Bozzone back and happy to be alive
After five months of rehabilitation, Kiwi Ironman Terenzo Bozzone is ready to return to racing this weekend in Sydney.
After an accident on his bike in July, Bozzone said he was just thankful to be alive.
‘‘I thank my lucky stars every day that God has blessed me and I am still on this earth with my family and I get to see my two amazing kids grow up.’’
On July 3, he was hospitalised following a crash in west Auckland, where it was believed he had been hit by a truck.
He underwent surgery to repair a broken eye socket, but was back on his bike four weeks later.
He was not fit enough to return for the world series in Kona, Hawaii, in October, but the 33-year-old has decided it is time for his comeback at Ironman 70.3 Western Sydney this weekend – and believes he can get back to his best.
‘‘Even though the past five months have been unexpected and less than ideal I am still alive, I will make a full recovery and I will return to racing at the top of my game. It might not be this weekend but I know it won’t be far away,’’ Bozzone said.
‘‘I try not to give the accident and the outcome of the accident too much thought.
‘‘I always try and keep moving forward and setting new goals along the way. Trying to get on the start line in Kona was a big driving force for those few months following the accident and having that as a goal allowed me to keep moving forward on a daily basis.’’
Bozzone said the return to riding on the road was a little nerve-racking at times but he feels confident now. It has been almost six months since his last race – Ironman Cairns – and five since the accident.
‘‘My swim and bike fitness are great, as I have been able to build on this slowly since being allowed back into training after my accident.’’
Bozzone said the main issue to his fitness were his Achilles and he only just progressed to running on the road last week.
‘‘Honestly at the moment I am a little unsure what to expect out there, but I wanted to get some racing on the board before the end of the year, to see where things are at and what needs to be worked on going into the 2019 season.’’
All going well he will then race Ironman Western Australia the following weekend to test the waters over the full distance Ironman.
‘‘While I would love nothing more than to kick off this block of racing in the same style I finished last year and kicked off this year, I think that will be a big ask with the lack of run training over the past five months.
‘‘But I do have years of conditioning under my belt and I do love to race so anything is possible.’’
Bozzone suffered concussion after his accident and said that was the hardest part of the injury to overcome.
‘‘It has had its up and downs with on and off headaches, altered mood and increased tiredness but I feel the past few weeks I am pretty close to back to feeling my normal self again.’’