Rees In Fine Shape For The Doctor

Newcastle Herald

Saturday January 17, 2009

By JOSH LEESON

AT 36, Swansea-Belmont surf lifesaver Matt Rees has a laid-back attitude to competing.

Gone are the days of ironman events, but one race he still has plenty of passion for is the Perth leg of the Surf Ski World Cup.

Known as the Doctor due to the famous Fremantle Doctor breeze which rolls onto the West Australian coast the 23-kilometre marathon downwind paddle from Rottnest Island to the Scarborough Beach Auditorium attracts competitors from all over the world.

The race will be held either today or tomorrow, depending on surf conditions.

Rees flew out for Perth on Thursday, and backed by a strong track record, should be in contention again for a top-10 finish.

"It's a good race. You get a lot of internationals, like guys from South Africa, Tahitians, and we get a few Europeans who come to it," Rees said.

"I've had mixed results in the past. When I was younger I was up in the top three.

"Generally, I hover inside the tail-end of the top 10 and sometimes I've been high in the top 10.

"She's a pretty good field going across this year.

Clint Robinson, who won kayaking gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and bronze at Athens in 1996, will be the Australian favourite.

Although Rees competes these days more for enjoyment, his preparation this year has again been thorough.

"When the north-east wind is up I'll get someone to drop me into Horseshoe [Beach] and chase the runs home," he said.

"If the southerly is blowing I'll paddle out the channel to Horseshoe.

"I've been trying to do a few downwind runs with the boys, so we've had some good training runs.

"I always try and maintain a reasonable level of fitness.

"That distance race probably suits me better, because when the wind's up it will be about an hour and a half rather than two hours."

Rees is the reigning NSW 35-39 years men's ski champion, winning the title last March at his home break at Blacksmiths.

He said he had no plans of giving away the sport any time soon.

"Now there's some money in it, a lot of the younger guys from ironman are switching across to it," Rees said.

"Until recently the best paddlers in the world were in their 40s, it's only recently those few young guys started coming through.

"So there's plenty of guys my age, which is what is good about it."

© 2009 Newcastle Herald

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