Cameron Brown defies age and the odds before 23rd Ironman in Taupō

Some athletes reach their pinnacle, some win a championship, some know the giddy heights of the top of their craft for a brief but fleeting moment, but if you are looking for perhaps the greatest record of consistency, success and longevity in sport, few if any on the planet can match that of Cameron Brown.

His 20 consecutive years on the podium and 12 victories at the toughest test of endurance at Ironman New Zealand elevates the Aucklander to god-like status in the world of Ironman racing. The fact he is again talked about as a genuine contender at this weekend's event in Taupō is on the surface, ludicrous, the man is just months away from turning 48 years old.

But this is no fairy tale, this is no story of fantasy or fiction, this is life writing a script never seen before in sport and it is a story to be savoured while it continues as Brown lines up on Saturday for his 23rd tilt at a race that he truly can call his own.

His desire to succeed again at this event and his undimmed passion is highlighted by his use of words to describe last year, when for the first time in 22 years, he failed to finish as Mike Phillips raced away in a record setting marathon time to win for the first time, ironically at about the same age as Brown was when he first won back in 2001.

"It was a little bit embarrassing pulling out, but I was just having one of those days when I was feeling the worst I have ever felt really," Brown says.

"It was just one of those days when it wasn't happening and I couldn't ruin my body for a couple of months, so it was a matter of calling it a day, which is never nice. I woke up on race day and you think you are feeling fine, but I was just drained and had nothing left in my system to contemplate running 42 km. That was not an enjoyable moment."

Cameron Brown. Photo / Photosport

If anyone deserves a break after 21 years of stunning performances – okay, make that 20 years given he was less than impressive on debut in 1997, it is Brown. He has lived and breathed this event for more than half of its 36-year history.

"I have watched this race since I was 15 years old and this is my 23rd year racing and to have my first DNF last year – my first race in 1997 was not that enjoyable and was a wake up call and it took me a while to get over that, but 2019 was my worst year in the sport really."

It is incredible to think that rather than be destroyed by his failure to finish in Taupō and a subsequent struggle throughout 2019, Brown chose to continue to learn about himself, his sport and how to not only survive in the Pro ranks, but stay competitive as he approaches an age that has most reaching for the mid-life crisis and a larger pair of stretch-at-the-waist pants.

"I took another long-term break and that helped. I have a new coach under my belt in Gordon Walker and he has highlighted a few things I need to work on. It is nice to have someone looking after the plan and what we are doing, and I can concentrate on training and get stuck into looking after myself.

"Training has been going well. It took seven weeks to get over the calf injury from Western Australia, which was an extended time when I couldn't run. I could have come back sooner but made silly mistakes and pulled it again. That was frustrating, but the body takes a little longer to recover these days; the mind is still keen, but the body takes longer to get over those small injuries as an older athlete.

"I have had six good weeks of running though, that has been very, very good. I would have liked another four weeks, but I will make the most of what I have got. It has been a good swim/bike buildup and I have done what I can in the time possible."

Cameron Brown. Photo / Supplied

Surely by now though Brown is happy just to "compete" and harbours few aspirations of glory on a day reserved for those with less miles in the legs and fewer creases at the brow?

"I would be lying if I didn't say I was trying to win it, but it gets very hard as you age, I am three months away from 48 and I have to look at things a little differently. I dream of being on top of that podium again, but it would have to be a massive day.

"The goal I think is to have a day I am proud of. If I can have a day when I feel good then I know I can go well again, the sessions I have been putting in are still right up there, so the form is there I just have to apply it on race day."

Brown's family has grown up around the sport and his success, sons Braden and Josh have seen it all, shared in their dad's great success and will again be there on the weekend – just don't expect a PGA Tour like scene of "babe in arms'"if Brown was to add win number 13 at around 4pm Saturday afternoon.

"I could lift them up at the finish line and now they could lift me. Braden is six feet tall and he loves the gym; he is in there for a couple of hours a day and working full-time and Josh has two more years left at school. They both love the sport and love the day and have grown up watching Ironman. They will be there on the start line trying to push their old man to go a little harder and pushing me to go as fast as I can go."

And rest assured Brown has huge respect amongst his peers, many of whom spent their formative years idolising the greatest endurance athlete New Zealand has ever produced.

Braden Currie is a different generation and yet a competitor to Brown. The Wanaka athlete won in New Zealand in 2017 and knows that, among a strong Pro field on Saturday, there is one name in particular to be wary of.

"I think the biggest threat this year is probably Cameron Brown. If he can pull off a good race in a field that is perhaps smaller than usual, he will be right up there. Let's face it, Cameron is not the athlete you would want to have a running race with at the end of an Ironman. No matter what happens he won't change form, he will keep his shape and keep ploughing on," said Currie on the eve of the 2020 race.

For the record, this is what 22 years of exceptional history looks like for Cameron Brown, with the exception of 1998 when by his own admission "I was scared to race after getting my arse handed to me in 1997".

The following results are in chronological order, Brown has not missed a race and not run scared since crying off in 1998: 23rd (1997), 2nd (1999), 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 1st, 3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, DNF...

Ironman New Zealand - Taupō, Saturday March 7

• Men's Pro race starts at 7.48am.
• Women's Pro race starts at 7:50am.
• Live race coverage of the following events as well as a range of on-demand programming will be available on Facebook Watch globally via the Ironman Now Facebook Page – www.facebook.com/IRONMANnow.

Life in 1999, the year of Brown's first of 20 consecutive podium results at Ironman New Zealand

• The Helen Clark Labour-led alliance formed a new government, defeating Jenny Shipley led National in the general election.
• The Feelers win NZ Album of the Year with Supersystem.
• The famous Toyota "bugger" commercial airs for the first time.
• Emerging New Zealand football Sarpreet Singh (with Bayern Munich) was born.
• If you went to the movies, it was likely to see The Hurricane, Being John Malkovich, American Beauty, The Matrix, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace or Scarfies.
• A Big Mac cost $2.95.
• Ironman athletes wore budgie smugglers.