runningcoachsg: May 2012

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Tripta Kaur - First time running Sundown Half-Marathon 2012

Note:

If you are keen and have queries, please contact Coach Rameshon at 9100 4369 or you can email him at m.rameshon@gmail.com or swift.rameshon@gmail.com. Please refer to website http://flexifitness.com.sg (for more information on him and his programmes)

By Rameshon
Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Written By Marcel Sng

A mother's wish came true when her two daughters ran and completed the Sundown half-marathon. For the mother, one of her daughter by the name of Tarandeep, 25, a Nomura banker by profession, did 1hr 51min 45sec with minimum training while her other younger daughter by the name of Tripta did 2hr 33min and completed the run for the first time.

Since it was the first time for Tripta to run the race, I decided to interview her so that this could motivate inactive people to take up running as a lifetime pursuit. I realised that Tripta just took up running only 3 months ago. From not running much, Tripta signed up for the half-marathon and succeeded in completing. I believe that many girls and women out there could get motivated after listening to her interview to exercise for life. She has lost some weight recently and she is very happy with that. I just hope that Tripta will continue running doing personal best of sub-2 hours for the half-marathon, in the future.

An Interview With Tripta Kaur

Have you run a marathon?

Yes, this is my first race! I ran my half-marathon in the Sundown Marathon 2012.

What made you take up running?

I wanted to do something to stay healthy that I could enjoy without getting bored.

Can you share with us in detail of the run you did today. ?

I decided that I wanted to have fun, this being my first race. However, it was quite painful as I injured my toes recently and the impact was painful! I got a stitch after the first 3km and it lasted till about the 15 km mark. After that, it went away and it was easier to run.

Who is your inspiration in running?

I do not have an external inspiration. I just run for myself.

Are you influenced by your mother and sister to run?

My sister influences me to run as she trains very often and quite hard.

Has running benefited you? If yes, in what ways?

Yes, it has benefitted me. I feel like I have some kind of outlet to
release stress and I like the fact that it makes me stronger.

Will you be running in the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore, this

year?

Yes, I will be running it in December. I am not sure if I will be running 21 or 42 km as I am a fairly new runner.

Any suggestions that you want to say to the organiser to improve the run?

I think that the trails could be more clearly marked and hopefully at an earlier time as 12.30 is very late!

www.runningcoachsg.com

Note:

By Narayanan
Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’ by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec).

He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Bintan Triathlon 2012 - Brendan Lee Comes in Second

Note:

If you are keen and have queries, please contact Coach Rameshon at 9100 4369 or you can email him at m.rameshon@gmail.com or swift.rameshon@gmail.com. Please refer to website http://flexifitness.com.sg (for more information on him and his programmes)

Written By Marcel Sng

Picture - 1 - Result speaks for itself for Brendan who took part in Olympic Distance.

Brendan Lee took part in Bintan Triathlon 2012 (Indonesia) and came in 2nd in his age category in Men Open. This is the feather in the cap for Flexifitness as Brendan, although he has been very busy doing an internship for so long, was able to deliver by coming in second. I am happy to have a training partner like Brendan. We wish him good luck in the future. http://www.bintantriathlon.com/race-results.php

How did you train for the race?
I swam 3x a week, bike 3x a week and ran 4x a week to prepare for the race.

Did you have enough time to prepare for the race?

I did not have enough time to prepare for the race as I was only confirmed for the team about 5 weeks from the race and could only train properly for about 3 weeks.

What kind of time were you going for?

Due to my lack of preparation, I expected a time between 2.32 to 2.35. Which is the same or slightly slower than my time last year.

What is your next goal?

I will be on an exchange program till the beginning of next year and will probably only do some recreational races while I'm in Europe.

Will you be taking part in Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon 2012?

No. I will still be overseas during that period.

Will you be taking part in Ironman in the future?

I intend to do an Ironman down the road but perhaps not in the next 2 years. Doing an Ironman requires serious commitment to training for at least 6 months and I do not foresee myself having that much time in the next year.

What is your long term goal for your life goal?
My long term goal is to be fit and healthy and take part in the triathlon, cycling and running races for as long as possible. Although probably not at an elite level.

Are you happy with the time?

I did a 2.35 which falls in line with what I was aiming for. In addition, I was knocked down by a car one week before the race while I was out cycling and injured my hand as a result. Given those circumstances, I guess I am happy with my result.

www.runningcoachsg.com

Note:

By Narayanan

Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’ by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec).

He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Flexifitness Athlete Tarandeep Does 1:51:45 in Sundown

Note:

Written By Marcel Sng

A Filipino by the name of Mary Joy Tabal, 22, came first in Women Open 21km race in 1hr 25min 28sec. Briton Susan Arbuthnott, 38, won the Women's 42km with a time of 3hr 23min 2.08sec. In the 10km for Women Anne Qihui, 31, won the race in 38min 8.89sec.

Filipino and the coach of Mary Joy Tabal, John Philip Duenas, 25, won the Men's 21km race with a time of 1hr 14min 28sec. Singaporean Alex Ong, 25, running in the marathon for the second year, won the Men's 42km in 3hr 03min 33sec.

http://www.sundownmarathon.com/

Flexifitness Produces Excellent Results in Sundown Marathon and Bintan Triathlon.

Picture 1 - Believes that she needs more experience in half-marathon and marathon races.

Flexifitness was happy to hear that a number of runners from it has done exceptionally well recently. On top of it is Ashley Liew, who has posted this years' one of the fastest, if not fastest, time in half-marathon, marathon and Ironman race (Texas) by a Singaporean. It was a triple feat by him. It is good to have Ashley as a buddy. I hope that I can improve my personal best time of 8min 22sec for 2.4km in future. I feel that he is a role model for me to follow. I realise that he is careful on diet and trains very hard with iron determination.

In Bintan, Malaysia, Flexifitness athlete, Brendan Lee, took part in Bintan Triathlon and came in 2nd in the men open category, held yesterday.

Darren Toh, who just started training with us did 39min 36sec for the 10km race, his personal best time. Darren had recently done a sub - 8min for the 2.4km with us. I believe that this is a good race for Darren.

Today, in Sundown half -marathon four of Flexifitness women runners did sub -2hr 40min. Two did sub- 2hr 55min. They are power-puff girls of Flexifitness, I guess. I will discuss one of them by the name of Tarandeep Kaur as she posted the fastest time.

Earlier on, Tarandeep did 1hr 53min in Hong Kong half - marathon on 05 Feb 2012 and the time was her personal best time. Subsequently, she did 1hr 19min for 2XU 15km run, last month. Today, in the Sundown half-marathon race for women, Tarandeep Kaur came in 19th overall for women open with a huge personal best time of 1hr 51min. What was more important was that her own sister who took up running recently, by the name of Tripta Kaur, completed her run for the first time doing 2hr 33min. Both daughters' mother, Laakhvinder Kaur, was elated that her daughters have completed the race. Lakhvinder was at the 8/9km mark to support Tarandeep and Tripta Kaur. Hence, for me as a young man, this is a family affair, where other families could follow. It is a family first! Then we think about other things. Having said that, I realised that it would be good to give Tarandeep an interview for her success and I wish continued success in upcoming races.

http://rameshon-m.blogspot.com/2012/03/tarandeep-kaur-does-1hr-19min-for-2-xu.html

Picture 2 - Stopping during RUN 350 did not deter Tarandeep from doing a PB in Sundown (left to right) Galen Ruben, S. Jeevanesh, Tarandeep Kaur, Coach Rameshon and Ashley Liew

An Interview With Tarandeep

What are you preparing for in the long run this year?
I think ultimately I am aiming to do a good time for Stan Chartered Marathon full in December.

Why did you choose Sundown Half-marathon?
Recently, I had twisted my ankle in the recent 350 Half Marathon race a month ago and wasn't able to complete it so I felt some pressure of making up for it in the Sundown Marathon.I wasn't going to run it initially as I don't like running at night I signed up after my sister convinced me to and I planned to do an easy run with her.

How was your preparation for the race?
My preparation for the race was not very good. I didn't do any night runs which made it tough as this started at 1230am - usually I go to bed as early as possible. Also, my ankle had not fully recovered and was sore during my training. It was hurting during race day.

Are you happy with the recent progress with the timing?
To be honest I felt like pulling out after 8km. I was terribly sleepy and just not motivated to compete. My mum cheered me on around the 8-9km mark. This was a big boost as I felt more motivated to finish the race. Also, I'd promised to run for charity with my colleagues so I definitely couldn't pull out. Hence, I think if I had prepared well training at night and had no ankle problems I would have done a really good time, I'm glad I achieved my target of completing the race with a personal best time of 1hr 51min 45sec(chip time).

How was Coach Rameshon's feeling about your performance?

I think he is pleased and thinks its time for me to work on my next phase of training.

How was the weather as a whole?
Very hot and humid - I finished before a huge downpour of rain.

How was the terrain of the run?
It was relatively flat and we ran on the road and grass.

Can the organisation of the run be improved?
Never never make us run at 1230 am again and to ensure areas are better lit especially when running on bumpy ground, I was holding back at points as I was afraid of twisting my ankle again.

Any short-term goal race in 2 months time?
I will have to go back to the drawing board with my coach and decide. However, I'm running a 6km Mother-daughter run end of June. This should be fun because it was my mom who introduced me to the sport.

www.runningcoachsg.com

Note:

By Narayanan

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

VSS Proposes Vege Thursday for Sundown Marathon 2012

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Vegetarian Society Singapore Wishes Participants of Sundown Marathon 2012 All The Best

Veggie Tips from VSS: On Veggie Thursday for the Sundown Marathon

I felt honoured when VSS mentioned my name as a vegetarian runner in their recent website, while they were wishing all Sundown Marathon participants all the best for the run. I wanted to share with my friends and family on what they have written.

While doing that, I would also like to share about an incident that happened in the past. It was at a time when I represented Singapore for the first time running in Japan in the Biwako Marathon, Japan in 1988 for 1st Asian Marathon Championships 1988. I was told by Maurice Nicholas' wife that I should stop being a vegetarian and learn to consume meat. She told me this because I did 2hr 46min there. My personal best time was 2hr 40min at that time. I did not relent to this.

Anyway, comparing myself having eaten meat and fish for 18 years, the vege diet suited me very well such that I decided to stick to the diet. I felt that a vegetarian diet can make the mind strong as I was able to meditate better as opposed to eating meat and not being able to meditate properly. Visualisation and mental imagery were also easier. That enabled me to attain my personal best time of 2hr 24min 22sec in Chiengmai SEA Games 1995. Thanks to a vegetarian diet.

Written By VSS

Many call it crazy, but for a growing number of individuals worldwide, completing a marathon has become one of their “to-do” items before passing on. Three days from now, 25,000+ individuals – including some of you reading this – will defy the odds in the Sundown Marathon, SG’s first-night marathon: http://www.sundownmarathon.co

Do you have to give up Veggie Thursday to prepare for marathons?
No way; in fact, meat reduction can fit well with marathon preparation.
For instance, the few days before marathons are the ‘carbo-loading’ period when your diet should be 80% carbs, 10% protein and 10% fat (details HERE!)

Since carbohydrates form the bulk of meals, eat more pasta, rice and bread (all wholegrain). Get your protein fix from soy, other legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains. If you don’t like any of those and crave for real fats, head to Brownice, an ice-cream parlour serving vegan ice-cream and brownies which taste just as good but are much less sinful than conventional ones!

Did you know? SG’s marathon record holder, M Rameshon is
vegetarian: rameshon-m.blogspot.com.
Good luck, stay safe, run through the night and most importantly, enjoy the pain!

www.runningcoachsg.com

Note:

By Narayanan

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Linet Masai Wins BUPA Great Manchester Run 2012

Note:

By Rameshon

Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Linet Masai - 3 times runner up in World Cross Country wins with a time of 31min 35sec

The women's race of BUPA Great Manchester 10km Run was won by former World 10,000m champion Linet Masai. Masai, who had been three-times a runner-up in World Cross Country Championships had to contend with fellow countrywoman Irene Jerotich, the 2010 Commonwealth Games Marathon gold medallist and former World Cross Country title holder Benita Willis from Australia to become the champion for the race. Hungary's highly experienced Aniko Kalovics, Anna Incerti and Nadia Ejjafini of Italy plus several top Britons led the European challenge. English National Cross Country champion Gemma Steel also ran in the race.

Monday, May 21, 2012

Haile Gebrselassie - 5th Win In Manchester 10km 2012

Note:

By Rameshon

Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Haile Gebrselassie - Wins BUPA 10km 2012 (20/05/2012)

The Bupa Great Manchester Run is an IAAF Gold Label Road Race. A record number of 40,000 runners participated in this one of the world’s biggest races at the distance.

Haile Gebrselassie. 39, has shown time and again that he is a force to be reckoned with by winning over a top-class field in the Bupa Great Manchester Run on Sunday. Haile's earlier victories were in 2005, 2009, 2010 and last year. He clocked 27min 39sec while running the 5km split in 13min 31sec. He also won elite athletes like Patrick Makau, who is at present the World Record Holder for the marathon with a time of 2hr 03min 38sec.

Tsegaye Kebede, was second while Ayele Abshero took the third position in the race. Both runners time had a time of 27min 56sec.

In the women 10km race, Kenya’s Linet Masai dominated the race, leading comfortably in 31min 35sec. Nadia Ejjafini (Italy) completing the distance with a personal best time of 31min 52sec, coming in second while Doris Changeiywo (Kenya) came in third with a time of 32 min 04sec.

Results:

Men
1. H Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) 27 minutes 39 seconds
2. T Kebede (Ethiopia) 27:56 (Personal Best)
3. A Abshero (Ethiopia) (PB)
4. S Kiprotich (Kenya) 28:19 (PB)
5. P Makau (Kenya) 28:21
6. C Castillejo (Spain) 28:35
7. S Lebid (Ukraine) 28:36
8. S Ishikawa (Japan) 28:47
9. J Kelai (Kenya) 29:15
10. N Burton (GBR) 29:31 (PB)

Women

1. L Masai (Kenya)31:35
2. N Ejjafini (Italy) 31:52 (PB)
3. D Changeiywo (Kenya) 32:04
4. C Purdue (GBR) 32:13
5. A Incerti (Italy) 32:23
6. M Yamauchi 32:28
7. I Jerotich (Kenya) 32:47
8. B Willis (Australia) 33:35
9. G Steel (GBR) 33:42
10. A Kalovics (Hungary) 34:33

Note:

By Narayanan

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Cold Storage Run 2012, (20/05/2012, Sun)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Cold Storage Run - Kids Had Fun Today With Their Family

For Results, please go to http://kidsrun.com.sg/

Picture 1 - Athalla, proudly showing that he is going to run in the 800m kids run

Today, I went down to see the Kids Run which was held at Padang, Connaught Drive. I saw nearly all, except for a rare few, holding on to their child, The first wave started at 8 10plus and the wave continued on in series and ended with the last wave moving out at around 11 30pm approximately. While finishing, I saw cheerleading crowd giving their 100% to cheer for the young ones, the parents were motivating running together with their parents and finally finishing the race in a happy manner. I met one parent whose child is in Flexifitness, Young Champions Programme and interviewed the him on his son's performance after the run.

Picture 2 - Athalla standing side by side with his friend, with finisher medals

What is your name and your son's name?

My name is Ade Rangkoto and I am 42years of age and my son Athalla is 7 years old.

Why was the reason for you to make your son take part in the race?

It was more of a participative one rather than a competitive one. He has run in some races, an example of this is the ZOO RUN for children and adults. I always look forward to these kinds of races for my child to that he develops physically in terms of improved timing in a run.

How is he now as compared to the past?

In the past, he had some difficulty managing a run, although he could finish the run. Right now, I can see that he can manage the run physically and mentally. I want him to learn to pace himself well in run. I have seen children feeling so excited that they start off too fast during the run and then slow down at the end. I wanted my son to do his best to challenge himself physically and mentally. He was able to run faster than his friend who also ran in the race, not forgetting that the important thing to do was to challenge himself rather than mere overtaking, benchmarking his own timing instead. This is what I would like to see. I can see that he can set some form of short-term goal now and this I feel is good for my child. In the past, he could run but he was not able to pace himself properly.

What did your son learn today?

Learning at this early age to pace himself is very important for my son. I also know that kids don’t like competitive environment. Instead, he is now surrounded by people who are motivated in running and this gives my son the motivation he needs to build his own record for and progress.

What are your future plans?

Future plans, I don’t know. As for me, I would say that sports is an inevitable activity for my son. As his father, I feel that I am responsible to mould my son to remind him to be healthy and fit in life. I also realise that sports will make him blend well with his peers. In the long run, my intention is for making him independent enough to make a decision of what sport to take and do it for the rest of his life.

How was the organisation of the race?

It was organised very well. There was good crowd support and cheerleading etc. I liked the environment. However, I would like to give feedback to the organisers so that they can strive to make the race better by informing on putting some officials for direction. We were searching for the start for some time by reaching at 8 10am. We were not sure about where to go and how to go. I had to ask the runners instead as I was not able to find any official to help on this. We are supposed to start at 8 20am and ended starting our race at 8 45am. I was feeling lost for some time finding the start. Instead of putting many officials for cheerleading, some could do crowd control so that the race goes in a smooth fashion.

I would like to say that this did not happen in ZOO Run. In the Zoo run, the race was going on at the same time with visitors also inside the zoo at the same time. Maybe, organisers could look into improving some of these kids races.

What race did your son run in and how did your son fare?

I know he did well although I did not time him. In the past, he was rather slow. He was also able to run in a steady fashion and was running ahead of me. This was a good sign of his improvement. I will have to check the website for the result. I hope that the organisers could put out the results just like how the organisers could do it for the Zoo Run. I am excited and am still waiting for the result. Anyway, I felt very good about my son's run. I felt that all the training that he did with Flexifitness has helped him to run better.

www.runningcoachsg.com

Note:

By Narayanan

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

From Bronze to Gold in team event for Lee Si Min

Written By Marcel Sng

Picture 1 - Si Min sprinting towards the finish line as teammates were jumping for joy.

It was Friday, 11th May 2012, and It was the SCGS relay competition, which was an included event of the day as part of the school's sports festival. The event was very well organized. Lee Si Min, now a primary 6 student, was participating in the 4 x 100m on that day, around 9.05am. Although there was no individual 100m race, personally, I feel that this is a good team event to compete. Si Min told me that her team rose to the occasion by clinching as champions for the race. She told us that it was a team effort in total. The best part of it all was that Si Min was put as the last runner for the race and she knew that to get a gold, silver or bronze is finally left to her final burst till the finish. Fortunately, her training that she had been doing with Flexifitness had all come to fruition as she outsprinted her competitor to the finish of 100m event. At primary 4, she came in 3rd in the team event. She told us that all her best in order to make the team as champions. It was a good sight as Si Min’s mother and dad were there to see and photograph the event. I felt that this is a good opportunity to showcase parental support for young children to excel in sports by parents making their presence felt, hence grasping the chance I decided to give Si Min and her mother an interview.

Picture 2 - Si Min receiving her gold medal for 4 x 100.

An Interview With Khim Lim (Mother of Si Min)

What kind of event, does your child like?

Si Min likes the 100m event – both individual and relay; said she doesn’t have the stamina for 200m or longer distance. I think she likes the adrenalin rush that comes with 100m.

Are you supportive of this event?

Sports wasn’t planned! It was purely because she loves running and did well enough to qualify for the finals last year (p4) that we thought maybe we should look at it! (Until then, her CCA in school are ballet and string ensemble; we dropped ballet this year due to lack of time).

What were you expecting from your daughter on the event day?

No idea! Si Min was hoping for silver as she had bronze (for both individual 100m and 4x100m in 2011).

How do you feel when your daughter’s team had won the 4 x 400m?

Overjoyed! Thrilled.

What message would you like to share with parents on your daughter’s success?

Sports can help the kid build self-confidence. Keep them happy. When they win, they feel a sense of achievement; team win is great ‘cos it builds team spirit and friendship.

How do you find Flexifitness training?

She had other commitments outside in the past, an example is ballet. Recently, I put Si Min with Flexifitness as running is her passion. Recently, we found that she looks forward to it every Saturday and this keeps her happy, physically fit and helps de-stress her in life. Besides, we always believe that we would like to support our daughter in whatever she likes.

Picture 3 - Si Min (left) with her teammates.

An Interview With Si Min

What kind of result were you expecting on the final day of 4 x 100m race?

I was hoping for a team silver, not gold.

How was your feeling like just before the race?

I was anxious as I wanted to win the relay race to do my class proud, and for myself too.

How was your feeling like to know that you are going to anchor the team?

I felt very anxious as I’m aware that everyone will be watching me as I’m the last person in the relay; and my competitors from the various classes are strong runners too.

How was your feeling like when you brought the team to victory?

Jumped for joy

How would you have felt if your team had come in 2^nd or 3^rd position?

I was expecting a silver, so I would still be happy if our team had come in 2^nd. I wouldn’t be too pleased if we had come in 3^rd as I had a bronze for my 100m relay in Primary 4 and I wanted to win at least a silver. Winning the gold medal was a pleasant surprise. Am delighted.

www.runningcoachsg.com

Note:

By Narayanan
Rameshon has taught in Hwa Chong Institution, plus several schools, and Republic Polytechnic as well. He has won many accolades and he was awarded Merit Award for 1991 marathon performance in breaking the national record of Singapore, at that time. He has made 22 male athletes do a marathon in sub-3hrs. He has made 7 female runners do sub-4 hours for the marathon, as well. He was inducted to the ‘Roll of Honour’ by the then College of Physical Education, organised by Singapore Olympic Academy, in 1998, for breaking the National record repeatedly 4 times, till he did 2hr 24min 22sec).

He also has a Coaching group and he trains them on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7pm at Botanic Gardens. Those interested can call him at 91004369 for coaching assistance, to improve performance. There is also personal training that he does for many in a week. You can e-mail him at swift.rameshon@gmail.com.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Christian Stauffer resumes preparation for Switzerland Ironman challenge

Note:

By Rameshon

Bsc (Hons) Degree in Physical Education, Loughborough University (1992-1994)

Masters in Education (University of Western Australia, 2005-2008)

Finally, Christian Stauffer came back from Australia and answered to all my interview questions. Recently, Christian has had some races in Singapore. After taking part in some progressive races, he has gone through a test of taking part in Busselton Ironman race. Let us hear from him on his achievement in obtaining his target when he was in Australia, through a question and answer session.

An Interview With Christian Stauffer.

Picture 1 - While Christian (right) is preparing for Ironman in Switzerland in July, Ashley Liew (left) is about to race in Texas, few weeks from now.

What is the race called?
It is called Sunsmart Ironman 70.3 Busselton

Can you tell us about the race distance for the race as a whole?
It is a half-ironman distance so it 1.9km Swim / 90.1 km Bike / 21.1 km run.

What kind of time were you going for?
Considering the stage of preparation anywhere sub 6h will be ok.

Are you happy with the time of the race?
Yes, I raced just above 5h50 so I was happy. Especially considering a very tough swim because of the swell.

Any future race that you will take part in?
Likely to be Ironman Switzerland in July.

How was the weather?
The weather ended up very fine but the morning right before the swim was really cold and windy.

How was the race preparation?
It was ok although I had bad flu around Easter that took a toll on my body and preparation.

How did you feel during the race?
I felt a like being in a tumbler during the swim, very well on the bike and stiff toward the end of the run mainly due to the lack of mileage.

How about after the race?
Great race. Great organisation. Great crowd. I loved it.