22 Oct 2019

Cam Brown Secures 2nd in Shanghai at Age 47

Cameron Brown:

“This is my third trip to China this year so I'm getting used to the long 12hr trip to get here. I wanted one more hit out at a race before I tackle Ironman Western Australia in 6 weeks’ time, that way I could check on my form and to get into race mode again before the final push of hard training. I felt I was now coming into good form and with a stellar field lining up it, would be good to test my legs against some of the best.”

“Race day dawned clear and calm, perfect racing conditions for the 1,300+ athletes looking to secure their World championship slots to Ironman 70.3 Taupo and the Hawaii Ironman in 2020. My day started with a pretty good swim exiting the water 1:15 down on Former world Champion Pete Jacobs, Portugal's Filipe Azevedo and former world record holder Tim Don from the UK. The first 30km on the bike were quick as my group chased down the leading trio before catching them at the 35km mark. The bike course featured two 45km loops which were flat and last on a two-lane express way. The pace was up and down throughout the ride, but just after the first loop, Aussie Leigh Anderson took off and was able to build a 3min lead on us in the final 45km.”

 “I was still feeling great coming off the bike, but had some great runners around me with 10 guys exiting T2 in a few seconds as we chased down Anderson. Azevedo and Tim Don went flying out and built up a 100m lead in the first kilometer, I started a little more slowly, but moved into 3rd place at around 5km. The run featured 3x 7km loops around the lake we swam in and again it was fast and flat. I was happy with my first 10km split posting 34:03! The gap to Anderson continued to fall and by the 16km we finally passed him. Filipe was still 100m in front of me, but I couldn't catch him, and I crossed the finish line in 2nd place 33 seconds behind. I'm extremely happy with how things are tracking leading into Ironman Busselton on December 1st. My body at 47yrs of age is still producing times I did 20-30yrs ago! so it's exciting for me as I continue to push the boundaries of a athlete reaching his 50's! A few easy days, then 4 weeks of hard training before the taper commences.”