Given the fact that he was around in the area – training in Santa Monica – Cameron Wurf felt like he couldn’t turn down the offer when he was given a wildcard for the Super League Triathlon Championship Series in Malibu. As a 39-year-old Long Distance triathlete and pro cyclist, Wurf wasn’t considered a favorite, it was more about seeing how far he would come… and that wasn’t so far. While other athletes raced three extremely short triathlons, Wurf was eliminated after the bike part of the first triathlon. Already in the first swim– 300 meters – his deficit had gone up to one minute (the maximum allowed was 90 seconds). But it’s OK, he says, even more so: “I got my teeth kicked in, but that’s alright, it makes me want to train harder and be ready for Hawaii.”
With two weeks to go until the Ironman World Championship on Kona, Wurf is more motivated than ever to deliver an incredible performance on the “Big Island”. “I keep striving to be better, and my coach always says it’s better to do things you don’t want to do”, Wurf says, explaining why he chose to accept the wildcard.
Right from the start, Wurf didn’t feel ready for the speed that is SLT. “I just wasn’t prepared for it, and unfortunately, I didn’t get a second crack at it as I was eliminated. I would love to try it again and have a proper crack”, he says, explaining that he hadn’t done as much of a warm-up as he should have. “It’s amazing the speed at which they do everything… swim, bike, run and then transitions. They are a different breed. It’s been awesome being around them and given me a different energy as I prepare for Kona.”
While Kona is something different, he hopes to bring some inspiration from these Short-Distance specialists to the magical island. “I am pumped up now to get stuck into training and come out and bring a bit of Super League to Kona.”
