Q&A With Craig Alexander From Rev3 Quassy

We took a moment at today’s Rev3 Quassy race expo to catch up with two-time Ironman World Champion Craig Alexander of Australia. Alexander will face off against a tough men’s field tomorrow against names like the United States’ Matt Reed, New Zealand’s Terenzo Bozzone, Australia’s Joe Gambles, Sweeden’s Bjorn Andersson and the United States’ Michael Lovato.

Triathlete: Why did you decide to do Rev3 Quassy this year?

Alexander: The only reason I didn’t come last year was because our son was born in the end of April and I wasn’t sure if we would be ready to travel. Getting his passport and his Visa would have been difficult. When we got to Boulder last year all of the guys and girls said it was a great race so I thought I’d love to do it this year. This fits in really well with my schedule. I haven’t raced for five weeks. I’ve been up at altitude and I think my training has gone very well. It should be a great test because obviously it’s a great field and a really tough course. It will be interesting to see where the training has got me.

Triathlete: You were sitting next to Matt Reed at the Pro Q&A. Were you able to sneak any tips out of him?

Alexander: I don’t think he’s going to give me any tips. I know he’s going after that series bonus. I didn’t realize it was a series until it was too late and my travel was all booked. There’s a lot on the line for a lot of people, and particularly for Matt. I’m sure he has extra motivation tomorrow because of that bonus.

Triathlete: Have you checked out the course?

Alexander: Not yet. I’ve heard it’s hilly. I’ve raced hilly courses before. The truth is that even if you drive it, you really can’t get a good feel for it until you’ve ridden it. I’ve heard there are a couple of hairy corners. I’ll be careful through those. I’m not going to risk my whole season on any corners or anything. I’ve spoken to someone who has raced both Muskoka and this race and they said this is very similar to Ironman 70.3 Muskoka. I think the general consensus is that it’s a tough course. It won’t take me by surprise.

Triathlete: What’s the plan for the rest of the year?

Alexander: I’m going to try to race a little bit in June and July. My schedule will be very similar to the last three years. You can always improve things, but I want to capitalize on the fitness I get training up at altitude. I’ll race once or twice more in June and then a couple of times in July, and then really get in some good Ironman preparation in. I’ll be at Muskoka again, and then obviously Kona.