessa Croker.
"I'm looking forward to the day after the race,'' he said.
"We're all heading to Waikiki where we can have a real holiday.''
At this stage Pattison is in no great hurry to return to Kona. Solitary training sessions during winter are a turn off.
"This could be my swansong,'' he said.
"When I get a bit older I might think about it again, but it's not going to be for a while.''
He'll have a bit of a break after the race before preparing for the domestic triathlon season with the Forster Tri Club.
