Geelong 2012 Preview

Through the eyes of a has-been

by Dave Matthews

The Australian triathlon racing calendar used to have just two events: Noosa and Mooloolaba. Those days are well and truly over with the arrival of the Geelong Multisport Festival.

In only it's 2nd year, this three-day festival has burst onto the scene as a premier event. It features Australia's finest athletes competing over multiple distances and formats, plus a festival that hosts an array of community events and activities.

There's something for everyone. The Open Air Cinema and Foreshore Vibe happen on Friday and Saturday nights. Saturday features the Scotchman's Hill Wine Waiters Race. And all weekend you can spot hardcore triathletes in the Sport & Lifestyle Expo. Experts predict that compression socks, teardrop helmets, fuel belts and food compressed into gel form will be the big hits this year.

For those keen on getting into the races and following the top athlete results over the weekend, Geelong certainly caters for you, too. Although it is only the warm up day, Saturday will include the 10km & 5km Fun Run supporting Give Where You Live, as well as the Geelong 1000m Bay Swim.

Sunday will be all about the triathletes. The day kicks off at 7:05am with the Urban 2.80.20 Long Course Triathlon, where the likes of Hawaii Ironman runner-up Pete Jacobs will take on a hot field including uber-swim-biker Clayton Fettell, the always consistent Leon Griffin and 3x Ironman champ Tim Berkel.

At 8:35am, the gun goes off for the Subaru Geelong Olympic Distance Triathlon. The race will act as a qualifier for the Age Group World Championships to be held in Auckland, NZ, later in the year. Expect to witness some serious age groupers absolutely flying around Geelong on a mission to qualify.

Sunday also features the highlight of the weekend, the Geelong ITU Premium Oceania Cup Triathlon. This event is special because it as an Olympic qualifying race. With results adding to athletes' ITU points, this may well be a major factor when it comes time for the Australian Olympic selectors to finalise the team for the London Games.

In the women's race, New Zealander and 2011 ITU World Championship runner-up Andrea Hewitt will wear the #1 ranking, with the Geelong defending champion, two time World Champion & Beijing Olympics bronze medalist Emma Moffat wearing #2. Expected to threaten the podium is fellow Aussie Beijing Olympian Erin Densham, Junior World Champion Ashleigh Gentle and Great Britain’s Liz Blatchford. Considering the event is an Australian title, the fifteen Aussie women of the total twenty-four set to race will certainly be vying for an Aussie 1-2-3!

In the men's event, there is an equally strong international presence with France's Laurent Vidal and Great Britain's Will Clarke ranked #1 and #2 respectively ahead of Aussie legends Brendan Sexton and Subaru ambassador Courtney Atkinson. The dark horse in the men's field is Wollongong's own Aaron Royle. The twenty-two year old won the ITU Sprint Cup in New Zealand last week and is set to shake up the field with a blistering swim and run combo.

If all the hot competition and big names of the sport seems intimidating, don't worry there are still plenty of sub-par athletes like me floating around. On Saturday, I'll be giving both the fun run and ocean swim a bash, flying the has-been flag alongside the beginners, weekend warriors, fine-tuned age groupers and professional Australian and international triathletes. Bring on Geelong 2012!