Ironman
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Update By Doe Boy
Posted on February 21st, 2010 No commentsWe are now only two weeks away from IM NZ and I can say that all the work is almost complete and is about time to rest up and let the excitement build towards race day.
Training has gone well for the last 6 weeks and the body has responded to the work load, the head is in the right place and I look forward to getting out there come march 5th to put together a strong and complete race to get my 2010 season under way.
To every one who is racing I hope the training has gone well and you enjoy the taper, and to all the supporters coming down to cheer us on I thank you in advance and look forward to seeing you all on the course.Safe training
Doe boyCheers,
Kieran Doe
www.doeboy.co.nz -
Wellington Sets a New Standard
Posted on October 11th, 2009 No comments
She might not have quite led from start to finish here today at the Ford Ironman World Championship, but almost from the gun the race here in Kailua-Kona was had a predictable conclusion as Chrissie Wellington broke Paula Newby-Fraser’s course record.Wellington trailed after her 54-minute swim, but was still in eighth place in the women’s race thanks to her 54:31 swim split. The swim was led by South Africa’s Lucie Zelenkova, but the race lead was truly on loan from Wellington – it wouldn’t take long before the defending champ would take the lead.
Wellington simply rode away from a field that included the best the world had to offer. By the time she was finished the bike ride she had a lead of over 11 minutes on her closest competitor and almost a half hour on some of the women expected to compete with her for the win, including athletes like Leanda Cave, Mirinda Carfrae and Rebekah Keat.
The run finally provided some interesting racing … but not for the win. The two burning questions during the run were simple: would Wellington break Newby-Fraser’s course record and who would come second.
In the end the runner-up position would go to Carfrae, who set a new run course record to pass seven women during the marathon to post an impressive first Ironman. Virginia Berasategui would hang on for third, while Tereza Macel would hang in for fourth. Fifth across the line was Keat, but she would eventually be disqualified, which put Canadian Samantha McGlone in the official fifth spot.
Coming into this race it was thought that Wellington could run away with the race – which she did. It was thought that she would also break the course record – which she did, also, but Newby-Fraser took satisfaction in the fact that Wellington had to suffer through some tough miles during the marathon to do that.
If there was any doubt that Chrissie Wellington has redefined Ironman since she blazed onto the scene here in Kona in 2007, that was all erased today as she truly put herself in the record books with another incredible performance.
1 08:54:02 101 Wellington, Chrissie Feltwell NOR GBR 54:31 4:52:07 3:03:06
2 09:13:59 131 Carfrae, Mirinda Brisbane QLD AUS 58:45 5:14:18 2:56:51
3 09:15:28 106 Berasategui, Virginia Bilbao BIZ ESP 58:52 5:01:42 3:10:43
4 09:23:43 127 Macel, Tereza Toronto ON CAN 53:29 5:04:17 3:21:12
5 09:30:28 126 McGlone, Samantha Tucson AZ USA 58:47 5:16:17 3:11:27
6 09:32:27 146 Joyce, Rachel London MID GBR 53:31 5:10:03 3:23:43
7 09:34:45 113 Lawn, Joanna Auckland AUK NZL 57:16 5:19:10 3:13:35
8 09:38:28 103 Wallenhorst, Sandra Hannover NIE GER 1:03:07 5:20:43 3:09:24
9 09:40:59 110 Griesbauer, Dede Boston MA USA 55:05 5:10:22 3:30:53
10 09:42:41 125 Stewart, Tyler Novato CA USA 1:08:31 5:06:20 3:22:59
11 09:44:27 105 Corbin, Linsey Missoula MT USA 1:03:05 5:19:12 3:17:37
12 09:47:00 129 Deckers, Tine Wijgmaal VLA BEL 1:02:55 5:08:44 3:31:05
13 09:50:13 154 Tajsich, Sonja Sinzing GER 1:12:06 5:14:35 3:17:54
14 09:51:59 112 Snow, Caitlin Brockton MA USA 58:50 5:32:52 3:14:41
15 09:55:48 137 Niederfriniger, Edith Merano BZ ITA 59:46 5:24:21 3:26:36Source: Ironman.com
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Another win for Alexander
Posted on October 11th, 2009 No comments
There are only four men who have ever managed to repeat as Ford Ironman World Championship. The fourth joined the exclusive group today – Craig Alexander managed to do what has been so difficult for others today with a convincing win today, beating a truly world-class field in the process as he ran his way to his second successive win here at the Ford Ironman World Championship.Alexander was the first to acknowledge, though, that his impressive achievement was one of the hardest things he’s ever done. To win this race he had to overcome Chris Lieto’s 12-minute lead off the bike, which he did thanks to a 2:48 marathon.
The day began with two early breakaway swim leaders, American’s John Flanagan and Andy Potts. Those two were eventually joined on the bike by a huge group – at times the main group of men’s leaders included almost 20 men.Lieto broke away from the rest of the field during the bike ride today, content to ride with the leaders through the early stages of the ride. When he did make his move, though, the American flew away from the field, using the descent from Hawi to open a gap that he extended along the typically challenging last 40 miles of the bike ride along the Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway.
By the end of the ride, Lieto was well clear of the rest of the field, although it looked like 2007 Ford Ironman World Champion Chris McCormack, who had overcome an unusually disappointing swim to surge into third place overall off the bike might be the man set to pose the biggest challenge to the American as he came off the bike behind two Germans, Maik Twelsiek and 2005 Kona champion Faris Al-Sultan.
Early in the run it looked like McCormack would be the man to move to the front, but it was Alexander, who found himself a running partner in the form of Andreas Raelert, who would steadily move towards the front of the race. By the time they were in the Energy Lab, Lieto’s lead was down to four minutes. That’s when Alexander decided it was time to go – he easily pulled away from Raelert and started to chase Lieto. The lead dropped by almost a minute per mile until Alexander took the lead for good shortly after exiting the Energy Lab. Lieto gallantly tried to go with the Australian defending champ, but simply couldn’t match Alexander’s incredible pace as he ran towards his second straight title.
Lieto hung tough for second, an impressive race for the American. With Raelert following up his second place finish in Clearwater and win at Ford Ironman Arizona last November with a third place finish here today. McCormack managed a 2:55 marathon, despite having to stop and walk for parts of the marathon and claimed fourth ahead of Denmark’s Rasmus Henning, who’s incredible fifth place finish came despite a broken hand that was operated on just a few weeks ago.
In the end, though, there was no one who could stop Craig Alexander’s incredible drive to the finish line and impressive step into Ironman history. Today he added his name to those of the greats in our sport – Dave Scott, Mark Allen and Tim DeBoom – by winning the Ford Ironman World Championship two years in a row.
1 08:20:21 1 Alexander, Craig Cronulla NSW AUS 50:57 4:37:33 2:48:05
2 08:22:56 24 Lieto, Chris Danville CA USA 51:07 4:25:11 3:02:35
3 08:24:32 54 Raelert, Andreas Drage NS GER 51:00 4:38:01 2:51:05
4 08:25:20 15 McCormack, Chris Burraneer NSW AUS 52:51 4:32:45 2:55:59
5 08:28:17 32 Henning, Rasmus Birkerod DNK 51:06 4:37:07 2:55:33
6 08:28:52 28 Bracht, Timo Eberbach GER 54:30 4:33:49 2:56:27
7 08:29:55 79 Bockel, Dirk Munsbach LUX 50:50 4:37:29 2:57:42
8 08:30:15 161 Jacobs, Pete Sydney NSW AUS 50:03 4:38:41 2:57:14
9 08:30:30 7 Potts, Andy Colorado Spr CO USA 47:45 4:46:07 2:52:15
10 08:31:44 11 Al-Sultan, Faris Al-Ain ABU UAE 50:53 4:33:40 3:03:11
11 08:34:45 30 Bozzone, Terenzo Auckland NZL 50:55 4:37:25 3:02:47
12 08:35:10 14 Twelsiek, Maik Lemgo NRW GER 52:54 4:28:34 3:09:27
13 08:37:29 8 Hecht, Mathias Willisau LUZ SWI 50:54 4:37:32 3:04:47
14 08:37:55 2 Llanos, Eneko Vitoria-Gast ARA ESP 51:06 4:37:17 3:05:03
15 08:38:38 25 McKenzie, Luke Tweed Heads NSW AUS 50:51 4:37:29 3:06:19Source: Ironman.com
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Ironmanlife: Ambassador Alexander
Posted on September 27th, 2009 No commentsKevin Mackinnon catches up with the defending Ford Ironman World Champion
Make no mistake, Craig Alexander is one of the most competitive guys you will ever meet. He loves to win races, and he does that more often than he doesn’t. What makes Alexander such a great champion, though, is that he realizes that what he did last year – win the Ford Ironman World Championship – was a feat that came with a lot of responsibility, and he’s happy to bear that responsibility in order to try and make our sport even better.Like Chrissie Wellington, I’m quite happy to call Craig Alexander one of the best ambassadors our sport has ever seen. I’ve yet to find someone who doesn’t think Crowie (his nickname) is a class act and great guy. Heck, even Chris McCormack doesn’t try and trash talk with the guy before a race. (“Crowie just laughs and tells me to shut up,” Macca says.) Which is why, when I asked him if he’d rather be remembered as an Ironman world champion or as one of the greatest ambassadors our sport has ever seen, Alexander jumped on the latter.
“That’s more important,” he says. “In hindsight, I’ve looked back at so many of the greatest athletes our sport has ever seen and once they retire, especially in Australia, they’re not utilized to promote the sport and they disappear. I’d like to be remembered as a good athlete and as a good guy. It’s important to promote yourself and your family well and represent yourself well and to be remembered for that.”
That doesn’t mean the guy isn’t burning to win another world championship in Kona. Alexander says he never tires of hearing the words “defending Ford Ironman World Champion.” He shouldn’t – his was a long, well-deserved journey.
It’s easy to think that since the guy has been so successful over the last few years that it’s always been easy, but in reality it hasn’t. Alexander watched as his training partner McCormack won world titles and dominated triathlon racing before he started to win races. One of the things that makes him such a great athlete is the fact that he didn’t sit around complaining because other people were winning and he wasn’t. He did something about it.
Even two days before he won the Foster Grant Ironman 70.3 World title in Clearwater in 2006 he was still a relative unknown in many Ironman circles. (OK, I plead guilty – I was winging that interview at the press conference!) Crowie was all-too-aware that most of the triathlon world didn’t know much about him, but he had already figured out how he could change that.
“Coming into Clearwater, I’d never raced Kona,” he says. “My mission was to try and make a name for myself. As I’ve got older I’ve figured out that you can waste energy winging about it, or you can turn it around and use it to your advantage. At the end of the day we’re in sport – everyone loves a winner. You can finish third and complain that everyone is interviewing the winner, or you can figure out how you can be the winner.”All those years of watching Macca do those post-race interviews? They just served as fuel for Alexander as he trained harder and harder to become arguably the world’s best distance triathlete. Now that he’s got that Kona title and all the fame that goes along with it, he’s pretty determined to do it again, but doesn’t seem to be putting a huge amount of pressure on himself.
“It’s not important for me to go there and win,” he says, “But it’s very important that I put out a performance that I can be proud of. If you look at the great athletes in our sport over any distance, they’ve been consistent. The best athletes, when they’ve gone there, they’ve put out a good effort every time. They might not have won, but they’ve been in the mix.”
Part of Alexander’s impressive outlook and perspective comes from the incredible family support he has. He’s been married to Neri for a decade, there are two daughters who will smile and laugh with him whether he wins or not (OK, the oldest, Lucy, pretty much has only ever seen him win, so she probably thinks that’s just the norm) – the bottom line is this guy doesn’t need to win races to feel good about himself.
“I think having a family adds a lot of perspective to your life,” Alexander says. “Triathlon has been my life for a long time. It’s been my job but also my passion. I guess it can consume you … it’s all me, me, me. As you move on in life you see that you can have other things and still race well. As you get older and more mature it’s easy to focus on the race when it’s time to focus on the race. My life will be complete with or without triathlon. The fact that I get to do something I love for a living is the cream.”
“Getting a family, it intensifies your focus even more,” he continues. “I draw a lot of inspiration from the fact that the family has sacrificed a lot and that they’re there watching. At the end of the day we go home as a family and life goes on.”
So, does that mean Craig Alexander won’t arrive at the start line in just under two weeks fiercely determined to win? Ha! Ask Richie Cunningham what it was like to run 3:20/ km at the Muskoka 70.3 race … and not keep up with Crowie.
“I think I’m fit,” Alexander said on the finish line in Muskoka to Cunningham and myself. That was, without a doubt, the biggest understatement of 2009.
Which is what makes Craig Alexander such a great champion. He wants to win, but he’s also very attuned to the fact that there’s much more to being great than simply winning races.
“We all need each other – the sport’s healthy with the amateur ranks are healthy, when the pro ranks are healthy, when the races are filling up, when there’s lots of participation and corporation and community support of the races. If you can help in some way being the world champion, it’s important to do it. It’s more important to do that than just win races. A lot of people have won races.”
For all the wins, what I’ll always remember Craig Alexander for is the fact the he’s such a great guy – who happens to be very fast, too.
Source: Ironman.com
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Iromanlife Part 2: Catching Up With Chrissie
Posted on September 7th, 2009 No comments
She’s bright, she’s approachable, she’s fast. The world needs to take cover once she’s done with triathlon – you can be sure that she’s going to do much more than be just the world’s best Ironman athlete.When Chrissie Wellington came out of nowhere two years ago to stun the world as she won her first Ford Ironman World Championship, those of us in the sport began to realize that we were witnessing history in the making. Chrissie Wellington has never lost an Ironman and it doesn’t look like she’s going to any time soon. There’s a lot more to her than simply being a great triathlete, though – something I tried to bring out in a recent “interview” – I e-mailed the questions, Wellington answered in her typical straightforward, funny and entertaining way while on the plane heading to yet another win at the Timberman Ironman 70.3.
KM: Brett Sutton, along with one of your former teammates, both told me you’re not in this to just win triathlons – that you have much more of a “mission.” I’m guessing things like GOTRIbal is part of that, but what is it that you’d like to achieve within triathlon?CW: Not long after I started as a professional in February 2007, I remember saying to Brett ‘I feel so selfish. All I do is swim, bike and run – and this is all for me. I am not helping to make the world a better place’. And he replied ‘Chrissie, just you wait, before too long you will be able to effect change in a way you never thought possible’. Brett is so perceptive and wise, and of course two years on – yes, I have the platform that I have always dreamed of to achieve my mission, and bring about positive change. That’s partially why winning is so important to me. Of course I am a fierce competitor, and I love to work hard, smash myself and fight for every victory – but through every victory I have more of an opportunity. To speak about things I am passionate about, to inspire and encourage others, to lead by example, be a role model for change, to raise the bar, to raise awareness about important issues, including GOTRIbal (www.gotribalnow.com) and also setting up my own NGO in the UK in the future. And that’s something I never want to take for granted, and which drives me each and every day.
Within triathlon – swim, bike, and run alone – I want to be the best that I can be, to work as hard as I can, lay everything on the line and push myself to reach my full potential. I don’t have goals in terms of the number of races I want to win, or times I want to do, I simply want to do my best, and strive to be as strong as I can physically and mentally. And through this, yes I want to achieve so much more, in and out of sport.
What is it about the Blazeman (foundation or Jon Blais) that seems to have struck a chord with you? Why are you supporting that cause?
I met Mary Ann and Bob at Kona in 2007. It was through speaking to them, and other athletes, that I learned about Jon’s inspirational story. I was struck by Jon’s determination, strength, drive and passion despite suffering from the disease which was his life sentence. He was selfless to a fault. Driven by a desire to raise awareness, help others and leave a legacy, so that others may live. I decided there and then that I would roll across the line after every race I did, regardless of whether I won or not – as a symbol of my support for everything Jon was, and for the ALS Blazeman Foundation that was established in his memory. Mary Ann and Bob gave myself, and a number of other athletes (Matty, Dede and Leanda to name a few) the huge honour of being Ambassadors for the Foundation, and raising awareness in any way we can about the disease, but also about Jon’s story – and making people realise that anything is possible even in the face of huge adversity.You got into the sport, and competition at the highest levels, relatively late compared to other people. In just a couple of years you have, in some ways, revolutionized the sport. Do you think that maturity has helped you do what you’ve done? (I guess what I’m getting at is that many people who raced as pros were on that path from an early stage. We hadn’t had careers like you did before we turned pro.)
I don’t know if I have revolutionised the sport, but hopefully I have helped (with others) to raise the bar that little bit higher! In terms of my life, I have had so many varied, interesting, exciting and challenging experiences that have shaped me into the athlete and person I am today. I took a number of different paths, and have learnt so much from all of them. Triathlon is the newest adventure, and a journey that I am relishing every minute of, but it isn’t the end goal by any means. The world will keep turning long after I have hung up my lycra, I just hope that through my achievements and presence in this sport I can make a small difference, and leave a legacy that I – and others – can be proud of.
I’ve always said that you learn more about yourself during an Ironman than you do in so much of life. You probably did your first Ironman in a different light to the rest of us – you’d already seen quite a bit of the world and life by the time you got to Korea. What have you learned about yourself during your various Ironman races? Do you like what you’ve learned?
Training and racing is a continuous learning process, with huge highs and deep lows – much like life itself! I have learnt so much about myself over the past two and a half years – to calm down, to rest my mind, to think more logically, to act more deliberately (this is a particular struggle, as evidenced by the fact that I recently walked into a cement bench, and have spent the last three weeks hobbling around!), to be patient, to believe in myself …and much more besides. But yes, triathlon has taught me so much, both from looking deep into myself and reflecting on my personality, and my strengths and weaknesses – and also from watching people around me. You realise the body’s amazing capacity to endure pain, that the mind and body are so much stronger than we may give them credit for, to be calm in the face of adversity, to cope with defeat. In terms of “do I like what I have learned?” I think back to what Paula Newby Fraser once said -‘Be kind to yourself.’ So, yes, although I am my own harshest critic, I am trying to do just that – to like what I am learning, and be kind to myself at all times!
It’s been a whirlwind of a triathlon career for you over the past three years. It probably seems quite glamorous to the rest of the world, but I’m guessing there are a few challenges in your life. Can you outline some of those? What’s been the hardest part of becoming the world’s top Ironman athlete?
Chaffing, huge calves and bad tan lines! Pro triathlon – its rock and roll. Glitz, glamour, five star lifestyles, and a small dog in a prada bag! Brad Pitt is always coming over for dinner. Angie gets jealous, but what can I do – its A List celebrity status all the way! Seriously, being away from family and friends is hard, as is the mono-dimensional nature of the lifestyle. I do miss the spontaneity of being able to go to the theatre, to music festivals, to travel, to have long weekends in far flung places. But, hey, these are negatives, and they are far outweighed by the HUGE positives! Like being able to eat my body weight in oatmeal each and every day!
You’ve never lost an Ironman. How much pressure is there on you to keep that streak going? How do you deal with the pressure leading into any race and, especially, Kona?
To know that I am the best in the world has brought me so much joy and heaps of fantastic opportunities – but yes, it has also resulted in more commitments and pressures – not to mention expectations, both those I put on myself and those that others have for me. The Hawaii crown is only as heavy as you let it be though. I think that the best way to deal with the pressure is to see everything as a positive. I have won Hawaii twice, which is more than I ever could have dreamed of. In Kona, yes it is the big stage. But I try and keep everything in perspective, and remember how approached the race two years ago, as a naïve rookie who didn’t know anything. That naivety was a blessing, and I always reflect on that and make sure that I don’t get caught up in the hype that surrounds the race. I am confident and feel strong. I trust in my mind and in my body, and in the preparation I have done. I know the course, I know what it takes to win – and most importantly I KNOW how it feels to win, and I crave that feeling each and every day! I will have my family and friends there to support me, and most importantly I love being there on the Big Island. It’s hot, humid, tough and it HURTS! I have the target on my back, and instead of letting it crush me I thrive on it, and will enjoy every moment of defending the crown!OK, let’s get this one out of the way: Can you update us on why you decided to stop working with Simon Lessing?
Kevin, you know me. I don’t do things without careful thought and consideration. It wasn’t a spur of the moment decision and it all boils down to the fact that I wanted to take total control of my own programme. My own destiny if you like. That’s not to say I wont get another coach, but for now. I am more than happy, and quite excited, and liberated to be doing my own thing, with the input of a few people that I trust. That’s the long and the short of it!
I met your parents last year in Kona. I didn’t ask them if they’re clamoring to have grandchildren any time soon … Are they? Do you see yourself having a family someday?
You will have the chance to ask them this year! I think ‘pigs might fly’ would probably feature in their answer! I recently killed Sybille and Basil – my mint and (surprise surprise basil) plants. So I don’t think I have the qualifications needed to be a good mother! And with this whole triathlon malarkey dominating my life, I think my parents have realised that small baby Wellingtons wont be popping out just yet (and my brother Matty, and his girlfriend, Kelly, have just bought two kittens, so that’s about as close as they will get to the pitter patter of tiny feet!)
Last year when you were sitting on the side of the road with that flat, you said you were quite calm. It’s one thing to say that you’re staying calm and in control, very much another to put that in practice in that sort of situation. How did you manage that? Or were you maybe a bit more nervous than you seemed? Do you practice visualization so you’re somewhat mentally prepared for that kind of thing?
Of course I was nervous, but yes – I did stay calm. I think I took a lot of confidence from the fact that I had flatted twice in other races, and still came back to win. It taught me a valuable lesson – in that it definitely isn’t over because of a flat piece of rubber….(especially if Bek Keat is on the course, although I doubt she would be as willing to help me out this year!).
Mental preparation is one of the main keys to success. All the physical strength in the world won’t help you if your mind is not prepared. This is part of training. The part that people don’t put in their log books. The part that all the monitors, gizmos and gadgets in the world can’t help you out with.
I try and visualise the race beforehand, and plan for all eventualities so I can pre-empt how I will react if I lose my goggles, drop a water bottle, if I am suffering physically, or yes – if I have a flat tire! Its easy to say, and very hard to do. But I try to stay in the moment, keep calm, try to relax and remember hard or difficult times in training, racing and life in general when I have pushed through and come out on top. I also have a bank of positives memories and experiences that remind me that I can achieve anything I want to and I draw on the support of the crowds, and most importantly smile lots!What would it mean for you to win Kona again? On a related note, how important are records for you – both the world best time last July and the course record in Kona?
It would mean that I am the best in the world for one more year! And that is a huge honor, achievement and a tremendous opportunity and privilege.
I always race with three goals. To cross the line first, to enjoy it and to try and win in the fastest time possible. If that means I break a course or world record then that’s the icing on the very tasty cake, but the victory is always first and foremost in my mind. There are too many variables affecting times, year on year and race on race. It makes comparisons really difficult. Plus, I am a total numerical retard …as many of my training partners know, I can’t even do 300m in the pool without losing count! As far as records go, of course, I am so happy and proud to have my name etched in the triathlon history books. By breaking records I hope to show that women are a force to be reckoned with, that we can get faster and stronger, and raise the bar for future athletes to aspire to. But to know deep inside that I have given it everything is the most important thing. Luckily for me in Roth I was able to enjoy the victory, thank the spectators and break the record too!
Finally, how hard is it to go as fast as you have? I’m guessing that the training you’ve done over the past three or four years has been pretty tough – can you give me an idea of just how hard you’ve worked to achieve what you have?
Hard – training myself physically and mentally. No harder than others though. It’s not a case of hours or kilometers logged. It’s more than that. I have been fortunate to have had the right environment and support around me to enable me to bring out the best in me, and enable me to reach my potential. But the exciting this for me is, I don’t think I have reached it yet!
Quickfire from Chrissie:
What book am I reading? ‘We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families,’ by Philip Gourevitch. It’s a disturbing account of the Rwandan genocide.
Favourite movie: Crash, or a Hindi movie called Black
Favourite piece of clothing: my TYR race tankinis from Kona. Closely followed by a pair of pants that say ‘Go Girl’ on the bottom. (I have another pair that say ‘I have been good this year,’ which were given to me by Hillary Biscay, and which I get out on very special occasions!)
Famous person I would like to meet: Ghandi, Nelson Mandela and the late Jane Tomlinson.Country I would most like to visit: I would love to go back to many countries that I have already been too. New Zealand, Indonesia and Nepal are among my favourites. As for places I haven’t been … top of the long list are Iran, Borneo, West Papua, Costa Rica, Alaska and Jordan.
Interesting scars: I was drunk and on a London bus. I had my hand on the door, when it closed (as doors tend to do), a few too many glasses of vino had caused a delayed reaction. I didn’t pull my hand away in time. It got crushed. I saw blood and now have a scar to remind me of that entertaining night! I also had a tongue accident when I was about six years old. I was on a climbing frame, and was talking (as usual), and sliced my tongue half way through on a piece of rust. Luckily it has healed – although maybe my parents wished it hadn’t, as they may have preferred a mute daughter to the chatterbox that they ended up with!
Favourite music: too many to mention! (it’s true that women can never be trusted to make up their minds!). The long list includes…….The Killers, Smashing Pumpkins, Placebo, Kings of Leon, U2, Ash, Feeder, Bush. I love the song ‘Under the Moon’ by Jim Major, and of course ‘We Are The Champions’ by Queen, which always gets me pumped up before a race! Of course a great party is not the same without 80s cheese (especially Chesney Hawkes, A-ha, Tiffany, Like a Virgin era Madonna and a bit of Wham thrown in)
Source: ironman.com