TJ Hendy not content just to make up numbers in Coolangatta Gold

TJ Hendy says the days when he lined up in races just to go around are over and he’s tackling the Coolangatta Gold to win — despite the presence of Ali Day.

TJ Hendy says the days when he lined up in races just to go around are over and he’s tackling the Coolangatta Gold to win — despite the presence of Ali Day.

Hendy had a breakthrough season in the Nutri-Grain series last summer, stepping out of the shadow of his famous father Trevor by winning the opening round in Sydney before eventually finishing eighth overall.

And it has helped shape his attitude heading into Sunday’s 41.8km endurance test.

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Five-time winner and defending champion Ali Day (right) heads into the Coolangatta Gold as favourite but TJ Hendy (left) will be giving the race a “real crack”. Photo by Richard Gosling

While a gruelling off-season training for the Gold will help give Hendy the fitness he needs to excel in his preferred format in the Nutri-Grain series, the 22-year-old is not content just to make up the numbers this weekend.

“I’m 100 per cent going to have a crack,” he said. I don’t show up to a race just to get it done anymore.

“Three years ago when I first entered this race it wasn’t about results really, it was just about doing it.

“I never thought I’d see the day where I actually wanted to do the Gold as fast as I could but I’m at that level now where I feel like I could push myself for that amount of time.”

Hendy’s Surfers Paradise clubmate Day is gunning for a record sixth Gold title and remains the overwhelming favourite heading into the event.

But he knows he won’t have things all his own way.

“Some of the boys from Surfers Paradise have been putting some really good work in — and there’s a couple from Sydney as well,” he said.

“And a lot can happen on that day, you’ve got to be really adaptable to whatever that race throws at you.

“But I think definitely some of the dark horses are some of the boys from my surf club that I’ve been training with.”

TJ Hendy celebrates down the home straight as he wins his first Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Ironman event at Queenscliff Beach. Photo by Troy Snook/News Corp Australia

Hendy has had an “awesome” preparation.

“It’s been very hard and tough but I’m glad I came out the other side of it,” he said.

“You’ve got to put yourself through the race before the race in a lot of different ways.

“I’m pretty confident in what I’ve done over the off-season but it still could be a different day on Sunday.”

Going for gold in the race doesn’t mean that Hendy will race without care though.

With the ironman series starting in Sydney on October 20 and the world championships in Adelaide next month, he needs plenty of petrol in the tank.

“After (the Gold), I’ve also got things that are probably a little bit more in my heart in the Nutri-Grain series and world titles,” he said.

“So I’ve also got to be able to make sure that I’m recovering well and doing everything right by myself on the day.

“If Ali’s got an eight-minute lead of me in that last run, I’m not sure I’ll run it that hard.”