By Matt Fox
Q: Hi Gen and Ryan, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. You guys are currently in Ballarat, am I correct? How are things going?
Ryan Gregson: Yeah we’re in Ballarat. I’m slowly getting back into it, and Genevieve is coming back nicely after her foot injury. Ballarat is a good place to start.
Q: Let’s talk about where you are both coming back from, injury wise for you Gen and in general for you Ryan.
Genevieve LaCaze: Well I’m just past the 5 month mark since the fall so it’s been a long and frustrating road. But like Ryan said, I’ve started running again and everything’s going smoothly. I was able to do a bit of rehab at the AIS in Canberra which was beneficial and now I’m just strengthening the ankle.
Ryan Gregson: I struggled a bit this year so I had a good break and am putting together a bit of fitness so I can go to Falls Creek at a decent level, ready to start 2014.
Q: Firstly Gen, when do you predict you will be back racing?
Genevieve LaCaze: It will be sort of “play it as it comes” I think because I’m yet to add in hurdling and jumping but hopefully I can jump into the domestic season and start with just flat races and leave the steepling for April.
Q: Good Stuff. Ryan, tell us about last season, why do you think you struggled and what the plan is ahead…
Ryan Gregson: I got a bit sick in April and it knocked me around a bit and I struggled to get back. The plan is to turn things around.
Q: Simple enough! And Gen, you have now joined the Melbourne Track Club?
Genevieve LaCaze: Yeah – I’m excited to be coached by Nic Bideau and be able to train with Zoe Buckman and Susan Kuijken. It’s also nice to be back on the home soil.
Q: People all want to hear about how you guys met and your love life, lets be honest. Go ahead…
Genevieve LaCaze: Well I can answer this one because it stuck with me the day we met. It was national cross country 2007 and he had just won. He walked up to me with his little entourage of Brett Robinson, Kevin Batt & David Ricketts, took his shirt off and said “hey Genevieve – do you like what you see?”
I paused.. And walked away…. But he sure left an impression.
The next 6 years I kept in touch, dropped hints here and there and finally he took the bait. The rest is history…
Q: That’s really funny and actually I recall Ryan telling me this story at the time. Ryan is known to be rather forward, does this confidence worry you? Or do you trust him?
Genevieve LaCaze: Haha no – Ryan Gregson is an absolute gentleman. He just won’t ever show it, or admit it, so don’t ask him.
He can be confident and forward but what great athlete isn’t? I like his confidence.
Q: I agree with that. Ryan, all those hints Gen was dropping hints over the years, you were playing hard to get? Like a boss.
Ryan Gregson: They must have been in hieroglyphs because I certainly didn’t pick up on them.
Q: Gen, you need to be more forward. When did you guys actually start dating? And you’ve spent a bit of time with each other since then in various locations around the world?
Ryan Gregson: It was probably always going to happen at some point. We hung out a bit in London midway through this year and it was the first time in the past 6 years that we were both single at the same time so things started from there and we’ve been together since.
Q: Nice story. And you guys recently spent some time in Queensland, where Gen is originally from, what did you get up to up there?
Genevieve LaCaze: It was a good time up in Queensland because Ryan was on a break and I was still not able to do much on my ankle so we just had a real vacation. I also haven’t been home for that long in about 5 years so it was some quality time with my family too.
Q: Good to hear, and Ryan took you down to his favourite place in the world… the Gold Coast?
Genevieve LaCaze: Yeah his old stomping ground. I heard that’s where you and him got up to a lot of no good! He seems to love the tacky touristy parts of cavil ave.
Q: We were always very well behaved on the Gold Coast. Ryan, what do you love so much about the Goldy?
Ryan Gregson: Cavill Ave. of course. Genevieve and I also have a yearly membership to Dreamworld so I enjoy going there. I love going for a swim at Surfers Paradise and looking back at all the high rise buildings. There isn’t many places in the world where you can do that. I’ve probably been on holiday to the Goldy about 30 times in my life so far, whether it be for Uni Games, a family holiday, or to visit you, so I like that I know my way around. And I guess I’m pretty tacky too.
Q: And you had/have plans to start a nightclub there one day?
Ryan Gregson: I would eventually like to end up in the bar/nightclub trade, and I’ve scoped out a spot on the Gold Coast that would work really well. When I was a kid I was thinking more nightclub, but now I’m thinking bar. I reckon most seedy nightclub owners look like they have a connection to the drug trade, and that’s not my thing. A bar would be a safer way to go.
Q: What are in your plans over the coming few months? Falls Creek or…?
Ryan Gregson: Yeah I love going to Falls Creek every year. I will be up there from the end of December to the end of January. By then hopefully I’ll be running half decent and can hop in a race somewhere. I really like racing in Australia.
Q: Ryan, what does your Australian racing plan look like currently?
Ryan Gregson: The Australian Championships is the only meet I can confirm at the moment. I like racing at home in the Sydney Track Classic so I will do my best to be fit for that.
END
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