Mitch Robins takes the long way to Murray Man

Mitch Robins talks about his outlook on life, how he overcame injury and his mission to turn around stereotypes about triathletes as well as his preparation for the upcoming Murray Man Triathlon.

“It’s like an adventure with your bike” says Mitch Robins. “It’s not just about the race. It’s about what you eat, what you do to prepare, what you get to see. It’s a racing adventure!”

Mitch Robins is about to pack up his car and drive for three days from New South Wales to Berri, the site of the Murray Man Triathlon. It’s not all about the race, though, for Mitch – far from it. It’s about blending his sport with having a good time, going on an adventure and meeting interesting people along the way.

“People think triathletes are all the same kind of people, like we’re all boring. But we’re not,” Mitch says brightly from his home in NSW. “Everyone just assumes they know what I’m like. They say ‘oh you don’t drink right?’ and ‘so you don’t eat Maccas,’ when I’m not like that.” Determined to turn around the boring stereotype of the narrow-focused athlete, Mitch Robins is embarking on a mission to enjoy the journey, not just win the race.

“You can have a really high performance element in the same breath as fun and adventure,” says Mitch. And he should know. This adventure to South Australia’s Murray man race isn’t his first time blending sport with discovery.

Mitch Robins – Adventure Triathlete

Throughout the past three years, Mitch Robins has raced throughout Asia, splitting his time between Asia and Australia. He does it to discover new places, to learn new things and meet new people, leaving a legacy wherever he goes.

“The locals in some of these places really have nothing,” he says. “You can give them your time and encouragement, and their kids get so excited to meet you and see what you’re doing. I make friends and immerse myself in the local culture.”

Mitch’s easy-going chatter and laid back outlook is surprising for such a successful athlete. But it’s also the secret to his success in Asia and Australia, as he’s happy to deal with whatever’s thrown at him. This attitude is lucky since the last few years have certainly thrown a lot at him.

Perspective through injury

“It smacks you in the face, really,” Mitch says earnestly. “You have to decide; do I want to keep doing this? Where will I go next?” The Aussie is chatting about his brush with a serious foot injury in 2012. The keen triathlete with immense natural talent and tons of enthusiasm turned his back on competition from April 2012 until November 2014. During this time he achieved other goals; he finished his university degree and started working as a casual teacher.

Then one day in November 2014, the racing bug came back. “I felt like I had something left to prove to myself,” he adds. “It was very clear I had to get better and have another crack.”

In a spectacular comeback, Mitch braved the Challenge Foster race and won, with a solid minute gap between himself and second place. “All that self doubt just fades away when you get a result like that,” he says.

Mitch Robins version 2.0 is how the athlete nicknamed himself since his injury in November 2014, and version 2.0 is completely different. “I discovered I couldn’t rely on natural talent anymore,” he says. “I was always good a sport, but I had to work everyday to manage my injury and stay fit and healthy.”

An injury that creates a significant setback gives an athlete a unique perspective and Mitch Robins is no different. “That’s why I keep enjoying it so much these days,” he explains. “If I hadn’t had such a setback, I might have given it all up. I wouldn’t have appreciated it like I do now since the injury.”

Murray Man Looms on 6th November

Stronger than ever and with the drive to enjoy every minute of the journey, Mitch is gearing up for the full Murray Man race; 1.9km swim, 90km bike, 21.1km run. He’s a top contender for the win and his mindset may just be what keeps him achieving great results.

“There’s more to triathlon than just the race, there’s so much cool stuff to explore and amazing people to meet,” Mitch says eagerly. “So many people travel with sport and just pass through a place. They miss it all! I don’t want to look back and realise I missed so much of the good stuff.”

#FollowMitch to meet outback legends and discover the triathlon adventure

Mitch will be taking over the Trizone Twitter account from the 26th, so if you want to see the amazing fun, laughs and weird and wonderful people he meets along the way, simply check in with these hashtags; #tzadventure and #followmitch. You’ll have tons of laughs as you follow Aussie Mitch Robins on his triathlon adventures.