MAN AT WORK
TANYN’S OCEAN6 REBUILDING
WORKING class ironman Tanyn Lyndon has bounced back from hand surgery and thoughts of retirement to seal an emotional maiden podium finish in the NutriGrain ironman series.
Lyndon finished third in the ironman final on Saturday behind Ali Day and series leader Matt Poole, securing the milestone moment seven years after making his Nutri-Grain debut in the 2011-12 season.
“I got a little emotional,” Lyndon said of the moments after the race. “It’s not the biggest thing ever but for the amount of time I have been in this, it felt pretty good to finally get up there with the guys I have been racing against for so long.”
Lyndon revealed he was close to giving up competing in the series ahead of the 2018-19 season.
The 26-year-old apprentice carpenter and fellow competitor Ben Carberry, who works with him, are the only ones in the series working full-time and the physical nature of his job and lack of results were becoming too hard.
“I had a few things going on in my life and I’m trying to set myself up for life after this sport,” Lyndon said.
“I was thinking I may as well focus on carpentry because trying to balance work and training wasn’t working.”
The retirement of Wes Burg as Burleigh Heads-Mowbray Park coach added to Lyndon’s confusion over his future but an honest chat with his former mentor sparked his desire to keep racing and led to his shift to Kurrawa.
“I was a bit lost and called Wes. He said: ‘You can go retire but retirement is forever.’ There is no coming back from it. He has been in the business for so long and he is now retired but you can still see he wants to get out and race.
“His words resonated with me and I thought I might as well give it a crack. It’s paid off.”
Lyndon said the support from partner Allie Britton, who will miss the current Ocean 6 series due to a foot injury, was also critical.
“I wouldn’t be able to do it without Allie. She helps me so much and it’s great to have someone on the same page as you,” he said.
Lyndon, who was on the tools again yesterday just hours after arriving back from Coolum, had his preseason training interrupted by an injury suffered at work.
Lyndon cut his thumb while holding sheet metal six months ago and required emergency surgery to re-attach the tendon.
The injury put him out for two months and Lyndon still doesn’t have full use of his thumb.
RESULTS: Page 30