By Jim Birchall
Local ironman legend Cameron Brown is off to Quzhou China to compete in the Tri-Factor World Championship this week, an event he won last year.
This year he has also taken on an ambassador role for this leg, part of the greater Tri-Factor Asian Series, a multi-country ITU sanctioned Triathlon tour. The World Championship (final) will be held in Quzhou an ancient mountainous province in South-west China, this weekend.
The TRI-Factor races across Asia and includes legs in The Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, with the winner crowned the ‘fastest in Asia’.
The Times caught up with Cameron just before he left and he detailed his ambassadorial duties which include attending the official ceremony, running local triathlon camps and mentoring local athletes.
Brown has been overwhelmed by the event’s popularity
“This year it’s the final of the series and the race sold out very quickly so it’s great for the event organizers seeing the growth”. Competitors can choose from enduro, standard, sprint, and a standard distance duathlon. Asia is no longer considered a sleeping giant in endurance sport, and the tour has expected unprecedented growth in recent times.
When asked what is motivating Brown to keep competing at an elite level, despite being at an age where most athletes have wound down their careers or joined a masters’ series, Cameron says he is “still loving the training and racing so why give up yet? You’re a long time retired so I’ll keep going as long as I can and also try to stay injury-free”.
There is also no time for a rest once the Southern Hemisphere summer programme kicks in shortly, as Brown explains, “My big aim before Christmas is Ironman Western Australia on December 1, then it will be the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman In January, and Ironman New Zealand in March.”
