In 2018 the World Triathlon Championships will be held on the Gold Coast. We’d love to encourage our members to set themselves a challenge and qualify for the Australian Age Group Team! A number of FIT women have participated in the Age Group Team over the years, and we’ve asked them a few questions about their experiences so you can see what it’s like. This is Polly Templeton’s story.
Find out more about the Australian Age Group Team on the Triathlon Australia website.
How did you hear about the age group world tri champs, and find out that it was something you might be eligible for?
I used to hear other FIT ladies talking about it at training and, once I had progressed to the Olympic distance triathlon three years after doing the novice program, I had a look at the Triathlon Australia website to find out more. My first olympic distance triathlon was in December 2011 where I found out there was a group of 5 or 6 FIT ladies planning to qualify for the 2012 world championships in Auckland. So I joined the group to travel to Geelong in February 2012 and then the last race held in Sydney Harbour in April 2012. Unfortunately I missed the team for the 45-49 age group by 1 point that year but I was so enthused that I went to Auckland to cheer on the others who had qualified and was inspired to keep going.
How did you decide which races to enter to qualify?
I then buddied up with Jill Wisbey to look at qualifying for the London 2013 world championships and planned what races we needed to enter. Jill and I drove down to Geelong together in February and then a fortnight later I flew to Devonport and met up with Jill who was already there with her husband Tony. Tony had to return to work early straight after the race while Jill and I caught the overnight ferry back to Melbourne and drove home. Devonport was crucial as it was the National Championships and you get double points. The third qualifier was the March Fest in Canberra.
What kind of training did you do to qualify, and to race at the world champs? Was it different from your usual training?
The only thing different I did in the 2013 summer season to qualify was that I did an Olympic distance triathlon at Nowra in January before the first qualifying race in February. Also by this time I had joined a swim squad at Civic Pool training for 1.5 hours two mornings a week to try to improve my swimming. Other than that I attended FIT running and cycling sessions plus did as many veterans cycling road races on the weekend as I could fit in. Once both Jill and I had qualified then we sat down and organised a shared arrangement with triathlon coach Ben Wisbey to set us up with a training program in the lead-up to London in September 2013. Unfortunately I had started having foot issues so my running training had to be more limited than I would have liked but nevertheless I was able to complete the 10km in the race without too much issue.
What was your experience of racing like? Did you have to travel? Any memorable moments from the event? Would you do anything differently if you were doing it again?
We had to travel to London with our bikes which was an experience. Jill, Robyn McClelland and I all had a lesson in taking apart and putting back together our bikes from Maryann and Brian Simpson at the Bike Shed. I was luckily able to borrow a bike bag. It turned out there was a group of eight of us from FIT who went and competed in London. Merilyn Bassett found us a serviced apartment hotel right across the road from Hyde Park at Lancaster Gate and Merilyn, Lindy Hou and her guide Maureen and then Jill and I all booked there, which was great fun. Jill and I arranged to arrive some three days before we needed to and found a bike shop who would put our bikes back together and also, more importantly, store the bikes for a couple of days. Jill and I then went our separate ways to visit family and friends and then met up again on the Wednesday at our hotel to go and collect our bikes from the bike shop and ride back to the hotel leaving the bag at the shop. This proved quite a hair-raising experience but we arrived back at our hotel successfully. But then I discovered that I had left my wetsuit in the bike bag back at the shop. I decided to navigate myself on the bike back to the shop and get it on my own. I collected the wetsuit but unfortunately on my way back through Hyde Park a couple of minutes from the hotel my bike caught the gutter just after one of the cobbled bits and down I went. A limousine pulled up and a black gentleman chauffeur got out and came to see if I was OK followed by two Middle Eastern women with tissues. I was a bit battered, bruised and bleeding and quite shaken up. The chauffeur then put my bike into the back of the car and they drove me to my hotel where I called Jill and the others who came and looked after me. The next morning was the aquathlon and after registering my first stop was to the physio for treatment on my shoulder. Luckily I just had a big bruise on my leg and the shoulder was bruised but with the cold water I didn’t feel it too much during the race. What a way to start the championships. We all completed the aquathlon races on the Thursday and then the sprint race and para triathlon race took part on a rainy Friday with a very challenging course containing laps of part of Hyde Park. Finally the day dawned for the olympic distance race. While the water temperature was the same the air temperature had dropped and the decision was made to shorten the swim course to 750m and not 1.5km. It was still a challenge but the run course in particular was amazing with crowds lining the course and yelling out ‘go Aussie’ or ‘go Templeton’ as you have your name on your rear end on your tri suit. What was incredibly special for me was that I had cousins, uncles and aunts watching me as well as my brother who flew in from Germany that morning so I had them all yelling ‘go Polly’. The whole experience was such a buzz despite my being overcome with asthma due to the cold water and ending up on a nebuliser in the medical tent after finishing.
I had planned to try and qualify for the 2017 championships in Rotterdam as I was going to the UK around that time anyway and booked travel and entered in three qualifying races in this past season. Unfortunately it was not to be but I will definitely aim to come to the Gold Coast to cheer on everyone from FIT who competes and, who knows, may try to qualify for the aquathlon.
What advice or encouragement would you give to other FIT women who might be thinking about the age group world champs as a goal?
Go for it. Do look at racing in the national championships as you get double points. You need to compete in three qualifying races and those with the most points get selected.