Former Kiah athlete Max McGovern surprised himself, finishing eighth in the ITU international offroad triathlon championship last week.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
“I am so happy with how I went at the championships,” McGovern said, finishing top 10 in his class and 35th out of all 300 male competitors in every class.
“I smashed my previous time by about 15 minutes, but I still stacked the bike and I fell twice during the run,” he added with a laugh.
McGovern said he had almost hit the wall halfway through the run, but his wife called out the pace he was setting and a boosting cheer from family and friends pushed him on.
“I was really hurting by that point, but Kylie just spurred me on,” he said.
“And heaps of my family and friends came up to cheer me on, I had a cheer squad of about 20 and it made a huge difference to have my family there, it was awesome.”
McGovern said better knowledge of the course helped, but was pleased with improved times on the swim and run.
“I took nearly seven minutes of the bike leg and five minutes of each the swim and the running section, I couldn’t be happier.
“I had joked to Kylie that I would like to finish top 10, so finding out I finished eighth I really surprised myself there,” he laughed.
As the international championships, there was an added challenge from America, South Africa and parts of Europe.
But McGovern said the only two visitors to best him in-class were a Russian and a Kiwi.
“I’m stoked that only two of the internationals beat me,” he said.
“If they’re the best athletes from a country it just really shows the calibre of athletes we have here at home.”
McGovern clocked in a time of two hours, 52 minutes, smashing the time he had set previously of three hours and seven minutes.
His time was just 35 seconds off seventh place, and a mere 13 minutes off the pace set by the race leader in the 30-34 age bracket.
The news didn’t take long to hit home around Eden, or back in Ballina with photos and results emerging on social media after the race.
As a triathlon club treasurer, there was a warm welcome home for McGovern in East Ballina where he lives now.
“All the guys were super excited and congratulated me,” he said.
“The best part is a few guys have told me I’ve inspired them to have a crack at it.”
The internationals will be held in Canada next year, so McGovern was not sure he could qualify or cover the cost to compete overseas.
However, he is excited about the Queensland Championships that will run early next year.
The athlete is looking to continue his recent training sessions and will hope to compete strongly.
“After my results, I would love to get a podium finish there,” he said.