It was a two lap swim and with fairly choppy water it was hard to tell where exactly I was throughout the 1500m. I was happy with how my form felt though and I came out of the water onto the beach just at the back of the main group.

Devonport has always been a difficult race for me as it tends to play to the strengths of the faster swimmers, and this year was no different. With the lack of intensity in my prep, I struggled to really get going in the crucial first lap of the ride and before I knew it there was a group of 3 athletes ahead of me with a clear lead.

I started the run off quite conservatively with the aim to finish off with a strong last 5km. I did just that and crossed the line in 5^th.

I definitely found the race very tough, but it was a good wake up for the body. It was nice to be back racing again and it helped me find that extra bit of motivation that I think only racing can do.

Next up is Mooloolaba World Cup in just under 2 weeks.

My first race of the season, and after having a bad swim I managed to turn it around and finished 4^th, but took out the Oceania Elite Sprint Champion title as the first Oceania athlete home! J

Mooloolaba ITU World Cup, March –

I just missed the front group in Mooloolaba, which really messed up the rest of the race. I rode and ran well, but it wasn’t enough to get back in the race. I ended up 7^th in a really strong field, and there were plenty of positives to take.

Auckland ITU World Series, April –

My first World Series race of the year – and I finally managed to have a great swim! I exited the water in the top 5, rode strong and ended up finishing in 9^th. A good start to the series

Yokohama ITU World Series, April–

After having such a good swim in Auckland, I was really disappointed to have a bad swim here. Fortunately, we managed to work well enough together to catch the front group in the last lap of the ride. I didn’t have the best day in the run, but finished in 10^th which I can’t be too disappointed about.

Madrid ITU World Series, May –

My first European race of the year, Madrid was one of the toughest races I’ve ever done. A couple of mistakes couple cost me quite a few places, however I finished up 18^th  in a really strong field which certainly wasn’t a disaster.

Hamburg ITU World Series, June –

Hamburg was definitely the low point of my year. I had a solid training block in the lead up and I had really put a lot of focus in performing here. I had an awful race start to finish, and to say I was disappointed is an understatement. That’s just the way sport is sometimes.

Tiszaujvaros World Cup, August –

With the disappointment of Hamburg behind me, I was firing going in to Tiszy. I comfortably won my heat, and had actually managed to get myself in to a breakaway from the swim. In the final, I just missed the breakaway and found myself chasing the rest of the race to finish in 12^th. Another disappointment, but I had a great run which certainly installed some confidence.

Stockholm ITU World Series, August –

Stockholm has one of the toughest bike courses on the circuit – which certainly suits my strengths. I led out the chase group in the swim, and managed to work my way up to the front group by the end of the ride. The tough ride took its toll on me though, and I ran a lot slower than I would have liked. I finished 13^th – and I left feeling like I still had a lot more to give.

London ITU World U23 Triathlon Championships, September –

This was the focus of the whole year. I went in to London with one goal – to win. I still can’t believe it actually happened – and I don’t think it will ever sink it. I had made every mistake under the sun throughout the year, and I finally managed to learn from them and put together as perfect a race as I could. I’ll never forget that feeling when I crossed the line.

Tongyeong ITU World Cup, October –

I finished off my season in South Korea on my way home to Australia. I certainly felt it hard to back up after London, and I ended up in 8^th.

I’m very excited to be heading home having achieved my goal this year. I also managed to finish up 20^th in the ITU World Triathlon Series, which after having missed a few races, I couldn’t be happier with. I look forward to heading in to the 2014 season as the current U23 World Champion and can’t wait to build on what I did this year.

Thank you to my family, my coach Jamie Turner, Triathlon Australia and my sponsors for all the support.

Thanks

Charlotte

Ok, that felt good. This is how it went down:It was a 2 lap (very) cold swim in the Serpentine in Hyde Park, London. With awesome swimmers like Lucy Hall in the race, the swim was extremely fast and we had spread out quite early into the first lap. I exited the water over a minute down on Lucy, who herself had a large gap on the rest of the field. There were around 6 athletes already ahead of me, so I quickly got to work to chase them down. I wanted to ensure I was safely in the front group early on.

Towards the end of the first 5km lap, I had established myself in the first group of 19 girls chasing the lone leader. The ratio of chasers to race distance was not in Lucy’s favour and we had reeled her back during the late stage of the 40km course.I was SO excited. I knew that if I started the run with the leaders I had a good chance of a podium.

On the run a clear group of 9 of us ran together for the first 5km, with no one wanting to make a their move. I felt really good running, and part of me just wanted to go for it from the start, but the plan was always to remain patient. Slowly people were dropping off until only myself and 4 other girls were remaining with 2km to go. This game continued until the last U Turn at 600m to go. Ellen Pennock (Canada) who I’ve actually been training with over the last month took off really quickly. I immediately responded. After feeling super comfortable for 9.5km the pace change was a shock and I briefly questioned if I was able to keep that pace up the whole way to the finish. I quickly reminded myself that if I managed to stick with here until the blue finish carpet (around 100m to go) I had the preparation and the mettle to take anyone in a sprint. And that’s exactly what I did!

Honestly, I couldn’t really believe it had actually happened when I finished! It’s been a massive journey up until now, and I’d be lying if I said there’s not been more disappointments than anything else. But this one race makes absolutely every negative moment worth it!! Of course there is no way this would have been possible without the support of SO MANY people.

I can’t mention absolutely everyone who has helped me along the way, but a few special thank you’s to :

My family, my boyfriend Brendan Sexton (who not only inspires me but is so incredibly supportive)
My training group (AKA The Wizards) including, but not limited to, Aaron Royle, Ryan Bailie, Tamsyn Moana Veale, Grace Musgrove, Natalie Van Coeverdon & Gwen Jorgensen who are just incredible athletes themselves that it’s always easy to stay motivated everyday
Triathlon Australia
all of the service providers (including Paul Penna, Alex Price, Adam Radford, Aaron Lean)
Craig Redman who first encouraged me to give ITU a crack
my awesome sponsors (Quorn, Scody, Liv/Giant, Spearman Cycles, Lightweight wheels, Saucony, Spiuk)
and of course my extremely patient coach Jamie Turner. He’s backed me more than anyone in the last 4 years, when I didn’t even back myself. His knowledge and support was paramount to my result on Thursday and I couldn’t be any more grateful.Thank you everyone for the support from your new WORLD U23 TRIATHLON CHAMPION!!!!!!!