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Watch out for James Hodge

Aussie James Hodge took the win at SunSmart Ironman 70.3 Busselton, and suspect there is more to come along those lines for this 20-year old Pro, and Hodge actually still raced as an age grouper in Beijing last year.
B>Slowtwitch: How are you James?

James: Yeah, good thanks, a bit sore in the legs but glad to be on a break now.

ST: Has the big win in Busso sunk in already?

James: Not really, I am still over the moon about the whole race. I was so excited to just be racing with all the pro guys that I had looked up to for years. But to come out with a win still feels like a dream.

ST: At age 20 you may actually be the youngest winner of an Ironman 70.3 event. What have you heard along those lines?

James: That would be amazing if I was, and a few people have asked me the same question but I really don’t know, I am sure there would be a stats vault somewhere, with all that information.

ST: Well, Philip Graves was 20 when he won UK 70.3 in June of 2009 at his first attempt (and Ironman UK later that summer), so I guess it depends on the individual birth dates. When will you be 21?

James: He has also done the Ironman, that is awesome, I wont be doing Ironman for a long time. I don’t turn 21 till January 18th next year. But I just looked up Philip and he was about 20 and 1month I was 20 and 3months. :-). Keep in mind that this was my first ever 70.3 race.

ST: What did the other Pros like Matty White and Luke McKenzie say to you after the race?

James: They were really nice, they both come up to me after the race and congratulated me on my performance, as did many of the other pros. They also said that I put a great performance out there today, to race off the front like I did. They also were interested to find out more about me and what other races I would be doing in the triathlon season. It was an amazing feeling for me to be asked questions from them.

ST: Anything during the race by any of these more seasoned Pros?

James: Yeah as I come round for my last lap on the run, I ran past Belinda Granger, and she said to me, 'If you can make it to the last turn and still be in the lead you can take this race out'. I used that as motivation. It was great to hear it from such a gun of the sport.

ST: You know, moving forward you’ll most likely hear more often from these Pros.

James: It is always great to hear from them, I have been contacted by Pete Jacobs since I got back home and he is looking in to ways that he can help me with further sponsorship, with the aid of his manager Evan, which is really nice of them.

ST: So what event is next?

James: I am currently having a rest, but the next race I have planned is Yeppoon Ironman 70.3 in mid August. After that I will aim for the Noosa Triathlon in late October.

ST: I think you still raced as an amateur in Beijing last summer.

James: Yeah I raced as an age grouper all last season and only got my Olympic distance pro license after the World Championships in Beijing last September. But I had to get a separate pro license for long course, which I got ten weeks ago, and that is when I decided that I would do my first 70.3 Ironman. The first one in Australia was Busselton so that is what I entered, and I had also heard what a great place Busselton was and what a great course to have a triathlon. After being there now, it is very true about both of those statements.

ST: Rumor has it that you did not even have a passport until then.

James: Yeah I had never been out of Australia before I went to Beijing, so didn’t really have a need for a passport.

ST: Do you think you’ll get more use out of it now or will you still mostly compete in Australia?

James: My plans for now are to just keep racing inside Australia to keep the cost of traveling low. I have plans to race the Asia-Pacific 70.3 Championships in Phuket later in the year, which will be my only planned race out of Australia for this season. I would love to have a few races over in America in the 5150 series, as they are non-drafting, which I like. But the cost of getting there at this stage is too much, especially as I am full time at University.

ST: Your background though is swimming.

James: Yeah I started competitive swimming when I was thirteen, then tried my first triathlon when I was 14.

ST: Is swimming still your favorite discipline?

James: I still like the swim, but the bike is probably my favorite leg. I am really enjoying the run now though as I have worked really hard on this since the start of the year, and it does not feel like such a struggle anymore.

ST: Have you got sponsors already?

James: Yeah I have a few really good sponsors that have helped my out, with all my training and racing gear. Avanti Plus Launceston, Scott Bikes, Adidas Eye Wear, 2XU and Eyeline.

ST: Anything else we should know?

James: I am a full time University student at UTAS studying Radiography, currently 2nd year of the 5 year course. I do most of my training by myself but also train with some good mates through out the week, Casey, Padge, Ranga, Macca, Pentland and J-Train, all great guys and love the sport as well. I also like getting involved with our local tri club, so I train with them on Monday nights and we do a swim followed by a run. I find it great doing this as you meet so many more people and I love helping them out or just having a chat. When I am not doing triathlon, I love dressing up, making photos or videos and giving people a laugh.

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