Exercise and sport science students have helped third year health and physical education student Ava Wheatley gain a competitive edge in preparation for a major international ironman championship.
In the lead up to participating in the 2022 Kona Hawaiian Ironman competition on October 6, Ava enlisted the help of the University of Tasmania’s exercise and sport science team to undertake heat acclimation training.
As part of her grueling training program over the last six weeks, Ava attended up to three sessions a week in the environmental chamber at the University’s Newnham Campus.
The process helped Ava to become accustomed to the challenging environmental conditions that she will likely face in Hawaii and helped to maximise her training adaptation to best prepare her physically for the 3.86km swim, 180.2km bike ride and a 42.2km run.
The swim, bike and run course must be completed in under 17 hours.
“The journey to the Kona Ironman world championships has been both scary and exciting,” Ava said. “The University’s exercise science staff and students have been incredibly supportive and allowed me to use the heat chamber to simulate the expected tropical race conditions.”
Ava’s training program was completed in conjunction with her personal coach Ailie Payne and facilitated by School of Health Sciences’ staff Dr Nathan Pitchford, Dr Courtney McGowan and Mrs Kate Edwards.
“Being able to provide this type of service to an aspiring athlete and utilise our specialised facilities to their fullest is a very rewarding process,” Dr Pitchford said.
“It is made even better when we are able to provide current students with the opportunity to apply their skills in a real-world athlete training environment, giving them hands-on experience.”
Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Science students Emily Withington and Harry Summers were part of the team providing support for Ava’s training.
“I now fully understand the preparation and training behind elite competition,” Harry said. “By having the opportunity to assist in the delivery of heat acclimation, I feel confident in setting up equipment and recording data before and during training.
“This hands-on experience has improved my understanding of correct training protocols, including training time and intervals, for athletes.”
Pic caption: University of Tasmanian HPE student Ava Wheatley with Dr Nathan Pitchford from the School of Health Sciences