Roberts goes the distance
GOLD Coast triathlete Madi Roberts has made a stunning return to long-distance racing by winning 70.3 Cairns.
Roberts finished the 1.9km swim, 90km bike ride and 21.2km run yesterday in a time of 4 hours 32 minutes and 26 seconds to be the first female finisher.
Roberts has been competing in the shorter sprint and Olympic distance formats of the sport and last featured in a 70.3 ironman in November.
“I was actually a bit nervous about this race because my preparation was mostly for sprint and Olympic distance racing where it is flat out and gung-ho all the way,” Roberts said.
“My concern was about how I was going to pace it but I found it pretty good and I am very happy. I was in my zone the whole way and just did my own thing.
“I have done most of the 70.3 races in Australia and I was looking for something new.”
Roberts came out of the water in second place but put together the fastest bike split before holding on in the run to claim victory.
“I didn’t care about the wind I was just hoping it wouldn’t rain and I got my wish thankfully,” she said.
“I was really happy with the conditions and I didn’t even mind that little headwind on the run.
“My ribs got a bit stiff on the first lap of the run and I was having trouble breathing but I got it together for the second lap.
“That made the run a touch slower than I wanted.”