Meet Brandon, NWA’s Waste Coordinator at BHP Newman, who recently completed the Busselton 100 triathlon in an impressive 4 hours 45 minutes on May 4!
The event faced challenging conditions with rough ocean swells forcing organisers to shorten the swim course. What makes Brandon’s achievement even more remarkable is his unwavering commitment to training in the Pilbara, in Newman. Training for open water ocean swims means completing 3km sessions (that’s 60 laps!) in Newman’s 50-metre pool, 2-3 times per week. Due to heavy truck traffic, he tackles most of his cycling training indoors on a wind trainer. The heat forces his running sessions onto the treadmill indoors. On weekends, he ventures to train ‘free range’ onto the Marble Bar Road for outdoor training for cycling and running, exchanging friendly waves with NWA trucks heading to Jimblebar and Roy Hill Mine.
While race day results are impressive, the training shows the true grit of what Brandon does. His dedication to training year-round, while balancing a full-time role at NWA, shows his exceptional commitment to the sport through anywhere from 8 to 18 hours per week in training.
