The WA Full Ironman at Busselton, south of Perth, was a huge event for Matt Kerr in his competition calendar. The qualifier for World Champs in Kona it was a gruelling day in very hot temperatures (33 °C), and high winds of 35km. The race transpired to be a day of massive highs, and some lows that truly tested Matts determination and stamina.
Kicked off by an epic 3.8km swim Matt lead the field through the halfway point, only to be mis-directed by a course marshal the wrong way and losing 3 mins, but recovering well and still leading the pack out of the water at the 3.8km mark with a 1 minute lead.
Straight into the bike he chewed up the 180km at absolute pace, screaming ahead of the age group pack, infiltrating the Pro field that had left 10 mins ahead of his pack and then smashing into transition with a 6 mins lead sitting 4th overall, including the pro field.
The 42km run was the hardest of all the legs, but Matt made a great escape on his nearest competitor, and at one point had a 17 min lead on him while attacking the lead Pro runners ahead. The conditions started to take a toll on the entire field, with casualties everywhere. It was at about the 30km mark that as it had with many, cramps set in and slowed the pace. But as Matt does, with pure guts and determination he held on to take the finish line in first place with 8 mins to spare.
He even managed to make his mark in the Pro field, where he infiltrated the pack of 12 that were ahead of him all day and took 5th place within that group.
A huge congratulations Matt, mission accomplished – World Champs Kona qualification achieved!
Hunter Campbell have enjoyed following Matt along on his journey this year, and celebrating his exceptional achievements. He heads back to New Zealand for a well-deserved break, although knowing him, likely not too much rest. And we look forward to supporting his continued success in 2022.
If you’re interested in supporting Matt from a sponsorship perspective, you can contact Scott Kerr, scott@kerrectlogistics.com, and you can follow Matt’s journey on Instagram here and on Facebook here.
