PHILIP WHISTLER

DOB: 2/9/51

Age: 61

Height: 173cm

Weight: 70kg

Profession: Radiologist

Athletic History:

Phil grew up on the island, and spent his childhood years learning from his uncles and cousins (Ray, Max, Gower, Gilbert) how to hunt wild pigs and goats, collect Howea palm seeds by scaling trees using a hessian strap, fish the rocky outcrops at Boat Harbour and Rocky Run… and all in his school foot ware… bare feet!

He loved the mountains and often camped on Mt Gower summit and other more precarious, obscure locations, including the “Big Pocket”. Over the years he has documented a total of 237 Mt Gower ascents and a couple up the scary sister-peak, Mt Lidgbird.

In the 60 and 70’s he watched local “legends” contest the mile event at LHI Discovery Day Sports. Gower Wilson, Brian Young, Rodney Thompson, Garth Nichols and Terry Shick all influenced Phil into running competitively, and he subsequently developed a passion for middle distance events. Island headmaster, Ian Hoare, and Phil’s father, Jim Whistler, encouraged and coached him to compete at CHS level.

The inaugural City to Surf in 1971 became his maiden longer event (he subsequently notched up another 14).

Greg Welch, Rob De Castella and Rod Cedaro introduced Phil to marathons and triathlon in 1992. He has since contested over 60 triathlons, including Hawaii Ironman in 1994 and 1997.

In 1995 he set the current official record for Mt Gower with an ascent/descent time of 1hr 41min 10secs.

In 2002 he set the island “Peak to Peak” record (a time trial up and down the peaks of Mt Eliza, Kims Lookout, Malabar Hill, Transit Hill, Intermediate Hill, Goat House and Mt Gower) in 4hrs 00min 54secs.

August 2010 time trial up Uluru (Ayers Rock): ascent 19mins, descent 10mins 36secs.

Ocean sailing, tennis and golf now take priority (while not working as a diagnostic radiologist), but he still gets through 30-40kms weekly on the treadmill.

“I recall, as a teenager, carrying supplies to the summit of Gower for John Disney Group (ornithologists), during the save the woodhen project, and sometimes this necessitated 2 climbs per day… over the years every step has been filed, 3D, into whats left of my higher centres. This remains invaluable when negotiating the track at speed! I believe the record can be lowered substantially by these young guns, with intense preparation, and an element of luck with the fancy footwork required in the descent…. but it’s a definite advantage to have learnt, in childhood, to boulder run like a goat.”