“It wasn’t your usual tri. It comprised six legs — a 375-metre swim, seven-kilometre bike ride and 2.5km run, twice round. While it gave me peace of mind, I’m not reading too much into the result.?
Another Gisborne triathlete, 17-year-old Josiah Ney, finished sixth in the event, which included the country’s top under-23 and u19 triathletes.
Reid, 21, and Ney worked together from the start of the first swim.
“We wanted to push hard in the swim to get a break on the bike, and it worked,” said Reid, who came out of the water in second place, behind training partner Ney.
“Considering the conditions — small waves, when we like bigger waves — it was a good start.
“We made a break on the bike and gave it a good crack, but got caught by the group.
“From then on, it was a matter of conserving energy for the run.
“Some of the runners, including Ryan, tried to make their move on the run but I was content to stay with them, knowing we had another swim to come.”
'Stoked'Ney, who was “stoked to get the chance to race against the big guns”, did not fare so well on the run.
“I couldn’t believe I was first out of the water and was pumped for the bike, but I couldn’t stay with the runners.
“I was sad to get dropped but happy to stay in the race and finish sixth.”
For Reid, the second leg was similar to the first — a good swim, solid bike and then he was up with the leading runners.
“Ryan had a bad transition but soon caught up on the run and my thoughts at that stage were to try to hang in and outsprint him at the end.
“I was confident of winning a sprint finish because it was on sand, and I’ve done hours and hours of training on sand.”
It was all going to plan as Reid overtook Sissons but then he “almost blew it”.
“After passing Ryan, I looked over one shoulder and couldn’t see him. I thought I’d dropped him.
“I looked over my other shoulder and saw him trying to pass me on the inside. There was one more turn to go and then 20 metres to the finish. Whoever was ahead at that turn would win.
“I gave it everything at that turn and managed to hold on for the win.”
A coveted winAlthough the event was not a world cup or world championship race, or a sprint distance as would be the case at the Commonwealth Games, Reid said the presence in the field of the country’s top triathetes made it one he “really wanted to win”.
“I remember when I was in the under-19s I wanted to beat these dudes, and I knew the younger guys would be thinking the same.”
Reid said Ney — the New Zealand schools under-20 duathlon champion — showed his potential.
“He’s been training consistently well with Stephen (Sheldrake, Reid’s coach) and the experience will be good for Josiah.”
The next race for Reid and Ney will be in Adelaide in February, with Reid continuing his preparations for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and Ney looking to gain more racing experience.
“I need to work on my run, but I enjoyed the race at the Mount,” Ney said.
“Having two runs didn’t suit me, but it was good to race a different format.”