And now for the most exciting event yet!

X-Tri has long organised events away from home and we've now taken an even bigger step than the normal jump from NSW to Victoria, the ACT or Queensland.

Over the periord 2004-2006 we worked with authorities in Singapore and with WTC, to secure the then world's newest Ironman 70.3 event and now it's real and so much more, the dream becoming a reality in conjunction with our Singapore partners, Hi-Velocity as the events group Hi-Tri!

So the new Ironman 70.3 event is actually product of X-Tri in Australia and HiVelocity from Singapore, operating as Hi Tri Singapore - with valued assistance from Singapore's leading tri club, the Triathlon Family.

As part of its continuing commitment to Singapore’s sporting scene, world wide insurer Aviva agreed to be the title sponsor for the Aviva Ironman 70.3 Singapore Triathlon that was launched into fact on September 2nd 2007, bringing an event of world class and quality into downtown Singapore.

This world-class competition represented two “firsts” for Singapore – 1) it was the first time Singapore had ever hosted an Ironman 70.3 event and 2) it was the first Ironman 70.3 to ever take place in Asia.

Charles Anderson, Managing Director for Aviva Asia said at the launch, “Aviva’s sponsorship of the Ironman is an association with endurance races and multi-sports at the highest level. This is in line with Aviva’s strategy to use sports to communicate what we stand for - and that is performance based on a healthy, positive and balanced lifestyle. For participants on the lookout for new challenges, the Ironman 70.3 definitely fits the bill.”

Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports Mr Teo Ser Luck is the patron of this event, and has shown a keen interest in developing the sport in Singapore. Mr Teo said, "The event is a major milestone on our sporting calendar and the world Ironman 70.3 triathlon series. It shows the success of the 3P partnership between people, private and public sectors. I would like to commend the efforts of the organizers who have worked with the Singapore Sports Council and sponsors to put Singapore on the world map for endurance races. I am confident this event will be a success."

Ironman 70.3 is an international triathlon competition managed by the World Triathlon Corporation and is held in various locations across the world, including Hawaii, California and Florida in the USA, Switzerland, Monaco, Belgium and the UK in Europe, culminating in the World Championship, the Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championship held at Clearwater, Florida.

Started in June 2005, the Ironman 70.3 series now gathers tens of thousands of athletes, all vying for a spot in the World Championship.

The Ironman 70.3 Singapore started as the sole Asian qualifying round for the Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 and in the first three years, 75 slots were available for the Championship event.

The Singapore leg of the competition is organised by sports event management consultants, Hi-Tri Pte Ltd. The event organization will also involve members of local triathlon club, Triathlon Family. Member of the organising team, and four-time Ironman finisher, Adrian Mok, said, “We are very excited about bringing the Ironman 70.3 to Singapore and are glad to receive strong support from the local triathlon community. Aviva has a history of sponsoring major sporting events and we are pleased for this opportunity to work together with them in bringing this world-class competition to Singapore.”

Participants originally covered a course that was centred on the Marina Bay area, over a swim of 1.9km, cycle 90.1km and run 21.1km, adding up to 70.3 miles, hence the name Ironman 70.3.

The Ironman 70.3 Singapore will be the latest addition to the Singapore Sports Council’s diverse, vibrant calendar of local and international sporting events.

“The Singapore Sports Council is pleased to have the strong, committed support of AVIVA who have come forward as title sponsor for this event. This a positive step in our development of the local sports industry, making it possible for us to add the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon to our vibrant sporting calendar of local and international sporting events. We look forward to this event taking place in Singapore, come 2 September 2007,” said Mr Daniel Metcalfe, Chief of High Participation and Industry Development Group, Singapore Sports Council.

AS an organiser, we expected about 800 participants at the inaugural race, buty 1300 turned up!

The elite participants competed for a total prize money purse of USD $30,000.

In 2008 we raised the prize money to $USD50,000 and in 2009, bringing the event forward to March 2009, and on the back of the economic slump we still attracted close to 1000 competitors including the world's fastest Iron woman, Yvonne van Vlerken, and a sensational race between Chris McCormack and Craig Alexander, the two World Champions racing hard the whole way, with 'Crowie' edging out 'Macca' for the win.

Since that exciting race we've renewed the Ironman 70.3 license and Aviva have again come on board for a further three years, commencing a whole new era for this race; now one of five in Asia as the Ironman 70.3 circuit gathers more and more momentum.

Join us in Singapore on March 21st 2010 to race with the stars!

A world champ challenge

It's done; we've organised a world championship.

The team at X-Tri, with whom I work have organised and run the 2006 LD (Long Distance) Triathlon World Championships, in Canberra Australia.

The World Champs were a two year, almost full time job and while the feeling of elation, having them run quite smoothly, was tempered by the knowledge a better budget would have seen an even more dramatic event that would have been even more memorable for our 600+ international visitors and of course, Team Australia.

The event was trememdous none the less, with the best crowds I've witnessed at an event in many years and Canberra turned on a hot but incredible day for the race.

The critical success of the overall event was very much tempered with the cancellation of our traditional December event in Canberra. Massive road works in the area of the course created a safety nightmare over the weekend preceding and during the proposed event.

With no way to guarantee competitor safety it was an easy decision and we'll be back to Canberra in December 2007 with the re-birth of the Canberra Half Ironman Triathlon.

The Months go by...

The Capricorn Half Ironman begins with a great 1.8km walk from the Rydges Capricorn Resort towards Yeppoon - and then a 'nice' 1.9km swim back to the resort... and all that before a 90km ride and a 21km Asics Half Marathon run - and they call this 'fun'!

The Seaspray-Rydges Swim walkathon

That's me at work!

We've gone from June to September and in between there was the Seaspray-Rydges Capricorn Half Ironman Triathlon, conducted in the fantastic surrounds of the Rydges Capricorn Resort at Yeppoon.

This is a fun weekend in the sport of triathlon - one not to be missed indeed.

Following the trip north it's back to Sydney where I'll now be based until the awesome Canberra based LD Triathlon World Championships in November...

And every waking moment is now spent on making this event the best that it can be!

Japan Journey - Town by Town

Ricshaw on Miyajima
Riverbus, Tokyo
Shinkansen at rest
The Nozomi Shinkansen prepares to head south...

I recently travelled through Japan from north to south by air and from south to north by train...

My journey commenced in Tokyo, arriving via Qantas in Narita before heading to Tokyo station via JR Express, and from there to Shinbashi where we (my wife was making her first ever trip to Japan) stayed overnight in one of five local Park Hotels!

Ours was the Park Hotel, lobby located on the 25th floor of the Shiodoe Media Tower... our 32nd floor based room had a great view over the Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo CBD.

The pillow fitters were a nice idea! And the Shidome/Shinbashi area is a new tourist facet of Tokyo to be explored...

Lunch on the 46th floor of the Dentsu Building (find the express lift excess in the basement as the front doors lead only to Dentsu offices...) was a plus, located by a Tokyo based Hawaiian athlete/lawyer friend of mine (Thanks Scott!) and was equalled only by dinner, in the basement of the Mitsubishi Building at the back of the Ginza (got to love the economacki food...)

Second day was an express bus ride back to Narita (note to self; use Haneda next time!) and an ANA through flight to Fukuoaka (four hours in Yobobyashi Camera off Hakata station) before flying onwards to Fukue and a week's work with ANA.

From Fukue the return flight took us back to Fukuoka where we transferred to Hakata station and headed for the Shinkansen office where we swapped our paperwork purchased outside Japan for the celebrated JR One Week Rail pass.

Putting this straight to use we reserved seats on the next JR Shinkansen for Hiroshima. Note that the faster through Nozomi service, with it's green cars can not be reserved or used with the JR Rail Pass, so save your money and purchase the ordinary pass, currently 28,300 yen.

Our first journey would take 1h45m, with just 1:15 minutes to cover the 200 plus kilometres from Hakata to Hiroshima and another 20 to the Ferry terminal at Miyamaguchi via local JR Express.

The Ferry journey to Miyajima was another 15-20 minutes but swept us past the fabled Tori off shore of this idyllic island.

Returning to Hiroshima we side tracked to the local trolley line to look over the A-Dome and Peace Park before heading to Kyoto via a new Hikari Rail Star to Osaka and then a local express into Kyoto as the southern JR trains terminate here.

Whilst in Kyoto we also side tripped via local JR Express to Nara and return.

A Hikari 364 was our ride to Gifu, the 117 kms covered in just 43 minutes and the later Hikari 378 taking us the 396 kms to Tokyo in just 118 minutes! That's under two hours!

In Tokyo we used the local subways, JR rail and then a northern JR Shinkansen and another local express train when we decided to visit Sendai and Matsushima.

We also utilised the water bus from the Shinbashi area (actually from Hamarikyu Gardens) into the Asakusa area of Tokyo.

From Tokyo we flew Cathay Pacific to Honk Kong and on to Singapore and home from there by Qantas.

But that's another story.

The far east...

The Tori Gate at Miyajima

The Golden Pagoda
Goju, the 'water' town

The Peace Bell, Horishima

Glassware at Matsushima

I recently went to Japan for work; spending a week in the Goto Islands, south of Nagasaki after a night and a morning in Tokyo.

Fukue is the home of Ironman Japan, and I was based at the delightful Downtown Hotel in that city I once again enjoyed the unique delights of Japan, this year for the first time, accompanied by my wife.

Food, scenery, culture are a wonderful mix here and the off-shore islands are the best way to find a Japan that is not lost in tourism tours and a made for the west environment.

The food in Fukue goes both ways; fish (in any variety of cooked and uncooked you can think of) and beef, as this is the home of the wonderful, if a little expensive Goto Beef!

The race? Ironman in any part of the world is an incredible event; the 3.8km swim, 180km bike ride and 42km marathon run is never easy in any setting and on the island of Fukue, set in rolling hills and lush vegetation it's a great experience...

Heather Fuhr and Chris Lieto from the US were the winners this year.

Following the race I flew back to Fukuoka on the Japanese 'mainland' and from here set aboard the Shinkashen to Hiroshima to overnight on the wonderful if tourist oriented island of Miyajima.

Staying in a not quite so traditional Rykoken here was one of the highlights of a week's touring
I would now share with my wife through Japan.

Our first and final morning on Miyajima was spent roaming through the back trails (away from the tourists) and joining them for the more trodden pathways to the tourist attractions of the red Tora and temples here...

From Miyajima we took the JR ferry back to the mainland and then the train back to Hiroshima, where we found a cleaning shop to care for our luggage while we caught the trolley bus to the A dome and Peace Park.

Both are an emotional experience, made more so by the interaction with the many school groups there and perhaps to by the incredible rose gardens also present.

Our itinerary led us back to the station by early afternoon and back to the Shinkashen and north to Kyoto, via Osaka. Many kilometres and not so many hours later we were in Kyoto via the JR express from Osaka and nestled into the sumptious splendour of the Granvia Hotel, above the newly rebuilt Kyoto Station.

We were to be based in Kyoto for two days, three nights; the first spend making our own way through the varius ancient temples and shrines here. The second on tour and a quick side trip to Nara to see the big Bhudda there.

From Kyoto it was ever northward as we head to Gifu, a quick 43 minute journey by Shinkansen from where, with friends, we visited 'water' town, Guju a quick one hour's journey by car on near deserted freeway!

Goju is a marvellous town, scenic and peaceful and we were very sorry to say our good byes back at Gifu and head once more to Tokyo for the weekend.

In Tokyo we stepped out for dinner, the first night heading to 'hunt' Geisha or Maiko with out success and then catching up with friends for dinner Saturday night, filling in the day with water bus rides and some more tourist type sight seeing.

Sunday we boarded the Shinkasen once again for a ride to Sendai before a local express took us to Matsushima, like Miyajima one of three great sites in Japan.

The highlight for us, apart from the 50 minute island tour was finding a unique glass museum.

The trip back to Tokyo closed our trip to Japan, and a quiet night followed by a last bus to Narita.

Ahead? Hong Kong and Singapore; our next adventure...

Welcome to my world...

Welcome to the World of NRMOZ.



I live a fortunate life...

I work in a world revolving around various sport; I've sailed, inshore and offshore, races, rallied and worked professional in motorsport, sailing and multisport - but although I love competing, it's more for the fun of it, and I've always found my forte is to work around and in sports, rather than participate.

It is in triathlon that I've found long term enjoyment, both in competing (early on), and now in the admin and organisation of major events and in coverage of the sport.

This blog covers my sporadic journies across the world, with my sport and my work.

Enjoy,
NRMOZ