I train alone most of the time. I also have this weird mentality where I don't use music either. Seven, eight hours on the bike, it's just me.
Matt Burton is all in for Kona. The man from Perth holds the Australian Ironman Record, and is going into the Ironman World Championships as an underdog. But, he's going there to win.
Kona is why I stay in it. You retire heaps of times in your head, but there'd always be this voice in my head of my old man. I don't come from money, and my family are blue-collar. I was raised to stick at it, that's Kona.
The 36-year-old is no stranger to adversity. He's been knocked down by injuries countless times in his fifteen years of racing triathlon, the worst of which came at the start of this year. A bone infection saw him spend two months in hospital, questioning whether he'd lose his right foot, let alone race triathlon again. He bounced back in a way that only Matt Burton can, emphatically winning Ironman Cairns.
The Equipment
After his whole career racing for Giant, Matt made the switch to Cervelo this season. Matt rides Aerobar Three, as well as our Driveline Ecosystem in conjunction with cSixx and HSC Ceramics. His Cervelo P5 is equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, and Princeton Carbonworks wheels.
The most concerning thing for me in any Ironman is the bike leg. That's where most things can go wrong, and that's where you rely on equipment. You're going so fast on the bike, that a small error can be very costly. Having mechanical belief is essential. I've been doing big days at home, sometimes seven-and-a-half hours on the bike. I've not dropped a chain, and everything runs perfectly smooth.
With an average speed sitting between 44kph and 46kph on a bike leg, Matt will usually average 310w–320w. He'll be using the new 60/46t 2X chainrings developed in conjunction with cSixx.
Matt, The Athlete
This time around it's become as focused as the training itself. The final eight week prep period, we've notched the volume up to another level. I've trained upwards of 44hrs a week, and I'm just about to knock through a 160-hour month.
Last week was 44hrs, the biggest training week I've ever done. Even my rest days are around five hours at the moment…
Matt, The Dad
I have a very supportive wife. We've been together since I started the sport and she's let me chase this dream. The hard thing is my little fella, he's at an age now that he knows, and he's asked if he can come to Hawaii. This has been a big sacrifice. When I do my long runs — two, or two and a half hours long — it's up in the bush and there's no water along the way. My wife and boy will meet me along the way with nutrition support. They're my favorite sessions of the week, I feel as if they're my training partners on those days.
It's all in for Kona. All of my eggs are in one basket. These days, there are so many options in triathlon so people don't like to go full on for one thing. But, you know, when I came out of hospital this year it was all about taking it one day at a time.
Pro Tip
I feel triathletes as a whole don't spend enough time on the road bike. Riding a road bike makes your pedal stroke more efficient. On the TT bike, you're so quad and glute dominant that you almost neglect the hammies. Learning to ride a road bike teaches you skills to take to tri.
The Ironman World Championships take place in Kona, Hawaii on October 26th. Go well, mate.