THEY have spent countless hours training alongside each other for triathlons and now Dennis and Jodie Martin are set to represent Australia together.
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The husband and wife are two of six Bathurst triathletes who have been named in provisional Australian Age teams for the 2018 ITU Triathlon World Championships, which will be staged at the Gold Coast in September.
Confirmation of those spots will come on May 7.
Jodie (45-49 years) and Dennis (55-59) are set to contest the sprint distance event on September 13 along Mark Windsor (55-59), who has also qualified for the standard distance race.
Josh Stapley (20-24), Fran Grady (55-59) and Terry Roberts (55-59) were also named in the provisional standard distance team, which races on September 16.
“We are both excited we’ve both made it, that was the goal, we’ve done it, so we’re very happy,” Jodie Martin said.
“This one was in Queensland, so we thought we’d really plan our season and go for it.
“We sort of said to each other that it didn’t really matter if one of us didn’t make it because we’d still be happy the other one made it and they had to go no matter what.
“But I would have felt worse if I’d made it and Dennis hadn’t and I think he felt the same if it was the reverse.”
After contesting two qualifying events late last year, the Martins were both placed in the top 10 on the points table in their age divisions. The top 25 would gain Australian selection.
This year they competed at Huskisson and Mooloolaba – which also acted as the Australian Championships and offered double points.
Jodie podiumed at both those qualifiers and while Dennis did it tougher, he still gained the points he needed.
“With Hussky, I won that one and I thought I might be in good form when I had to go to Queensland, but never did I think I would end up third, a national podium,” Jodie said.
“That ended up being a duathlon because the water was well below the temperature they needed.
“Dennis had a shocker – he got sick, he got shingles a week before Hussky when he did that qualifier. We still raced and he came out sixth and I don’t know how he did it because he hadn’t been training and had been so ill.
“Two weeks later we had [Mooloolaba] … he hadn’t been training so much because he was still sick and when he went he was underdone. But he ended up placing about 11th and again double points.”
The Martins will resume training for the World Championships next month and will drive each to be in prime condition for the challenge.
“It helps with training for sure, if one of us is lacking a bit of motivation the other one is normally fine to go out. If you don’t go you’d think ‘Gee I feel bad for not going when they did’, so instead you just get out there and do it,” Jodie said.
“We don’t have the guilt of leaving each other at home, we are both together. I think that’s a bonus because we’ve both got a training partner and you don’t have to worry about hurrying and getting home.”