Kiwi ironman legend Cameron Brown, from Dannemora, is the oldest to have qualified in the pro field for this weekend’s IRONMAN World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i – but he is aiming high.
Brown, 46, told ap.ironman.com that he would love to finish in the top 10.
“Anything beyond that would be a bonus. My last five years up there were shocking with everything from bee stings to sickness to injuries – you name it I did it. So, for me this is about a good race, one I can be happy with,” he said in an interview with ap.ironman.com.
“But you need everything to go your way, it is the world championships and the toughest race in the world, anything can happen running a marathon through a lava field at 40 degrees.”
Brown has spent a month in preparation in the warmer Sunshine Coast across the ditch.
The 12-time Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain IRONMAN New Zealand champion is a four-time Kona podium finisher. He completed his first triathlon in 1987. It follows a creditable third place finish at the Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain IRONMAN New Zealand in March this year where he recorded his fastest ever time of 8:07:10.
“I raced my fastest ever IRONMAN New Zealand this year, so my form is still fantastic regardless of my age. I do have to keep the body moving and ticking over. The recovery factor is big, knowing when to taper and ease off and knowing that my body takes some time to recover and freshen up, not like 10 years ago when I could go hard every day,” ap.ironman.com reported.
“That is the key for me these days is recovering well. I have heaps of massage, Normatech boots help and I can’t go as hard as I did a few years ago. I am always learning about myself and knowing what I can do each day, after 32 years in the sport I know what my body can handle.
“I can’t rest though, if I have more than a week off I get injured. After races that means active recovery. When I was in my thirties I could have three or four weeks off and go back running, if I did that now I would pull a calf, so active recovery is huge for me.”
