Ironman South Africa in Port Elizabeth |05 April 2011
“I have to win the 18-24 age group to qualify for the World Championship in Hawaii. At the same time, I want to clock a personal best time in Port Elizabeth,” Baldwin told Sports Nation before leaving for South Africa’s Eastern Cape.
The 22-year-old’s personal best time stands at 9 hours, 31 minutes, 33 seconds (9h31:33). He got it during Ironman Austria in the beautiful city of Klagenfurt last year when he won the 18-24 age group category comprising 50 athletes. He was also ranked 94th overall out of over 2,200 athletes (including professionals) to qualify for the World Championships in Hawaii where he finished 10th out of 38 in the 18-24 age group with 9h42:41.
Baldwin’s split times in Ironman Austria last year when he clocked a PB were: 2.4-mile (3.8km) swim: 1h00:34 (average 1m35s/100m), 112-mile (180km) cycle 4h58:31 (average 36.18 km/ph) and 26.2-mile (42.2km) run 3h26:11 (average 4m53s/km).
The triathlete added that he wants to become the 18-24 age group world champion in 2012 and to achieve his goal he has to continue training hard.
“I trained 25 hours weekly in the build-up for Ironman South Africa because I want to improve my times and win big for Seychelles,” he added.
He will be training full-time here now that he has launched his business as a personal trainer and will work one-on-one with clients to help them achieve their fitness goals.
Baldwin, who is also expected to compete in the Monaco Triathlon on September 4 and Ironman Western Australia on December 4, wants to thank Eden Island Marina for its continued sponsorship.
G. G.