Camperdown-raised Kurt McDonald wins silver at 2023 Australian long distance triathlon championships

The Camperdown-raised, Brisbane-based competitor collected silver at the Australian long distance triathlon championships on Sunday.

It was his first medal at a national event in seven years.

McDonald, 23, completed the 1.9-kilometre swim, 90km bike and 21km run course at Huskisson - a coastal town in New South Wales - in three hours and 46 minutes to finish behind his Podium Project teammate Nic Free.

"It was a massive step in the right direction," McDonald told The Standard.

"Since I started the long course racing it's been a little bit of a mixed bag for me but yesterday was certainly my best result.

"There's no feeling like getting (on) the podium and I think 2016 was the last time I stood on a championship podium so it's been sometime and it's actually my first elite (class) podium.

"It's been one big roller-coaster but I think we finally got the momentum that I need."

McDonald credits his silver medal to a training regime tweak. He made the alterations four months ago, eager to improve his run leg.

"The progression has been unbelievable so it should be a great year ahead," the Griffiths University business student said.

"Traditionally I've been swim-bike dominant in the races but haven't been able to secure that podium come the run leg.

"Whereas yesterday the run was probably my strongest which was a positive."

McDonald, who is learning from coach and former Olympian Ryan Fisher, said recovery was now key after he had to grit his teeth to snare a podium finish.

"We kick-started with a beach swim and then quite a flat bike course but on the country roads, as you can imagine, it was a little bit rough so it was hard to gain momentum," he said.

"We ran out and back along the coast which also was tougher than it sounds - just little rises, twists and turns along the beach path kept us honest all day."

The success capped off a memorable month for the McDonald family after younger brother Bailey, who has also moved to Queensland, finished third in the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic.

"Having Bailey up here has been one of the best things that's ever happened," he said. "We also live with my girlfriend Ellie (Hoitink, who is a triathlete) and so far the year's been fantastic - we're all performing and I think it's just that high-performance culture under our roof here in Brisbane. We push each other to be better everyday."

An international program beckons McDonald next.

"We've been invited to race in Taiwan in late April so that will kick-start the international season for us and from there we'll probably take some time to go to Europe in late June for two to three months and then we'll be back to race in the Oceania region to round out the year," he said.

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