Nick is a multisport athlete competing in triathlon & surf lifesaving. As a triathlete Nick competed in sprint to half ironman distance events. In surf lifesaving Nick specialized in the 2km run, winning the 2014 Australian Title.
Nick’s list of achievements include
– 1st place Victorian 2km run 2014, 2015
– 1st place Australian 2km run 2014
– 7th place World Surf Lifesaving Titles 2km run, France 2014
Leman Wins Aussie Gold
“Life Saving has wrapped up for the summer season with the conclusion of the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships which were held at Scarborough Beach in Perth …… A historic moment was Inverloch SLSC member Nick Leman, who did a phenomenal job winning gold in the Open Men’s 2km run, the club’s first ever gold medal at the championships.”
CLICK HERE for the full story
Lifesaver Leman Athlete of the Year
“Nick Leman from Inverloch SLSC was named one of Life Saving Victoria’s champion athletes, winning Male Athlete of the Year at the llth Annual Life Saving Victoria Awards of Excellence. The award for Male Athlete of the Year recognises the junior male athlete who has demonstrated sporting excellence at state, natlonal and/or international levels.”
CLICK HERE for the full story
World Surf Life Saving Championships 2014: Montpelier- France
In the end I got 7th. It was a big trip and a big experience for me to come over here and compete. I didn’t achieve the ultimate success that I wanted so badly for our club, but I gave it my all and leave with no regrets. It was a great trip and an experience that ill remember for the rest of my life.
Trip started with the long flight to Paris via Doha. I got the train from Paris to Montpelier and arrived late Saturday the 20th. The competition beach was a little further down the road in La Grande Motte so I stayed in a hotel in Montpelier for the night. I was up early and went for a walk around town. I walked to the pool complex where the world pool events were being held. It was about 6.30am but the pool was in full swing with competitors from all over the world getting in some training.
I got the tram then bus down to La Grande Motte later that day and checked into my apartment. I had booked a little place off air B and B and it was a typical small french apartment, but it was perfect with a kitchen and comfy bed. I used the day to get my bearings, find the beach, supermarket and places to eat.
My jetlag strategy was to get into a good routine from day 1. 10.30pm to bed and 6.30am out of bed for some exercise (swim or run) and then little nap between 1-2.
The national teams competition was on that day and I went down and watched the action. George and Janet were there officiating and it was great to see some familiar faces.
Tuesday I did a mini run through, up early, race day nutrition and then down to the beach for my usual warm up and race routine. The session I did was 20min warm up jog, 5mins running drills, 6min steady pace run into 8x200m on the sand. I a felt surprisingly good and left the session with good spirits.
Wednesday was a rest and recovery day. Still get up at the same time but down to the beach for recovery. Nap between 1-2 then back to the beach for an easy swim.
The lead up to the race went really well and I thought my preparation was perfect. I got to Montpelier with enough time to get in a good routine and get over the jet lag. My pre race session three days out from the race felt good so everything was falling together nicely.
Race day came around and I was in a good frame of mind. My race was delayed a number of times so it was quite challenging timing when to start my warm up and when to eat. It was quite hot so I tried as much to stay out of the heat. My apartment was only a few minutes from the beach so I duct back there a few times to relax.
My race ended up being at 4pm and there were three heats of 40 competitors with the top 15 going through. I didn’t feel great in my warm up but ran a solid heat to get fourth in a pretty quick time. There were some good runners ahead of me and I knew I would have to find something special to win the final.
The final was due to be an hour after the heat so I did a quick cool down, little swim and then relaxed. The time came and I started my warm up routine, this time I felt great, my rhythm was back and I was hitting my warm up pace perfectly. The moment had arrived. My event was the last event of the day and there was a big crowd lining the beach. I was determined to go our hard and to be aggressive. My only chance of winning was to get our in front and throw down the challenge.
I got stuck in a pack from the start and had to work hard to get to the front, I caught the lead pack at about 400m and held their feet around the first turn, the second 500m was a battle to stay with the leaders. I couldn’t hold them and dropped off. From here I pretty much held my position but was fading compared to the winners. I finished in 7th but I’m happy I went after it and gave myself a chance of winning.
As I reflect on the trip and my journey to the worlds it’s been a big experience for me. To compete with an Inverloch cap on means so much more than competing just for myself. I can’t describe the feeling of representing our club and working so hard to strive for a goal. In the end I’m a little disappointed because I wanted so desperately to get Inverloch on top of the podium. But out of disappointment comes motivation and determination to do better.
The next world titles are in the Netherlands in 2016 so may be an exciting experience for our club.
Worlds is definitely the next frontier. I am absolutely certain that our club has the potential to win world titles in the near future. With enough sacrifice, determination and commitment to consistent training anything is possible, it’s really a matter of who wants it the most, and I know there are people in our club who want this sort of success so badly. We have a great mindset at our club of hard work, sacrifice and grit, it’s just a case of having some urgency setting some goals getting down to business.
There are some many people that I need to thank for all their support and help towards the trip. The amount of support I received on the donation page was overwhelming and I cant’ thank everyone enough for their support. I had a lot of training partners who helped me along the way. Special thanks to Luke Foster. We are on this journey together and without him none of this would have been possible.
As with all life saving experiences I broadened my Lifesaving network. Lifesaving is a global family and it’s amazing how you always meet like-minded people who love the life saving movement just as much as you do. This is the true lifesaving spirit, a global family bound together by a common passion.
Thanks again for supporting my trip and giving me this experience
Cheers
Nick