Tim Reed. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
LAPU-LAPU CITY — Tim Reed was confident heading into the 2017 Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines on Sunday, the Australian admitted that there was a time he felt that his drive for a three-peat was in peril.
That hit him hard midway through the race as he saw the much-talked about strength of the field first hand.
Just when Reed thought that he left everyone in the dust, the 21-year-old Mauricio Mendez made a huge leap forward, going from sixth to second in the run course to give the defending champion a run for his money.
“I saw him in the first lap of the run. I was like, ‘I’d better start running, be quicker,’ He’s a beautiful runner, a really talented athlete so I was definitely concerned,” he said.
Fortunately for Reed, he built enough cushion and sustained his groove to cruise to the victory, his third straight in Cebu.
Pulling off another triumph, the 32-year-old expressed was pleased to fulfill his goals and meet expectations.
“I knew I was very fit and I knew I’d have a good chance, but you’ll never know. You can’t control how other people race. If somebody else beat me, but I put in a really good performance, I’m okay with that. And today was just all about focusing on myself and racing as hard as I could,” he said.
Though he cemented his status as one of the sport’s greats with his three-year dynasty in Cebu, Reed downplayed the feat.
“I think every time you win somewhere, the pressure builds a little bit and the next year, there’s a little bit more pressure. For me, it’s really important to keep the pressure off and just keep it fun and enjoy myself,” he said.
Luckily for Reed, he has his wife with him to share his recent first place finish to alleviate the rigors of his intense training.
“I worked really hard for this. My wife came over to America with me and put up with me doing a lot of training. She was really supporting me so it makes a big difference. So this is a really a pleasing result for me and it’s special for my family,” he said.