I wish there were some bigger waves on some of the courses we tackle; the majority of our swimming legs are in lakes. I’m pretty laid back and relaxed in a swim leg. I exit the water almost always first in an Xterra race.”

ON THE RUN

“At first my running training is very slow; I do a lot of slow, steady miles in order to be able to build a base. Then I use that base to do some intense work and that’s where I get my speed. It’s just about aiming your strength and endurance to be able to last the distance and be able to maintain a really fast, quality run. I’ll usually run about 110-120km each week, or between 16-24km a day. That’s in a base phase, but in between races I back it off to between 80-90km a week.

“During running training I just try and concentrate on my stride rate, technique, form, making sure I’m running upright, looking straight ahead. Although, when you’re running off-road, you really need to pay attention to the terrain and where you’re putting your feet on the ground, and make sure that you have a really good platform underneath.”

BIG WHEELS

“I ride a Giant XTC 29. It’s just phenomenal. It’s the best carbon-fibre frame you can get; really light and stiff for when you’re climbing up steep, technical climbs. It handles really well

on rough courses.

“The 29er is a larger-diameter-wheeled bike, too. We used to ride the 26-inch-wheel bike, but with the technology that Giant has put into the bikes, they’ve found that a bigger diameter has better rolling resistance compared to the 26-inch. The bigger wheel allows the bike to roll a lot faster and easier and over technical sections. A lot of my competitors use the 29-inch wheel bike, too.

In saying that, with the latest technology that’s coming out now, Giant has done a lot of testing and has found the bike in the middle, the 27.5, is even more advanced than the 29.

I’ll be riding one of those come next year.”