Bay’s Lucas Du Ross impresses with latest Half Ironman performance
Hawke’s Bay athlete Lucas Du Ross showed he can foot it with the best of them at the Tauranga Half Ironman last Saturday.
Lucas improved 13 minutes on his Taupo Half IM debut last month, to record a stunning time of 4 hours 11 minutes 57 seconds (28.36 mins for the 2km swim, 2 hrs 13.42 for the 90km bike and 1 hr 26.14 for the 21.1 km run).
His time earned him 10th overall in the 431-strong field and first in his 20 to 24 age group by ten minutes.
He was also the third age group athlete to finish. As an indicator, the winner of the event, Christchurch based professional Mike Phillips, finished in 3 hrs 49.05 and was one of three to go under four hours.
Lucas, currently a Wellington based Advanced Senior Swim Instructor at the Regional Pool in Kilbirnie, very much calls Hawke’s Bay home and is keen to come back and base himself here.
The time he recorded now earns him the right to enter his next Half IM as an Elite athlete. This will put him squarely up against the professionals for yet another challenge in his career.
Lucas is well known in the Bay, making an impact in every event he entered in his early years. Many will know him from his work as a swim instructor at the Clive Pool.
His proud Mum, Hawke’s Bay App writer Sarah Cates, is also very keen to see him permanently reside in the Bay. Sarah and I were both in Tauranga to witness his impressive performance.
Sarah says, "If I had any fingernails in the first place I would definitely have none left now! I was nervous throughout the entire race. It was great to see how calm he was each time he passed me, giving us a small indication that he was feeling good. I can’t wait to see his future unfold”.
Anyone who is into triathlons knows what sort of time is needed to put into training. Holding down a fulltime job as well makes time management very important. But for Lucas, now as things are really starting to happen, his training has to help move him to the next level. This is probably going to require a coach and sponsorship, something he is considering in an effort to get that little bit more out of himself.
For anyone keen to see him in action, Lucas is looking forward to racing the local Tri HB Harbour to Hills half IM in April. The course is oh so familiar to him, so he is hoping for a good result.
