I’ve had a few people ask me, “so what’s he like”? Well the legend Macca has been on top of the game for over a decade now and I have no doubt will continue to be. I remember clearly his victory at ITU Worlds in 1997 and as we all know his Ironman Kona victory in 2007. Only three athletes in the history of triathlon, including Macca have achieved this rare feat.

An athlete with results is one thing; especially with results like Macca’s, but what sets Macca apart is his larger than life character! He’s a bloody funny guy, full of energy and the joys of life. He’s has an energy that never seems to quell. “The Caveman” Stoltz told me all about it over the years, but it was good seeing this first hand.

So on Friday morning I met Macca and Michael Murphy, a young Australian athlete 19-year-old athlete Macca has kindly taken under his wing, at the Morgan Hill swimming pool. They had just finished a 4km (odd) swim set and from there, like all triathletes we set out for a monster breakfast. I missed the swim, but still managed the Monster Breakfast!

Friday afternoon involved a tour of the Specialized Offices. On Saturday morning we met up for our ride. I arrived with the idea of doing three hours and then leaving the rest to Macca and the focused tri guys. Brendan O Brien our in house engineer who is busy training for an Ironman used some sort of hypnotic psychology on me and being a sucker for punishment I embarked in the 40 degree heat (100 in USA numbers!!) on the “4.5 hours loop” with “one climb and lots of flat”!

“Mass is the enemy of performance” …. Those words of Ernie “The Genius” Gruhn rang clear in my ears on the first climb. Damn I could always climb as a triathlete but nowadays my 95 kg’s is a lot more than my 83 race kg’s (I have added muscle you see!!!). It could have been an Irish ride …. We had Chris McCormack, Brendan O’ Brien, Michael Murphy and the odd one out in terms of names, Mark Cote our aero dynamics engineer who is also training for an Ironman. O’ Brien’s reverse psychology was bull***** when I hit the next climb and the undulating roads the whole way back to Morgan Hill. Three cokes and other bits and pieces kept me going, but five hours was a tad long! Towards the end Macca was a real inspiration …. “Bobby mate, name an Irish band”. Before I could muter anything he was singing away to U2, then Hothouse Flowers, mentioned Sinead O Connor – thank god he did not try Clannad. I hadn’t the vocal cords to bring The Dubliners into the mix, while Frank Sinatra although eager to get out, stayed inside!

Mentioning the whole Irish thing, I know his tan might not add up, but Macca’s grand dad is proper Irish and Macca knew exactly how he ended up “Down Under”. I remember the then Irish Triathlon Association having a development strategy, which involved signing foreigners, a joke at the time & to this day might I say! Well they didn’t do such a good job if that was their then strategy!!!!!

On Sunday Macca looked good to take victory in the Morgan Hill Triathlon. He even had time to wave at me in the car from the bike! At the end I got a little apprehensive that he had lost some of his ITU kick, but his kick is still very much there.

Overall it was great meeting the legend that is Chris “Macca” McCormack. He’s a rare character and one of the most stand out athletes I have ever met.