Courtney Atkinson is a two-time Australian Olympian who represented his country as the number one male triathlete in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Games. He has won the Noosa Triathlon three consecutive times—a record—is a six-time Australian Triathlon champion, and in 2010 was crowned winner of the London Triathlon, the largest in the world. He is a devoted husband and father of two. His most recent endurance sport endeavor was a week-long “running project” done in his native country, where he set the summiting speed record for seven of Australia’s highest peaks. The project demanded that he face some of the most extreme terrain and elements that his homeland has to offer, including the sweltering heat of the Australian rainforest, the ice-capped peaks of Mounts Bogong and Ossa, and the razor sharp grasslands of Mount Zeil. Atkinson made seven ascents–one each day–which all culminated in 4.8 miles of vertical gain over a distance of 89.5 total miles. All this was done in one week. He flew and drove to reach these remote locations, but mostly, he ran. Charging uphill at an elite racer’s pace, he set the fastest known times up several of his chosen climbs. Below, we talk to the Olympian about adversity, winning versus losing, coaching and the facility of change, and what makes Australians Aussies.
Nick Cisik: You have said that after running a half marathon you take a week off to recover because your body is completely destroyed. During this latest running project you were, admittedly, putting your body through an even more severe degree of stress on a daily basis over the course of that week. Why do you suppose your body was able to adapt and not buckle under such extreme conditions as you suspected it might?
Courtney Atkinson: Yes, it was as if I was running an uphill marathon at an elite level pace. It really does rip your muscles up. My heart rate up the climbs was equivalent to that grueling pace, but the legs are using different muscles when the terrain is very steep or downhill. In other words, I find that with multi-day conditioning, each day I do become more tired. At the same time, however, my muscles adapt and although they become very sore, they also strengthen and I oftentimes feel better after a few days in the terrain.
NC: During this running project, not to mention throughout your storied career as a triathlete, you have obviously faced moments of intense adversity coming not only from within yourself, but from environmental forces as well. What sort of psychological “tricks of the trade” do you deploy in those moments when your ability to persevere is challenged?
CA: I don’t give my mind too much of a chance to think in those situations. I find that the first response your mind and body provide is normally a pretty good assessment of the situation. Physically, I just break everything into small chunks–day by day, mountain by mountain, sections of each mountain, and sometimes down to just ten steps on each leg when things have really gone to shit. This addresses both the mental and physical challenges I am dealing with at the time. Basically, I don’t worry about what is coming down the track–I stay in the present as much as I can. Some of the most challenging parts of this project had nothing to do with the actual running, but getting to the more remote locations. Or what to do, for example, when you are locked in a national park at night with no food or water and have just been running for six hours. It was problem solving when tired–similar to being bogged [up] to the axels in a quicksand river three hours from anyone and in a rented 4x4 pickup– no tools, just a satellite phone. After your initial response to shit hitting the fan,
how do you then work through what needs to be done. Have you ever heard the saying it’s not an adventure until something goes wrong? :)
NC: Who have some of the more prominent figures in your life been and what have you learned from them?
CA: My parents first. I believe parents mold one’s life. Not to say that we can’t change, but it’s a big help when you have good direction starting at a young age. In Australia we have so many of the world’s top coaches. Being a triathlete I have had the opportunity to work
with the best and have always acted like a sponge– absorbing what works for me, but also what doesn’t. It has always amazed me how individual coaching is. What makes one athlete an Olympic gold medalist can also be detrimental to an athlete with a different makeup. Since Ihave become what you might call a “freesurfer” of endurance sport I’ve looked to some of the best coaches available, likening Richard Usher of New Zealand, to help me acquire the skills I am lacking. I can’t get enough of learning new techniques and skills when it comes to sport. I utilize them in maintaining my Olympic endurance standard.
NC: What did you learn about your country through your participation in this Australian running project?
CA: It reminded me of just how big Australia is–mainly the distance between towns and the changes in terrain from state to state. You can start in the heat of the Queensland rainforest–leeches all over you. The next day you’re running in snow and on the following day you’re in a desert–all within one week’s time. To give you an idea of the whole trip’s expansiveness on the actual trails: it was twenty five hours of running in which time I only saw a couple of people in the whole of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) while I was running on Bimberi Mountain. I also ran into a guy at Pelion Hut who had read in the news about what I was doing–but that was it. These are remote tracks.
NC: You obviously work with topnotch nutritionists. What foods have they told you provide the most sustainable energy? What are your dietary staples, or rather, what have you found you need the most of? CA: Yes, throughout my career I have. But to be honest, on this project, all that went out the door. It was just myself and a mate, each traveling with a 20kg duffel, which had to carry all of our tents, clothes, and running supplies for the week. Food was an anything goes approach. Generally, I was at an airport each day so I’d quickly eat at the airport club. Then we’d drive to the location where we’d be camping, so I’d quickly grab what I could eat from a supermarket and make that last throughout the long car trip–I didn’t take much prepared food. So basically, hot chooks, bread, and chocolate. Breakfast often came from musli that I carried with me or some fast food from a drive through…a bacon egg Mcmuffin and coffee ain’t that bad. The food I did carry with me was for running–trail mix, chocolate, energy bars, and drinks. I used a Kathmandu soft flask with water filter, which worked on six out of seven of my runs. On the last, the mountain’s water supply was weak.
NC: Have you eliminated anything from your diet entirely? Do you add anything in particular, such as supplements?
CA: Back when I was racing Olympic Triathlons, weight was a big factor and just like your average person looking to lose weight and trying fad diets, I did tryelimination dieting. When you make a change to something you do consistently you often see a quick reactive change, but the question is how long will that change last? Normally it’s not a long term result. In a nutshell...eat fresh, eat healthy, and eat a variety. Train specifically and the body does a good job of gaining or losing the appropriate amount of weight. As a rule of thumb, I like eating some low GI carbs just after exercise while I sometimes use sugars and caffeine for high intensity–a RedBull around the trails and a cuppa [coffee] in the cafe. ;)
NC: As a runner your joints take a beating. What are your methods for maintaining their strength, integrity, and elasticity?
CA: I try to go through a routine every time I finish running. This involves using rollers and balls on my feet, calves, quads, gluts, hip flexors, and psoas. Because I travel so much these days to remote locations that are distanced from available treatment I rely on myself to maintain my body most of the time. My wife always gets annoyed when I poke myself in trigger points while sitting around, but it’s a habit that has kept me injury free for nearly two decades.
NC: A clear and peaceful mind is essential in the pursuit of optimal performance. What is your pre-race routine as far as mental preparation is concerned?
CA: I’m pretty relaxed these days. My biggest days of competition, like the Olympics, are behind me, so the events I compete in are all entered for the right reasons. I love them, so I’m relaxed–there isn’t much stress involved. The funny thing is, that when you’re relaxed, that’s when the optimal performance comes easiest. But I do know what it’s like to be under pressure. An Olympic event where fifty guys are standing shoulder to shoulder, jumping off a pontoon into the water with only two minutes to sort everyone out as each Olympian attempts to get around a single buoy–that is stress. All you can do is have a solid plan, trust in the training, and not rush the execution.
NC: Let’s get into the idea of competition, specifically as it relates to the concept of winning. You have won and lost. How do you sit with each of those outcomes? What is your relationship with them and how have those relationships changed over time?
CA: I loved winning and I hated losing. To be honest, I was the athlete that regardless of what condition I might have been in, I always believed I could and would win, and I would always race like that, even though it oftentimes hurt my result. When you have had wins at high levels in a career you are familiar with that winning feeling and it is addictive. As we get older we get wiser and I have learned to create goals for myself that do not rest solely on a winning result.
NC: In that same vein, you represented Australia as the number one male triathlete in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and almost qualified for Rio in 2016. As someone who has been a champion triathlete many times over, how did you deal with the disappointment of not being selected to compete in last year’s Olympics? What was that process about for you?
CA: I told myself that I had everything to gain and nothing to lose. I had already moved on post London Olympics to successfully win at longer course events, but they didn’t provide the same fulfillment for me as the fast and close racing of the Olympic events. I was still physically moving very well so I made a year’s commitment to try and return–big difference to a four year campaign. Although I didn’t get there I did experience the excitement of being back in that arena and came away with a few good results. I never dwell on what might have been because as one door shuts, another is opened providing new opportunities in other areas that I might have missed out on. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else than what I am doing at this moment. Sport keeps giving me an amazing life.
NC: You are a husband as well as a father of two. What have the major challenges been in that area of your life and how has your experience as a triathlete helped you to overcome those challenges and vice versa? Also, can you comment on balancing your time and energy between your roles as a devoted husband/father and a professional triathlete?
CA: Triathlon is a sport that is so time consuming that it can easily become all encompassing. Having a family has allowed me to draw a distinction between work (triathlon) and home. This separation has given my career a longevity I don’t believe it would have had otherwise. Even now, in my life beyond just racing, where sport meet content creation meets tourism and travel...my family adds value to that as well. Go check out @AwolFamily and see what we get up to!
NC: Australians are historically well traveled and seem to embody some innate lust for life. How do you explain this cultural aspect of your country’s people?
CA: It’s no secret how far away from the rest of the world (barring New Zealand) we are. So when we make a commitment to travel abroad...it’s such a long way that we always make the most of it. But I believe it’s our landscape (which is perfect for outdoor life down here) that makes us Aussies. I think my mountain running project shows that landscape. Most of us live an active outdoor life in what I reckon is the best place on the planet to do so.
Photos by Trent Mitchell and Brett Hemmings