Up straight with Callum Millward
Kiwi Callum Millward just finished 3rd at Ironman 70.3 Boulder behind Joe Gambles and Greg Bennett and he is now focused on the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Las Vegas. Despite some good results last year that included a quite memorable Boise 70.3 sprint finish, he considers that 2012 Vegas was a learning experience and this Boulder, Colorado resident now appears ready to show what he has got.
Slowtwitch: Thanks for the chat Callum.
Callum Millward: Thanks Herbert, I have been a long time reader of Slowtwitch articles and lurker in the forums. Bike position critiques are a favorite.
ST: You only lurk in the forum? Have you nothing to say?
Callum: I have chirped in once or twice. I’ll step up my game but I prefer to ‘grab a bowl of popcorn’ and watch some of the more interesting threads unfold.
ST: Does that mean you end up eating a lot of popcorn?
Callum: Hypothetically speaking, yes. Everyone loves a bit of entertainment, you just need to switch on the TV and see the range of reality TV shows. I think people enjoy living vicariously through others so maybe there’s a market for a triathlon show?
ST: You put on a good show at 70.3 Boulder. That should buy you at a few sandwiches and veggies for your training base crew.
Callum: Thanks, the training crew has been diluted as Jamie Whyte and James Bowstead have both fled the coup to their upcoming races outside of the US. We have a great mix of athletes here that have mostly graduated from ITU to long course racing that train and help each other out. So we are all stoked when each other does well.
ST: On a more serious note, we would assume that you are pleased to finish on the podium with this strong field.
Callum: Its great to be on the podium. I had 3 podiums last year, Busselton 3rd, Boise 1st and Syracuse 3rd and I was a little disappointed not to do better. But in hindsight, the level of racing now is so tough – there aren’t a lot of ‘cherry picks’ around. So I was happy with the weekend’s effort, the field was top notch and it was good to be mixing it up again.
ST: You actually have quite a few 3rd place finishes to your name.
Callum: Yes, 3 in the past year over the 70.3 distance. Muncie was a good confidence booster, and to be honest almost felt harder than Boulder. I felt the fury of Andrew Starykowics (2:00:55) bike split, and had ex pro cyclist, Tyler Butterfield throwing curve balls trying to drop me on the bike. I hung in there and got a result on the board and have carried the momentum onto Boulder.
ST: Talk about that race in Boulder.
Callum: I have worked hard on my swimming, doing most of my sessions with Jane Scott and her BAM masters swim squad. It’s a lot harder than I have swum before. A who’s who of triathletes turn up to the sessions, and you better be on your game. I call them the ‘hour of power’ because we generally are straight into a set on a 1:20 (LCM) send off. There is no mucking around. I wanted the swim to be fast, and put the pressure on Gambles, Hoffman, Bennett. Uber swimmer James Seear was too fast, and I was left in no mans land, and was caught by that group in T1. The bike felt reasonably comfortable for the first 20miles. I was worried we were going too slow, but clearly we were going along ok (2:03 bike split). Bennett and Gambles sat at the back for the most of the ride, then at about 35miles, Gambles unleashed the beast and we dispatched (Bryan) Rhodesy. James Seear was riding well, but as soon as Joe went, we brought back the 1:20 gap fairly quickly, and came into T2 within 20’s of him. I haven’t focused much on my run yet, and lacked a lot of leg turnover speed as Gambles and Bennett shot out of T2 like a cheetah chasing a rabbit. It is always hard to tell how the run is going to go after the ride. Sometimes you can feel like a Russian weightlifter, and other times like a free flowing Kenyan. I ran solidly, but not great. Between now and Worlds (Sept 8th), I will need to focus on a few aspects to be competitive.
ST: Were you surprised that Gambles managed to pull away on the bike?
Callum: No he didn’t pull away. He attacked about 35 miles and we stayed with him. It was impressive, Joe is a class cyclist.
ST: Once you came off the bike did you feel you ought to be able to run with Bennett?
Callum: I wasn’t sure, it all depends how many matches were burnt during the ride. Greg stopped after 2 miles and looked to have cramps and I overtook him. A mile or two later, the 3rd place lead cyclist rode past me and I was wondering what was going on. GB flew past shortly after. I felt like I had brought a knife to a gun fight, but Greg has a top notch pedigree in triathlon and when he is on, he’s one of the best. My focus for the run was to put down a solid run, stay mentally strong and keep on top of nutrition because it feels like the heat of 10,000 suns running around the Boulder Reservoir. There’s no shade.
ST: How long did you stay with him?
Callum: About 7.5seconds, maybe 9. I had a spectator ride past and he was yelling words of encouragement. However, it was like trying to bail water out of a sinking Titanic.
ST: Any concerns about folks running up on you?
Callum: No not really. I come from a running background and was coached by former US double Olympic marathoner Pete Pfitzinger for the first 6 years of triathlon. I learnt a lot from Pete and hadn’t run slower than a 1:16 for my first 4 70.3’s so I have the ability to run well. I had run away from Seear and Ambrose out of T2, and I figured that we had rode well enough to distance ourselves from the likes of Hoffman, Lovato, Jones, Griffin.
ST: So maybe your Titanic wasn’t quite sinking.
Callum: The captain stayed onboard this Titanic and got a reasonably good end result.
ST: So how did you celebrate the place at the pointy end of the field?
Callum: I called my parents, which was 3am back home. They always stay up and watch the online coverage. So they get a few updates over the course of 4hours, so their anxiety levels must go through the roof. The guys and girls I train with went into Pearl St and went out for dinner and swapped race stories. We ended up staying at the Cheesecake Factory far too long but we have a great time and plenty of laughs. It’s a good balance.
ST: What was for dinner and dessert?
Callum: I had pulled pork and a side of fries. No dessert this time. I lose my appetite on race day but in saying that, my mum is a great cook and I’m more than happy to be chief taster when she is around.
ST: Could you describe the favorite dish your mum makes?
Callum: That’s like asking a parent to choose a favorite child. One that comes to mind would be roast lamb with roast veggies washed down with a chocolate self-saucing pudding. Its great fuel for a long Saturday morning brick session, the downside is the risk of a coronary and potential onset of diabetes from the amount of sugar in the dessert.
ST: So what is next?
Callum: Right now I’ll plan the next 4-5 weeks leading into Vegas 70.3 World Champs. I had a terrible race there last year and was over trained (19th). But I learnt the nature of the course, how the race could unfold and will prepare the best I can to weather the storm, which is likely a European bike express again.
ST: What about a Kiwi or Aussie bike express?
Callum: That’s possible. Anything’s possible. I think for a little country of 4 million who are predominantly rugby obsessed, New Zealand punches above its weight in triathlon. I’m sure the ANZAC’s will do their best to return serve whatever the Euro uber bikers bring to the cycle course.
ST: Is anything exciting on the sponsor front?
Callum: Yes and no. I have been fortunate to have a shop bike from Mt Eden Cycles, Asics and Oakley back in NZ. I’ve always tried to get results and hoped sponsorship would follow, but it’s not always the case. My parents bend over backwards working around the clock to support me, without them I would be working. As a New Zealander living in Australia, and racing in the US, I certainly get around and good exposure. Recently I have been thinking outside the box and making YouTube videos documenting training and racing. My last video has almost reached 6000 views so it’s been well received. I enjoy a good laugh, and seeing the lighter side of what can be a monotonous sport. I’m in talks with a few sponsors right now. For me, it’s about showing them value in being aligned with me but the future is looking good.
ST: What would you describe to be your biggest value?
Callum: My persistence and family support along this journey. I’ll keep on plugging away until I get where I want to be which is winning Kona.
ST: Anything else we missed?
Callum: I have a degree in Sports Marketing management, and began training when I was 21 when I moved to Australia to train with Col Stewart.
You can follow Callum on Twitter at @callummillward and his infamous youtube clips are here to see.
