We last heard from British age group Ironman athlete Russell Cox in December last year, after recording a personal best time at Ironman Western Australia. Russell has been based out in Australia since then, taking a sabbatical from work and adopting the life of a full-time endurance athlete, looking to qualify for Kona. He was racing again last weekend, this time at Ironman Australia, where Chrissie Wellington also dominated the pro race. Was he able to meet his pre-race targets?

Ironman Australia is one of the first races of the Ironman year, but for Australians it falls at the end of the season. For me it was my last race here and my first chance to qualify for Kona. With another three months of training in my legs since racing Western Australia I was feeling fit and confident. Just as I did in Busselton I put together a tough, but realistic plan to earn that slot. This time though things wouldn't quite go the way I hoped.

I woke a few times during the night before the race always to the sounds of heavy rain. There had been torrential rain and flooding in the region over the week though Port Macquarie itself had avoided the worst. Last years race had been cold and wet and signs were things would go the same way again. As dawn came and it was time to get to the race start the rain died away. Maybe the weather reports would be right and we'd get a decent day for it.

The swim is a two lap course in the Hastings River. With the flooding there had been a lot of debris and runoff turning the water murky and brown. The Pro wave had a massive 35 minute head start on us age groupers, aiming to let them get round one lap before us. I have to admit while it's a spectacle I wish age groupers were set off in waves too. The swim is narrow and with over 1000 athletes crowded.

I made my first mistake of the day before the gun even fired. I knew starting position would be important, but completely misjudged mine. When the cannon went I was boxed in in moments. I don't think I've ever been so trapped in a bunch of swimmers before. Frustration built as I knew the pace was far too low. With no where to move I had no choice to stick with it and hope it thinned out quickly.

By the second lap people were starting to fall off the pace and finally I was able to enjoy some free water. With a noticeable current as you headed upstream it was never going to be a fast swim, but from the colour of caps surrounding me I knew I was off my goal. When I got out of the water to 1:05 on the clock I wasn't that surprised, but very disappointed.

From there it was a short run up to transition. There may not have been much flooding in Port, but a combination of rain and trampling from triathletes had turned transition into a mud field. A guy ahead of me decided to take the opportunity to entertain the spectators - diving and hydroplaning through a large puddle in front of the transition bags.

The bike course in Port Macquaire consists of three 60km laps. The start and end of each lap in the town is hilly with the short but very steep Flinders Drive being a prime spectator spot. Out of town and things flatten out to be replaced by tough headwinds. If that's not enough road surfaces leave a lot to be desired and wear away at your legs. Early in the bike the rain decided to start up again

Knowing what the hills were like and how the wind can play a major part in the day I'd set myself a goal of 5:15. As it happens it would be the one goal of the day I'd achieve! Still it felt far tougher than I'd expect it too. My legs felt sore and tired from the start and the 180km became a battle to keep them working hard enough. Oddly come the third lap I started to feel good and my pace improved. This gave me the pleasure of taking a few more places including a small bunch of drafters who'd passed on lap 2. Satisfying and by the time I reached T2 my mood had improved.

Before running a single step my shoes and socks were already wet and dirty. There was no chance of keeping things dry in this transition. Without the compression socks this time my transition was actually smooth and reasonably quick. I'd thrown a fuel belt in the bag to allow me to carry my own nutrition for the final leg. From my last race I was convinced my problems came from running low on energy.

Everything on, I squelched out onto the run course knowing that if I could go under my sub 3:10 goal I'd still have a decent race.

Things felt wrong immediately. Usually I'll need to hold myself back for the first 10km. Today my legs ached and it was enough of an effort to keep my target pace. Despite the discomfort I stuck to the pace for 30km before things started to go wrong. Carrying my own nutrition definitely worked well, the problem was I didn't have enough! By 2 hours I'd finished the main bottle and was switching to the caffeinated bottle. What I discovered was the caffeinated gels I use in training taste vile in the last 12km of a race!

With energy levels dipping my pace became erratic and the pain increased. I kept going as best I could, but really had so little in the tank at that point. A 9:30 goal became 9:40, then 9:45 and finally just to get the thing over with. Typically I finish strongly picking up speed for the last 3 or 4km, but there was nothing there. I really can't remember the finish shute I was so focussed on crossing the line!

I can't describe how glad I was it was over! Far too pleased with that to really be bothered to have missed my goal by over 20 minutes.

9:53 is a respectable time and I know many people would be happy with it. I wanted much more though and had trained for it. It's strange to be on the course and have spectators tell you you're doing great and on target to go under 10 hours. When you're feeling bad and wanted more than beating ten it's not what you want to hear! Still support was fantastic throughout the day with plenty lining the bike and the run. My new TEAM JAGGAD kit in bright Aussie green and gold drew a lot of attention too! Not that I wanted to be noticed that much on my bad day!

Thanks go to Jaggad who gave me a lot of support as part of their TEAM JAGGAD (www.jaggad.com) Technical Development Team. Whilst I may not have had the race I wanted I enjoyed the build up to the event a lot. Helping them out in the Expo was a great chance to meet lots of other athletes and to promote the new team. I was also one of the first to race in the bright new team kit. The combination of an Aussie team kit and Union Jacks stuck on my helmet certainly confused a few locals!

My time in Australia done I've returned to the UK. Right now I'm mainly concerned with what's happened to the sun I've grown to love! The next few weeks though I'll be focussed on preparing for the next race in Lanzarote and getting the result I know I should.

You can keep up-to-date with Russell and his progress via his excellent blog: www.trainstravels.co.uk