Press Release: 26th of August 2019
Photo: Markus Berger
Reigning IRONMAN Asia-Pacific champion, Kiwi Braden Currie is no stranger to the Sunshine Coast having used the region’s stunning training environment in preparation for many of his campaigns. Despite many hours in the water, running the trails and riding the local roads, Braden is yet to race on the Sunny Coast.
But that is all about to change, with the Kiwi superstar headlining IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast on Sunday 8 September.
Going back to back at the IRONMAN Asia-Pacific Championships in Cairns, Braden has elevated himself into the top echelon of IRONMAN athletes. Preparing on the Sunshine Coast he is not only looking to secure the local title but pave the way for his assault on the IRONMAN World Championship in October and the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in early 2020.
“It was another amazing Cairns, it was a good race. It went well for me and I had a good day racing and it was unbelievable to defend my title. After Cairns we went to Europe and based ourselves in Austria for two weeks for recovery and a little bit of training. Then I raced in Roth which didn’t go so well and had to DNF there halfway through the run. The body didn’t work and the stomach gave up on me and I wasn’t making more than 100m at a time without a toilet stop. It got the point where it wasn’t worth racing and I pulled the pin.”
“IRONMAN racing is funny, some days you’re there and some days you’re not. But it is all good now. We took a bit of time off after that and went to Bali with the kids and had a bit of holiday there and then got back into training in Noosa.”
The Sunshine Coast has a long history as a training base for world class athletes and Braden has been happy to tap into the local resources and enjoy some valuable time with the family.
“We have been coming to Noosa for the last four years so it is almost like a second home and that always makes it more relaxing. Everyone can settle into a routine which is really helpful when you are trying to do big hours training. It takes away the challenges of being in a foreign country, having to deal with different languages and we are so settled here.”
“It has been awesome being up here, it is fantastic and Noosa works really well for us as a family. I have some good people to train with so that really helps and it is a really easy environment.”
“Terenzo Bozzone has been here training for the last month, so that has been really good and I have been working with John Rodgers who runs the swim squad up here. He is a local legend and it is pretty good for me to have a world class swim coach that I can work with on a daily basis. John sneaks a couple of us triathletes into his squad. There are few younger athletes in the area that I catch up with and head out training with. Everything is going really well. We are four or five weeks into a good solid training block and I have another six weeks or so to go before Kona.”
Having raced most of the major IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events across the globe, Braden is happy to finally be able to tick another race of his bucket list.
“I have never raced IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast before. I tried to race it when the 70.3 World Champs were in town in 2016 but I tore my calf the week before. So, after all my time spent on the coast, this time it will be nice to finally be able to race here.”
“IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast gives me a great chance to get a race hit out in a lovely convenient location. For me it close, just a roll down the highway which is fantastic. It takes all the challenges and the fatigue of training and travel, so that is great. In addition, the IRONMAN 70.3 Worlds are on the cards for me next year in New Zealand, so I would love to get a nice early qualifying spot for that so that I can choose how my summer looks.”
“It is going to be great to the have the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Taupō. There are only a certain times in your career that you get to race at home and especially in a World Championship so it would be hard for me to miss that opportunity. We do a lot of racing so it would be nice to tick the box and get my qualifying spot now. It just gives me the flexibility, so that after Kona I can either take some time off or race the races I want to race. To have a Kiwi win at home would be good for our sport too,” – Braden Currie.