Byron Bay professional athlete Tim Reed won his first 70.3 World Championship half triathlon on the Sunshine Coast earlier this month.
‘It was awesome to win on home soil,’ he said.
His wife, children, parents and plenty of friends were at hand providing encouragment as he crossed the finished line.
‘The atmosphere in Mooloolaba was electric. It was a special day,’ he said.
The event is made up of a 1.9km swim, a 90km bike ride, and a 21.1km run.
Tim has been a professional athlete since 2010 and moved into Byron around the same time.
Next month he will take on the world’s best when he competes in a full triathlon World Championship held in Hawaii.
As a 31-year-old he is at his peak for the shorter course, but plans to build his performance in the longer event over the next four years.
There is no secret formula for being a pro athlete, just hard work over time.
‘You reap the rewards at your peak, but it can take 10–15 years to get there’.
The job involves a lot of international travel and the ‘heartbreak’ of leaving his young family behind. So far this year he has already had ten trips away.
On the upside he gets to see the world and ‘hang out with a great bunch of people. I feel pretty lucky,’ he said.