ARRESTING DEVELOPMENT
JUGGLING 12-hour shifts and six kids sounds like hard work as it is, throw in 15 to 20 hours of training each week and it becomes almost impossible.
But for Townsville triathlete Tony Flanders, it is just a fact of life. The detective sergeant at Townsville Police will swap his uniform for his tri suit this weekend as he hunts for gold at the Triathlon Multisport Festival alongside partner Belinda Leppien.
A regular triathlon and half-ironman competitor, Flanders will join the start line in the 40-45 years division of the standard distance triathlon.
And he has put in the work in preparation, finding any spare hour to get in the water or on the bike.
“It definitely keeps us pretty busy, there is lots of early mornings and late nights,” he said.
“I think it’s just the desire to keep fit and healthy and the love of triathlon that keeps me going. You have just got to fit it in with life and that means not much sleep.
“It is just perseverance and determination and commitment to the training and the sport. After a while it just becomes second nature.”
A former marathon runner, Flanders has been competing in the multisport scene for about six years and admitted he was still learning and improving in the sport.
It was a chance to take his competition to the next level, by incorporating swim and bike legs, that enticed the spirited athlete to the sport.
He has since joined up with the local North Queensland Triathlon Academy, and his results have continued to improve.
“It is a really good environment,” Flanders said. “The people you meet through triathlons are so friendly and helpful. It is almost like a second family.
“That is the thing with people doing triathlons, they are all out there wanting to do it for their own reasons. It is a very positive community and we have a great club atmosphere.”
He climbed from 12 in the 40-44 age group in 2017 to fifth last year (70th to 33rd in the overall male), but is not willing to stop his rise up the ranks.
“I always hope to go better, but I’m never confident that I will,” he laughed. “We went to the 70.3 World Championships in 2017, and the goal is to get to another world championships.”