Ironman Matthew Pellow will return to Ballarat to defend his Ironman 70.3 Ballarat title on Sunday.
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Pellow believes he will enter this weekend’s event in peak condition and is excited about the expectation that comes with being the reigning champion.
The 26-year-old admits it has been strange receiving a bit more media attention leading into the event and also expects to have a few more eyes on him during the race.
“It took me by surprise last year to come in and take the win,” Pellow said.
"There's a little bit of added pressure. (But) I'm at peak fitness, I've targeted this time of year – I'm ready to race.
"I've done a few interviews before, but nothing about defending a race so I'm excited to get out there and see how it all goes.”
Pellow raced in Ironman Busselton last week in Western Australia, but he did not finish the race. After starting strongly he went toe-to-toe with world-class Ironman Andy Potts, but Potts “showed him up” on the bike leg. Pellow opted to withdraw from the event to ensure he was primed for Ballarat.
Pellow, who resides and trains in Wollongong, said it was a tough decision to pull out during the race, but said if he completed the race he would’ve been an unlikely starter for Ballarat.
"I could've finished the race, but I wouldn't of finished anywhere near where I wanted to be and I had Ballarat in the back of the mind and it was more and more enticing to come down here and defend my title, I really wanted to do that.”
Pellow is hoping for similar weather to last year – cold and breezy. The reigning champion said those conditions helped him last year and believed they could again give him the edge.
"I'm a heavier athlete in terms of triathletes, so when you take out that heat stress you can actually use your strength and power a little more over the lighter guys, so I'm looking forward to the cooler conditions.
“The conditions played into my hands last year and it’s looking very similar again.”
Pellow expected his biggest challenges to come from Tim van Berkel and Luke Bell, but was confident he would be able to hold his own.
“I'm not sure how they'll be, but all I know is that I'm really fit, if they're off the mark a little bit I'll be there ready to take up the slack like I did last year.”