Veteran Perth triathlete Warren Milward is building towards a 25th anniversary of endurance, pain and glory.
The Busselton 100 turns 25 in early May and Milward has run every one of them.
Even more impressive is the other “anniversary”. He has not missed the past 34 State long course triathlon championships – since it was held at Rottnest Island in 1991, then at Margaret River and now Busselton – and it’s a race between three as to who is last man standing.
Adding another prestigious layer, Busselton this year doubles as the Australian long course championships – the last time the State title incorporated the national crown was in 1997, the race was held on Rottnest Island and Milward won.
He’s 54 now and is not chasing the overall victory, but the consecutive run is very much alive in the 2km swim, 80km cycle and 18km run on Sunday, May 3.
“I might not be able to race regularly anymore. But I still consider myself a triathlete and turning up each year is like coming home,” he said.
“I love seeing people again and being able to take part in the event and everything it represents for me and the sport.
“What the event is now compared to 1991 on Rottnest with the transition fitting in the beer garden of the pub is just amazing.”
More than 2600 triathletes have registered across all events – The Busselton 100, the Duathlon 100 (8km run, 80km cycle), a 12km run and Aquabike (2km swim and 80 cycle. Such is its popularity, registrations are at a decade high, there are fewer than 100 spots available in the Busselton 100.
Triathlons were a natural progression for Milward.
He grew up in Mandurah and took up swimming at primary school, discovered little athletics, morphed into track and cross country at high school. He simply then added a bike.
“I finished high school in 1989 and one of the guys who in the athletics team Peter Trench had gone into triathlon and was pretty good at it and I thought ‘That sounds alright’,” Milward said.
“I had moved up to Perth and there was a there was a local triathlon at Shelley so I entered.
“I was terrible. I was still riding my school bike – I think it still had the rack on it – and came out of the water near the front and then just went backwards for 12km on the bike. But I was hooked.”
Milward got serious and began training hard and competing alongside his brother Aaron in the Nova series, where he finished second in the novice section.
“It was 1990 and I was barely old enough to actually do the race, but we were hooked and from then I just went straight into the state series,” he said.
He had won the Rottnest race twice before the nationals were held in 1997.
“Other than my first year, I think every year that I’d turned up actually as a proper state level triathlete. I’d finished inside the top four, so I was confident, but I knew a couple of the guys who were coming across and one who was essentially the Australian Iron Man champion, Jason Shortis,” he said.
“I think the assessment was everyone was racing for second place, Jason was just going to clean us all up, because he’s such a good biker and runner.
“Swimming was his weakest leg and we got out of the water and thought ‘Jason’s not here, we’re off’ and we never saw him again.”
The current three-man battle for longevity honours is Garry Itzstein, who has competed in 35 State long course titles in succession, Milward and Tim Howley, who are on 34.
“We all turn up every year, seeing if anyone doesn’t,” he said.
“My aim these days is to finish first and foremost. Tim’s still competitive. He’s still trying to win, but Gary and I, we turn up, we get through, we try not to damage ourselves too much. And then if we get a good time, well, we’re happy.
“I might not race to win, but I can still compete for who’s done the most of these. We’ll keep going until one or two of us drop.”
Milward has been lucky with injury.
He crashed badly in a world championship race in Nice, France, a few months after he won the national title on Rottnest in 1997.
“I didn’t negotiate a bend and went over this little wall, fell about 10 metres, broke five ribs, a collarbone, bone in my hand,” he said.
“Apart from that, I was very lucky with injuries while I was racing seriously. The problem is I stopped racing seriously and then I got injuries.”
Has also run and finished the Hawaiian Ironman, alongside his brother.
“I didn’t have the best prep, but it was just brutal. People have got rocks in their heads to do that,” he said.
“I did it just over 10 hours. But I’m glad I did it, because when I got into the sport, that was the dream, you know, you get home from a bike ride when it was on, and you turn on the TV and there would be an entire program dedicated to that event.”
Website – https://www.busseltonfestivaloftriathlon.com.au
Article credit: Glen Quartermain, The West Australian.
