Cool Poole is no fool when it comes to body
HE might be chasing hot form but Matt Poole has to keep a cool head – and body – to defend his crown in the NutriGrain ironman series.
In a tie for third heading into the halfway point of the six-event series, Poole has made an interesting discovery about his body ahead of the Wollongong race on Sunday.
“The cooler it is the better I go,” said the ironman champion, who at 194cm and 90kg is by far the biggest competitor in the series and sweats significantly more than his rivals.
“I love racing anywhere in NSW because I always find myself racing better at home in the cooler water. I think it’s because I am a bigger guy.
“Everything shows when it is hotter, I sweat more and dehydrate faster.
“I’ve recently been doing some research and testing in this. I lose the salt and sodium faster, which causes you to hit the wall.”
Poole is a massive 22kg heavier than New Zealand ironman Max Beattie and 10kg-plus more than the likes of former Nutri-Grain champions Shannon Eckstein, lastround winner Ali Day and flatmate Matt Bevilaqua.
“I’ve just started to do this research,” Poole said.
“When you have young guys running round fast and injury free, you have to start playing the smart game.’’
TJ Hendy and Ali Day won in the opening two rounds, while Poole is overdue for success in the event he won last season.
“Winning a title is great but I want to win a second to show it was no fluke,” he said.
Day leads the series overall from Hendy, the son of surf legend Trevor.