Jack Kesby
02-08 2021 02:06
wrote:
I was good friend of Craig’s from the Tri club
Craig was one of those glue guys. Everyone liked him, everyone wanted to chat with him, and people liked hanging around if he was around.
If Craig was around, people stuck together. If Craig was around, people were happy, and people were chatting. He was a super popular guy.
He often didn’t realise he had that special gift that only some people have, that people really wanted to hang out with him.
He was also MR dependable. The great thing about Craig is you knew when you went for a ride on Saturday morning Craig was going to be there. You knew you could come out on a Saturday morning ride and you could have a good old yarn to Craig on the way round. It didn’t matter if it was cold or rainy, or going to be hot, or it was Covid restrictions, Craig would be out. I am pretty sure over the 7 years I have known Craig, he would have averaged 48/52 weekend rides every year I knew him.
You also know you were going to get a chat about an old Sheffield Wednesday story, and you might of heard it before, but that didn’t matter, it was always good to hear all of Craig’s old stories.
The only weekends he pretty much didn’t ride with the club were ironman weekend in early May when he was riding anyway and early January when he was down in Thredbo with the family.
He also loved his traditions, and he loved the traditional Wisemans ferry ride the month before ironman. That 180k – 200k ride is an absolute beast and he loved when all of the guys were riding with him, all in pain while we were training together. That ride we all did back in 2018 was lots of fun when Biggles smashed it off the front for 50k’s. He often talked about that ride.
I also remember back in 2016 for some reason no one could come with him on that stupid big Wisemans ride, and he was pumped for it before Port. I said I would come with him but my fitness was absolutely shot. So I organised for Miah(my wife) to go down to her parents for lunch at Brooklyn and I would only do the 150k. I remember holding onto his wheel for 150k and I didn't tell him that I had a pre-planned bail option. He gave it to me for months / years for being soft and bailing out, but deep down I knew he liked having the company for the ride.
Talking about triathlon Craig is a amazing. 12 full ironmans and has been on a constant improvement the older he has got.
When I first met Craig he was coming off back to back 14-hour ironmans. The first traiathlon I did with Craig was 2015 Batemans Bay Half. It was a tough course but he did a 5.47 and just happy to go around and have some friends down there myself, Simon and Freddie and also have the family down there as well.
From that moment though Craig was an absolute inspiration for middle age triathletes like myself as he just kept getting fitter and tougher and kept making massive improvements in his training and racing every year.
From back to back 14hr Ironman’s Craig went
2016 11.42
2017 11.24
2018 10.55 and 10.47 at Busso (the double sub 11)
2019 11.05 in very tough and windy conditions
Craig just kept on getting better the older he got.
2019 Port Ironman was lots of fun, with Ian, Biggles, Foz, Mark, Danielle, Jono and Jason. I was hanging out the back at the start and I still remember Craig pulling me up the front to start just behind the pro’s with him, Foz and Mark, he was so excited to get cracking. It was also great fun as well the next morning all having breakfast talking smack, about how good we all were. I had to borrow his wetsuit as well for that race, as I forgot to pack mine. He came over the night before to lend me his. They were good times.
Craig also loved the NSTC club Palm Beach to Manly Beach pre Christmas duathlon. 32k’s of running and 4 k’s of swimming and he would get excited every year with the rest of us. It is such a painful day in such a Beautiful setting. I have done it Craig I think 5 times now and they have always been such enjoyable days. Talking crap whilst suffering and always enjoying a beer at the end and doing something fun coming into Xmas.
Out of triathlon
Craig was a success at PWC then, when he changed careers to teaching he was an absolute success at teaching. In his second year teaching maths, he got his advanced maths class up to be the highest ranking non-selective public school maths class in the state. That was a pretty bloody good effort for someone in just their second year of teaching. He bought his triathlon attitude of hard work into the classroom and got all of his kids working hard and getting results
He also really enjoyed taking the kids out for sport coaching the 1st 11 cricket and soccer teams, and taking them out mountain biking.
It is such a shame he is gone, and also such a shame he won't get to see his boys grow up, whom he really loved. I am just really happy I got to spend time training and doing triathlon and being a friend with such a quality bloke for all these years. Special blokes like Craig don’t just come around that often.
So cheers to Craig
Jack Kesby
02-08 2021 02:06
wrote:
I was good friend of Craig’s from the Tri club
Craig was one of those glue guys. Everyone liked him, everyone wanted to chat with him, and people liked hanging around if he was around.
If Craig was around, people stuck together. If Craig was around, people were happy, and people were chatting. He was a super popular guy.
He often didn’t realise he had that special gift that only some people have, that people really wanted to hang out with him.
He was also MR dependable. The great thing about Craig is you knew when you went for a ride on Saturday morning Craig was going to be there. You knew you could come out on a Saturday morning ride and you could have a good old yarn to Craig on the way round. It didn’t matter if it was cold or rainy, or going to be hot, or it was Covid restrictions, Craig would be out. I am pretty sure over the 7 years I have known Craig, he would have averaged 48/52 weekend rides every year I knew him.
You also know you were going to get a chat about an old Sheffield Wednesday story, and you might of heard it before, but that didn’t matter, it was always good to hear all of Craig’s old stories.
The only weekends he pretty much didn’t ride with the club were ironman weekend in early May when he was riding anyway and early January when he was down in Thredbo with the family.
He also loved his traditions, and he loved the traditional Wisemans ferry ride the month before ironman. That 180k – 200k ride is an absolute beast and he loved when all of the guys were riding with him, all in pain while we were training together. That ride we all did back in 2018 was lots of fun when Biggles smashed it off the front for 50k’s. He often talked about that ride.
I also remember back in 2016 for some reason no one could come with him on that stupid big Wisemans ride, and he was pumped for it before Port. I said I would come with him but my fitness was absolutely shot. So I organised for Miah(my wife) to go down to her parents for lunch at Brooklyn and I would only do the 150k. I remember holding onto his wheel for 150k and I didn't tell him that I had a pre-planned bail option. He gave it to me for months / years for being soft and bailing out, but deep down I knew he liked having the company for the ride.
Talking about triathlon Craig is a amazing. 12 full ironmans and has been on a constant improvement the older he has got.
When I first met Craig he was coming off back to back 14-hour ironmans. The first traiathlon I did with Craig was 2015 Batemans Bay Half. It was a tough course but he did a 5.47 and just happy to go around and have some friends down there myself, Simon and Freddie and also have the family down there as well.
From that moment though Craig was an absolute inspiration for middle age triathletes like myself as he just kept getting fitter and tougher and kept making massive improvements in his training and racing every year.
From back to back 14hr Ironman’s Craig went
2016 11.42
2017 11.24
2018 10.55 and 10.47 at Busso (the double sub 11)
2019 11.05 in very tough and windy conditions
Craig just kept on getting better the older he got.
2019 Port Ironman was lots of fun, with Ian, Biggles, Foz, Mark, Danielle, Jono and Jason. I was hanging out the back at the start and I still remember Craig pulling me up the front to start just behind the pro’s with him, Foz and Mark, he was so excited to get cracking. It was also great fun as well the next morning all having breakfast talking smack, about how good we all were. I had to borrow his wetsuit as well for that race, as I forgot to pack mine. He came over the night before to lend me his. They were good times.
Craig also loved the NSTC club Palm Beach to Manly Beach pre Christmas duathlon. 32k’s of running and 4 k’s of swimming and he would get excited every year with the rest of us. It is such a painful day in such a Beautiful setting. I have done it Craig I think 5 times now and they have always been such enjoyable days. Talking crap whilst suffering and always enjoying a beer at the end and doing something fun coming into Xmas.
Out of triathlon
Craig was a success at PWC then, when he changed careers to teaching he was an absolute success at teaching. In his second year teaching maths, he got his advanced maths class up to be the highest ranking non-selective public school maths class in the state. That was a pretty bloody good effort for someone in just their second year of teaching. He bought his triathlon attitude of hard work into the classroom and got all of his kids working hard and getting results
He also really enjoyed taking the kids out for sport coaching the 1st 11 cricket and soccer teams, and taking them out mountain biking.
It is such a shame he is gone, and also such a shame he won't get to see his boys grow up, whom he really loved. I am just really happy I got to spend time training and doing triathlon and being a friend with such a quality bloke for all these years. Special blokes like Craig don’t just come around that often.
So cheers to Craig