2 weeks Ago By Roger Vaughan
Matt Burton calls his health issue earlier this year "a bit of a hiccup". Next he'll be describing the Hawaiian Ironman world championships as a reasonable endurance event that anyone can do. The West Australian professional triathlete and king of the understatement will cap a remarkable few months when he competes on Sunday (AEDT) in his sport's most famous race.
Earlier this year, Burton was in and out of hospital and nearly had part of his foot amputated because of a bone infection. After a 10-week layoff, he made an outstanding comeback and won the Cairns Ironman in June. Now he will be among five Australians in the professional field at the Ironman world championships, which start and finish at Kona on Hawaii's Big Island.
"I probably look at it now as a bit of a hiccup," Burton said of the health scare that nearly forced him to retire from triathlon. "You never lose hope of the potential to perform at the highest level. "This (Hawaii) was the focus when we sat in hospital, talking between family and my coach.
"Now I'm here, with Cairns there as a great stepping stone, I'm really excited to see what I can do here against 60 of the best men in the world and really be a contender." Burton is wary of discussing what sort of result he wants at Kona. The Ironman triathlon distances - 3.
8km swim, 180km cycle and 42.2km marathon run - make the event a huge challenge in itself. But Hawaii is a race apart because of its brutal tropical humidity and barren lava fields, plus the fierce trade winds that also often batter the competitors on the bike leg.
"It's the race and the place that's kept me in the sport over the year, through all different challenges," Burton said "But to have a good day in Kona is something I'd never forget. "This place is so barren, so beautiful. "If you focus on yourself in Kona, and worry about what's ahead of you, rather than what the others are doing around you, you're going to have a better day than the majority.
" The Australian contingent will also feature Cameron Wurf, the former rower who combines triathlon with professional cycling. Wurf, 41, has finished fifth at Kona and once held the bike course record. This is the second year Ironman organisers have split the men's and women's world championships between Kona and Nice, France.
The combined event has become too big for Kona. Last year the women raced in Hawaii, this time it's more than 2000 men competing at Kona across the professional and age group categories. "The vibe in town has gone crazy, these last couple of days, so you can't not get excited," Burton said.
Sam Laidlow of France won the world title in France last year, while Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt and Dane Magnus Ditlev are also strong favourites. No Australian has won at Hawaii since the last of Mirinda Carfrae's three titles in 2014. The last men's winner was Pete Jacobs in 2012.
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