Matt Kerr has made it through MIQ, is back in New Zealand and enjoying hitting local competitions on home soil.
Recently he was part of the Tauranga Half where he was able to take part as a Pro / Elite athlete which was a big step up for him. This was a great opportunity for Matt to test his proven amateur capabilities up against a 14 men strong pro field, including some really big racing names.
Starting off with a great swim Matt was in the front pack of three. Straight onto the bike he again forged his way into the lead pack and posted some of the fastest bike laps within the front four leaders. Out of the transition in 5th place and into the run Matt knew he needed to maintain a fast pace if he was to threaten the front runners. And that he did, crossing the finishing line in 4th place with an outstanding time of 3 hours and 48 minutes. This result well exceeded Matts expectations for the race given the level of Elite competition, and how different the racing is, requiring some critical decision making at times. Matt says he learnt a lot from the race and even had some fuel left in the tank at the end. Outstanding!
The racing circuit in New Zealand is very uncertain currently under the Red Light traffic system with a number of upcoming events like the Wanaka Challenge cancelled. With the focus firmly on Kona in October, Matt will be realigning his first quarter strategy for the New Zealand racing scene and will return to Australia in April.
In recognition of his recent success Matt recently achieved 2022 IRONMAN Gold All World Athlete Status, positioning him in the top 1% of all athletes in his age group, in fact he is ranked #1 in his age group.
We look forward to hearing more about his prep for Kona in the coming months!
