By Justin Flynn
PAUL Smith has qualified for the first ever Australian UTI Cross Triathlon World Champs.
The 42-year-old Ocean Grover is off to Lake Crackenback in the Snowy Mountains on 19 November after a gruelling qualifying process.
Smith finished second in the Tasmanian state championships, sixth in the Australian championships and eighth in the Victorian championships held in Bendigo.
The event is a 1500m swim, 30km mountain bike ride and finishes with a 10km trail run.
Smith trains at various venues throughout the region, but focusses on Ocean Grove Nature Reserve for his run, and travels to the You Yangs, Anglesea and Forest for the other two disciplines. He trains for around 14 hours each week.
“I can’t wait now, I feel I am definitely ready for this,” Smith said.
“I only got into it to keep fit, but with the three different sports I found I really enjoyed it and it took off from there. The thing I like most about it is that it is three very different sports.”
Smith said the mountain bike is his strongest discipline.
“It used to be the run, but mountain biking has overtaken it,” he said.
“The swim is something I’ve been working on. The plan over summer is to build the swim up.”
Smith is coached by Levy Maxwell and heads to Lake Crackenback full of confidence.
