PORT Macquarie triathlete Madi Roberts continued preparations for Ironman Australia Port Macquarie in the best possible fashion in New Zealand last week.
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Now living on the Gold Coast, Roberts cruised through Ironman 70.3 New Zealand to back up her success at Ironman Australia Cairns in June last year.
The 23-year-old finished first across the line over the ditch in a time of four hours, 32 minutes and 16 seconds.
She set it up with a strong bike and run leg that saw her have a six minute lead heading into the final transition.
“I stayed in my own bubble because previously I put pressure on myself to perform after I won in Cairns, but I didn’t let that pressure get to me,” she said.
“I enjoyed the day.”
Roberts extended the six-minute lead to beyond eight minutes by the 10-kilometre mark in the run.
“I knew that there could still be a good female runner coming up from behind me so I had to run the best I could,” she said.
In the last four kilometres I dropped off the pace whereas if I had someone chasing me I probably would have pushed a bit harder.
- Triathlete Madi Roberts
“Then I was told I had stretched it out to over eight minutes, so on the second lap I relaxed and just enjoyed it.”
The pint-sized triathlete admitted she relaxed a “bit too much” on the run home, but she was never going to be beaten.
“In the last four kilometres I dropped off the pace whereas if I had someone chasing me I probably would have pushed a bit harder,” she said.
Roberts admitted the many hours of training by herself had made her mentally strong.
“I think training is good practice for running these races out,” she said.
“I like to do my long rides and runs by myself because it’s good practice not being able to talk to anyone where you can just be in your own head and stay positive.”
She said she owed a lot of her recent success to her coach and her mother – they are the ones that continue to push her.
“It was amazing,” she said.
“It was really special because I had my mum there and she was on the sideline so I looked forward to finishing the run and seeing her there.
“I was doing it for my coach as well and I wanted to make him proud.”
Roberts said she was already looking forward to returning to the Hastings in May for Ironman Australia Port Macquarie.
“I’m really looking forward to Port and maybe I can win again, but I’m not going to put that pressure on myself,” she said.
“It’s always a possibility.”
