Off to Hawaii

MINNAMURRA triathlete Bob Sinclair is in the home stretch of training for his Everest " the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon.

Sinclair will leave for Hawaii on Wednesday, October 3 for nine day's acclimatisation before the world's most famous triathlon, which will be held on October 13.

In tow will be his wife Noelene, daughters Kate and Jane and a mate from Wollongong, Gareth Buckley, who is a two-time Hawaii veteran.

"I'll have a bit of support on the sidelines which will be unreal " I just have to go through a little bit of pain for them to have a holiday," he said.

Pain indeed. The Hawaii Ironman involves a 3.8km swim, 185km bike leg and Marathon-distance run. Throw in searing heat and gale-force winds and there is a picture of what Sinclair will have to endure.

Sinclair hopes to finish the course in between 12 and 17 hours.

After finding out in May that he had won a spot on the starter's line for the Hawaii event, Sinclair has whipped himself into peak physical and mental fitness.

"I haven't been this fit for ten years," Sinclair, a veteran of 17 ironman triathlons, said.

"For the past seven weeks I have been training full-time and mentally I'm at the top of my game."

Asn average week under the Hawaii regimen sees Sinclair swim 12km, clock up 500km on the bike and run 36km.

"I've never trained this much in my life but I'm enjoying it " I thought I would be sick of training by now," he said.

Sinclair said the regimen he adopted for Hawaii was " 'low intensity' " the only niggle he picked up was a slight quad strain after a long day on the track, bike and in the pool.

Sinclair likened the chance to compete in the Hawaii Ironman to a budding tennis player facing Lleyton Hewitt or a keen golfer having a round with Greg Norman.

"It's just a dream come true " a lot of people have dreams but don't give the chance to live them," he said.