The triathlon community is a core part of the journey for athletes who take part, and it can also be what fuels athletes to work towards their goals and achieve at a high level.
As he prepares for the World Qualifying Event in Victor Harbor, triathlete from South Australia Jackson Koch knows the importance the community can have in the triathlon arena.
“I first got involved in Triathlon back in 2019, when I randomly saw an advertisement for one of the 2XU series events in St Kilda and thought it would be cool to have a crack at it,” Koch said.
“Me and my partner signed up for the enticer event involving a 300m swim, 12km bike and 2.5km run.
“At the time these distances felt huge and it was an amazing feeling to cross the line after completing my first ever Triathlon.”
As his triathlon journey continued to progress, Jackson has had the opportunity to experience many incredible race locations both at home and abroad.
“For me my personal highlight would be the most recent world championship trip to Malaga Spain,” he said.
“This was an unreal event and awesome fun to experience this with a great group of Aussies plus making plenty of new friends from around the globe as an awesome experience.
“Race day was incredible as the Spanish certainly know how to support.
“The spectators were out in force and made for an amazing atmosphere being cheered on by anyone and everyone who was there.”
“My favourite place would definitely be Malaga, it has an awesome atmosphere on the picturesque coastline of Spain.
“My favourite race is the Moana Triathlon, it’s my home race and the best race on the calendar every year.
“Always challenging with some steep sections on both the ride and run and a perfect swim in the smooth glass like water of Moana beach.”
As the South Australian triathlon community nears close to the World Qualifying Event in Victor Harbor, Jackson is using his experience from his time representing Australia in the Age Group Team in Spain last year to prepare.
“My lead up was really about picking and choosing the races I knew I needed to compete in to qualify,” Koch said.
“I made sure to aim to peak around these races to give myself the best shot.
“When I found out I was in it was awesome and I began planning my winter program to get me to Spain in the best shape possible.
“As I am sure we all know winter training is hard and long hours in the dark are not always enjoyable.
“But it was always important to ensure that I was enjoying the training and not burning out well before the event even arrived.
“Victor always presents a really challenging race with a hilly bike and usually hot and windy conditions which always provide a great challenge mentally as much as they do physically.
“With a lot less training and build up to this year’s edition of the event my goals for the race are just to enjoy myself and have fun out on course.”
As a pivotal part of the sport, the triathlon community plays an important role in Jackson’s life and he is appreciative of the constant support and motivation the community has given him during his journey.
“Triathlon has been a great way to keep fit and meet some awesome people from all over the world,” he said.
“I have been lucky enough to be part of the Meteors Triathlon Club the last 5 years and met some awesome people and training partners.
“The great thing about triathlon is that everyone is so welcoming, even the other clubs from around Adelaide are always happy to collaborate and set up training together which is great.
“To anyone thinking of getting involved in the sport, I say ‘give it a go!
“You don’t have to be super fit or fast. Triathlon is a great sport because it is you vs you and as long as you are out there giving it a go you are always a winner.”
If you are interested in getting involved in triathlon, head to https://www.triathlon.org.au/ to find an event or club near you.
