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		<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Women - Tri247</title><link>http://www.tri247.com/index.html</link><description>Latest women articles from Tri247</description><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Kate Allen]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3292.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[The golden girl of triathlon and pre-race favorite of the Athen&#039;s Olympic triathlon, Loretta Harrop, looked like she had the gold medal sewn up. The multi World Cup winner, known as the one of the toughest competitors on the circuit, had come out of the swim in the lead pack and had dominated the bike. She looked like she was cruising to victory having broken all of her closest rivals, but Kate Allen from Austria, who was yet to win a World Cup, had other ideas. With only a few hundred meters to go, and within sight of the finishing line, she passed Harrop, and in doing so stunned the triathlon world by becoming the 2004 Olympic Champion. Annie Emmerson caught up with the reigning Olympic Champion following a serious bike crash which has potentially hindered her chances of defending her title.

 

AE You were, without a doubt, a surprise winner of the Athens Olympic triathlon. With a three minute lead off the bike few would have thought that you would go on to run Loretta Harrop (AUS) down in the home straight. Did you know or feel as if you were about to have the most devastating run leg that triathlon has ever seen?

KA I knew going into the race that I was in a great shape in biking and running. I ran as hard as I could and just tried to focus on the athlete that I could see in front of me. I had no idea what position I was in until 2km from the finish when I was told by my husband, Marcel, that gold was still possible. 

AE You won a silver medal at the European Championships four months before the Olympics, but did you have any idea that you were in the kind of shape to  make not just the podium, but win a gold medal in Athens? 

KA You dream about it and work for it, and I knew that if the dynamics of the race went my way, then I would have a chance to win gold, but I never thought the race would have run like it did.

AE It must have been an incredible moment, what were you thinking as you crossed the line knowing you had won won gold?

KA I kind of felt numb, you have so many mixed emotions, I was happy but exhausted at the same time. Everything I lived and worked for and the whole build up to this big aim all of a sudden made sense. What happened in this moment, took days and weeks to realise.

AE How did you feel about winning a gold medal for Austria and not that of the country of your birth place?

KA I was married and happily living in Austria for nine years. I started the sport in Austria, they supported me financially to do the sport and provided training facilities and structures. I went through the qualification process and got nominated, and that makes you very proud that your country stands behind you and believes in you.

AE Austria only won two gold medals in Athens, did you become an overnight national hero? 

KA Yes, people recognised me when I went shopping and you are no longer a private person. Before the Olympics I just had to deal with triathlon and all of a sudden my day was full with media appointments and events. It took me some time to adjust to that as well as maintaining my training. 

AE Before Athens your running was already very strong, what did you change in your training to make it the fastest running ever seen in triathlon? 

KA I had a very strong base in 2003 from the Ironman training that I did for Ironman Austria that year. I then put speed on top of that for the World Cups, and then after the World Championships in New Zealand I went back to running a lot of mileage for months. I did a lot of two and three hour runs with some specific, very short track sessions. I then did some running races early in the season and ran some fantastic times. 

AE Do you think you can return to the running form you had in Athens? 

KA Yes, I do, I  trained really well in Australia where I did some running races and was very happy with my shape. I am just disappointed that the training has been disrupted from the accident in New Zealand, it&acute;s not a perfect preparation.

AE Sadly you had a really bad crash in the World Cup in New Plymouth, your first race this season, tell us what happened?

KA Lisa Huetthaler crashed into my bike and I came down head first onto the road. I had 22 stitches in my face, lost three teeth, I tore a tendon in my thumb, bruised ribs and got terrible burns all over my body.

AE Do you think triathlon at  elite level has changed since Athens? 

KA Yes, you have to be a more complete triathlete now. All three disciplines have to be perfect, whereas in Athens you could still have a light weakness in one discipline. To win a medal in Beijing, you will have to be top in all disciplines.

AE How does a training week in the life of Kate Allen look?

KA I train 25 to 30 hours a week. Most importantly, I have to improve my swimming for the games in Beijing so I have been doing eight to nine swim sessions a week. I bike about ten hours and do six runs. To help my recovery I try to get at least three massages a week. 

AE On your website you mention Dr Pansold (Red Bull&#039;s leading sports training specialist) is your mentor, how influential was he in your 2004 result? 

KA I have worked with Dr Pansold since 2002 and he overlooks the structures and the physiology in my training. It&#039;s a good relationship and I get on very well with him. 

AE Being a professional triathlete has its pros and cons, but one thing for sure is that it&#039;s also very physically demanding, how do you stay motivated to keep training as hard as you do?

KA I always have big goals that I set myself, so normally I have one or two highlights a year that keep me focused.

AE How was your winter training, you said you&#039;ve been working on your weakest discipline, the swim, how&rsquo;s it going?

KA I went to Australia in October and I have been working twice a day with my swim coach, John Beckworth. Having a 50 metre pool with a swimming coach on poolside every day was very important to me. I have also found a good rhythm with my running and biking.

AE Two weeks ago Vanessa Fernandes exposed her weakness to her rivals, albeit in horrendous conditions, but now we know she doesn&rsquo;t cope well with the cold. Of course, Beijing won&rsquo;t be cold and so she won&#039;t have to deal with the handicap she was dealt in Pontervedra, but still, we&rsquo;ve seen she is not totally invincible. All that said, along with her closest rival Emma Snowsill, they will be hard to beat; as reigning champion how do you see it?

KA They are definitely the two strongest and most outstanding athletes at the moment. Without a doubt, Vanessa and Emma are the favorites for gold.

AE What was your sporting back ground before triathlon?

KA I was a track runner from the age of five until 15. I also did gymnastics for some years as well as a lot of sport in school. 

AE Last year you were back and racing strongly at the standard distance (Kate won another silver at the European Championships and got a third place at the Manchester World Cup) but what else have you been up to for the last four years?

KA I did two years of Ironman racing, won Ironman Austria and placed fifth in Hawaii twice. In 2007 I returned to Olympic distance racing.

AE As reigning champion and Austria&rsquo;s leading female triathlete it seems unbelievable that you have not yet qualified for Beijing; what do you need to do to make sure you will be there to defend your title?

KA I have three races left to qualify for Beijing. These races are the European Championships, the World Cup in Madrid and the World Championships in Vancouver. At these three races we have to achieve an A and a B result, which is a top eight and a top 12 placing. 

AE How devastating would it be if you don&rsquo;t make the team, and do you have a contingency plan?

KA We were pretty sure I would be qualified after New Plymouth. I nominated this race as a qualification race and trained very hard for it, and tapered down as well. At the moment I am trying to get my health and training back to normal. I hope to qualify, but if I don&rsquo;t I will have done everything I possibly can. I would be terribly disappointed and I have not yet thought of a contingency plan.

AE You&rsquo;ve won Austria twice, and had three top tens in Hawaii, do you think you can win it and put yourself in the record books as being Olympic Champion and Ironman World Champion? 

KA I would love to win it and I would like to think I could. Maybe I will go back there, we&#039;ll see.

AE A different race and very different distances but, Chrissie&rsquo;s race in Hawaii was on par with your incredible result in Athens, what did you think of Chrissie&#039;s result?

KA I was incredibly impressed with her race. In my opinion it was one of the strongest performances ever seen on Big Island. She is a breath of fresh air in the Ironman scene. 

AE With an Olympic gold medal safely locked away in your cabinet, what more do you want to achieve in triathlon or any sport for that matter?

KA I would like to win a World Cup as well as a medal at the World Championships. 

AE What are your dreams for the future both in life and in sport?

KA I would like to start a family after my sports career, but continue to keep fit and have an input into triathlon in Austria. ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Suunto reveals new sports watch training range]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3297.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Suunto, the leading sports instruments brand in the UK, is launching its much anticipated new range of heart rate monitors on 1st May. The 2008 collection includes new designs and features as well as Suunto&rsquo;s first ever specific women&rsquo;s range, perfect for girls to shape up and get fit this summer.

 The new Suunto training watches will look great wherever you are, easily taking you from the office to the gym. The women&rsquo;s range is bang on trend with colours including vibrant orange to chic black, and elegant wrist straps with intricate flower motifs add extra glamour to the line.

 The new range consists of 11 models in total, starting at &pound;50 RRP, and includes the four women&rsquo;s watches and one cycling accessory. There is a watch for everyone&rsquo;s needs, from the introductory level t1 that is great for day-to-day use, to the advanced t6c that sets your training schedule and gives a complete workout analysis on the spot. All models display useful workout details and how to improve next time &ndash; it&rsquo;s like having a personal trainer at your side. 

 The t1c, t3c, t4c and t6c are all supported by a newly improved heart rate monitor belt, worn across the chest. This comfortable belt monitors your heart beat and communicates back to the watch. Based on your heart rate, the Suunto then calculates the amount of calories burned and shows the benefits of the work-out, from fat-burning to improving performance. It is the perfect way to push your boundaries again and again!

Suunto is well-known for combining advanced functionality with great design and the new training range doesn&rsquo;t disappoint. The company made its name in the extreme sports arena and is a firm favourite with world leading climbers, skiers, mountain bikers and skydivers, as well as several English premiership football clubs. Ambassadors include Daniel Unger, World Triathlon Champion.

 
Suunto watches are available from leading shops that specialise in outdoor gear, including Snow &amp; Rock, Field &amp; Track, Cotswold Outdoor, Ellis Brigham, www.sailgb.com - www.heartratemonitor.co.uk and www.facewest.co.uk]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Calling all trigirls]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3296.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Don&#039;t miss your opportunity to take part in an all women triathlon training event at Dulwich College, South London on Sunday 18th May from 0930 until 1630. This training day is ideal for experienced female runners who are novice triathletes as the focus of the day will be on transitions, swim and bike training. Some of you who have entered your first super sprint or sprint distance for this summer may be feeling nervous about the technical details of a triathlon, this training day will give you the confidence you need to succeed.

The day will offer top class coaching by experienced coach Beate Vogt. Her training will combine practical swim, run and cycle sessions in the excellent venue facilities with classroom-style seminars. Beate will also show women how to set-up a structured training plan and offer essential race day tips. During the training day Beate will be joined by experts in the fields of cycling, swimming and triathlon.
The cost for the training day is &pound;38.00 and this includes use of facilities, lunch, refreshments and goodie bag. 

Book now to avoid disappointment! For more details and to register for a place visit www.trigirl.co.uk or  email Patrizia Victor pat@trigirl.co.uk or call 07734 846978

]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lisboa International triathlon]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3272.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[An update on Lisboa International Triathlon which took place last Saturday:  Alun Woodward actually finished in eighth place, I finished seventh female (the race organisers listed me under the other half of my dual nationality but with a new name!), and Edwina in eighth ensured there was plenty of GB representation in the top ten, particularly with Paul Amey taking a classy overall win. Darren Treadaway had a stormer and finished 17th, just five minutes behind Marino V, not bad considering he&#039;s not giving up his day job just yet to turn pro.

This race is unique in that whoever finishes &#039;in the money&#039; (so to speak) earns it, whether pro or age-group/amateur. The podiums: well for GB there was the overall male winner of course, Paul Amey, who did eventually make it to the after party and presentations, about an hour late! Age group podiums were: George Hodgson M65-69 winner (and oldest in the race!), Paul Amey M35-39 winner, Fiona Moorhead-Lane F35-39 second and Edwina Carter F25-29 third.

It became obvious the Portuguese race organisation won&#039;t distinguish pro categories from age-groups, as despite earning prize money cheques for a top ten finish, we were also given the age group prizes! They do, however lay on a fantastic post-race party at the Lisbon Casino; fully catered with an open bar, to say it was popular would be an understatement. There were many more GB athletes out in Lisbon this year, with Optima racing team, Tri Force Herts and East London Tri well represented, to name a few clubs in and around London. Notably of course, out on the course were the numbers making up the Irish contingent! The race has doubled in competitor numbers over the past three years and is still growing. A very well organised event, great course and perfect pancake (well-almost!) conditions this year for PBs. Cheers, until next time, Fiona]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Avil podiums again in Korea]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3256.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Beijing-bound Samantha Warriner (NZL) claimed her sixth World Cup title today in the 2008 Tongyeong BG Triathlon World Cup. A strong swim put the top Kiwi at the front of the group and enabled her to utilize her running speed to cruise to gold with a time of 1:49:49. Nine seconds back in second place was Hollie Avil (GBR), who&#039;s 19 years Warriner&#039;s junior. This is the second podium in as many races for the 2007 Junior champion Avil. In third, following  a strong finish to 2007 was Vendula Frintova (CZE), a further  22 seconds down.

&amp;quot;I&#039;m pretty stoked,&amp;quot; said the 36-year old  Warriner. &amp;quot;I was feeling good. In New Plymouth I made lots of  mistakes. I made sure not to make the same mistakes here and it  worked.

Very windy conditions greeted the small field of only 32 athletes for the start of the 1,500 metre wetsuit swim in Tongyeong  harbour. Local athlete, Yun-Jung Jang (KOR), held the lead for the entire swim leg. While Jang and two others led out of the swim, a large group containing all of the top names was close behind and quickly made  up this gap early in the bike leg. Because of the windy conditions and two hills on the bike course, the lead group stayed together and entered  second transition as one.

Within 50 metres of exiting transition, Warriner pushed the  pace with only Avil and Frintova able to match her. These three ran together, continuing to put time between them and the rest of the field, until  the halfway point where Warriner injected another burst of speed to drop Frintova.

&amp;quot;I was pushed all the way by those two and that was  really good practice because you need to be able to control yourself in that  sort of state,&amp;quot; added Warriner. &amp;quot;I  decided to go for it around that last corner and went for it and got it and I&#039;m really pleased.&amp;quot;

Avil looked to add to her gold medal collection, trading the lead with Warriner until the final lap. But with two kilometres to go the veteran Kiwi surged again on a slight uphill, this time  dropping Avil. From there is was clear sailing for the former age group champion as she glided home for her 11th World Cup podium. Warriner  becomes just the fifth woman in history to have World Cup wins in four straight years, joining Vanessa Fernandes, Loretta Harrop, Emma Carney and Emma Snowsill.

Other British interest in the race was provided by Emma Davis (IRL) who finished tenth and Chrissie Wellington who finished 22nd.

  
    Pos
    Women
  
  
    1
    Samantha Warriner (NZL)1:49:49
  
  
    2
    Hollie Avil (GBR)1:49:58
  
  
    3
    Vendula Frintova (CZE)1:50:20
  
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Emma-Kate Lidbury]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3253.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Retired swimmer, Emma-Kate Lidbury, thought her competitive sports days were well and truly behind her; that was until her boss at the newspaper where she works as a journalist thought she&#039;d be a good contender for the Blenhiem triathlon. Three years later she was standing on the podium at the World Championships, with a Bronze medal around her neck. The up-and-coming Wiggle sponosored athlete talks to Annie Emmerson about how she caught the triathlon bug, her plans to improve on her Bronze medal and, amongst other things, the possiblity of doing an Ironman.

  

AE Before you became a triathlete you were a swimmer (not a bad one either!). Tell us a about your time as a swimmer and what strokes and distances did you swam?

EKL I took up competitive swimming aged 11 and to begin with it was just one of many sports and activities I was lucky enough to enjoy growing up with parents who were active and sporty themselves. However, it soon became apparent that I was more than your average club swimmer and I think my parents soon regretted it as it meant being at the pool for 5am most mornings before school.

I was predominantly a sprint freestyler, excelling at 50m and 100m freestyle at National level but also swimming medley, fly and breaststroke at regional level. I qualified for my first Nationals aged 12 and every year subsequently until aged 18, consistently finishing in the top 10 in my age group in the 50m and 100m free. Other career highlights included competing at the European and Olympic Trials, swimming for English Schools and winning a number of regional titles. I would never have entertained racing 1500m back then, which makes me laugh now. Although I didn&rsquo;t realise &ndash; or appreciate it &ndash; back then, spending my formative years training as a swimmer is paying dividends now. Not only do I have a great aerobic base, but I&rsquo;ve come into triathlon with a lot of experience of competing and all that it entails. 
 
AE That&#039;s impressive, so what made you catch the triathlon bug?

EKL Back in November 2004, I was just settling into a new job at a newspaper in Oxford when my editor mentioned the Blenheim Triathlon to me. He said the paper would be sponsoring the inaugural event &ndash; due to take place at Blenheim Palace in summer 2005 &ndash; and he was keen to have a &lsquo;face in the race&rsquo;. Given that the majority of my colleagues more than fitted the bill as stereotypical hacks (20 fags a day and almost as many coffees), I guess I probably looked like the only one who stood a chance of making it round the course and not collapsing. He knew I had a background in competitive swimming so told me &#039;one out of three ain&rsquo;t bad&#039; and that was that. I guess triathlon just landed in my inbox and was just another feature to write at the outset. I probably didn&rsquo;t realise it at the time, but it had been a few years since I had been involved with competitive sport and I was missing it. I&rsquo;d grown up very accustomed to the discipline of training and racing, so getting back into it wasn&rsquo;t too much of a culture shock.

AE How did that first race go?
 
EKL Despite the fact I only received my bike about two months before the race and it took me the best part of a month to get used to riding with clipless pedals, my first outing as a triathlete was a great success. I finished 13th in a 600-strong field  having done next to no proper training and I realised that with a little bit of hard work I could maybe achieve some good results. It took me weeks to come down from the finish line high after Blenheim yet by that time I&rsquo;d already signed up for another three races and had been talked into joining a club, Oxford Tri. There was also one other factor I hadn&rsquo;t taken into account: the tri bug. It had bitten me good and proper. I had no idea just how addictive triathlon would be&hellip;but it is fair to say my life has never been the same since. I don&rsquo;t know exactly what it is about the sport that I love, but it&rsquo;s definitely got me.

AE Since then you moved up the ranks quite quickly, tell us about some of your results since your first race in Blenhiem.

EKL In 2006 I was eighth at the ITU World Championships in the 25-29 age group. At the 2007 World Championships, I managed to turn my eighth place from the previous year into a Bronze medal, I was also the fastest British woman and had the seventh fastest time overall. In 2007 I was the overall winner of the Eton Triathlon, was the winner of the Michelob Ultra London Triathlon sub-2:30 race and also captained the Oxford Tri&#039;s women&#039;s team to a Bronze medal at the National Club Relay Championships.

AE Will your main focus be standard distance racing, or do you have plans to step up a distance?

EKL At the moment, yes, my focus is standard distance racing. The ITU Age Group Worlds in Vancouver is my &lsquo;A&rsquo; race of the season, but with it coming so early in the year I have decided to mix things up a bit and go longer in the latter half of the season. I&rsquo;ve recently entered my first 70.3 and will be racing at the Antwerp Ironman 70.3 in early August, which I&rsquo;m very much looking forward to.

AE Do you have any plans to do an Ironman?

EKL When I first became involved with triathlon and heard about Ironman I honestly thought the people who did it were mental, absolutely mental. I vowed I would never get involved in such a torturous and gruelling sport. However, as with most things tri-related, you get sucked in eventually, and I&rsquo;m starting to think more and more about going long. At a recent training camp in Lanzarote I rode the 112-mile Ironman bike course and loved it. I loved watching the miles clock up on the bike and felt stronger throughout the ride and thought afterwards, &ldquo;Hmmm... maybe I could do an Ironman&rdquo;. I&rsquo;ve not entered one, but I have a group of friends who are trying to convince me to do Lanzarote next year. We&rsquo;ll see! 
 
AE You&#039;re a very strong swimmer and had some fantastic results as an age group athlete, have you considered competing at elite level?

EKL I am planning to race some of the Corus Elite Series races this season to see how I fare against the elites. It will be interesting to see how close or far away I am. I think I would probably need to invest more time in my swimming to really be up in the front pack. Since becoming a triathlete, swimming is the sport which I have spent the least time on in a bid to continually improve my bike and running, but if I was to race elite full-time that would change.

AE You spent the winter training in Oz with some of the big names in triathlon, how did it go?

EKL I absolutely adored Australia, it was fantastic. It was the second time I&rsquo;d been there but my first visit was as a backpacker about seven years ago. I spent the majority of the time in Noosa, which is just a tri mecca, and hooked up with the tri club there and joined the local swim squad. The facilities were absolutely awesome, the weather was brilliant and the people were terrific. It isn&rsquo;t hard to see why the Aussies do so well at sport after spending a few months training with them. Joining the swim squad really kickstarted my swim training again and I was swimming with Belinda and Justin Granger, which was great. During one of the first sessions when the coach said: &ldquo;OK, EK, you can lead this lane&rdquo;, I thought &ldquo;Jeez, I&rsquo;m leading out the Grangers&rdquo;, but in actual fact it was brilliant training with them. Belinda is terrific fun and had plenty of tips for 70.3 and Ironman racing. It also wasn&rsquo;t uncommon to see Gordo Byrn, Grant Hackett and plenty of other big names, so leaving Noosa was extremely hard.

AE What are your strengths - apart from swimming?

EKL I&rsquo;m getting stronger and stronger on the bike and my run is improving all the time. In terms of personality, I think I&rsquo;m mentally quite tough and can push myself hard. As an ex-swimmer, I&rsquo;m used to putting in the hours and firmly believe you get out what you put in. I have a strong work ethic and want to be the best at whatever I do.

AE And your weaknesses?

EKL I think sometimes I can push myself too hard and, if I didn&rsquo;t have a coach or boyfriend telling me to rest sometimes, I could quite easily overtrain. 
 
AE How and when did you link up with your sponsor Wiggle?

EKL After the Worlds in Hamburg last year, a lot of my tri friends were telling me I should seek out some sponsorship deals, having finished as the top female British age grouper. I heard that Wiggle was about to get heavily involved in triathlon ahead of the 2008 season so was put in touch with them. The day before I flew to Australia in late October, Wiggle confirmed they would sponsor me in 2008, so I flew off one very happy girl. They have been brilliant and it&rsquo;s more than just a sponsorship deal. I&rsquo;ve got to know a few of the characters at Wiggle HQ and love the way they do things. I&rsquo;ve recently picked up my race bike for the season, the Focus Izalco Chrono, their top spec tri bike, and it is sublime. I&rsquo;ve also been fortunate to secure sponsorship from an accountancy firm in Swindon called Morris Owen and Savills (the estate agents) in Oxford.
 
AE If you had a choice to race in any triathlon around the world which one would it be?

EKL There are some terrific races in America which I&rsquo;d like to do such as the Escape from Alcatraz race in San Francisco and Wildflower. Then there&rsquo;s also Kona which I&rsquo;d love to qualify for one day. I guess it is THE race of all races. Having said that, being on the start line at the London 2012 Olympics would also be pretty special.

AE When you&#039;re not racing and training you work as a journalist, it sounds exciting, tell us more. 
 
EKL For the past four years I&rsquo;ve worked as a news reporter for the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times, covering stories as varied as murder trials through to spending a week with troops in Basra, Iraq. Until triathlon came along, journalism was most definitely my passion and if I hadn&rsquo;t caught the tri bug in the way I have, I&rsquo;m sure I&rsquo;d be working around the clock in Fleet Street right now. Instead, I&rsquo;ve branched out into writing for triathlon magazines and regularly contribute to 220, combining my two passions in life.
 
AE How many hours a week to you train?

EKL In an average week I wouldn&rsquo;t do more than 15 hours and every fourth week I have a reduced volume week. My coach, Pete Dowling, sets me a programme each week based on what I have going on, how hectic work is, and what time of the season it is.
 
AE That&#039;s a fair amount of training, how do you manage to combine training with work?

EKL I&rsquo;ve always been a well-organised person so I think you become used to managing your time well. I now only work at the paper two days a week and do more work from home which is great for training. I tend to swim first thing in the morning and run at lunchtime if I&rsquo;m at work or do a bike or gym session in the evening. 
  
AE What are your aims for 2008 and beyond?

EKL This year I would like to improve on my result from last year&rsquo;s Worlds in Hamburg and also race well on the domestic scene. I&rsquo;d also like to make a strong step-up to 70.3 racing. As for beyond 2008, I guess I&rsquo;ll have to see how this season goes before making any decisions.
 
AE If you weren&#039;t doing triathlon which other sport would you choose?

EKL I took part in pretty much every sport imaginable as a kid before swimming took over, but my first loves were probably basketball and volleyball, although it would have been great to have been a top-flight tennis player.

AE What&#039;s your best moment in triathlon so far?

EKL My best and worst moment probably came within moments of each other at Hamburg last year. With about 2k to go I knew I was in gold medal winning position, but a few strides later I was overtaken and had nothing left to go with the girl who went on to win it. I was holding on and holding on, running to the line for silver when, with about two metres to go, an Aussie girl pipped me to the finish line and I had to settle for bronze. To begin with I was gutted but then had to remind myself that I&rsquo;d still won a medal at the Worlds, which two years ago I would have thought crazy. I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ll ever forget that last 2k: the crowds were amazing, I was in more physical pain than ever before, but I knew I was moments from finishing a great race and a medal would be mine, regardless of its colour.
 
AE And lastly, who&#039;s your sporting hero?

EKL One of my earliest sporting memories is of Adrian Moorhouse winning the 100m breaststroke at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 (I was eight years old). I can distinctly remember watching him closing down the gap on the leading swimmers and snatching victory by one one hundredth of a second. The photo of him - arms stretched up to the sky, fists clenched, eyes closed, grinning - as he realises he has won Olympic gold is one of my all-time favourite images and is ingrained in my mind. To me, his face says it all in that picture: if you work hard, you will eventually reap your rewards. A few years later as a teenager, I was invited to take part in a British Swimming development training camp and Mr Moorhouse was there and I can remember being incredibly nervous. I still think he&rsquo;s a legend, 20 years on! ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lee and Parsons podium at Powerman]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3224.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[We don&#039;t have the full details yet, just an email from Jez Cox somewhere on a ferry on the North Sea, but we believe Michelle Lee won the women&#039;s race and Michelle Parsons got third. Emma Dews raced as well but we don&#039;t have a place. Best men&#039;s result was Matt Moorhouse in ninth, Lee Peircy was 13th and Jez Cox, who twisted his ankle during the first run, was 33rd. The results should come up on the Powerman site: www.powerman.nl]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ishigaki video highlights]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3201.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Those of you who receive our weekly newsletter may have noticed that our Ishigaki report on &#039;Awesome Avil!&#039;, following the World Cup debut of World Junior Champion, Hollie Avil, in Japan, was our most read feature of last week. If, unlike us, you weren&#039;t able (or willing!) to watch the live online feed at 5am on Sunday, there is another chance to see the race highlights.

Within our Videos and Podcasts section, as for all World Cup events, we have the latest highlights video from the 2008 BG Series. Tune in here to catch the action from the season so far.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[From tennis to triathlon]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3199.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Triathlon&#039;s popularity seems to be growing at a phenomenal rate and that also includes in the celebrity world. Last month we brought you the news that  following the birth of her twins early this year, Jennifer Lopez would be taking part in her first triathlon, in September. Now, former number eight in the world tennis star, Anna Kournikova, has also joined the ranks of an ever increasing list of celebrities taking part in triathlon.  

Along with Chris McComack and Leanda Cave, who raced in the main event (full report and results here) Anna took part in the Nautica South Beach Triathlon as part of a celebrity relay. She was in good company, her other team members were  pretty good athletes in their own right too. The half a mile swim leg was swam by four-time Olympian Dara Torres, Dara is attempting to become the first mother to make a fifth Olympic swim team at the age of 41. Katja Meyers, a top five Ironman finisher, who also works as a model, took control of the 18mile bike leg, followed by Anna, who ran the final leg of the relay, a four mile run. Anna&#039;s team , the Toyota Dream Team, finished in 1:32:25, Anna&#039;s time for the four mile run was 28:59

Anna spoke about her race the week before the event: 

&quot;I am running in a triathlon on South Beach on Sunday the 13th April. K-Swiss is one of the sponsors of the triathlon, and I am running four miles of the race, and all proceeds will benefit St. Judes Children&#039;s Hospital. After the race I&#039;m going to be at the K-Swiss tent on the Beach signing autographs and doing some meet and greets, and then in the evening I&#039;ll be at a K-Swiss sponsored cocktail party on a yacht in Miami Beach. I can&#039;t wait to get to the beach and run outside, although I am not too excited about having to get up at 5am.&quot;

Anna who was slightly winded when finishing the four mile had this to say about her triathlon experience:

&quot;It was really cool,&quot; Kournikova said. &quot;I am a little out of breath, sorry. I was expecting nothing really because I was sick a week or two ago.

Perhaps Anna won&#039;t be rushing to do a full triathlon in the near future, but who knows, she certainly looked the part!



]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Leanda Cave interview]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_3182.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[It&#039;s quite astonishing that Leanda Cave only turned 30 in March this year, it feels as if she&#039;s been in the sport forever, her achievements certainly suggest that she has. With a Commonwealth Games medal and World titles to her name, Leanda is one of Great Britain&#039;s most successful female athletes. Over the last couple of years, Leanda has made quite a few changes to her life, she&#039;s now living in the States and is embarking on a new career as an Ironman athlete. Annie Emmerson caught up with her to find out more.

 
 
AE There&#039;s been a fair few changes since we last caught up with you, you&#039;ve moved up to Ironman distance, and you&#039;ve also moved from your base in Swansea to San Francisco, that&#039;s quite a change from the Welsh Valleys? 

LC I still have my property in Swansea as there is always a little piece of me that still wants to be there. Swansea was a city that I fell in love with for many reasons, so one day I may be back.  I moved to San Francisco with Torsten, my long-term boyfriend (and now coach); he moved here almost three years ago for a coaching opportunity. I had been here prior to Torsten coming over and thought what an amazing place it is to live, so when I had the chance to come over, I did. I&#039;m still waiting on a visa, but I think I will be here for quite a while.
 
AE You spent quite a few years racing short course triathlons, what made you make the change to Ironman and 70.3?

LC It was more luck than a decisive moment. I have always done the half Ironman distance, and without trying for it, I qualified for the first ever 70.3 World Championship event in Clearwater, Florida, in 2006. That year was one of the only years they have allowed pros to qualify for the Ironman World Championships over the 70.3 distance, so I jumped at the opportunity. Best thing I have ever done. I was no longer on World Class funding, so it was an easy decision to start doing Ironman. It has always attracted me.

AE How has your training changed since you moved up a gear?

LC I would say I have moved down a gear in terms of how hard I train. I miss the red lining every training session. However, I love being out for six hours on training rides. I&#039;m getting to love longer runs. Two hour runs 18 months ago would have killed me, and just the thought was almost impossible, but now a three hour run is what I am doing!

AE Looking back over your career you are, without a doubt, one of Great Britain&#039;s most successful female triathletes. You won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, last year you were crowned World Long Course Triathlon Champion,  but you&#039;re most prestigious award has to be the 2002 ITU World Championships in Cancun, doesn&#039;t it?

LC I would have said yes at the beginning of last year, but then I hadn&#039;t experienced the Ironman in Kona. Now I feel that my achievements will never be complete until I win the Ironman World Championships.

AE Winning a World Championship title is something most athletes can only ever dream of and you&#039;ve won two, what does it feel like crossing the line knowing you&#039;re about to become a World Champion?

LC It&#039;s always a bit surreal because at the time, you&#039;re not thinking that you are winning a World Championship event, you&#039;re just winning a race. To win a race is hard enough these days, but to do it in a World Championship is totally mind blowing.

AE Is it true that when you won your first title in Cancun, your then coach, Chris Jones, thought you had finished second and didn&#039;t realise until sometime after the race - because of all the mayhem, crowds etc - that you&#039;d actually caught Barb Linquist on the home straight?

LC From any angle, Barb had it in the bag, including mine!  The crowds were so big, and they were shouting to me that she is not far ahead. But I couldn&#039;t see her, so I just kept up the strong pace that I had going from the start of the run. Finally, with about 200m to go, there she was, and I found another gear and passed her with the finish line in sight, so it was no wonder that Chris had no idea as he was at the other end of the run course. But he was over the moon, even when he thought I had finished second!

AE After winning the World Championships in 2002  you had some injury problems, this obviously caused you to under perform  and eventually led to you losing your funding, do you feel that British Triathlon could have helped you more and that maybe you were let down by the system?

LC Yes, absolutely, but there are many holes in the system. There are no athletes making crucial decisions, only a group of people who think they know best. I had many times of financial stress, especially at the end of the season waiting for the big decision  to find out whether I was on funding or not. From speaking with other athletes, they have similar circumstances. You can&#039;t perform at your best if you are always stressed. It was almost a relief to be taken off.
 
AE Do you think the changes that have been made to the funding are good or bad?

LC The changes, in my opinion, are not good. There is way too much support for the youth and potential athletes. Yet, the seniors, who have made the sport their career choice, are left without a secure source of income.
 
AE You&#039;ve experienced both sides of the coin, in the early days when you were racing you were very much self-funded, you then experienced life as a lottery funded athlete, in your opinion, do you think that for some of the athletes funding has a negative effect rather than a positive?

LC I learned to take risks and fight. I had no cushion to fall on when things didn&#039;t go my way, which made me fight even more. Unfortunately, the cushion is too big for the up and coming athletes. Life is very cushy and there is too much praise for some rather insignificant achievements. However, I do see some great things coming from some of the up and coming male athletes.  There is no showing off. They just work hard and get the job done.

AE Do you think short course racing has changed in the last couple of years and, if so, how has it changed?

LC From my last experiences in World Cup racing I found that it is, more than ever, a running race! The swim is important, but only to get in &#039;the pack&#039;. After that, the bike leg is pretty much a 40km scenic stepping stone to get to the run. I have started to see less and less effort on the bike from the girls who can run. In fact, the last few World Cups I did, Emma and Vanessa never came to the lead of the bike at all. That is not to say that they can&#039;t ride, but they know they are running to win.
 
AE What are your plans for 2008?

LC The Ford Ironman World Championships is my big key race for the year. I&#039;m doing the &#039;Quelle Roth Challenge&#039; to learn more about myself racing the Ironman distance. In between I will be defending my title at Escape from Alcatraz, as well as continuing with the odd 70.3 event (including the UK 70.3). I would also like to finish higher on the podium at the 70.3 Worlds after my bronze medal  last year.
 
 
AE And beyond 2008?

LC More Ironman and more 70.3. I absolutely love this sport and all its distances, however, Ironman has brought the life back into my sport for me.
 
AE You had a great race in Kona (maybe a little over-shadowed by Chrissie&#039;s surprising, but outstanding victory) where you finished eighth, were you happy with your result?

LC I didn&#039;t have a great day in Kona. In fact, I felt bloody awful, so I considered eighth a strong performance, but nowhere near what I am capable of. And hats off to Chrissie, an amazing person and athlete. I have a lot of respect and admiration for what she has achieved in life, and in this sport.
 
AE You were a great short course athlete, do you regret not making the Olympics?

LC I&#039;m not counting out London! But so far, no regrets.
 
AE So you have plans to return to the shorter distance?

LC I&#039;m keen to try for London, if, my financial circumstances are in place and I don&#039;t need to rely on the funding system. I&#039;m old enough and wise enough to do without all that hand-holding stuff!
 
AE What is your best memory in all the years you&#039;ve been racing?
  
LC The feeling I had after winning silver in the 2002 Commonwealth Games. It was the first time that I had everyone important to me, there watching. I cried for days!
 
AE What are your Olympic predictions?

LC I don&#039;t think anyone will beat Emma Snowsill, then Fernandez. So anyone else going will be racing for third. The men&#039;s field is pretty wide open; however, Gomez gets my bet.
 
AE Who do you most admire as a sports person?

LC Paula Radcliffe, the quiet, humble achiever.  
 
AE What would you still most like to achieve in your sport?

LC It&#039;s quite simple, win the Ironman World Championships.
 
AE And finally tell us about war on ALS - the charity you&#039;ve been supporting

LC I&#039;m glad you asked me about that.  It is such a fast and destructive disease that hardly anyone knows about. ALS is short for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. It is a progressive degenerative disease that attacks the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. In turn it effects the movement of voluntary muscles and the signals to move them. The muscles begin to waste away as the brain&#039;s ability to move them diminishes. ALS in unpreventable, untreatable, and incurable. It attacks healthy adults randomly and spontaneously, and once diagnosed, the victim has two to five years of life expectancy. The guy I knew briefly, John Blaise (the founder of the Blazemand Foundation) died within six months of completing the 2006  Ironman World Championships, so to raise money for this charity, I will be auctioning some of my artwork later in the year (for more info go to: www.waronals.com).



To keep up to date with Leanda&#039;s news and results go to: www.leandacave.com]]></description></item></channel></rss>