Thursday, September 13, 2012

Got a little bit of press already from my a guy I know likes a little mountain bike action at Slowtwitch....thanks Herbert!!!
http://www.slowtwitch.com/Interview/Adventures_with_Kate_Major_3071.html
All fired up now!!! Thanks for the love ST!!!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Raising money for the June Canavan Foundation...the Down Under way!!!


The highlighted section is our route for the race....doesn't look so bad on paper!!!

There is a link on the top left of my blog page to make donations for the June Canavan Foundation (JCF). If you read my last blog you will understand what it is all about and I hope you will help me to raise some $$$ for her foundation to continue her legacy whilst I am beating myself up in the hot Australian outback on a mountain bike (and having the time of my life!).
This way we can track how much money is raised through by doing the Crocodile Trophy and then the JCF will match the same amount of money to which we raise! If everyone could put $1 in....that could end up to be one big fat piggy bank!
That would be tops if you could help me out!


Here is a little video footage from the Crocodile Trophy last year when they had heavy rain the first couple of days!!!
http://vimeo.com/30852423
This is later when it dried up....the scenery is pretty amazing!
http://vimeo.com/30674181


Come on...please donate...and yes,I am a real Frilled Neck Lizard.



Tuesday, September 4, 2012

The Crocodile Trophy ~ October 20, 2012 ~ QLD, Australia

The Crocodile Trophy is just around the corner....October 20-28th, QLD, Australia.

The Wilier machine I will race on (except I have pimped her out w/Reynolds carbon tubeless rims, Conti tires & a John Cobb mtn bike saddle).


The Crocodile Trophy




Is a 9day/9 stage mountain bike endurance race


Starting in Cairns and heading out west into the Outback


It is a supported ride where we will camp every night and I will attempt to set up my own tent etc. to sleep in. I will be practicing this portion of the event in the privacy of my own home beforehand just to make sure I look like I know what I am doing. If all else fails, I will pretend to be tough and sleep under the stars!

I am raising money along the way for my late friend's foundation- June Canavan Foundation-
I met Dr. June Canavan when I was 17,  as she was recommended to me as the best sports doctor in Australia and particularly with helping athletes with their asthma control.
She gave each and every patient her undivided attention and genuine care and always ran late because of this but no one complained as we all knew that was how she did things.  Each patient was as important as the other.  June not only treated Olympic and World-class athletes, as well as kids, parents and grandparents.
Over the years I became friends with June and her love for life and adventure outside of her busy schedule is what she lived for and when she couldn’t do it herself, she lived it through her patients and athletes.
June was game for anything and I remember her doing a 100km bike ride through the Swiss Alps on no training. When I asked her if it was a good idea, she replied “it will just take me a while!”
Unfortunately June was killed in a light plane crash in 2009 whilst en route to hiking the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea to raise money for a charity she launched called Klocking up the K’s. It was to raise funds for the school of St Jude in Tanzania.
Junes’ plan to raise the funds was by hiking up 5 mountains starting with the letter K.
At the time of her death June had completed 3 of the 5 Ks: Kiel Mountain, Kosciuszko, and Kinabalu. She planned to walk the Kokoda track in August and climb Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in October. This would have resulted in June climbing a total of 47,560 feet in altitude. Her aim was to climb 5 Ks during 2009 and to achieve $1.00 in sponsorship for each foot of the total number of feet she climbed.
“In honor of Junes goal I would like to try and raise $1 for every metre I climb in this race – 12,900 meters” .





THE MONEY RAISED
Dr. June Canavan completed the MSA (Master in Sports Administration) course at AISTS (www.aists.org) in 2006. She was passionate about providing better opportunities for women to undertake leadership roles in sport.This scholarship commemorates June’s enjoyment
of the AISTS MSA course and the contribution she made to assisting students through the
course between 2006 and 2009.
The Lausanne Network for Women in Sport (LNWIS) offers a fully paid
fee scholarship for the AISTS MSA course to a high potential female sport leader. The scholarship is funded by the June Canavan Foundation.

This will be my way of honoring June and sharing her love for life, adventure and hopefully inspiring other women to get active and just get out and try something new (as well as men!). 





I have been offered my back up bike from my niece if it gets a bit rough out there and I need 3 wheels!



I will post a link shortly to where you can donate money to her foundation. Any amount would be great as all the pennies add up at the end (remember the old piggy bank?).
She was one cool lady who would be happy to see me do this race and if she were here, would probably join in for the shorter event herself.
This will certainly be a challenge for me on many levels but each time I think about it, it makes me smile both with excitement and that nervous snort/laugh you have when you do something for the first time. I have had two things in my life I wanted to do, one was the World Ironman Championships and the other is the Crocodile Trophy so I am tickled pink to have the opportunity to do it and the support of my sponsors, family and friends to give it a shot. I have no goals for this race except to have the best time in my home country, seeing places by mountain bike I have always dreamt of, meeting people from the local communities, making new friends and experience a whole different style of racing (whilst raising as much $$$ as I can for June's foundation).
We all need to do these things in our lives whether it be athletics, academia or in general daily situations. It takes a lot of courage to try something out of your comfort zone but it can also lead you to many new opportunities and experiences you would never have had.
I love this saying and have it stuck on our fridge and have had to re read it many times over this year and thought I would share it with you too.
'It's impossible' said Pride.
'It's risky' said Experience.
'It's pointless' said Reason.
'Give it a try' whispered the Heart.


Sunday, September 2, 2012

What in the begeeba's have I been up to the past couple of months???
I decided to have a break from racing triathlons until after I finish the Crocodile Trophy. Is that a crocodile wrestling competition I hear you ask??!!...NOOOO!! It is a 9day/stage mountain bike race in far north Queensland in Australia (Oct 20-28th). I will tell you more in the next update:)
Here is a short recap in photos to begin-


I had Mike's Bike's fit my mountain bike


 I have still been swimming(minus the heels!)


 We had our friends from SD visit


I have been stretching..


And doing yoga


 I found some new trails on my mtn bike and discovered some 'secret spots'


 I have been taking my recovery ice baths

 Finding new trails


Practicing my new skills learnt at the All Women's Sport Camp



Had some close calls with these things!!!


Avoided the new 'Vodka to Go' on my rides


 Won a mtn run in Tahoe at the All Women's Sport Camp


Did some amazing rides at the All Women's Sport Camp in Tahoe



 My friend Jessi Stensland showing me how to ride the mtn bike!



Am loving a little change

Loving the heat

Played at the Pump Track in Truckee w/the girls from the All Women's Sport Camp


Hadn't had this much fun in a long time!!!


I have been under the watchful eyes of some hard task masters



 On our first weekend away together (w/ 15 other crazy peeps) for way too long...Shasta Lake


Picking up the boats, water-skis, wake boards and tubes


Capt. Jeff is back behind the wheel of a speed boat...I'm scared w/that facial expression=faaast!!!


We made some wake on Shasta Lake


Saw a house we would like to buy


Came home and rode above the clouds for training


Got to wear my summer dress

Had more friends from SD visit on their summer cycling trip


Now onto something that makes me sweat just thinking about it.....The Crocodile Trophy Mountain Bike Stage race....