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Matt Burton is all in for Kona. The man from Perth holds the Australian Ironman Record, and is going into the Ironman World Championships as an underdog. But, he’s going there to win. 

The 36-year-old is no stranger to adversity. He’s been knocked down by injuries countless times in his fifteen years of racing triathlon, the worst of which came at the start of this year. A bone infection saw him spend two-months in hospital, questioning whether he’d lose his right foot, let alone race triathlon again. 

He bounced back in a way that only Matt Burton can, emphatically winning Ironman Cairns. Now, Kona is on his mind. He has a mixed history on the island. His first time there was as an age-grouper, and he won. Yet, his last visit there, two years ago ended with three letters next to his name: DNF. 

“Kona is why I stay in it. You retire heaps of times in your head, but there’d always be this voice in my head of my old man. I don’t come from money, and my family are blue-collar. I was raised to stick at it, that’s Kona.” 

From close to an amputation, to forty-plus hour training weeks, and one big target - the World Championships. Make yourself a brew, sit-back and enjoy this interview with a world-class athlete, and a great guy.

The Equipment

After his whole career racing for Giant, Matt made the switch to Cervelo this season. A new bike sponsor comes with a few changes to adjust to a differing frame geometry, but his components largely stayed the same. 

Matt rides Aerobar Three, as well as our Driveline Ecosystem in conjunction cSixx. His Cervelo P5 is equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, and Princeton Carbonworks wheels. 

“The most concerning thing for me in any Ironman is the bike leg. That’s where most things can go wrong, and that’s where you rely on equipment .You’re going so fast on the bike, that a small error can be very costly. Having mechanical belief is essential. I’ve been doing big days at home, sometimes seven-and-a-half hours on the bike. I’ve not dropped a chain, and everything runs perfectly smooth.” 

With an average speed sitting between 44kph and 46kph on a bike leg, Matt will usually average 310w-320w. He’ll have the option of our 58, 60 or 62t 1x chainring, that we have developed in conjunction with cSixx, for elite-level competition. 

“Coming off the hospital time at the start of the year, I couldn’t put the time I normally would into training, so there was a lot of time thinking about equipment. I feel that I’m dialed, and I have incredible partners to make me fast. In turn, that has meant Kona prep is more about me as an athlete.”

Matt, the Athlete

I’ve heard some wild things in my time, but Matt Burton’s training regime made me reconsider everything I thought I knew. Volume is the key word to describe his Kona prep. 

“This time around it's become as focused as the training itself. Not to do as someone else does but to be optimal for my ride style and the feeling I want to achieve. The final eight week prep period, we’ve notched the volume up to another level. I’ve trained upwards of 44hrs a week, and I’m just about to knock through a 160-hour month.” 

High-volume training isn’t new for Ironman athletes. They’re big diesel engines, and volume is often what compliments that. Matt’s coach has allowed him to chase those long days, especially on the bike where the low impact makes it possible. 

“Last week was 44hrs, the biggest training week I’ve ever done. Even my rest days are around five hours at the moment…” 

I asked the question we’re all thinking too, “how much washing do you get through?!” 

“I run the washing machine every night,” Matt laughs, “it’s better when the weather changes so I just have to wash a jersey and knicks…”

Matt, the Dad 

Matt Burton is one of the fittest athletes and best triathletes in the world. He’s also a human, and a Dad. 

“I have a very supportive wife. We’ve been together since I started the sport and she’s let me chase this dream. Everyone writes you off, they essentially forget that you’re in the sport. You just keep training. Your mind will tell you that you’ve forgotten how to compete, but your body will never forget. It’s times like that that you need those people around you. 

The hard thing is my little fella, he’s at an age now that he knows, and he’s asked if he can come to Hawaii. This has been a big sacrifice. I got really sick in Townsville but since I got home from there, we’ve had no social gatherings bigger than our family. We’ve been all in. 

When I do my long runs - two, or two and a half hours long - it’s up in the bush and there’s no water along the way. My wife and boy will meet me along the way with nutrition support. They’re my favorite sessions of the week, I feel as if they’re my training partners on those days.” 

Training forty plus hour weeks, leaving before his family wakes and finishing his final session late in the evening. The life of an athlete may look to be one of luxury on social media, but it’s a sunrise-to-sunset job.

“It’s all in for Kona. All of my eggs are in one basket. These days, there are so many options in triathlon so people don’t like to go full on for one thing. But, you know, when I came out of hospital this year it was all about taking it one day at a time. That’s been my attitude everyday. There’s no talking about next year, let’s just see how it goes in October.”

I interview a lot of people as a writer, but my chat with Matt Burton takes the biscuit. Ironically, it’s hard to put into words. I’ve never spoken to someone that’s both so normal and world-class at the same time. 

There are fourteen years in age between us and we’re at different ends of our careers, but there are so many parallels between Matt’s story and my own. Getting knocked down so many times that giving up is the obvious choice, but then refusing to stay down for the count. 

I had goosebumps talking to him. The sacrifices athletes go through are often spoken about, but rarely appreciated. Matt Burton doesn’t have the fame, or wealth of a Jan Frodeno, he’s just a normal bloke who happens to be world-class at triathlon. A top result in Kona could change his life forever. 

It’s the hope that can kill you as an athlete, but it’s the hope and dreams that fuel you every single day. The Matt Burton fan club is one person stronger after my chat to him. Go well, mate.

Pro Tip

Matt’s biggest pro tip is one that isn’t tangible, but comes with spending hours upon hours in a saddle. 

“I love riding my Cervelo S5 road bike, but this final block has been all about time on the race bike. That being said, I feel triathletes as a whole don’t spend enough time on the road bike. Riding a road bike makes your pedal stroke more efficient. On the TT bike, you’re so quad and glute dominant that you almost neglect the hammies. 

It’s easy to get lazy on the time trial bike as you have so much free speed thanks to equipment and position. Learning to ride a road bike teaches you skills to take to tri.” 

The Ironman World Championships take place in Kona, Hawaii on October 26th.