Reid was first out of the water but had slipped back to sixth by the first split on the bike leg. Going into the run, Reid was only one second behind the race leader, and he was able to strike and take the lead in the final leg.
It was a gruelling race that traversed the Christchurch Port Hills with over 500 metres of elevation gain during the bike leg and 300 metres of undulating elevation gain over the run.
Reid said the constant climbing and descending were hard on his body, with the impact on the downhills “destroying the muscles”.
“My legs are pretty buckled . . . a day later, and they’re still feeling it.
“The run was so hard. There just wasn’t a flat section.”
He knew that with the tricky sections on both the bike and run, the race would be won or lost in that section of the course.
The athlete’s power-to-weight ratio on the bike was a massive factor; with so much climbing, the person who could go up the hills the fastest would have a big advantage, he said.
“I got into my own work . . . I set my all-time best 10- and 20-minute power outputs (on the bike).”
In the descents it was more technical racing; navigating the tight cornering while keeping up speed was the key to success, he said.
As he neared the end of the bike leg, several sheep on the road almost caused disaster, but Reid was able to narrowly avoid them.
The course for the run was tricky, with several steep and hidden drop-offs that could easily trip you up, he said.
“Obviously, I’m trying to run as fast as possible and push it right to the corner.”
In the end, Reid achieved his goal of wanting to push himself and earned another win in a stellar season.
He races again in New Plymouth in two weeks. It will be his last New Zealand race this season. He is already well into his recovery process.
Reid says he aims to get several hard training sessions and some more gains in between races.
