Jake calls in expert to step up comeback
JAKE Montgomery has gone under the tutelage of former Ironman 70.3 world champion Tim Reed in a bid to get his triathlon career back on track.
The 23-year-old Tugun resident said he decided he needed more guidance after an inconsistent 2017 campaign that followed a car accident at the end of 2016 that nearly took his life.
“With Tim being so close to home, the level he is at and how consistent he is all year round, I thought it would be great to use his knowledge,” Montgomery said.
Byron Bay-based Reed is a two-time 70.3 Asia Pacific champion and two-time Ironman Australia winner.
It’s been just over a month since Montgomery linked up with his new coach and it is already paying dividends.
Montgomery finished second in the Hell Of The West long course (2km swim, 80km bike and 20km run) race on Sunday at Goondiwindi in three hours, 32 minutes and 16 seconds. His bike split of 1:51:23 was a new course record and it was his first time on the podium since his accident.
Montgomery has stripped four kilograms from his frame.
“I have lost a heap of weight and my strengths for each leg are now even,” he said.
“I am actually heading into the run confident now.”
Montgomery will compete at 70.3 Geelong on February 18, the scene of his first halfironman win in 2016 and where he made his 70.3 return after the accident last year.