Despite being one of the oldest guys in the field, Kendrick Louis has continued to show form in what has been his biggest season yet.
Lining up in Hawaii for the Molokai to Oahu ski race, finishing fourth in the Shaw and Partners Coolangatta Gold to turn around his endurance racing and secure himself a spot back into the Kellogg’s Nutri Grain Ironman Series at the trial just a few weeks later, Kendrick’s summer was off to a great start!
Making the move onto Race One surf craft in the off season, Kendrick was on pursuit to not only ride craft that was advantageous across all aspects of his racing, but in return, was giving back to the sport he loved.
“I wanted something that was beneficial across all aspects of my racing,” he said.
“Whether it be flat, whether it was big surf, I had stable and fast gear, and I felt where I was going with my racing, that my new craft was better suited to me.”
With an incredibly long list of achievements and a burning passion for success and Surf Sports, Kendrick’s drive for victory and a love for his sport went hand in hand with the Race One family.
“I have been in this sport for a long time and kind of only really knew one thing and seeing these guys really giving back to the sport, listening to the athletes, designing craft around athletes needs and putting the profits back into the sport, I knew I wanted to be involved with that!”
Chasing the summer racing calendar up and down the east coast of Australia, contesting back-to-back weekends and finding very little down time juggling work, training, racing and family, Kendrick began to slip away from the front pack with his mental stamina declining and so too, his results.
“Around Christmas, I needed a break,” Kendrick said.
“Physically my body was there but mentally, I just needed a break. I was burning out and my results kind of showed that.”
Soaking up the silly season with their son Leo, Kendrick and his wife Holly enjoyed some time away from their otherwise busy schedule.
Immersing himself in a world far from the black line of a swimming pool and the physical pain of an Ironman session Kendrick put his training and racing on the backburner for a few days, complacent in his results thus far this season, he assumed everything would naturally comeback to him when he next placed his foot on the start line.
Unfortunately for Kendrick, things didn’t quite go that way.
“I was happy with my results from the first round of the Kellogg’s Nutri Grain that I probably felt a bit complacent after that, you know assuming things were going to gel upon return,” he said.
“Coming back from Christmas, it really showed, and I probably had the worst races I have had in my career.”
Sharing the journey and the juggle of family, life, work and training, as only a wife can, Holly shared a few words of love and raw honesty.
“My wife Holly suggested that I needed to lower my expectations just a little bit, proposing that maybe I was just a ‘mid-pack guy’ now,” Kendrick said.
“It hurt to hear, but Holly is a realist, and she sees my day-to-day life of training, working and being a Dad, and in turn that was a real turning point; I really wanted to prove to myself that I am still at the pointy end, and I do have something to offer in these races.”
Going back to the drawing board, putting his head down and spending a lot of time on his Race One craft, Kendrick soon returned to the start line for the final two rounds of the Kellogg’s Nutri Grain Series before executing two top 5 results and once again securing himself a spot in the professional series for the 2024/25 season.
Pulling on his Manly racing cap, lining up his Race One Surf Craft and executing his final Ironman race of the season, Kendrick secured himself a 2nd placing in the prestigious Australian Open Ironman Final, proving to himself that he did indeed have something to offer in these races.
Looking too round the cans for another season, Ironman Kendrick Louis endeavors to continue riding a wave of success, for and with the hard work and support of his wife Holly, their son Leo and his extended Race One family.
“Race One are giving back to the sport and that’s why we, the athletes want to be on this journey with them.”
