Quentin Rew will be competing in the 50k walk at the IAAF World Champs.
Photo by Alan McDonald/macspeedfoto |
Quentin Rew’s Road to the World Champs
The IAAF World Championships in Athletics starts this Saturday. A team of eight athletes from New Zealand will be competing, one of these Kiwis is race walker Quentin Rew. This is the first time that 27-year-old race walker Quentin Rew has travelled with a team to a track and field event outside New Zealand. He says that he’s absolutely fizzing. “The thing I'm looking forward to most is my own race… selfish eh? I can't wait to cut my teeth in a classy international field.”
He says he’s spent heaps of time training for his race. In the following interview he talks about the setbacks he had in finding a race to qualify for this the longest athletics event at the World Champs, the sacrifices and the people that have influenced him to get to this level.
Can you tell me a little about the actual event that you will be competing in at the world champs?
The 50km race walk has been described as pain from the neck down, and the neck up. People often ask what is harder - sprinting, middle or long distance running or race-walking. Compared to my previous experiences running, I wouldn't say one is harder or easier, but they are different types of challenges. Running 1500m feels a bit like holding your breath while swimming in a vat of acid; running 12km cross country is a much harder workout, but without as much acute pain. Walking 50km is like being slowly crushed in a vice. It's an odd feeling to spend over three hours competing at a pace which is relatively comfortable, and then to not change anything, maintain the same pace, but really have to grind out the last few km.
What was involved in qualifying for the World Champs?
After I decided to target the 50km distance, the difficulty was finding a certified race to attempt a qualifying time. One was arranged in Auckland for April, but unfortunately had to be cancelled, despite countless hours of organising by David Sim and others. After hearing that disappointing news I had to look further afield and, surprisingly, there were no other possibilities to qualify in the Southern Hemisphere.
The closest race was in rural Japan, so I got in touch with Japan's athletic body, and arranged to race there. The devastating tsunami hit Japan just before I booked flights, and after seeing the unbelievable destruction wreaked there I realised it would be disrespectful to travel there with selfish motives. So I made the difficult decision to abandon any attempt to qualify for World Champs.
A few weeks after that, Tony Sargisson phoned me and told me about a race being held in China. I only had a week or so to organise it all, but everything fell into place and off I went. It was the first time I had competed outside Australasia, and I was there by myself, so even the basic logistics of getting around was a real experience.
The race itself was a complete eye-opener too - before then, the biggest field I'd competed against in a 50km race was six, all of whom I knew by name. With around 100 athletes on the start line this was something very removed from NZ Championships at Whakatu! I did the first 2km lap in less than 10 minutes, and still went through dead last. Fortunately I was able to move through the field and pick up places, and at 35km I was feeling fantastic. The last 15km were a tortuous struggle, and I lost quite a bit of time, but ended up finishing just under 4:07.
How did it feel to get the time required for selection?
After the race in China I felt really proud - knowing that I risked a lot in going over there, but that I had raced as well as I possibly could have. I came out with an 18 minute PB, and I don't think I could have gone much faster. The one downside was that it was only a 'B' qualifier, so I had to wait to see whether it was good enough to be selected. I knew the selectors were meeting on Queen's Birthday Weekend, and when I hadn't heard anything more than a week after that, I assumed I hadn't made the cut.
When I finally got the confirmation of selection, I was absolutely stoked. It continued the process of hope, disappointment and achievement that I felt in looking for races to walk in. But although I'm thrilled and honoured to be given this chance to compete at World Champs, I know it's not an achievement in itself, and doesn't really mean anything unless I produce a good result in Daegu. Being selected is the start of the process, not the end of the process.
What sort of sacrifices have you made to get to this level?
This publication is read by athletes, so most people reading this will know exactly what it's like: hard work for quite a long time and reasonably often, repeated ad infinitum. My sacrifices are fundamentally the same as the sacrifices made by every other athlete.
Who is your coach and how helpful has this person been in getting you ready for the world champs?
Graeme Jones is my coach. He was a leading NZ racewalker in the 90’s, and is making a bit of a resurgence now. He was instrumental in introducing me to the sport, and helped me to my first NZ title within a few months of walking. Since I've moved to Wellington we communicate mainly by email, to keep him updated on my training. He's always the first to offer insights on where I need to be headed and things like that, rather than doing much hands-on coaching these days. I suppose he's become as much a mentor as a coach.
What about influences for you as a race walker - do you have any athletes that are an inspiration to you?
I've been really lucky to be able to call on various people to help my training, and it never ceases to amaze me how helpful and supportive the race-walking community is. Aside from Graeme, guys like Tony Sargisson and Craig Barrett have been really helpful in sharing their experiences and helping me develop. Hearing it from athletes like them who have “been there, done that and bought the t-shirt” gives a unique perspective, and really helps make it stick.
I was also fortunate to be able to spend time at the AIS in January. The time there was the most important three weeks of my race-walking career and was the turning point in getting me to an international standard. The approach to training over there is really aggressive, and I also picked up technical points which have made a dramatic impact on my times. As far as inspiration goes, it often isn't elite athletes who inspire me. It's the grafters who start out with a goal - whatever the goal is - and just work bloody hard until they achieve it.
What do you like the most about race-walking?
More than any other sport, it's a competition to see who works the hardest. Natural talent doesn't get you as far as it might doing other things. It's also a sport that pushes the limits more than anything else I've done. That's apparent when you watch most major championship races, especially in the heat. In running races, or triathlons or the like, there are guys pulling out with exhaustion, but in walking races people collapse - bodies just cease to function properly. I've never reached that point myself, nor do I want to, but it gives an idea about how many guys at any one time are on a knife edge in terms of their own physical limits.
What do you dislike the most (if anything) about race walking?
It's a lonely sport. There are just not that many people in New Zealand who do it competitively.
What do you do for a job or are you doing any sort of studies? I'm a physiotherapist, working with TBI Health in Mana. It's a great job and keeps me constantly immersed in the physical workings of the human body and how to get the most out of it. On the quiet days I can block out time to go training, or use the on-site gym. I've been able to get generous time off to compete internationally which is another huge bonus. Back to top |
