From running marathons to cycling on the spot: Josh Harris is an esports powerhouse

The path from runner to endurance cyclist is a well-trodden one, but for Launceston’s Josh Harris, there’s a modern twist.

Australia’s Grace Brown, Canada’s Mike Woods – they share a familiar story arc: runner has injury, rides bike to recover, their knees/ankles/feet keep breaking down, so they take up cycling for good.

Harris started walking that path seven years ago. A stress fracture in his right foot did the trick.

“I was pretty much a lifelong runner, spending my whole childhood training for middle- and then long-distance running. I made it to a pretty elite level,” Harris said.

“In 2017, I was selected for the world championships in the marathon, which was probably my career-defining moment in running. I had a pretty major foot injury two weeks out, which caused me to DNF at the world champs.

“From there, I had a lot of issues with the rehab from that injury, which is where I initially found cycling. I was doing a bit of cross-training at the start of 2019. I found that I was reasonably natural on the bike and some of my friends said I should do some racing, and I got pretty hooked.”

Harris (left) won silver at the national championships. (Alex Polizzi)

But, unlike other runners-turned-cyclists, Harris has not found his calling in road racing. Instead, the 34-year-old is making his name on the new frontier of cycling esports.

Starting with Zwift and now on MyWhoosh, Harris has risen in the ranks to become one of the world’s best racers (literally – he’s been ranked as high as second on the ZwiftPower global database).

The stationary bike suits Harris. He’s the first to admit that bike handling is not his strength, as he discovered when he first tried road racing.

“I got the opportunity to race internationally in Indonesia, which was cool, but at the same time with my background there were a lot of things that scared me and things that I didn’t really like about that scene,” Harris said.

“Like, I was fearful in bunches. My skills, they were okay, but they certainly weren’t the skills of someone who’s a lifelong cyclist.”

When it comes to virtual racing, on the other hand, he’s found a lot to love.

“Initially, it was a combination of the fun, the accessibility and the motivation,” Harris said.

“I was always a bit of a gamer growing up. Even when I was doing the cross-training in 2021, I found it fun being around others.

“The racing side of things I found so much fun for a few reasons. You can jump in any race at any time. You don’t have to travel; you can get good competition.”

It gives him all the challenge without any fear.

“That element of being able to push yourself to your limits without – for me, the last few years of running, I was always, in the back of mind, the injuries and stuff – and then, when I was road cycling, it was always in the back of my mind with the crashing and the skills factor,” Harris said.

Celebrating with Trdin after she won the national title. (Alex Polizzi)

“Whereas in esports, you can just go all-in and completely empty the tank and nothing’s going to happen. I hadn’t had that for a number of years, so I found that super, super fun.”

The Tasmanian is not alone on his journey, either. Cycling esports has recently drawn in his girlfriend, Kate Trdin. She bolted to the top of the sport when she became its first Australian champion, winning the AusCycling Esports National Championships in March.

Harris, who was competing in the men’s event, was right there beside her.

“It was honestly so cool because I might be fairly new to cycling, but she’s way newer to cycling. There were probably 12 months between jumping on a bike and becoming the national champion,” Harris said.

“We knew that if the race went the right way for Kate, that format really suited her, being pretty ‘sprinty’. She just pulled it off.

“To watch that, I was just so excited. I was in a few minds about my race and our performance, so I was completely invested in that few last minutes of Kate’s, almost to the point where I forgot that I had to race again in a few minutes.”

Harris finished second in the men’s event.

This month, Harris is eyeing up his next challenge: the final of the 2024 UCI World Championships, where he will be the sole representative of the ARA Australian Cycling Team after placing 10th in the semi-finals.

Harris says he’s taken big strides since his Worlds debut last year, where he finished 40th.

“I think I’ve grown as a cyclist dramatically. I know that I’d hold my own in the format from last year’s Worlds now. I think a lot of that is the short-term power that I’ve continued to develop,” he said.

“I think at the same time, my repeatability now is a lot better. Last year I could do an effort or two efforts to a really high level, whereas now I’m to the point where my repeatability’s really good as well.”

Harris considers himself an all-rounder: strong enough to be in contention in most situations.

“One of the key factors that has helped me as an esports rider instead of outdoors is that in esports, power is power. You don’t have to worry about aero and that kind of thing,” Harris said.

“So, I stand a lot. I think that has really been a defining factor in my progression and the amount of power that I can put out for certain times.

“Five-minute power’s probably my strength, which is interesting coming from a marathon background.

“I’m now not the worst sprinter and I’m still a decent climber … but when the real top climbers are there, I’m still not quite up to the level.”

It’s between an all-consuming effort – an obsession, even – to get here. Harris coaches himself, and when he’s not competing against the top European and American racers in the dead of night, he’s working as a relief teacher and coaching athletes in his old sport of running.

“Esports is quite difficult, in a way. There are a fair few sacrifices that you don’t really think of,” he said.

“Even doing normal things like going on holidays becomes a bit of a pain … there’s always something, there’s a race on, or you’re preparing for something.

“I don’t really ride outside much these days. I haven’t been able to get out of Tassie for ages.”

Ironically, it’s because of cycling esports that Harris will leave the country this month, when the World Championships are held in person in Abu Dhabi. A sport that can be performed in garages, living rooms and basements is about to take this Aussie halfway across the world.

Feature photo: Alex Polizzi / AusCycling