FAMILY was the motivating factor that contributed to Byron Bay triathlete Tim Reed’s success at Ironman Australia Port Macquarie 12 months ago.
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And that same word that will be at the forefront of his mind when he lines up at the start line early on Sunday morning.
As a professional sports person he knows he has made sacrifices, but is also thankful wife Monica and son’s Oscar and Arthur are so understanding.
“When I’m out there racing I have to remind myself that it’s not about me, there are a lot of other people that have made sacrifices,” he said.
Ironman is a big commitment from everyone in the family.
“You get home pretty wrecked at the end of your big training days and your kids definitely notice it,” Reed said.
When I’m out there racing I have to remind myself that it’s not about me, there are a lot of other people that have made sacrifices.
- 2016 Ironman Australia Port Macquarie winner Tim Reed
“You don’t have the energy to go and jump into their games like you would at other times so everyone pays the price for trying to win one of these races.
“When I get it right it’s definitely one we all celebrate.”
Reed claimed his first Ironman title after many unsuccessful attempts in 2016 and knows it will be a challenge to back up his heroics again one year later.
He is expected by many to be the man to beat, but he isn’t daunted by the challenge ahead.
“It definitely affects you and I have to write things down when I start to feel the pressure and remind myself that it is just sport – it’s swimming, cycling and running,” he said.
“At the end of the day, people who care about me won’t care if I don’t win as long as I try hard and the people who don’t care about me will forget about it in 10 minutes anyway.”
Reed has many other fond memories of his visits to the Hastings.
“It’s an area I spent a lot of my childhood,” he said.
At the end of the day, people who care about me won’t care if I don’t win as long as I try hard and the people who don’t care about me will forget about it in 10 minutes anyway.
- Tim Reed
“Some of my great friends are from there and I’ve raced there four or five times over the years so last year was probably one of the more special moments in my life.”
Reed enjoyed plenty of success last year when he won the Ironman 70.3 world titles and the Asia Pacific championships.
“It’d be unrealistic to think I could pull that off every year even though I’ll definitely be trying,” he said.
