My journey in triathlon is made up of simple principles, basic structure and truthful science which has been applied in a correct manner which has helped me put my best foot forward throughout my triathlon career. There has been no secret magic trick to my career, but it has been very different to most I can admit!
I like sharing my experience and knowledge of triathlon with others in the hopes that whatever level others are competing at, my key take always of application and experience can be applied to your situation.
My Journey
I first started Triathlon in Late 2018. Prior to this I went through my schooling years playing competitive water polo alongside Surf Life Saving. So swimming for me was certainly familiar and I had been running for general fitness throughout my years at school.
After leaving school, during my studies at university and my early work career as a Secondary School Physical Education teacher my passion was CrossFit. I competed in CrossFit for about 3-4 years before being out done by the big boys with their muscular strength. Frankly, CrossFit helped to shape a large part of my drive, determination and grit which I rely upon these days in the sport of Triathlon. CrossFit was always tough and I mainly lived by the philosophy in the early days of “no pain, no gain”. I laugh when I think about how vastly different my approach to training sessions are these days.
In 2018, I entered my first 70.3 in Taupo New Zealand. To say that I was under prepared is an understatement as I had only started specific triathlon training 3 months prior. I'd never cycled before, let alone ridden a TT bike. Fortunately enough for me my coach Professor Grant Schofield had come from a professional triathlon background and lent me a couple of bikes to train on. With his guidance over those months I got to the start line for my first race, something that I will never forget. I finished the race in 4 hours and 26 minutes.
That race then led me to enter the full Ironman NZ in March 2019. This gave me a further 3 months to prepare as best as possible to compete in my first Ironman race.
This is where my love for Triathlon began and the change of adapting an appropriate nutrition plan to my training began.
The low carb approach was guided by my coach Grant and I believe this change has been pivotal in my success to date.
Put simply, this change in adopting a low carb approach was to prepare my body to be able to adequately provide enough fuel to sustain the energy requirement over a full ironman race. I got through my first Ironman in 9 hours and 20 minutes.
After this race we have continued to improve on my training efficiency and work towards being able to oxidise fat at a higher rate to use as a fuel source for training as well as during races. This adaption has continued to show vast improvements in my training data as well as testing data collected in the laboratory.
I competed in a few more 70.3’s to gain more race experience and in 2020 and 2021, I completed the NZ Full ironman in 8 hours and 53 minutes and 8 hours and 26 minutes respectively. The change in my nutrition and training has been simple, precise and extremely intentional.
Fast forward the clock to 2022 where I participated in my first World Championship Ironman race. Leading into this race, the concentration of getting all of those 1%'ers ‘right’ was a priority. The experience of winning the 2021 overall Age Group race and becoming the 2021 World Champion in a field full of exceptional athletes has been very humbling.
More recently, I have had the opportunity to travel to Europe to train and compete. I competed in the Gerasdorf Triathlon where I placed first. I then travelled to Slovakia where I had the privilege of representing New Zealand in the World ITU long course triathlon championships where I placed first in my age group (30-34) and placed second overall.
Following this European experience I travelled to Maui with fellow New Zealand training partner, Braden Currie to complete a four week training block before I attended the 2022 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
https://triathlon.kiwi/its-no-coincidence-kiwi-age-grouper-matt-kerr-training-pal-of-braden-currie-has-prepped-like-a-pro-for-kona/
Unfortunately, in the face of cruel luck I collided with a spectator at 60km/h who stepped out in front of me whilst on my bike, two kilometres from transition. After collecting myself as best as I could and being cleared by the medical team I finished the race and recorded a time of 10:17:35 in defence of the overall age-group title.
I have developed some fantastic connections over my short time in triathlon and have been extremely fortunate to have such a dedicated team around me. I have been able to align myself with sponsors that share the same values as me and who support the philosophy of how I want to shape myself as an athlete.
On a personal note, I also couldn’t have gotten where I have today without my mentor and coach Grant, my friends and my family who continually offer nothing but support and assistance to allow me to follow my goals and dreams.
I look forward to my professional racing season in 2023.