Winning title not enough for hungry Rogers
IT’S not often that you get to relax in an ironwoman series final. But the pressure is certainly off Lana Rogers, who was crowned overall title winner of the gruelling competition after Round 4 last month.
Tomorrow, the 23-year-old will finish off her near-perfect season at North Cronulla on the very beach where she learnt to swim and surf.
“Cronulla was my home for 15 years, being back always gives me the warm and fuzzies,” Rogers said.
“I loved doing nippers there, exploring the four beaches, going stingray hunting around Shark Point, hell sessions with dad paddling from South Cronulla to Green Hills.”
Rogers, the daughter of Olympic swimmer Greg Rogers, has dominated this summer, taking out the first three rounds and finishing second in Round 4.
She said her mental maturity and patience allowed her to snatch the overall title in her fourth attempt at the Ironwoman Series.
“After winning my first
Australian title in the 2017-18 season, I just expected to keep winning races,’’ Rogers said.
“But it just didn’t happen, I felt like I was doing all the work but my mind wasn’t right.
“It’s weird how it just clicks. I let myself grow and now I understand how to race these girls and each format. I understand the work that needs to be put into winning these titles.”
Rogers said she’s determined to finish the competition on a high.
And with Georgia Miller, Lizzie Welbourn and Harriet Brown all desperate to win the final round, Rogers knows that tomorrow’s Survivor Format final race will be brutal.
“This is my job and it’s not in my nature to sit back and relax on the sidelines.”