BROWN KEEN TO SHINE IN HOME STATE RACING
SHE’S the defending NutriGrain ironwoman champion and current series leader and there’s no place Harriet Brown would rather register her first race win than in her home state.
A proud Victorian, Brown is looking forward to the series making its return to her home state for the first time in years.
A great advocate for the sport, Brown actively promotes surf lifesaving in her home state, dropping into home club Ocean Grove to coach nippers when in Victoria, as well as mentoring a group of athletes from the Mornington Peninsula.
“Whenever I go home to train, I often pop in to Ocean Gove and other clubs to coach the kids and it’s really cool to see how passionate they are about the sport and how they really follow the sport as well,” she said. “I think a lot of athletes don’t actually realise how much of an impact they have.
“I only start to realise when I’m a bit more engaged with some of the young kids and they love the sport, they love watching all the athletes. It really means so much for them to get there to watch.”
Brown’s family will also be among those watching – a luxury not usually afforded the Northcliffe ironwoman, who rarely has the chance to race at home.
“I always feel a little bit more pressure racing at home,” said Brown, who will not be able to don the longsleeved, long-legged wetsuit she used to race in as a nipper to deal with the cold she will face at Fairhaven Beach on Sunday. “I don’t enjoy the cold. People say that over the years, I should be used to it but I’m not.
“You’ve just got to be smart about keeping warm and making sure you’re not getting that core temperature down too much.”
That will be a challenge over an endurance format. Brown will also compete in the Pier to Pub open-water swim tomorrow, hoping to add to her six titles in it.
Olympic champions Mack Horton and Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri will also take part in the Pier to Pub.