Sunshine Coast triathlete Richard Thompson, aged 33, won the 2018 Ultraman World Championship in Hawaii in a time of 22 hours, 9 minutes and 26 seconds on Sunday 25 November. The ultra-endurance event, staged across three days, covers a total distance of 515 kilometres and involves competitors completing a 10 kilometre ocean swim, 421 kilometre bike ride and an 84 kilometre ultramarathon run in 35 degree heat.
“Hard training gives you the stamina needed, but it’s also a matter of having the right support and being in the right head space,” Richard said. “My world championship title also belongs to my team.” Athletes who qualify for the event are required to have a support crew of at least two members who assist the competitor for the duration of the race. Richard said his crew of six –Nick Quinn, Steven Wehlow, Nick Rinaudo, Dan Gampon, Lisa Spink and Scott Farrell ensured he had everything he needed to perform at his best.
Richard also gave credit to his wife Lisa for her support. “I have been training up to 25 hours a week for the past six months – either in the pool, on the bike or on the treadmill or road, and we have two small children. You can’t do that without an incredibly supportive partner by your side.”
When asked about the secret to effective training over this distance, Richard, founder and head coach of worldwide triathlon and endurance training company T:Zero Multisport said, “It is all about getting to the halfway mark on Day 3 as fresh as possible and at this point you only have a marathon to go. We implement our specific training strategies and methodologies to work backwards from there so that the three days represent the true potential of the athlete.”
Richard took the 2018 Ultraman World Championship title from a field of 40 athletes, representing 18 countries. His win comes just 18 months after taking the Ultraman Australia 2017 title on debut in a world record time of 21 hours, 21 minutes and 14 seconds.
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