Luke McKenzie - 9 x IM Champ🥈 Kona ‘13
Episode 163: Luke McKenzie - Aussie triathlete following the sun between Noosa, Queensland, Australia & Encinitas, California, USA
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"The Greg Bennett Show"
In this episode of The Greg Bennett Show, Greg is joined by Luke McKenzie. An incredible Australian Triathlon legend: a Nine-time Ironman Champion, a narrow second-place finisher at the Kona Ironman World Championships, with a professional Triathlon career that for almost two decades.
Entering the professional scene in the early 2000s, McKenzie was fortunate enough to train and compete alongside Australia’s and the world’s top triathletes of the era including Craig ‘Crowie’ Alexander, Pete Jacobs and Chris McCormack.
McKenzie cut his teeth as a junior athlete, racing amongst the ITU ranks in the early 2000s. It wasn’t long before his talent for triathlon shone through, with McKenzie taking home bronze at the 2001 Edmonton ITU Junior World Championships.
Honing his skills in the ITU ranks on the Continental and World Cup circuits, McKenzie continued to develop as an athlete. Drawn to the world of long course racing in the US, in the early 2000s, McKenzie made the transition over to the Ironman distance where he would forge a successful career, the pinnacle of which being his thrilling second place finish at the 2013 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
Since retiring, this amazing athlete and his beautiful wife Beth have created an incredible world-leading, high-performance clothing brand and Triathlon community - Wyn Republic and its sister brand Malo Republic. Seeing their dedication and hard work come to fruition is truly inspiring!
Timestamps
2:43 - Interview with Luke begins.
13:02 - Luke & Greg discuss his background and how he originally discovered the sport of triathlon handing out water bottles as a 7 year old boy in regional Australia.
it all starts with a dream ...
17:23 - During Luke's later high school years he found his racing was hardening him as a young athlete and got the opportunity the first year out of school to the AIS in France.
25:53 - Luke's first Ironman happened after he had had a solid year of training and racing in the US. He competed in the Busselton, Western Australia Ironman and led to about 30kms and ended up coming in 3rd.
27:17 - When Luke looks back on his career, different races hold memories for different reasons and he explains some of the more memorable and important events in his career.
33:53 - Luke and Greg discus some of his lows within his Ironman career and what lessons he's gained.
"If you race like that in Kona, you will win"
36:43 - 2015 was Luke's first ever DNF in Kona. Luke explains the reasons and shares the raw emotion surrounding the event.
I felt so shameful for pulling out
40:05 - When going through phases of self-doubt, Luke describes how he could prepare himself mentally and how he could move forward through the lows of his career.
45:04 - Luke explains how he started his company WYN Republic as a side-hustle prior to him retiring from his professional career.
Aero dynamics was really starting to come into play in the sport
51:11 - Luke explains some of the lessons he took from his professional athletic career and is utilising within his business and family to this day.
1:03:54 - Question: One piece of advice you'd tell your younger self?
1:04:38 - Who would you want to have dinner with (nonfamily, living or dead)?
1:-5:51 - Where do you see yourself in the next 3-5 years?
1:07:24 - Greg and Luke finish up with some rapid fire questions and answers.
One book you would recommend?
Two most-used apps on your phone?
Toughest race?
First job?
Out of 10, how cool are you?
Who would you want to play a movie of your life?
Which decade of music is the best?
Favorite race?
Greatest movie of all time?
1:16:13 - Interview concludes.
Links
Be sure and check out bennettendurance.com
Find Greg on social media:
Twitter @GregBennett1
Instagram @GregBennettWorld
And follow Luke McKenzie
"It's time for triathlon apparel to get a makeover. For years, we've struggled to find modern apparel that commanded attention without screaming for it. We longed for technical product innovation combined with stylistic, simplistic, fashion-forward excellence. We couldn't find it, so we decided to make it."
Website: https://wynrepublic.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imlukemckenzie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lukemckenzie
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