New Zealand's Gina Ferguson recently won Ironman Western Australia and with it her third title at that distance. She went sub 9 hours twice in 2008 and we can certainly expect to see even more of her in the coming years.
ST: Your win at Ironman Western Australia was a great way to close out the 2008 season. Are you happy about your year went?
Gina: Yes, I was most happy with my consistency throughout 2008. My 2008 goal was to achieve a top ten placing in Hawaii on debut and I was so happy to achieve this goal. I was also very happy to win 2 Ironman events (both in new course records) and to go sub 9 hours on 2 separate occasions at the Challenge Roth and at Ironman Western Australia. Most importantly I feel I have made huge progress this year, but I still feel there are big improvements that can be made.
ST: Talk about your day at Ironman Western Australia and your aerobar incident.
Gina: I had a few issues to contend with but that is all part of the ironman experience! I had a very good swim and had a good lead going onto the bike section. After the first 60km lap I saw that I had extended my lead a lot more and estimated I was already nearly 10 minutes in front. When I got to the 80km mark, my aerobar came lose. I had tightened everything before the race, but obviously I hadn’t done a good enough job. I didn’t have the tools I needed to tighten it, so carried on by holding the aerobar in place with my left hand and my aero drink bottle with my right hand. It was ok but I really lost my focus and my pace slowed by about 1-2kph but I still managed the fastest female bike split of the day. I had a 9 minute lead going into the run but unfortunately I didn’t eat or drink nearly enough on the bike so when I started the marathon I felt like I usually do at the 32km mark. I was very, very thirsty and hungry and was dizzy. I knew Charlotte Paul was running well behind me but I just had to hang on. It was the hardest marathon I have done and I certainly learned a lot on that day. In the end I was able to stay in control to win by 7 minutes.
ST: You had two sub-9 hour Ironman finishes in 2008 and that certainly isn’t too shabby. Will we see more times like this in 09?
Gina: I hope so. I intend to race both Challenge Roth and Ironman Western Australia again in 2009 and will be aiming to improve on my times from 2008.
ST: How did your Ironman Hawaii race go for you? What were your expectations?
Gina: It was my first time racing Hawaii so I didn’t know what to expect but I was really excited to be there and saw it as a great learning experience for the years to come. I knew the conditions would probably be the toughest I have ever faced in a race so far and in this it lived up to my expectations. I had a good swim coming out with the lead women. I wasn’t very happy with how I cycled. I felt very flat during the race and I struggled with the cross winds. The run was mixed. I felt very, very good for the first ¾ of the run and was able to run my way from about 15th off the bike to 7th. The last stage was agony for me however as I got very bad cramps in my stomach and lost one place and finished in 8th. I was a little bit disappointed as I have always been very strong in the last 10km and so I was saving myself for this part of the race. However my goal had been a top 10 finish and so 8th was great. The best part is I learned so much from the race and I am now very determined and motivated to improve upon those things.
ST: What is your athletic background and who or what inspired you to race triathlons?
Gina: I swam as a kid from a young age on and off until I was around 17 years old. I wasn’t that serious about it however, I was always far too short to be a very good pool swimmer (I’m around 161cm or 5 foot 3). I began triathlons in 2005. I had no experience in either cycling or running and had no ambitions other than to get myself fit, as I hadn’t done any exercise at all in the last 7 or 8 years. I started with a 200m swim, 15km bike and 2km run, that was far enough for me. I didn’t win but I absolutely loved it and so I started training for a standard distance triathlon, which I did a few months later. I loved the training and being outside and I absolutely loved racing. It took probably about a year of training until I actually felt fit and then I started to get more serious and left my full time job as a high school mathematic teacher and set my sights on the ironman distance. I did my first ironman in March 2007 and finished 5th women. Now I have completed 9 Ironman races and have 3 victories.
ST: What do you have on your calendar for 2009?
Gina: I will be racing Challenge Wanaka in a few weeks and then Ironman New Zealand in March. I hope to go back to Europe in June and race Challenge France and Challenge Roth. I have qualified for the World Ironman Champs. Nothing else is decided as yet but I hope to do a few other half-distance events, maybe the world long distance triathlon champs as they are being held in Australia, and also Ironman Western Australia.
ST: Can you tell our readers a bit about your training?
Gina: It changes a lot depending what time of the year it is but usually I do two long bike rides of around 5 or 6 hours and 3 other bike rides where I aim at either strength or intensity. I do one long run a week and 3 other runs also focusing on strength or intensity and I usually do 4 swim sessions a week.
ST: What do you do to overcome a disappointing race?
Gina: I analyze each race and take out the things I need to work on and then become more motivated to improve. I see disappointment as a positive thing as without it I would have nothing to motivate me to be better. One of the main reasons I race a lot is because I feel I only learn through racing not training.
ST: How are things going for you in terms of sponsorship?
Gina: In 2008 I won a scholarship from AMP and received $10 000 NZ dollars (around $6000 US). Without their financial support I wasn’t going to be able to continue in 2009 so I am so thankful to AMP. I have a great relationship with my bike sponsor Ceepo (the official bike of ironman) and my cycling has improved a great deal from being on their bike. In 2008 I was also lucky enough to have the support of Orca, Oakley, Fi’zi:k and Blue Seventy. I am currently looking for a footwear sponsor and a nutrition sponsor.
ST: What do you do in your off-season?
Gina: I live in New Zealand so I am lucky enough to have summer year round as I usually travel to Europe to race and to prepare for Hawaii in our winter. When I come back to New Zealand it is summer so I want to race here as well. For the past 2 years I have had March and April as my "off season" but I often keep very active with long walks with my dogs and Mountain biking.
ST: What about other sports, do you follow them?
Gina: In New Zealand sports coverage is dominated by team sports such as rugby, cricket and netball and I have never been interested in any of them. I love individual sports but only really get to see any coverage every 4 years when the Olympics come around, and then I like to watch the swimming, athletics, gymnastics, and for some reason the weightlifting. I also love to follow the Tour de France and occasionally the tennis.
ST: What are some of your favorite food items?
Gina: I love all food and will eat anything apart from Kiwifruit, which I guess is strange being from New Zealand. I love sushi especially with smoked salmon and my favorite meal is Macaroni Cheese.
ST: Talk about your music taste.
Gina: I have a huge range in taste, which seems to change all the time. At the moment I like Rihanna and The Veronicas. I am also a big fan of 80’s music, especially before a race.
ST: What was the last book you read?
Gina: I have just finished reading Lucky Legs by Steve Gurney who is a multisport legend from New Zealand. He won the Coast to Coast 9 times. He is a really inspiring person.
ST: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Gina: I hope to still be in this sport as I absolutely love it and it is a dream to be able to do what you love. In 5 years I will be just turning 33 which is still quite young in our sport when you consider that many of the top women are in their mid to late thirties. I think that coming into this sport late is a real positive as I haven’t smashed my body for years on end and as long as I continue to train smart and stay injury free then I believe I can have a long career. I also hope to one day learn to kayak so that I can race in the many amazing multisport races we have in New Zealand.
ST: Is there anything else we should know about you?
Gina: My part time job is a professional violinist for the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.
My fiancée asked me to marry him in April 2005 a few days before I had my first triathlon win in Rarotonga. Our long engagement is now a bit of a joke amongst my friends and family but I can say we still have no plans for 2009.
Thanks Herbert and I wish you and all slowtwitch readers a happy and successful 2009.
