ongratulations to Peter Jack for organising the ever popular Roe Valley Sprint Triathlon. This year there were 150 entrants in 6 waves, with the field encompassing complete beginners and International athletes. First home in the men's race was Art MacManusa in 58:33 beating the course record of 58:36 set by Brian Cambell in 2006, (although I stand to be corrected on this). The ladies race was hotly contested between Claire Connor (Whitehead) and Junior athlete Rachel Boyd (Olympian). The two girls exited the water together and Rachel took the lead on the bike course, only being caught by Claire in the last 2k of the run. Claire's time of 1:05:48 was also a course record and demonstrates the high standard of women's racing that currently exists in Ireland.
Triangle Triathlon Club was well represented either competing or marshalling the event. First TTC member home and Race sponsor was Paul Fletcher(1:04:48), closely followed by training partner Ronnie Kidd (1:05:28). Next club member home was Kay Hack, who took third place in the ladies race (1:09:21). Adam Wilson(1:10:36) showed that fatherhood has not slowed him down too much. (Congratulations on birth of Eva). Other TTC finishers were Anthony McKenna (1:15:34), Brian Lockington (1:15:47) , SImpson McGrath (1:16:42), Bernie Gribben (1:16:47) , Kevin Murphy (1:17:18) Gavin O'Kane ( 1:19:02),Christopher Doherty ( 1:19:48), Eamon McKenna (1:20 :42) and Linda Tomb (1:27: 53).
The club would like to thank the PSNI, Roe Valley Cycling Club, Springwell Running club and Limavady Swimming club, who helped to make this a safe and successful event.
Results
Wednesday, 18 June 2008
Tuesday, 17 June 2008
Ironman UK 70.3
It was just before 6:00 in the morning, I was in a lake with a water temperature of about 17oC and an air temperature slightly lower. The sun was trying to break through, but an eerie mist had descended through which a 'sea' of brightly colored swim hats could be seen bobbing in the water against a backdrop of the hills of Exmoor. I was no longer feeling nervous, I had done the training and the day was finally here- bring it on.
The starting horn rang out across the lake and we were off. I had chosen a position near the front of the swim but at a point that meant you had the longest swim out to the first turning buoy. There was a theory behind this, a) I didn't want to get caught up in ' the washing machine' of mass swim starts and b) I didn't want to get boxed in behind slower swimmers. It was also about 700m to the first turn so a quick mathematical calculation (Pythagoras hasn't let me down yet) showed that I would actually only be swimming an extra 20-30 m. All went to plan, I had a relaxed enjoyable, easy swim, I therefore couldn't believe it as I looked at my watch as I was running up the beach and saw that I had completed the 1.2 miles in 31:38. It was then to the first tent, to pick up the T1 bag before heading out to find the bike. Whilst I had thought this was going to be a bit intimidating, not only did you have to remember where you had racked your bike but also 2 bag rack spots- it all went very smoothly, with marshalls directing you to the right row.
Ironman UK 70.3 is widely recognised as one of the toughest bike courses on the 70.3 circuit. The boasts of '52 hills in 56 miles' may strike fear into the heart (or legs) of triathletes but the biggest concern for me was negotiating the twisty descents, on wet, narrow roads. It was definitely a course for a conventional road bike and cautious riding (thanks again Anne for the txt advising 'slow and steady' the night before the race). There were several rain showers during the bike course, and I saw the remnants of one very painful crash, which I had avoided thanks to Anne's warning ringing in my ears. As it was still very early in the morning it was pretty cold, at one point I couldn't shift my chain onto the big ring as my hands had frozen.The showers didn't help much, it actually got to the point where I was looking forward to the climbs so that I could get warmed up again. As I approached the lake again at the end of the second lap, I was just delighted that I had made it around in one piece. A nice marshall grabbed my bike as I crossed the dismount line and the American commentator roared something about Kay Hack, I sort of got the idea that I was doing OK in my age group- or was it just general American enthusiasm ?? Then it was onto the run course, my triathlon nemesis.
The off-road run comprised of three laps which included grass, trails and a nice concrete hill. The route was surrounded with supporters and it was great to hear cheers of 'Come on Triangle'. By my second and third lap the course was starting to fill up and it was a great feeling to be running past people - something I have not experienced very often in my running career. My 'Best Outcome' goal run time was around 1:52, with a fall back of 1:59. The distance markers were at 1,5 and 9 miles, so I was shocked to see that I was covering 4 miles at about 8 min/mile pace . More mental arithmetic and I realised that I could get home in around 1:45- sorry doesn't everyone do mental arithmetic when they are running/cycling long endurance events - or is that just me ?
The run course included a long drag up a grass field, not dissimilar to the one on the University Cross Country Course that Anne has been pacing me around for the last month. Anne was recovering from her 2 Oceans run, and was pacing me at MY half marathon pace- I think Anne was slightly misguided in what she thought my pace was. My thoughts drifted back to those sessions and Anne exhorting me to keep the pace up, and drive up the hill, so her voice was ringing in my ears again with a constant ' up up up'.
At a couple of points on the course you could see back up the field to the runners behind you, I was constantly scanning the groups for women of a certain age, then trying to work out whether they were running fast enough to be catching me or whether they were a lap behind. Down to the last turn, and the poor marshall who must have spent about 4 hours saying ' 3 big laps then up to the finish'- I wonder how many times he must have said that during the course of the day .....more sums.
Up then to the finish, and our American friend roaring that I had won my age group, and broken the previous course record for that age group by 20 minutes - Job Done - World Champs Florida here we come.
One final embarrassing saga...at the prize presentation and allocation of slots for the World Championships. I heard my name called out, and as I approached the podium, the commentator was calling me Dr Catherine Hack - my brain was a bit addled- how did he know my full name, surely it is only Peter Jack that gives me my full title. He asked me if I wanted to go to Florida, "err yes", I replied,
" well I think you might need this" he said as he produced my wallet. I had left it in the phone box when I was trying to call home. Thanks to the very honest athlete who had handed it in - if he hadn't not only would I not have been able to sign up for the world champs, but I would also have had trouble getting back home.
Finally thanks to two people without whom I don't think I would have achieved this. Anne has already had a couple of mentions in this blog, she gave me some great advice when I was putting my plan together, not to mention the ' red pen' and the ' why' against certain sessions. She also gave invaluable advice on the taper, something I certainly didn't feel confident about.
The last person to thank is of course Gary, his support, his sense of perspective and his humour ( as well as his efforts with the hacksaw on my tribars) were critical in getting me to the start line.
The starting horn rang out across the lake and we were off. I had chosen a position near the front of the swim but at a point that meant you had the longest swim out to the first turning buoy. There was a theory behind this, a) I didn't want to get caught up in ' the washing machine' of mass swim starts and b) I didn't want to get boxed in behind slower swimmers. It was also about 700m to the first turn so a quick mathematical calculation (Pythagoras hasn't let me down yet) showed that I would actually only be swimming an extra 20-30 m. All went to plan, I had a relaxed enjoyable, easy swim, I therefore couldn't believe it as I looked at my watch as I was running up the beach and saw that I had completed the 1.2 miles in 31:38. It was then to the first tent, to pick up the T1 bag before heading out to find the bike. Whilst I had thought this was going to be a bit intimidating, not only did you have to remember where you had racked your bike but also 2 bag rack spots- it all went very smoothly, with marshalls directing you to the right row.
Ironman UK 70.3 is widely recognised as one of the toughest bike courses on the 70.3 circuit. The boasts of '52 hills in 56 miles' may strike fear into the heart (or legs) of triathletes but the biggest concern for me was negotiating the twisty descents, on wet, narrow roads. It was definitely a course for a conventional road bike and cautious riding (thanks again Anne for the txt advising 'slow and steady' the night before the race). There were several rain showers during the bike course, and I saw the remnants of one very painful crash, which I had avoided thanks to Anne's warning ringing in my ears. As it was still very early in the morning it was pretty cold, at one point I couldn't shift my chain onto the big ring as my hands had frozen.The showers didn't help much, it actually got to the point where I was looking forward to the climbs so that I could get warmed up again. As I approached the lake again at the end of the second lap, I was just delighted that I had made it around in one piece. A nice marshall grabbed my bike as I crossed the dismount line and the American commentator roared something about Kay Hack, I sort of got the idea that I was doing OK in my age group- or was it just general American enthusiasm ?? Then it was onto the run course, my triathlon nemesis.
The off-road run comprised of three laps which included grass, trails and a nice concrete hill. The route was surrounded with supporters and it was great to hear cheers of 'Come on Triangle'. By my second and third lap the course was starting to fill up and it was a great feeling to be running past people - something I have not experienced very often in my running career. My 'Best Outcome' goal run time was around 1:52, with a fall back of 1:59. The distance markers were at 1,5 and 9 miles, so I was shocked to see that I was covering 4 miles at about 8 min/mile pace . More mental arithmetic and I realised that I could get home in around 1:45- sorry doesn't everyone do mental arithmetic when they are running/cycling long endurance events - or is that just me ?
The run course included a long drag up a grass field, not dissimilar to the one on the University Cross Country Course that Anne has been pacing me around for the last month. Anne was recovering from her 2 Oceans run, and was pacing me at MY half marathon pace- I think Anne was slightly misguided in what she thought my pace was. My thoughts drifted back to those sessions and Anne exhorting me to keep the pace up, and drive up the hill, so her voice was ringing in my ears again with a constant ' up up up'.
At a couple of points on the course you could see back up the field to the runners behind you, I was constantly scanning the groups for women of a certain age, then trying to work out whether they were running fast enough to be catching me or whether they were a lap behind. Down to the last turn, and the poor marshall who must have spent about 4 hours saying ' 3 big laps then up to the finish'- I wonder how many times he must have said that during the course of the day .....more sums.
Up then to the finish, and our American friend roaring that I had won my age group, and broken the previous course record for that age group by 20 minutes - Job Done - World Champs Florida here we come.
One final embarrassing saga...at the prize presentation and allocation of slots for the World Championships. I heard my name called out, and as I approached the podium, the commentator was calling me Dr Catherine Hack - my brain was a bit addled- how did he know my full name, surely it is only Peter Jack that gives me my full title. He asked me if I wanted to go to Florida, "err yes", I replied,
" well I think you might need this" he said as he produced my wallet. I had left it in the phone box when I was trying to call home. Thanks to the very honest athlete who had handed it in - if he hadn't not only would I not have been able to sign up for the world champs, but I would also have had trouble getting back home.
Finally thanks to two people without whom I don't think I would have achieved this. Anne has already had a couple of mentions in this blog, she gave me some great advice when I was putting my plan together, not to mention the ' red pen' and the ' why' against certain sessions. She also gave invaluable advice on the taper, something I certainly didn't feel confident about.
The last person to thank is of course Gary, his support, his sense of perspective and his humour ( as well as his efforts with the hacksaw on my tribars) were critical in getting me to the start line.
Athy 2008
The Irish National Olympic Distance Triathlon Championships were held in the beautiful town of Athy, Co. Kildare. Embracing the true spirit of triathlon the Olympic and Sprint events attracted 1300 competitors of all standards from Olympic hopefuls to past and current National and International champions including Richard Stannard, Spencer Smith and Fraser Cartmell, as well as novices and age groupers. The men's Olympic distance race was won by Fraser(1:47:35) closely followed by Gavin Noble(1:50:03). Gavin completed the course 4 minutes quicker than last year, an indication of how much he has stepped up this year. It is a disappointment to Gavin and all those who watch Triathlon in Northern Ireland that despite this progress, Gavin just missed out on Olympic selection.
The women's field was strong with last years champion Aileen Morrison, Claire Connor, Elena Maslova and Katrina Bladinger.Ulster junior athlete, Rachel Boyd was also going to be one to watch after she had pushed Claire hard in the Roe Valley Sprint race the previous week.
Rachel exited the water first in 17:28, closely followed by Claire 17:45. Rachel then put in a blistering bike leg, and managed to retain her lead through the run to become Irish champion at the age of 19.
TTC was well represented with Ronnie Kidd (2:06:35) and Paul Fletcher (2:07:07) both putting in strong performances which will no doubt give them confidence as they go on to Ironman Germany. There was a strong Magherafelt contingent, with several club members recording PB's. Kay Hack, also in the throes of long distance training for Ironman UK 70.3, was delighted to come in first female vet ( 2:18:55).
The event was well organised, with a great goody bag, and technical t-shirt. The downstream river swim made for fast swim splits, which, combined with a flattish bike course, made for fast overall times, and justifies the organisers claims that TryAThy is Ireland's fastest Triathlon.
The women's field was strong with last years champion Aileen Morrison, Claire Connor, Elena Maslova and Katrina Bladinger.Ulster junior athlete, Rachel Boyd was also going to be one to watch after she had pushed Claire hard in the Roe Valley Sprint race the previous week.
Rachel exited the water first in 17:28, closely followed by Claire 17:45. Rachel then put in a blistering bike leg, and managed to retain her lead through the run to become Irish champion at the age of 19.
TTC was well represented with Ronnie Kidd (2:06:35) and Paul Fletcher (2:07:07) both putting in strong performances which will no doubt give them confidence as they go on to Ironman Germany. There was a strong Magherafelt contingent, with several club members recording PB's. Kay Hack, also in the throes of long distance training for Ironman UK 70.3, was delighted to come in first female vet ( 2:18:55).
The event was well organised, with a great goody bag, and technical t-shirt. The downstream river swim made for fast swim splits, which, combined with a flattish bike course, made for fast overall times, and justifies the organisers claims that TryAThy is Ireland's fastest Triathlon.
Wednesday, 11 June 2008
Camlough 2008
Crooked
Saturday 7 June and the sun was still shining after the beautiful spell. We headed off for Camlough diligently following Alistair’s instructions on how to get there. True to his word, we arrived to register in the village before 12.00 noon, which was in plenty of time given the 14.00 kick off.
The event, based at
The lake was still, the roads congested with triathletes and their families milling about, organising kit, comparing stories, fixing bikes and generally experiencing all the same pre – race tension.
The transition was undoubtedly the worst I have seen in my short racing career. The 400 odd competitors in the two waves were all cramped together on the lakeside, with no space between each bike for one’s bike shoes, racing shoes, towel, helmet, and whatever else we triathletes require, either for superstitions sake or to get us off smoothly.
The first wave started promptly at 14.00 when 205 red hats took to the water. The choice of colour scheme posed its own challenge when trying to sight red buoys amongst all the swimming caps, however this did not curtail Brian Campbell who was first into the first transition in 9.56. Gerry McCabe (U/A) recorded the fastest bike time of the day in 27.25, but Campbell’s ever impressive style saw him take the overall winners prize in a blistering 55.39. Elana Maslova (also U/A) was the first female to dip under the finishers arch in 1.04.04.
The setting for Crooked Lake Triathlon is spectacular. The 20k bike ride is run over an undulating course, which circles the lake, through Meigh village, before looping back into Camlough village. There were plenty of marshals out on the course, although a distinct lack of same at the swim transition, which enabled some unsportsmanlike competitors to jump the transition barriers, which “deneutralises” the equitable devised system!
In all, there were 16 clubs from across the country represented on Saturday.
Triangle had 12 club members decked out in red and black, all putting on a good show for the club. Alistair Bratten was the first club member home in 1.08.07, taking the third prize in the 45-49 category. Perhaps if some other competitors had observed the non-drafting TI rules, Alistair’s position could have been improved upon. Also in the prizes, was Alison Rankin, who took third prize in the female 35-39 category in a time of 1.18.29. The other Triangle times were Anthony McKenna 1.14.38, Gavin O’Kane 1.15.03, Eamon McKenna 1.16.09, Paul Dornan 1.17.09, (an excellent result only one week after having completed the Switzerland Ironman), followed one second later by Kevin Murphy. Conal Heatley finished strong in 1.18.29, and Johnny Graham put in another good performance at 1.19.50. Paul McErlain will be pleased with his performance of 1.23.48, and Nicky McBride fought to the end with another good result at 1.26.09. Finally, after an excellent swim (12.53), the fastest transition in the club, and a determined cycle time of 33.56, Michael McCarron came home in 1.45.27.
Crooked
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