TIM BERKEL
‘UP AND COMING’ WORLD CLASS PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETE
Why I like SCODY the most? Scody is the best kit I have ever raced and trained in. Its comfortable and looks great, and keeps up with the high demand of training and racing at an elite level.
Hometown: Albury, NSW
Resides: Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia
Birth Date: June 1984 Age: 24
Education: Currently studying sports nutrition
Occupation: Trying to live the dream
Coach: Grant Giles
Nick Names: Berkel
Hobbies: Sleeping, Brew rides with the boys, mountain bike riding, running, listening to music and surfing
Website: www.timberkel.com/
Results:
2008
1st - Port Douglas Ironman
2nd - Australian Long Course Championships Pro – Huskisson NSW.
2007
1st - Campbell's Half Ironman, Shepparton, VIC
4th - Scody Half Ironman, Port Macquarie, NSW
2nd - Cannibal Gold Coast Half Ironman, QLD
4th - Airlie Beach Triathlon, QLD
10th - Rappersill Jona 70.3 SWITZERLAND
29th - Italian Olympic Distance Championship, ITALY
5th - Ironman, SWITZERLAND
7th - Ironman Australia - Port Macquarie 2007, NSW
5th - Huskisson Australia Long Course Champions, Pro, NSW
2006
7th - Laguna, Phuket, Pro, THAILAND
3rd - Cannibal Gold Coast Half Ironman, Pro, QLD
4th - Rydges Capricorn Australian Half Ironman Series, Pro, QLD
7th - Busselton Half Ironman, Pro, WA (Fastest run split for the day)
3rd - Airlie Beach Triathlon, QLD
2nd - Camden Haven Triathlon, NSW
1st - Victorian Olympic Distance Championships U23 Elite Geelong, VIC
10th - Australian Long Course Championships, Pro, Husskinson, NSW
1st - Dean St Duathlon Open, Albury, NSW
2005
1st - Yackandanda Triathlon, Open Male, VIC
3rd - Busselton Half Ironman, Pro, WA
9th - Port Macquarie Half Ironman, Pro, NSW
4th - Canberra Half Ironman, Pro, ACT
2nd - Victorian Olympic Distance Championships, U23 Elite, Elwood, VIC
9th - World Age Group Championships, 20-24 yr, Hawaii, USA
2004
3rd - Victorian Sprint Distance Championships, Junior Elite, Brighton
3rd - Australian Olympic Distance Championships,16-19 AG, Mooloolaba
2nd - Australian Duathlon Championships, 20-24 AG Bennella, VIC
1st - Yackandandah Triathlon, Open Male, VIC
1st - Nail Can Hill Ironman (2003 & 2004) Open, Albury, NSW
ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS
2008 Most Successful, Honoured and Popular Triathlete - Port Macquarie
2006 Albury/Wodonga Young Achiever of the Year nominee
2005 Albury/Wodonga Triathlete of the Year
2004 Albury/Wodonga Triathlete of the Year
Sorry for the delay, but my laptop and connecting to the Internet has had some glitches, while I’m on the road.
Well, I’m now one-third thru my 3 Half Ironman’s in three weekends. Just a quick lesson in the race naming over here, I am doing five races called 70.3’s while I’m racing in North America. 70.3 is the same as a Half Ironman, it’s just the Americans only think in miles, so if you add the distances of the swim, bike and run (in miles), it adds up to 70.3 miles, hence the name…
With that lesson out of the way, I’ll tell you about my race last weekend in Rhode Island, which is a small State in the Northeast of the US. I wasn’t able to get a homestay here, so I booked into a hotel, and I happened to hook up with Leon Griffen and his girlfriend Merridee, who were also staying at the same hotel. They had a car, so they gave me a lift to registration and the transition area on Saturday, which was a big, big help.
This race was a point-to-point race, so the Swim-to-Bike Transition was 90 Kms south of the Bike-to-Run Transition, which was situated in the heart of Providence, which is the state Capital. And the transition area was set-up on the grounds of the Capital Building.
Race morning meant an early start, in order to drive down to the Swim Start. I set-up my stuff in the Transition Area, then went to loosen up for the swim. Apparently, they were trying to page me over the P.A. system, but I didn’t hear a thing. The race referee had apparently inspected my helmet, and pulled it from the compound and announced to those around that I wasn’t able to race. But I wasn’t going to realize this until I exited the swim.
However, there was another Pro who heard this, and happened to have a spare helmet with him, so he placed it on my bike. It was an open water swim, and it was a little rough, so not having an ideal start I exited the swim in ninth place, only to find a Rudy Project helmet sitting in place of my Giro (that I had left there…).
Al little puzzled by this I knew I had several big guns out ahead of my, so I tried to focus on my ride. Race favourite, Oscar Galindez, was out of the swim about 30 seconds behind me, and I knew he could ride. It didn’t take him long to come around me, and I (legally) paced him for the first 38 Kms, which brought us up to the lead group, which had Leon Griffen, Richie Cunningham, and Paul Ambrose, Tim Marr and James Cotter).
I was happy to get up to the leaders and was hoping the pace was going to ease a little, but Galindez had other ideas. He rode around the lead bunch and when I saw Griff, Cotter and Ambrose go with him, I knew I couldn’t just let them ride away. I made a move to go with them, and Tim Marr followed me on to the leaders. We swapped a few turns, then during a small climb, I was sitting behind Tim Marr and he started to struggle. A gap was formed between him and the rest of the pack, so I made a move to get around him and between the efforts of the first 40 Km, and the climb I was on, my body went pop. I backed off a little and tried to get my rhythm back. Tim Mar and I rode together for the next 20 Kms, until I came good again. As we moved up the road, we came up to Griff, and he had already "pulled the pin", and was just cruising back to the transition area, so we stormed ahead.
I knew I had some spectators waiting for me in the Transition Area, but I had never met them. Kaz’s mum and sister, who both live about an hour north of the race, had come down to watch my race, but I didn’t know where to look for them (or what they look like, for that matter). I came into the Bike-to-Run in fifth, and heard some women screaming “Go Tim”. Since I was so far from home, I knew this must have been them.
It was a great run course, and my legs felt okay on the two-lap circuit. On my second time around, I was able to see Kaz’s sister Sue, and I gave her a wave. I could sense the guy behind me was moving well, and at each turnaround I could see him getting closer. He never caught me, and I finished the race 1:10 ahead of him. He clocked the fastest run of the day, and I later learned that he (US Pro - Janda Ricci-Munn) was the guy who loaned me the helmet before the race. An awesome bloke.
But back to the race. I had James Cotter up the road from me the entire race, and even though I was able to take 1:03 off his lead, it wasn’t enough to move into fourth, so I am pleased with my fifth place finish.
After the race, Kaz’s mum and sister hung out with me until the Awards Ceremony, and then Kaz’s mum, Judy, drove me back to her place near Boston, where I’m calling home for this week, as well as when I get back from racing in California next weekend.
Here are the final standings:
1st Oscar Galindez (Argentina) 3:54:04
2nd Richie Cunningham (Australia) 3:56:46
3rd Paul Ambrose (GB & Australia) 3:57:48
4th James Cotter (USA) 3:59:37
5th Tim Berkel (Australia) 4:01:08
6th Janda Ricci-Munn (USA) 4:02:18
7th Timothy Marr (USA) 4:06:24
Well, I'm off on Friday morning to fly out to California to race the Vineman 70.3 in the Napa Vally. This race will be the most challenging of my season, with the most amount of big hitters there. I'll keep you posted next week.
Cheers,
Tim
‘UP AND COMING’ WORLD CLASS PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETE
Why I like SCODY the most? Scody is the best kit I have ever raced and trained in. Its comfortable and looks great, and keeps up with the high demand of training and racing at an elite level.
Hometown: Albury, NSW
Resides: Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia
Birth Date: June 1984 Age: 24
Education: Currently studying sports nutrition
Occupation: Trying to live the dream
Coach: Grant Giles
Nick Names: Berkel
Hobbies: Sleeping, Brew rides with the boys, mountain bike riding, running, listening to music and surfing
Website: www.timberkel.com/
Results:
2008
1st - Port Douglas Ironman
2nd - Australian Long Course Championships Pro – Huskisson NSW.
2007
1st - Campbell's Half Ironman, Shepparton, VIC
4th - Scody Half Ironman, Port Macquarie, NSW
2nd - Cannibal Gold Coast Half Ironman, QLD
4th - Airlie Beach Triathlon, QLD
10th - Rappersill Jona 70.3 SWITZERLAND
29th - Italian Olympic Distance Championship, ITALY
5th - Ironman, SWITZERLAND
7th - Ironman Australia - Port Macquarie 2007, NSW
5th - Huskisson Australia Long Course Champions, Pro, NSW
2006
7th - Laguna, Phuket, Pro, THAILAND
3rd - Cannibal Gold Coast Half Ironman, Pro, QLD
4th - Rydges Capricorn Australian Half Ironman Series, Pro, QLD
7th - Busselton Half Ironman, Pro, WA (Fastest run split for the day)
3rd - Airlie Beach Triathlon, QLD
2nd - Camden Haven Triathlon, NSW
1st - Victorian Olympic Distance Championships U23 Elite Geelong, VIC
10th - Australian Long Course Championships, Pro, Husskinson, NSW
1st - Dean St Duathlon Open, Albury, NSW
2005
1st - Yackandanda Triathlon, Open Male, VIC
3rd - Busselton Half Ironman, Pro, WA
9th - Port Macquarie Half Ironman, Pro, NSW
4th - Canberra Half Ironman, Pro, ACT
2nd - Victorian Olympic Distance Championships, U23 Elite, Elwood, VIC
9th - World Age Group Championships, 20-24 yr, Hawaii, USA
2004
3rd - Victorian Sprint Distance Championships, Junior Elite, Brighton
3rd - Australian Olympic Distance Championships,16-19 AG, Mooloolaba
2nd - Australian Duathlon Championships, 20-24 AG Bennella, VIC
1st - Yackandandah Triathlon, Open Male, VIC
1st - Nail Can Hill Ironman (2003 & 2004) Open, Albury, NSW
ACHIEVEMENTS AND AWARDS
2008 Most Successful, Honoured and Popular Triathlete - Port Macquarie
2006 Albury/Wodonga Young Achiever of the Year nominee
2005 Albury/Wodonga Triathlete of the Year
2004 Albury/Wodonga Triathlete of the Year
Tim Berkel’s Ironman 70.3 Rhode Island - Race Report
Received 18th July 2008
Sorry for the delay, but my laptop and connecting to the Internet has had some glitches, while I’m on the road.
Well, I’m now one-third thru my 3 Half Ironman’s in three weekends. Just a quick lesson in the race naming over here, I am doing five races called 70.3’s while I’m racing in North America. 70.3 is the same as a Half Ironman, it’s just the Americans only think in miles, so if you add the distances of the swim, bike and run (in miles), it adds up to 70.3 miles, hence the name…
With that lesson out of the way, I’ll tell you about my race last weekend in Rhode Island, which is a small State in the Northeast of the US. I wasn’t able to get a homestay here, so I booked into a hotel, and I happened to hook up with Leon Griffen and his girlfriend Merridee, who were also staying at the same hotel. They had a car, so they gave me a lift to registration and the transition area on Saturday, which was a big, big help.
This race was a point-to-point race, so the Swim-to-Bike Transition was 90 Kms south of the Bike-to-Run Transition, which was situated in the heart of Providence, which is the state Capital. And the transition area was set-up on the grounds of the Capital Building.
Race morning meant an early start, in order to drive down to the Swim Start. I set-up my stuff in the Transition Area, then went to loosen up for the swim. Apparently, they were trying to page me over the P.A. system, but I didn’t hear a thing. The race referee had apparently inspected my helmet, and pulled it from the compound and announced to those around that I wasn’t able to race. But I wasn’t going to realize this until I exited the swim.
However, there was another Pro who heard this, and happened to have a spare helmet with him, so he placed it on my bike. It was an open water swim, and it was a little rough, so not having an ideal start I exited the swim in ninth place, only to find a Rudy Project helmet sitting in place of my Giro (that I had left there…).
Al little puzzled by this I knew I had several big guns out ahead of my, so I tried to focus on my ride. Race favourite, Oscar Galindez, was out of the swim about 30 seconds behind me, and I knew he could ride. It didn’t take him long to come around me, and I (legally) paced him for the first 38 Kms, which brought us up to the lead group, which had Leon Griffen, Richie Cunningham, and Paul Ambrose, Tim Marr and James Cotter).
I was happy to get up to the leaders and was hoping the pace was going to ease a little, but Galindez had other ideas. He rode around the lead bunch and when I saw Griff, Cotter and Ambrose go with him, I knew I couldn’t just let them ride away. I made a move to go with them, and Tim Marr followed me on to the leaders. We swapped a few turns, then during a small climb, I was sitting behind Tim Marr and he started to struggle. A gap was formed between him and the rest of the pack, so I made a move to get around him and between the efforts of the first 40 Km, and the climb I was on, my body went pop. I backed off a little and tried to get my rhythm back. Tim Mar and I rode together for the next 20 Kms, until I came good again. As we moved up the road, we came up to Griff, and he had already "pulled the pin", and was just cruising back to the transition area, so we stormed ahead.
I knew I had some spectators waiting for me in the Transition Area, but I had never met them. Kaz’s mum and sister, who both live about an hour north of the race, had come down to watch my race, but I didn’t know where to look for them (or what they look like, for that matter). I came into the Bike-to-Run in fifth, and heard some women screaming “Go Tim”. Since I was so far from home, I knew this must have been them.
It was a great run course, and my legs felt okay on the two-lap circuit. On my second time around, I was able to see Kaz’s sister Sue, and I gave her a wave. I could sense the guy behind me was moving well, and at each turnaround I could see him getting closer. He never caught me, and I finished the race 1:10 ahead of him. He clocked the fastest run of the day, and I later learned that he (US Pro - Janda Ricci-Munn) was the guy who loaned me the helmet before the race. An awesome bloke.
But back to the race. I had James Cotter up the road from me the entire race, and even though I was able to take 1:03 off his lead, it wasn’t enough to move into fourth, so I am pleased with my fifth place finish.
After the race, Kaz’s mum and sister hung out with me until the Awards Ceremony, and then Kaz’s mum, Judy, drove me back to her place near Boston, where I’m calling home for this week, as well as when I get back from racing in California next weekend.
Here are the final standings:
1st Oscar Galindez (Argentina) 3:54:04
2nd Richie Cunningham (Australia) 3:56:46
3rd Paul Ambrose (GB & Australia) 3:57:48
4th James Cotter (USA) 3:59:37
5th Tim Berkel (Australia) 4:01:08
6th Janda Ricci-Munn (USA) 4:02:18
7th Timothy Marr (USA) 4:06:24
Well, I'm off on Friday morning to fly out to California to race the Vineman 70.3 in the Napa Vally. This race will be the most challenging of my season, with the most amount of big hitters there. I'll keep you posted next week.
Cheers,
Tim
