Reid makes most of his advantage

OUT FAST: Tayler Reid leads the Super League Triathlon Malibu pro men’s race field out of the water. He had his best finish of the month-long series — eighth. Picture by Tommy Zaferes ©Super League Triathlon

TRIATHLON by Jack Malcolm

TAYLER Reid has finished the Super League Triathlon Championship series with an eighth-place finish in California’s Malibu.

After coming back from illness that affected his performances at the first two stops of the month-long race series, Reid was able to finish ninth just over a week ago in Jersey, in the Channel Islands, before achieving his best finish at the series finale.

In this week’s format, three back-to-back sprint races were held, with the slowest competitor eliminated at every transition.

Reid was able to make the most of his advantage in the water, coming out first on two of the three swim legs of the race. In the first ocean race of the series, he was able to use his surf knowledge to maximise his lead going into the bike.

Coming into the weekend, he was out of the hunt for the swim jersey and overall title, but the $100,000 prize for the best team in the series was still a possibility.

In the individual contest, the stage was set for a dramatic showdown with just three points separating the top three male athletes in the series coming into the finale. They included fellow Kiwi Hayden Wilde.

Ultimately Reid was unable to keep up with the front-runners, and finished eighth.

In a dramatic sprint finish, Great Britain’s Alex Yee won the race and the series. Wilde followed close behind to finish second overall.

Speaking from MIQ, Reid said he enjoyed the alternative format of the Super League in his first season in the series.

“Probably the most awesome part of it all was travelling around with the best 20 male and 20 female triathletes in the world for a month,” he said.

“You learn so much just sitting down at dinner and breakfast and talking to people.”

After coming back from sickness and niggling injury, Reid said he was happy with the result in Malibu.

He said his confidence had been knocked by the disappointing early results.

“I had been going so well, then I came into the Super League and I was getting smashed. Deep down, I knew it was the sickness, but you’re never sure.”

In the second half of the series, Reid’s fortunes changed, and he finished the series in 10th place.

“I’ll take a lot of confidence from that and I want to be hunting the podium (next year).”

After leading the Olympic race during the bike and rebounding from adversity in the Super League, Reid is excited about summer racing in New Zealand.

He’s noticed the gaps in front of him getting “smaller and smaller”, and he doesn’t consider his self-identified worst discipline, the run, a weakness.

He now has to complete the

MIQ process, having booked in

just before he confirmed his place in the Super League series.

He had so little time to spare after the series finale that he had to change out of his race kit at the airport to be in time for his flight and save his MIQ spot.

“I don’t feel too flash off it. But I have two weeks in a hotel, so I have heaps of time to get my body back right.”

He plans to use the time working out how his summer of racing will look, but his priority once he has finished his time in isolation is to come home to Gisborne.

“I’ve got a lot of time in MIQ, so I’ll be definitely doing some planning.

“Olympic qualification starts soon, I’ll maybe want to do a 70.3 (an Ironman named after its 70.3-mile race distance).

“I’ve got a lot of goals. It’s just about coming up with a plan to achieve as many of them as I can.”