We talked to Aussie Luke McKenzie last year in January and lots has changed for him since then. He moved from the Gold Coast to Noosa, attracted a few new sponsors and earned a couple Ironman titles.
ST: Luke, quite a bit has changed for you since we last talked 15 months ago, but let us first talk about upcoming 70.3 China race. How has the preparation been?
Luke: I wouldn’t say it has been ideal but I am looking forward to getting in some racing. My original plan was to race in the Ironman, but after Ironman Malaysia I got really sick with the flu and it actually turned into pneumonia, so instead of the usual week off training after the race it ended up being three. That really put a dent in my fitness and momentum and it was best I switch to the 70.3 event rather than try and push it to back up in another Ironman so soon. I have been back into good quality training for a few weeks now and it will be interesting to see how the form is and where I am at with my fitness. I feel I might be a little undone but with Ironman Japan coming up in June I am happy with the progress. I am looking forward to racing in China this weekend and supporting my sponsor K-Swiss who are the title sponsor. Macca and Paul Matthews are entered in the 70.3 also so that will be good racing against them!
ST: You are now a 2x Ironman champion with your wins at Ironman Japan in 08 and Ironman Malaysia in 09. Has it sunk in yet?
Luke: If you told me 12 months ago I would win two titles this year I doubt I would have believed you. I was really hungry to win one last year after having a disappointing Ironman Australia. I felt like I should have won that race after leading the swim, bike and half way into the run. I went for the win and paid for it and finished 5th. Going to Kona in May and doing some training with Chris McCormack really confirmed for me mentally that I have the ability to do it and when I lined up in Japan I was a man on a mission. It was very satisfying to put it together and clinch that first victory. I feel like I have raced with even more confidence since that point. At Ironman Western Australia at the end of last year Luke Bell and I were away and in the lead for 90km on the bike only to be swallowed up by a very large group of known runners. I was on my last legs after a long season of racing but I was really determined to finish the year with a big result. That race was another turning point because although I didn’t win I felt like I finally put together a marathon I knew I was capable of but hadn’t achieved till that point. Going into Ironman Malaysia I was a little nervous as I felt I was a slightly underdone with my training. I was still carrying a bit of the Christmas pudding and I hadn’t had my usual build up. Once the gun went off though and I was into the race I knew it was going to be a good day. I felt comfortable and strong through the swim and the bike and going into the marathon head to head with Brian Rhodes I didn’t want to settle for second place. I was very happy to get that second win in a hard fought race.
ST: Which one of these 2 Ironman titles means more to you and why?
Luke: I think your first win is always the most memorable, however Ironman Malaysia was probably a little more special as I had my mum and dad there to see the win. Having them cheering on the sidelines spurred me on through the marathon. To run down the finish chute in Langkawi in first place was a moment I will always treasure. That hug with my dad that day and seeing the tears in his eyes was the culmination of years of unwavering belief and support they had shown me.
ST: Talk about your race schedule for the rest of the season.
Luke: After China Ironman 70.3 I am going to come back to Australia and continue to build my training. I have recently added the Busselton Half Ironman to my schedule and look forward to racing there before Amanda and I head overseas for the rest of the year. First race will be the Hawaii Ironman 70.3 leading into Ironman Japan in June. After Japan we will head to our US base in Bend, Oregon and I will race one or two Ironman 70.3’s in August and September before Hawaii in October. I want to go back to Clearwater again in November but won’t plan anything beyond that one.
ST: You went to see your friend Mathias Hecht race Ironman Australia. Was that the first time you watched an Ironman in recent years? Also, how physically taxing is it in your eyes to watch an Ironman versus doing one?
Luke: I have watched a few in the past couple of years. I have done some commentary work at Ironman Australia in ’07 and again this year, so I enjoyed watching the race from the other side of the fence. I have also watch Amanda in Ironman Canada twice, New Zealand, China and Florida last year so I guess I have watched as many as I have raced in this past year. It’s definitely very tiring following an Ironman race. I almost think of it as a training day when I am watching one! I really wanted to support Mathias in Port Mac because we have trained together for a few years and really wanted to see him win his first title. I know he had it in him to compete with those boys for the title but unfortunately he had one of those days where the body just didn’t come to the party and he suffered through the marathon. I admire him for slugging it out and finishing. I know he will be one to watch in Ironman Frankfurt and again in Hawaii come October!
ST: There have been some big sponsorship changes for you too, with the most obvious one being K-Swiss. How is that going?
Luke: Yes, I have signed a new title sponsor in K-Swiss since our last chat a little over a year ago. It’s awesome to be involved with a company like K-Swiss. It is a really amazing bunch of people who are passionate about the sport of triathlon that really genuinely want to make the best triathlon, running and apparel on the market. We have a great team of athletes that have come onboard, which goes to show that K-Swiss are making the best quality products and they are really getting behind their athletes with incredible support.
When I first signed with K-Swiss in April last year and I was given my first tour of the HQ’s in Westlake Village, California, I was blown away by the products in the pipeline and the planning for the future. The guys behind the shoes have come from a variety of running shoe companies. They have been in the industry for many years so it’s not us a bunch of guys with no experience from a casual/tennis shoe company trying to create a running shoe. They are the really deal! We have elite level marathon runners and triathletes involved with the design and testing process. The shoes that we are releasing in 2009 and down the line into 2010 are going to make big waves in the triathlon industry. It is definitely an exciting time for me to be at the forefront of K-Swiss’s push into our sport. The K-ona Ironman/Half Ironman specific shoe is just awesome. Also look out for the new Mi-Sole training and racing shoe that has just been released. Both are easily the best shoes I have raced and trained in my 14 years in the sport!
ST: Most of your triathlon career you have lived and trained on the Gold Coast in Australia (when your not in North America), but recently you moved to Noosa Heads. Why the move and how is training there?
Luke: This summer Amanda and decided we needed a change from the Gold Coast and we made the move north to the beautiful town of Noosa. We now have a unit in Sunshine Beach and for the first time in my life I have a lace I will call a permanent home. We have had a really great bunch of athletes to train with over the summer. Some days it seemed like the Who's who of triathlon was at swim squad or on the bunch ride. I guess a little like Boulder, San Diego and Tucson are in the US?! One day at swim squad I counted 9 Ironman Champions, 3 Olympians and a World Champion so it's awesome to have that sort of quality to train with each day. A lot of people have left town now and have already headed to the USA or back Europe. We will go back there for another 3 weeks post China before we head to the USA for the summer of racing.
ST: You have been spotted surfing in Noosa. Do you hold your own there or do the locals see you as a tourist?
Luke: I have been enjoying a lot of surfing this summer. Since our move to Noosa I have the beach at the end of my street so I can get a quick surf in after training some evenings. I have grown up surfing and I think my teenage years on the Gold Coast (which is an epicenter for surfing in Australia) hardened me in tough line ups so I don’t seem to have any trouble getting waves in Noosa.
I love to surf as much as can while I am at home in Australia and I have less races on my schedule because once I am in the USA there no time or locations to surf. I spent a week on Maui two years ago surfing at Honoloua Bay that was awesome! I have also been on a surf trip down to Baja, Mexico in 2004 but I would love to sneak in some pure surfing trips to some places like the Maldives, Fiji and Tahiti one day.
