Hancock not giving in to gruelling Gold
COURTNEY Hancock is adamant her Nutri-Grain ironwoman series chances remain alive despite admitting she was blunted by a gruelling Coolangatta Gold campaign.
Hancock won a second successive Gold title – her third overall – last month but forced herself to take a break from training ahead of the Nutri-Grain series opener, knowing the strategy would pay off in a long season.
She finished ninth at Queenscliff, a result she was pleased with given her limited preparation and the race’s sprint format. And she is raring to go ahead of Round 2 at Coolum, on the Sunshine Coast, on Sunday after shedding the sluggish feeling she has carried since finishing the 41.8km Gold.
“I’ll be honest, it’s been tough coming off the Gold and I always knew it would be,” the Northcliffe star said.
“It was hard for me last year, I really did struggle trying to get my sprint back in the body and it took me really right up to February.”
Hancock was not qualified for last year’s series and had to get straight back into action in the Summer of Surf series to earn her Nutri-Grain place. But with last summer’s elite series reduced to a single three-day event in February, she hit her straps at the right time, only narrowly failing to win a fourth Nutri-Grain title.
This year’s series is more of a marathon than a sprint though.
“We’ve still got a long way to go, the series goes right through to the end of February,” she said.
“So I’m not worried that I came in with a ninth in the first round, I always knew that was going to be the hardest round for me. I’m so far ahead of where I was last year. So I think I’ve made the right choice forcing myself to rest because I’m now feeling so much better that this time last year.
“I’ve had a couple of sessions this week where I have felt great and that gives me confidence.”
The Coolum format – what’s being called an “M shape eliminator” will combine endurance and sprint ability given athletes will drop off every time they return to the beach.
“This round you’ve got to be very careful not to miss out,” Hancock said of a format that will cut the field from 20 starters to just 10 by the end of race one, and then from 10 to a final two by the final leg of the second race.
“You know the young athletes are going to be gung-ho from the start.
“I think this weekend if you do get across the line first you need a bit of luck going for you. There’s so many times when you win races but it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re up the front for 100 per cent of the race.
“Sometimes you need to sit back and save your energy for that last leg.”