Ironman 70.3 Geelong on Sue Fuller’s Global Bucket List

English age group athlete Sue Fuller has one of the most impressive sporting resumes going around that includes competing in the iconic Alpe D’Huez triathlon, Escape from Alcatraz, IRONMAN Austria, four London Marathons and a Quadrathlon in Scotland which included a seven-mile kayak.

Her quest for new events has taken her around the globe but East Essex Triathlon club member Sue (and husband Richard) have never been to Australia. So after almost 20 years of competing in triathlon and 35 years of planning an extended holiday to Australia, the opportunity to combine IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong with a second honeymoon was too good to pass up.

IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong will be Sue’s 101st triathlon since taking up the sport at the Thames Turbo in 1999 and she is excited to finally make the 17,000 km trip from England for some Aussie sunshine.

“My husband and I have been planning a trip to Australia since we first got married in 1986. We wanted to go and spend some time there, so we are about to embark on a five-month trip. We absolutely love triathlon so it made sense to do one in OZ. We were keen to do a ‘half’ and to do it early in our trip so we didn’t get stressed about training. Geelong 70.3 ticked all the boxes.”

“I am really looking forward to racing in a different country and enjoying the enthusiastic Aussie crowd. Geelong looks like a lovely place. I would love to come in under seven hours but am wary of the weather. I’m not used to the heat you are currently experiencing. I feel I may have to run/walk the run as my training has not quite gone according to plan. But as the bike course is not hilly I am hopeful of a good time for that leg.”

Racing in Geelong will be amazing and finishing a triathlon in Australia is something I have dreamed of since watching the triathlon at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.

Both Sue and Richard have a “brief” Olympic connection to their compatriots the famous Brownlee brothers, with photos of the finish line “Gold medal moment” showing the Fullers volunteering at the London Olympics.

“My husband Rich and I were picked as Games Makers for the triathlon at the London Games in 2012. I was lucky enough to be taking numbers on the finish line, watching the Brownlee brothers win Gold and Bronze. It was very inspirational.”

Sue and Richard will be hoping they can tap into that inspiration when they line up at Eastern Beach on 18 February.

“I am not a fan of swimming, I really enjoy cycling but the run is my favourite although it always feels the hardest. I’ve managed to do quite a bit of cycling before the weather turned in England. In May, my husband and I cycled round Ireland completing nearly 600 miles in eight days and saw some beautiful countryside with some good climbs.”

“The training has been a bit hit and miss. I sprained my ankle at the end of October and couldn’t run for six weeks. Family events and the weather (it’s very cold, wet and windy here at the moment) haven’t helped. I wouldn’t normally been in full training mode at this time of the year, the triathlon season ends in September in England. I’m managing about 8-10 hours a week, not enough to really race but hopefully enough to get me around.”

“In October we spent a week cycling in Tenerife in the Canary Islands, some really tough climbing. Since I sprained my ankle I have been using my local parkrun to get back into shape. I have done a lot of off-road running to strengthen the ankle and I cycle with the tri club twice a week usually between 35-45 miles each ride. So have managed to keep the mileage up,” she said.

In their five-month stay in Australia, the Fullers are determined to return home to England in shape for the European season of racing.

“Our friends are quite used to us doing this sort of thing. As always they have been incredibly supportive and will be tracking us on race day. The plans for 2018 is to try and keep fit after the race in Geelong and while we are in Australia and will hope to do a few sprint races on returning to the UK,” she said.