Dublin 26th October will be a date that will be remembered for many reasons by myself and probably many others in the 12,500 thousand odd, who took part in the spectacular event which is marathon day in Dublin. For me, my first marathon it was a massive achievement. A year before I had driven past many times a small group running, cycling in all weathers and like all the rest of the non believers I thought they were mad. How silly they looked, but really, how jealous did I feel. Having had a reasonable sporting childhood I had descended into the armchair and nearly given up the ghost of Christmas past which we now know as sport. But as I stood in Donnie and Nesbits pub, just round the corner from the finish line, after completing my first ever marathon, I realised not only was I now one of these madmen, but they were my friends.
Marathons (or marathon in my case) are a battle between you and 26.2 miles, a solitary battle which can only be won or lost by yourself on the day. However preparation for a marathon is a different thing. This is where the madmen and madwomen come in, because without our little groups of comrades we would never take to the field. So yes the marathon was tough, the crowds fantastic and generous with their support, the weather perfect and atmosphere unbelievable, but, and a very big but, as I stood with that perfectly formed Guinness and surveyed our crowd in the cosy booth, there was a sense of achievement but much much more.
As a new member to Triangle this year I have been welcomed along to session after session with endless enthusiasm. Advice was given at every turn, real advice, not condescending stuff that we all used to get with growing up in sport. You were respected on effort and ability, times were only markers and not used as a form of elitism. Guys and girls with numerous Ironmans, marathons, time trial experience all there to help. As you know, and now me, cross training provides endless benefits to levels of activity, so having so much experience at hand across all disciplines has proved invaluable.
So, getting back to Donnie’s, I suppose I write this article as much as a thank you, sorry more of thank you to all have helped me beat that 26.2. Not all of them were there in Donnie’s on that day, but hopefully you all know who you are. So the next event, the next PB, or even the next training session, have a quick look around and appreciate what you have around you, because I know I would not have won my battle without my new friends.
Oh I suppose I should include times etc in this article, but I won’t, as this event for me was never about times or PB’s or who did what, it was more about what you can achieve with a little help from your …………..
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Monday, 26 October 2009
HAWAII IRONMAN 2009
PRE-RACE
The long hard journey to Kona is finally over and has obviously been one with a lot of memories both good and bad. My body along the way resembled a clapped out banger with bits breaking down everytime it tried to speed up or hit a bump along the road. Any MOT test would have come back reporting “new parts required” or “beyond repair” but when you are on the way to Hawaii you just weld the broken parts together and continue on regardless of how long it may take. In hindsight,the injury worries and travelling alone not to mention the endless hours of training made me wonder many times why I was putting myself through this ordeal and if it would be worth it in the end. The travel arrangements went smoothly and my little condo was right beside the expo and only 800m from the transition area which was great. On the first morning the sweat was dripping off me just sitting eating my breakfast on the veranda but I got my bike together and went for a short ride followed later by a run to get the travelling out of my legs. There were already a lot of triathletes in town and a buzzing atmosphere. Ali Drive was a sight to behold with perfect toned and bronzed bodies on bikes which made me feel a real “culshie from the back of beyond” ( not far from the truth I know ! ).Panic was already setting in – is there anybody here likely to be slower than me ? Decided it was time for some moral support so I contacted some of the Irish guys out for the race and arranged to meet them at the opening parade the next day. The next morning I went down for the practise swim at 7am where you could swim out to a buoy on the course and be served a coffee. Even at this stage they were providing volunteers to look after your gear, provide drinks or you could try out the latest aquasphere goggles. Wetsuits were not allowed as the temperature was too warm which made the swim harder for weaker swimmers like myself .The opening parade went from the transition area to the site of the expo. Liam, Mark,Declan Alan and myself represented Ireland supported by Liam’s parents, Mark’s partner, Declan’s brother who was on his honeymoon, Alan’s wife and baby Luke. It was nice to finally put a face to the people I had been sending e-mails and text messages to and not feel so alone. On Wednesday I did 2 more short sessions and then went to a Saucony dinner in the evening where I met Catriona Morrison from Scotland and the Smyers sisters were also there.(Karen Smyers was an ex world champion and her sister went on to win the 50-54 age group in under 11hrs).Thursday evening was the pasta party where I met up with the Irish contingent again. There was some amazing stories about athletes taking part which gave me inspiration and some hope. There was a 25year old with no legs, a guy who had a heart transplant, a guy going for the record in the 80-84 and Sister Madonna Buder trying to do likewise in the womens 80-84 age group. This put my fears in perspective especially as I had not even felt any niggles since getting there. Friday revolved around checking in bags and bikes and my daily visit to the expo to hear what top athlete/coach was doing the question and answer session. You could also try out the latest Cervelo bikes or swim in the endless pool to mention but a few goings on.
THE RACE
The waiting was now over ( 5 days is a long wait !!) and the nerves were no worse but not much better. The alarm went off at 4.45am but I was well awake long before that. Even at this time of the morning the temperature was warm as we got body marking, timing chips, suntan cream and wheels sorted .The pros went off at 6.45am followed by us 15mins later.I stayed to the side and kept out off trouble but was disappointed to see it had taken me 1hr 30 but thought this was due to no wetsuit and not to worry and get on with it. Onto the bike and the heat of the sun on the back of your neck already was a warning of what lay ahead.It rose to 88 degrees but with the humidity this equated to 103 degrees ! My energy bars were already a gooey mess but I settled into a rhythm and even though my heart rate was quite low decided to not push any harder at this stage. The long rolling roads seemed never ending but at 50miles there was a rude awakening with a sudden headwind which made the last section to the turnaround hard going. My old familiar hip injury was starting to come on so I tried spinning an easier gear and finally got to the turn at Hawi. We then had a fast 5miles with a tailwind and as everybody talked about the headwind was usually on the way out I thought this is great I will get blown home and my leg will not get any worse. From 60miles onwards it was hell on wheels for me. At one stage I was going downhill at 11mph and doing 10mph on flat sections into the headwind all the way back. After 7 long hours on the bike which included stops to stretch I reached transition thinking it would be fine when I started to run.(Chrissie Wellington had finished by now ! )Out of transition and running was not even a possibility as walking was uncomfortable but I kept telling myself the legs would come round. After 19miles walking I was able to jog 50m,walk 50m and by 21miles I could jog between feed stations. By 23miles I was flying along and finally after 14hrs and 23mins got my moment of glory running along Ali Drive to the cheers of the large crowd which was something I had been dreaming about all week.Yes, it took me 3hours longer than I hoped but it was mentally the toughest race I have ever done and I am so glad I swallowed my pride and did not pull out. It let me see and meet some amazing people and see a side to triathlon I had never witnessed. Those just making it home before the 17hr cut off were cheered home like superstars and well they deserved it. A big thanks to all who sent cards, texts and good luck wishes. Believe me, I thought of them all on the many occasions I thought of quitting.
WAS IT WORTH IT ?
Since 1st January 2009 I have swam 340 kms, biked 3,603miles and ran 1,220miles in training for this event. Therefore, I am very disappointed that I did not go a lot faster after all the dedication and dealing with the frustrations of injuries in the process. However, qualifying and competing in Hawaii was a lifetime experience and I did my best in the circumstances. It is highly unlikely I will ever be back but if you ever get the chance to go it is definitely the pinnacle of the sport of triathlon.
WHAT NOW ?
Rest, and hopefully a solution to my injury problems otherwise my competitive biking days are over.
The long hard journey to Kona is finally over and has obviously been one with a lot of memories both good and bad. My body along the way resembled a clapped out banger with bits breaking down everytime it tried to speed up or hit a bump along the road. Any MOT test would have come back reporting “new parts required” or “beyond repair” but when you are on the way to Hawaii you just weld the broken parts together and continue on regardless of how long it may take. In hindsight,the injury worries and travelling alone not to mention the endless hours of training made me wonder many times why I was putting myself through this ordeal and if it would be worth it in the end. The travel arrangements went smoothly and my little condo was right beside the expo and only 800m from the transition area which was great. On the first morning the sweat was dripping off me just sitting eating my breakfast on the veranda but I got my bike together and went for a short ride followed later by a run to get the travelling out of my legs. There were already a lot of triathletes in town and a buzzing atmosphere. Ali Drive was a sight to behold with perfect toned and bronzed bodies on bikes which made me feel a real “culshie from the back of beyond” ( not far from the truth I know ! ).Panic was already setting in – is there anybody here likely to be slower than me ? Decided it was time for some moral support so I contacted some of the Irish guys out for the race and arranged to meet them at the opening parade the next day. The next morning I went down for the practise swim at 7am where you could swim out to a buoy on the course and be served a coffee. Even at this stage they were providing volunteers to look after your gear, provide drinks or you could try out the latest aquasphere goggles. Wetsuits were not allowed as the temperature was too warm which made the swim harder for weaker swimmers like myself .The opening parade went from the transition area to the site of the expo. Liam, Mark,Declan Alan and myself represented Ireland supported by Liam’s parents, Mark’s partner, Declan’s brother who was on his honeymoon, Alan’s wife and baby Luke. It was nice to finally put a face to the people I had been sending e-mails and text messages to and not feel so alone. On Wednesday I did 2 more short sessions and then went to a Saucony dinner in the evening where I met Catriona Morrison from Scotland and the Smyers sisters were also there.(Karen Smyers was an ex world champion and her sister went on to win the 50-54 age group in under 11hrs).Thursday evening was the pasta party where I met up with the Irish contingent again. There was some amazing stories about athletes taking part which gave me inspiration and some hope. There was a 25year old with no legs, a guy who had a heart transplant, a guy going for the record in the 80-84 and Sister Madonna Buder trying to do likewise in the womens 80-84 age group. This put my fears in perspective especially as I had not even felt any niggles since getting there. Friday revolved around checking in bags and bikes and my daily visit to the expo to hear what top athlete/coach was doing the question and answer session. You could also try out the latest Cervelo bikes or swim in the endless pool to mention but a few goings on.
THE RACE
The waiting was now over ( 5 days is a long wait !!) and the nerves were no worse but not much better. The alarm went off at 4.45am but I was well awake long before that. Even at this time of the morning the temperature was warm as we got body marking, timing chips, suntan cream and wheels sorted .The pros went off at 6.45am followed by us 15mins later.I stayed to the side and kept out off trouble but was disappointed to see it had taken me 1hr 30 but thought this was due to no wetsuit and not to worry and get on with it. Onto the bike and the heat of the sun on the back of your neck already was a warning of what lay ahead.It rose to 88 degrees but with the humidity this equated to 103 degrees ! My energy bars were already a gooey mess but I settled into a rhythm and even though my heart rate was quite low decided to not push any harder at this stage. The long rolling roads seemed never ending but at 50miles there was a rude awakening with a sudden headwind which made the last section to the turnaround hard going. My old familiar hip injury was starting to come on so I tried spinning an easier gear and finally got to the turn at Hawi. We then had a fast 5miles with a tailwind and as everybody talked about the headwind was usually on the way out I thought this is great I will get blown home and my leg will not get any worse. From 60miles onwards it was hell on wheels for me. At one stage I was going downhill at 11mph and doing 10mph on flat sections into the headwind all the way back. After 7 long hours on the bike which included stops to stretch I reached transition thinking it would be fine when I started to run.(Chrissie Wellington had finished by now ! )Out of transition and running was not even a possibility as walking was uncomfortable but I kept telling myself the legs would come round. After 19miles walking I was able to jog 50m,walk 50m and by 21miles I could jog between feed stations. By 23miles I was flying along and finally after 14hrs and 23mins got my moment of glory running along Ali Drive to the cheers of the large crowd which was something I had been dreaming about all week.Yes, it took me 3hours longer than I hoped but it was mentally the toughest race I have ever done and I am so glad I swallowed my pride and did not pull out. It let me see and meet some amazing people and see a side to triathlon I had never witnessed. Those just making it home before the 17hr cut off were cheered home like superstars and well they deserved it. A big thanks to all who sent cards, texts and good luck wishes. Believe me, I thought of them all on the many occasions I thought of quitting.
WAS IT WORTH IT ?
Since 1st January 2009 I have swam 340 kms, biked 3,603miles and ran 1,220miles in training for this event. Therefore, I am very disappointed that I did not go a lot faster after all the dedication and dealing with the frustrations of injuries in the process. However, qualifying and competing in Hawaii was a lifetime experience and I did my best in the circumstances. It is highly unlikely I will ever be back but if you ever get the chance to go it is definitely the pinnacle of the sport of triathlon.
WHAT NOW ?
Rest, and hopefully a solution to my injury problems otherwise my competitive biking days are over.
Monday, 31 August 2009
Dublin City Triathlon
The Road to the European Championships 2010
Its been a long season and I have felt my enthusiasm wane in my last few outings however Kay planted a seed in my head and let it germinate - 'wouldn't it be good if we both qualified to represent Ireland at the European Championships in Athlone next year'. That was enough - I had been thinking of my winter training but suddenly there was to be an indian summer to my current season. We both entered Dublin City Triathlon as it was to be the last qualifier for the European Championships to be hosted in Athlone in 2010. The top 5 age groupers in each category would be eligible for selection. I was not at all confident about finishing in the top 5 in my age group and was hoping that most guys would have qualified at earlier events and would have already submitted a claim for selection on that basis (i.e. what counted was the top 5 guys in my age group who would put in a claim based on the Dublin event. Guys could finish ahead of me if they were not intending to use Dublin to claim their European spot). Kay was confident about finishing in the top 5 in her agegroup - no gambling for her, excepting for her claim to be Irish!!
We stayed in Dublin on the Saturday night, I had been alocated a start in wave 2 which started at 8:15 am the following morning and Kay was in wave 3 which started some 15 minutes later.
The swim was in the Liffey and as we entered the river at UCD boat club I was reminded that the last time I had been on the river was when I had rowed there some 25 years ago. Given the time that elapsed and the amount we drank in celebration after we won it was all definitely a blurred memory. The atheletes in my wave were asked to get into the river for the start and I duly lowered myself into the water. It was a lot colder that I expected and unfortunatley I let my mind think 'Gary, what the hell are you doing in the Liffey at 8 am on a Sunday morning'. It was a perfectly sane thought but one that I should not have let in, because I could not get it out again. Most of my wave stood on the pontoon and did not get in. The problem was that there was not enough room in the river to warm up. By the time the race officials had herded all the competitors into the river I was freezing. That thought (what the hell are you doing Gary)resonated loudly in my head as I swam up river on the outward leg. I just couldn't get my race head on and only started to warm to the task when I got half way down the homeward leg. I was hauled out of the water and staggered off in the general direction of transition. As I fumbled about in transition I heard one of my competitors bemoan '29 fekking minutes' Don't the Dubliners have a way with words, all I could think of in response was 'fecking european, fecking championships, my fecking arse' - not a good frame of mind I concede.
Onto the bike, not in any hope for speed, more in hope to get warmed up a bit, but bear in mind that it was still only 8:45 and drizzling in Dublin! The cycle was 5 laps of Phoenix Park. Kay and I had not had the chance to check out the course so the first lap had to be a bit cautious. I finished the first lap still feeling chilly but at the start of the second lap there was a drag up a hill that finished in an out and back flat section. I had just got onto the flat section when it finally happened: warmth, regular breathing, power, afterburner on, systems are go ... and I went slightly faster. At least I finally felt as though I was racing.
The course was quite technical and I was able to pick up positions just by keeping the gas on longer than most into corners and by taking a decent line through the corners. It was only in the second half of the cycle, when other waves joined the circuit, that I had to be more cautious to avoid other competitors. I was trying not to push it on the bike as my run off the bike has been so poor.
When I got off the bike my legs were unresponsive. I had only myself to blame as I went to the Springwell Running Club Family Fun Evening on Friday. Unfortunately I ended up running against my eldest son in a relay race. Obviously I should have let him win and took things easy citing the Dublin City Triathlon as an excuse - but you can guess what I did. My hamstrings were screaming at me when I got off the bike: no sprinting for 20 years and then resuming 2 days before a triathlon - duh! The run course was over 2 laps and a mixture of road and cross country. The cross country section of the first lap was tough, particularly as the guys from the first wave were on their second lap and seemed to be coming past like trains. I tried to gather resolve and focus on a rythym. I started to overtake some guys from my wave. By the time I got to 4k I was actually running in a reasonably fluid way for me. Off onto the second lap and I just tried to keep it going. usually it is at about 4 miles that I start to fade but I didn't have to dig too hard to find the necessary resolve and kept it going to the line.
I stood watching for Kay to finish. She was 5th woman overall and second in her agegroup - surely selection assured. Given that we started in waves I didn't have a clue what position I finished in.
Because of all the waves of competitors (I think there was 7) we were not allowed back into transition to get our kit for ages but that is my only complaint about the race. It was extremely well run and marshalled and the course was technical but first class for a city based event.
Once we finally got our car packed up we journeyed up to Groomsport to watch and help marshall at the Ireman. To be honest I was tired and didn't feel like going near the event but was glad I did. The event looked absolutely superb - a credit to Conal and the club. It was great to see the performance of club members who showed the club colours with distinction: Alison, Julian, Rodney, Ronnie, Anthony and of course William. There may have been others from the club competing who I didn't recognise or don't know but all the competitors seemed to be relishing the event and I found their spirit and efforts inspirational.
We eventually got home and after catching up with the kids and emptying the car it was straight onto the provisional results website for Dublin. Kay completed the course in 2:24:42 to come 91 overall, 5th woman overall and second in her age group. I completd the course in 2:26:34 to come 95 overall and second in my age group. So, despite my misgivings, it looks like we may both be heading for the European Championships to represent Ireland next year - now that will be one for the family album!
Its been a long season and I have felt my enthusiasm wane in my last few outings however Kay planted a seed in my head and let it germinate - 'wouldn't it be good if we both qualified to represent Ireland at the European Championships in Athlone next year'. That was enough - I had been thinking of my winter training but suddenly there was to be an indian summer to my current season. We both entered Dublin City Triathlon as it was to be the last qualifier for the European Championships to be hosted in Athlone in 2010. The top 5 age groupers in each category would be eligible for selection. I was not at all confident about finishing in the top 5 in my age group and was hoping that most guys would have qualified at earlier events and would have already submitted a claim for selection on that basis (i.e. what counted was the top 5 guys in my age group who would put in a claim based on the Dublin event. Guys could finish ahead of me if they were not intending to use Dublin to claim their European spot). Kay was confident about finishing in the top 5 in her agegroup - no gambling for her, excepting for her claim to be Irish!!
We stayed in Dublin on the Saturday night, I had been alocated a start in wave 2 which started at 8:15 am the following morning and Kay was in wave 3 which started some 15 minutes later.
The swim was in the Liffey and as we entered the river at UCD boat club I was reminded that the last time I had been on the river was when I had rowed there some 25 years ago. Given the time that elapsed and the amount we drank in celebration after we won it was all definitely a blurred memory. The atheletes in my wave were asked to get into the river for the start and I duly lowered myself into the water. It was a lot colder that I expected and unfortunatley I let my mind think 'Gary, what the hell are you doing in the Liffey at 8 am on a Sunday morning'. It was a perfectly sane thought but one that I should not have let in, because I could not get it out again. Most of my wave stood on the pontoon and did not get in. The problem was that there was not enough room in the river to warm up. By the time the race officials had herded all the competitors into the river I was freezing. That thought (what the hell are you doing Gary)resonated loudly in my head as I swam up river on the outward leg. I just couldn't get my race head on and only started to warm to the task when I got half way down the homeward leg. I was hauled out of the water and staggered off in the general direction of transition. As I fumbled about in transition I heard one of my competitors bemoan '29 fekking minutes' Don't the Dubliners have a way with words, all I could think of in response was 'fecking european, fecking championships, my fecking arse' - not a good frame of mind I concede.
Onto the bike, not in any hope for speed, more in hope to get warmed up a bit, but bear in mind that it was still only 8:45 and drizzling in Dublin! The cycle was 5 laps of Phoenix Park. Kay and I had not had the chance to check out the course so the first lap had to be a bit cautious. I finished the first lap still feeling chilly but at the start of the second lap there was a drag up a hill that finished in an out and back flat section. I had just got onto the flat section when it finally happened: warmth, regular breathing, power, afterburner on, systems are go ... and I went slightly faster. At least I finally felt as though I was racing.
The course was quite technical and I was able to pick up positions just by keeping the gas on longer than most into corners and by taking a decent line through the corners. It was only in the second half of the cycle, when other waves joined the circuit, that I had to be more cautious to avoid other competitors. I was trying not to push it on the bike as my run off the bike has been so poor.
When I got off the bike my legs were unresponsive. I had only myself to blame as I went to the Springwell Running Club Family Fun Evening on Friday. Unfortunately I ended up running against my eldest son in a relay race. Obviously I should have let him win and took things easy citing the Dublin City Triathlon as an excuse - but you can guess what I did. My hamstrings were screaming at me when I got off the bike: no sprinting for 20 years and then resuming 2 days before a triathlon - duh! The run course was over 2 laps and a mixture of road and cross country. The cross country section of the first lap was tough, particularly as the guys from the first wave were on their second lap and seemed to be coming past like trains. I tried to gather resolve and focus on a rythym. I started to overtake some guys from my wave. By the time I got to 4k I was actually running in a reasonably fluid way for me. Off onto the second lap and I just tried to keep it going. usually it is at about 4 miles that I start to fade but I didn't have to dig too hard to find the necessary resolve and kept it going to the line.
I stood watching for Kay to finish. She was 5th woman overall and second in her agegroup - surely selection assured. Given that we started in waves I didn't have a clue what position I finished in.
Because of all the waves of competitors (I think there was 7) we were not allowed back into transition to get our kit for ages but that is my only complaint about the race. It was extremely well run and marshalled and the course was technical but first class for a city based event.
Once we finally got our car packed up we journeyed up to Groomsport to watch and help marshall at the Ireman. To be honest I was tired and didn't feel like going near the event but was glad I did. The event looked absolutely superb - a credit to Conal and the club. It was great to see the performance of club members who showed the club colours with distinction: Alison, Julian, Rodney, Ronnie, Anthony and of course William. There may have been others from the club competing who I didn't recognise or don't know but all the competitors seemed to be relishing the event and I found their spirit and efforts inspirational.
We eventually got home and after catching up with the kids and emptying the car it was straight onto the provisional results website for Dublin. Kay completed the course in 2:24:42 to come 91 overall, 5th woman overall and second in her age group. I completd the course in 2:26:34 to come 95 overall and second in my age group. So, despite my misgivings, it looks like we may both be heading for the European Championships to represent Ireland next year - now that will be one for the family album!
Friday, 14 August 2009
Lisburn Sprint Plus
It’s been a busy week for the members of the triangle triathlon club. On the 26th of July 7 members traveled to Lisburn to compete in Lisburn sprint distance triathlon and aquathlon. The triathlon was over a distance of 30 length pool swim, a 12 mile cycle and then a 3 mile run. With 4 athletes taking part in the triathlon, the first home was Bernie Gribben in a time of 1 hr 13 mins. Bernie is training hard with her sights set on qualifying for the European triathlon championships being held in Athlone next year in July and then the world championships a few months later. Next home for the triangle club was Dougy Finlay with a fantastic time of 1hr 16mins. This is Dougys’ first year in triathlon, and considering he only learnt to do the front crawl a few months ago he started of with a brilliant time for his first event in Lisburn. Setting a new personal best time was Teresa Hastings with 1 hr 27mins taking over 6 mins off her time from last year. Also taking part was John O’ Neil with a blistering time if 1 hr 28mins. John has also taking part in quite a few other events this year, shorter distance triathlons and even competed in the Irish aquathlon championships earlier this year. John has really taken to triathlon like a duck to water and will certainly be one to watch in the future.
Along side the triathlon there was also an aquathlon which consisted in swimming 8 lengths of the pool and then running 1500 meters. We had three athletes taking part in this. The youngest was Patrick O Neil taking part in the male under 10s with a time of 12min 23 sec. Like his brother john, Patrick has also taken part in loads of other events this year and is really enjoying every minute of it. Tori Hastings competing in the female under 12s finished in a time of 12 min 58 sec. While older sister Robyn Hastings taking part in the female under 14s finished with a time of 13 min 54 sec. While being reluctantly entered into the aquathlon by their mum Teresa Tori and Robyn told me that they really enjoyed the event and can’t wait to compete next year again.
Meanwhile on the 29th of July in the ski resort of l'Alpe d’Huez in france Anne Paul and Kay hack were preparing to take part in the Alpe d’Huez long distance triathlon. The event started of with a 2.2km swim in Lac du Vernay, followed with 115km cycle and then a 21km run to finish. As it turned out the swim was the easy part. The cycle had 2 monstrous climbs on it long before they even went near the slopes up to Alpe d’Huez. The climb up to Alpe d'Huez is approximately 12 mile long and regularly features in the Tour de France and its steep slopes can strike fear into the hearts of even professional cyclists like Lance Armstrong. After the cycle there was still a 21km half marathon to do at 1800 meters above sea level. All this to be done in 30 plus degree heat but both women finished strong with Anne finishing first in a time of 9 hrs 9 mins and Kay finishing in a time of 9 hrs 18 mins.
With the world’s largest triathlon being held in London last Sunday we only had 2 triangle triathletes taking part. Darren Cheevers competing in his second only triathlon decided to take on the 1 mile swim, 25mile cycle and the 6 mile run around London. He had hoped to finish the race in less than 3 hours but with having a disastrous swim and getting kicked several times during the swim he finished in a time of 3 hr 15 min. Also competing was Gabriel Muldoon. This was Gabriel’s first time racing at this distance and he finished in a blistering time of 2 hr 32mins.
Last but not least our very own club chairman Peter Jack was in Kalmar in Sweden to race in what he says is his 10th and final Ironman. In all the weeks and months leading up the event Peter has been plagued with injury after injury. But he still managed to complete the 2.5 mile swim, 112 mile cycle and the 26.2 mile run in an amazing time of 13 hrs 24 mins. Peter you continue to inspire us all and the day you retire from competing in the ironman is the day the Irish cricket team win the ashes.
Along side the triathlon there was also an aquathlon which consisted in swimming 8 lengths of the pool and then running 1500 meters. We had three athletes taking part in this. The youngest was Patrick O Neil taking part in the male under 10s with a time of 12min 23 sec. Like his brother john, Patrick has also taken part in loads of other events this year and is really enjoying every minute of it. Tori Hastings competing in the female under 12s finished in a time of 12 min 58 sec. While older sister Robyn Hastings taking part in the female under 14s finished with a time of 13 min 54 sec. While being reluctantly entered into the aquathlon by their mum Teresa Tori and Robyn told me that they really enjoyed the event and can’t wait to compete next year again.
Meanwhile on the 29th of July in the ski resort of l'Alpe d’Huez in france Anne Paul and Kay hack were preparing to take part in the Alpe d’Huez long distance triathlon. The event started of with a 2.2km swim in Lac du Vernay, followed with 115km cycle and then a 21km run to finish. As it turned out the swim was the easy part. The cycle had 2 monstrous climbs on it long before they even went near the slopes up to Alpe d’Huez. The climb up to Alpe d'Huez is approximately 12 mile long and regularly features in the Tour de France and its steep slopes can strike fear into the hearts of even professional cyclists like Lance Armstrong. After the cycle there was still a 21km half marathon to do at 1800 meters above sea level. All this to be done in 30 plus degree heat but both women finished strong with Anne finishing first in a time of 9 hrs 9 mins and Kay finishing in a time of 9 hrs 18 mins.
With the world’s largest triathlon being held in London last Sunday we only had 2 triangle triathletes taking part. Darren Cheevers competing in his second only triathlon decided to take on the 1 mile swim, 25mile cycle and the 6 mile run around London. He had hoped to finish the race in less than 3 hours but with having a disastrous swim and getting kicked several times during the swim he finished in a time of 3 hr 15 min. Also competing was Gabriel Muldoon. This was Gabriel’s first time racing at this distance and he finished in a blistering time of 2 hr 32mins.
Last but not least our very own club chairman Peter Jack was in Kalmar in Sweden to race in what he says is his 10th and final Ironman. In all the weeks and months leading up the event Peter has been plagued with injury after injury. But he still managed to complete the 2.5 mile swim, 112 mile cycle and the 26.2 mile run in an amazing time of 13 hrs 24 mins. Peter you continue to inspire us all and the day you retire from competing in the ironman is the day the Irish cricket team win the ashes.
Monday, 10 August 2009
IRON MAN-FRANCE-NICE JUNE 28TH 09
On 25th of June 09 five “want to be’s” , (along with Artie who has four ironman medals and Kevin who has one), from Magherafelt took off on a flight to Nice in France in the hope they would be IRON MEN on their return!
On the flight over you could sense the nervousness and excitement, some were reading triathlon magazines looking for last minute tips others reading papers and doing cross words. Chris and Raymond however had the pleasure of sitting with none other than Pamela Ballentine and judging from the laughter coming from the reserved seats at the front I think it was more of an enlightening experience for Pamela who was keen on meeting up with Chris in Nice, but, unfortunately for Pamela, Chris had other things planned for the weekend!
On the Friday we visited the expo and got registered. It was quite something to see the physical shape of other competitors and it started to hit home if hadn’t before the magnitude of what we were taking on. This was helped however with the arrival of John Joe Muldoon (fellow member of Triangle) who had arrived to support us all, something that cannot be underestimated in how it would keep us going.
That evening we built our bikes up, Anne (my wife) was amazed at my technical expertise when it came to my bike as DIY would not be a strong point of mine at home! Artie and Anthony were first to take their bikes out to test everything was in working order, but, as it turned out the bikes were fine, but, staying on them was a different matter, well, for Anthony any way who took a tumble trying to avoid sailing over somebody’s car bonnet. So when Anthony came back thankfully, in one piece and told us what had happened we thought, forearmed is forewarned, so Kevin and I headed out on our bikes being extra careful, feeling pretty good about ourselves but then bang, I hit a kerb from the wrong angle and crashed to the ground , not satisfied with that I brought Kevin down on top of me in front of a crowded café who tried very hard to contain their laughter. For a split second I thought “was this the end of my iron man even before I start or even worse I am responsible for ending someone else’s even if it was only Kevin?”, but I knew he would be forgiving! However not to be out done Chris and John Joe had similar falls that evening as well. So 4 out of 7 want to be iron men had fallen from the bikes before a ball was kicked so to speak. Hopefully this would not be a sign of things to come.
On Saturday nobody travelled too far saving our energy.
You could sense the nerves and anticipation of what lay ahead among everyone. It was interesting listening to what strategy the boys were going to use on Sunday except for Kevin who wasn’t sharing anything with any one but we’re used to Kevin not sharing anything with any one! While most of us had planned to hold back and hopefully make the finish line, Chris thought he would stop off and have “a wee cup of coffee” along the cycle route but I am not sure this strategy would be applied on the day.
IRON MAN SUNDAY
The big day was finally here, months of hard work would finally be put to the ultimate test. Up at 3.45am a light breakfast was had by all and then it was down to Promenade des Anglais. It was a very quiet walk although Artie was telling every one that the training had been done and we would all make it to the finish line which was reassuring from some one with Artie’s experience. As we arrived at transition everyone went to check on their bikes, as we were doing this there was a loud bang, for a second I thought it was Chris but no some unfortunate soul had blown up one of their tyres! Thankfully it was none of the Magherafelt Mafia. Wet suit on we headed down to the start which we just about made as some of the boys had a last minute toilet stop to make, won’t mention any names this time. The atmosphere was electric everyone anticipating the starters horn, then over 2,500 triathletes charged into the sea well most of them anyway, I, personally took a more casual approach, usually when you do a triathlon at home it’s the cold water that catches your breathe but no such problems here, only difficulty here was making sure you were heading in the right direction. Swimming is my weakest event and I found the first loop of the swim quite difficult not physically but mentally, I just kept thinking of all the training I had put in and the support I have had from Anne and the kids etc, if I could just get over the swim! So when I got out of the first loop and heard John Joe shouting at me to keep it going I suddenly got a new lease of life, thankfully the second loop seemed that bit easier although I felt a bit sea sick when I got out of the water but again I could hear my name being shouted, Anne, Conor, Siobhan and Cormac (Kevin’s son) were cheering me on which gave me a real lift. On hind sight, Anne, knowing how worried I was about the swim before hand said to me when I came out of the water “you’ve done the swim you’ll finish it now”, ultimately she was right, but, post event to think that I had over 13 hours to go, I can smile to myself. Slowly into transition I was thinking all the boys would be well on their way I was surprised to see Raymond looking as bad as I felt, he actually suffered worse from sea sickness than I did however as the day would go on Raymond came into his own. Once out on the bike I felt elated even more so when I looked over towards the sea and there were still swimmers in the water, it was reassuring to know I am not the slowest swimmer in an event like this. My strategy on the bike was to cycle within myself and save energy for the run. The first steep hill we had to go up was challenging and some cyclist were even walking up it which was surprising, shortly after I caught up with Raymond, we met on the cycle back and forward all day.
We wondered how every one was getting on but not sure we would catch any of the other boys , we wondered had Chris that wee cup of coffee yet! At the top of the 21km climb we saw someone spread eagled at the side of the road, bike abandoned, a little closer look revealed it was our Chris taking in a few rays of sun before moving on, a prospect Chris wasn’t that eager to embrace. So when Raymond and myself thought we had him up and running again Chris thought it was a good idea to meet some of the other competitors finding out everything apart from their inside leg measurements. Needless to say we left Chris to his socialising, I wanted to wait but Raymond was having none of it! Afraid of dehydrating I drank on a regular basis which as a side affect meant stopping quite a lot for loo visits. Up hill was tough but the views were fantastic at the top. However what you go up you must come down, this was really enjoyable if not tricky and dangerous, put it like this if you went over the edge only a parachute would suffice! Our Rodney or Roger as his friends like to call him, well me anyway, thankfully only nearly found this out to his cost as while negotiating one of these tricky hair pins, his back wheel locked and only stopped inches from the edge. A passing car wound down the window in their car and told Rodney he must have an angel in the sky, so thankfully there was no need for the sandwiches and jammy joeys or the china cups! As Raymond and I cycled to the finish together as it was all for one and one for all, BULL….! I heard someone who sounded very like Simpson shout “come on Mackers , Rinty” 112 miles of hills, hair pin bends and it was the only time I nearly fell off the bike, and, yes it was Simpson who had flown out for the day, yes, for the day. It gave us a massive lift at that time taking our minds off what lay ahead. Help from the volunteers is 2nd to none as they helped us get out onto the run. Nothing prepared me for how hard it would be to get my head round having to do a marathon after what we had just done even though you know and prepare in training as best you can. The heat was stifling reportedly 32degrees. Raymond and I started out on the run together with a run 8 minute walk 2 minute strategy sound advice we had got from veteran ironman Peter Jack. I told Raymond to go on as I could sense he was strong and I was not feeling well and slowed down hoping I would come around. The most frightening thing was on the first lap when we saw 3 competitors being treated by paramedics on the side of the road and the ambulance seemed to be going up and down that road more often than I was, certainly faster! The only thing about the marathon is because its laps you met all the other guys and realised that every one had made it this far plus we were able to encourage each other. Conal gave me a great tip to drink coke and water, this helped settle my stomach which meant I was able to concentrate on how I was going to get around this course. I adopted a new plan of 5 minute run 2 minute walk which thankfully I was able to keep up. The showers they had on the run were a life saver, I never missed one, as they kept me alert. As time went by I met each of the mafia on their last lap and this was actually quite emotional! As I congratulated each one of them it inspired me to make sure I would join them at the finish. As I made my way wearily round each lap right to the last Anne, Siobhan, Fiona, John Joe, Simpson, Conor, Cormac, Jay, Jody, Jessica, Stephanie plus boyfriend and Conal’s wife and sister were there to give a much needed lift each lap and I know ALL the boys really appreciated their support, this support can not be underestimated on the day or more importantly through weeks and months previous especially from families of all the boys you are all legends! Also amazingly there were 4 or 5 different groups of people who had stood for every lap, it felt like we knew each other and by the last lap they were out high fiveing and hugging me, unbelieveable. When I eventually hit the 40k mark there was no stopping me, the only good thing about finishing in the last hour is that they really crank up the support so coming down through the packed grand stand is something I will never forget, my son Conor was waiting half way down, we ran slowly through the finish line together 15 HOURS AND 10 MINUTES 59 SECONDS LATER!!!! Worth every minute or should that be penny!
A big congratulations to all 8 triangle members, you did the club proud, but a special mention to the magnificent Magherafelt Mafia 7, a great achievement from one town.
A big thank you to all those who gave us advice, coaching and support through the months of the hard slog that is iron man training.
REGARDS
Paul Mc Erlain
On the flight over you could sense the nervousness and excitement, some were reading triathlon magazines looking for last minute tips others reading papers and doing cross words. Chris and Raymond however had the pleasure of sitting with none other than Pamela Ballentine and judging from the laughter coming from the reserved seats at the front I think it was more of an enlightening experience for Pamela who was keen on meeting up with Chris in Nice, but, unfortunately for Pamela, Chris had other things planned for the weekend!
On the Friday we visited the expo and got registered. It was quite something to see the physical shape of other competitors and it started to hit home if hadn’t before the magnitude of what we were taking on. This was helped however with the arrival of John Joe Muldoon (fellow member of Triangle) who had arrived to support us all, something that cannot be underestimated in how it would keep us going.
That evening we built our bikes up, Anne (my wife) was amazed at my technical expertise when it came to my bike as DIY would not be a strong point of mine at home! Artie and Anthony were first to take their bikes out to test everything was in working order, but, as it turned out the bikes were fine, but, staying on them was a different matter, well, for Anthony any way who took a tumble trying to avoid sailing over somebody’s car bonnet. So when Anthony came back thankfully, in one piece and told us what had happened we thought, forearmed is forewarned, so Kevin and I headed out on our bikes being extra careful, feeling pretty good about ourselves but then bang, I hit a kerb from the wrong angle and crashed to the ground , not satisfied with that I brought Kevin down on top of me in front of a crowded café who tried very hard to contain their laughter. For a split second I thought “was this the end of my iron man even before I start or even worse I am responsible for ending someone else’s even if it was only Kevin?”, but I knew he would be forgiving! However not to be out done Chris and John Joe had similar falls that evening as well. So 4 out of 7 want to be iron men had fallen from the bikes before a ball was kicked so to speak. Hopefully this would not be a sign of things to come.
On Saturday nobody travelled too far saving our energy.
You could sense the nerves and anticipation of what lay ahead among everyone. It was interesting listening to what strategy the boys were going to use on Sunday except for Kevin who wasn’t sharing anything with any one but we’re used to Kevin not sharing anything with any one! While most of us had planned to hold back and hopefully make the finish line, Chris thought he would stop off and have “a wee cup of coffee” along the cycle route but I am not sure this strategy would be applied on the day.
IRON MAN SUNDAY
The big day was finally here, months of hard work would finally be put to the ultimate test. Up at 3.45am a light breakfast was had by all and then it was down to Promenade des Anglais. It was a very quiet walk although Artie was telling every one that the training had been done and we would all make it to the finish line which was reassuring from some one with Artie’s experience. As we arrived at transition everyone went to check on their bikes, as we were doing this there was a loud bang, for a second I thought it was Chris but no some unfortunate soul had blown up one of their tyres! Thankfully it was none of the Magherafelt Mafia. Wet suit on we headed down to the start which we just about made as some of the boys had a last minute toilet stop to make, won’t mention any names this time. The atmosphere was electric everyone anticipating the starters horn, then over 2,500 triathletes charged into the sea well most of them anyway, I, personally took a more casual approach, usually when you do a triathlon at home it’s the cold water that catches your breathe but no such problems here, only difficulty here was making sure you were heading in the right direction. Swimming is my weakest event and I found the first loop of the swim quite difficult not physically but mentally, I just kept thinking of all the training I had put in and the support I have had from Anne and the kids etc, if I could just get over the swim! So when I got out of the first loop and heard John Joe shouting at me to keep it going I suddenly got a new lease of life, thankfully the second loop seemed that bit easier although I felt a bit sea sick when I got out of the water but again I could hear my name being shouted, Anne, Conor, Siobhan and Cormac (Kevin’s son) were cheering me on which gave me a real lift. On hind sight, Anne, knowing how worried I was about the swim before hand said to me when I came out of the water “you’ve done the swim you’ll finish it now”, ultimately she was right, but, post event to think that I had over 13 hours to go, I can smile to myself. Slowly into transition I was thinking all the boys would be well on their way I was surprised to see Raymond looking as bad as I felt, he actually suffered worse from sea sickness than I did however as the day would go on Raymond came into his own. Once out on the bike I felt elated even more so when I looked over towards the sea and there were still swimmers in the water, it was reassuring to know I am not the slowest swimmer in an event like this. My strategy on the bike was to cycle within myself and save energy for the run. The first steep hill we had to go up was challenging and some cyclist were even walking up it which was surprising, shortly after I caught up with Raymond, we met on the cycle back and forward all day.
We wondered how every one was getting on but not sure we would catch any of the other boys , we wondered had Chris that wee cup of coffee yet! At the top of the 21km climb we saw someone spread eagled at the side of the road, bike abandoned, a little closer look revealed it was our Chris taking in a few rays of sun before moving on, a prospect Chris wasn’t that eager to embrace. So when Raymond and myself thought we had him up and running again Chris thought it was a good idea to meet some of the other competitors finding out everything apart from their inside leg measurements. Needless to say we left Chris to his socialising, I wanted to wait but Raymond was having none of it! Afraid of dehydrating I drank on a regular basis which as a side affect meant stopping quite a lot for loo visits. Up hill was tough but the views were fantastic at the top. However what you go up you must come down, this was really enjoyable if not tricky and dangerous, put it like this if you went over the edge only a parachute would suffice! Our Rodney or Roger as his friends like to call him, well me anyway, thankfully only nearly found this out to his cost as while negotiating one of these tricky hair pins, his back wheel locked and only stopped inches from the edge. A passing car wound down the window in their car and told Rodney he must have an angel in the sky, so thankfully there was no need for the sandwiches and jammy joeys or the china cups! As Raymond and I cycled to the finish together as it was all for one and one for all, BULL….! I heard someone who sounded very like Simpson shout “come on Mackers , Rinty” 112 miles of hills, hair pin bends and it was the only time I nearly fell off the bike, and, yes it was Simpson who had flown out for the day, yes, for the day. It gave us a massive lift at that time taking our minds off what lay ahead. Help from the volunteers is 2nd to none as they helped us get out onto the run. Nothing prepared me for how hard it would be to get my head round having to do a marathon after what we had just done even though you know and prepare in training as best you can. The heat was stifling reportedly 32degrees. Raymond and I started out on the run together with a run 8 minute walk 2 minute strategy sound advice we had got from veteran ironman Peter Jack. I told Raymond to go on as I could sense he was strong and I was not feeling well and slowed down hoping I would come around. The most frightening thing was on the first lap when we saw 3 competitors being treated by paramedics on the side of the road and the ambulance seemed to be going up and down that road more often than I was, certainly faster! The only thing about the marathon is because its laps you met all the other guys and realised that every one had made it this far plus we were able to encourage each other. Conal gave me a great tip to drink coke and water, this helped settle my stomach which meant I was able to concentrate on how I was going to get around this course. I adopted a new plan of 5 minute run 2 minute walk which thankfully I was able to keep up. The showers they had on the run were a life saver, I never missed one, as they kept me alert. As time went by I met each of the mafia on their last lap and this was actually quite emotional! As I congratulated each one of them it inspired me to make sure I would join them at the finish. As I made my way wearily round each lap right to the last Anne, Siobhan, Fiona, John Joe, Simpson, Conor, Cormac, Jay, Jody, Jessica, Stephanie plus boyfriend and Conal’s wife and sister were there to give a much needed lift each lap and I know ALL the boys really appreciated their support, this support can not be underestimated on the day or more importantly through weeks and months previous especially from families of all the boys you are all legends! Also amazingly there were 4 or 5 different groups of people who had stood for every lap, it felt like we knew each other and by the last lap they were out high fiveing and hugging me, unbelieveable. When I eventually hit the 40k mark there was no stopping me, the only good thing about finishing in the last hour is that they really crank up the support so coming down through the packed grand stand is something I will never forget, my son Conor was waiting half way down, we ran slowly through the finish line together 15 HOURS AND 10 MINUTES 59 SECONDS LATER!!!! Worth every minute or should that be penny!
A big congratulations to all 8 triangle members, you did the club proud, but a special mention to the magnificent Magherafelt Mafia 7, a great achievement from one town.
A big thank you to all those who gave us advice, coaching and support through the months of the hard slog that is iron man training.
REGARDS
Paul Mc Erlain
Saturday, 8 August 2009
Mourne Triathlon 01 August 2009
The weather threatened to break all week – with wind and rain forecast for Saturday 01 August. Adam and I had agreed to meet at my house at 8.45. When Adam pulled up, I had the car packed, my bike racked, and was set to go. Adam announced that he had borrowed Paul (Fletcher’s) Crevelo Time Trial bike, so with this precious cargo, we decided that my bike would be racked on Adam’s car, and Adam’s bike (Paul’s) would be securely wrapped up inside – we’re off! As we drove to Castlewellan, I could not help thinking about Peter attacking his tenth Ironman, and felt like a bit of a fake, even feeling one bit nervous about the plunge into the lake in County Down.
Castlewellan Country Park is the ideal setting for an open - water triathlon. The lake looked a little rough but the walk out to the swim start along the lakeside was quite calming, as we chatted and compared stories of previous years, and previous events.
The swim start was strange for me, as we spread out across the lake behind a row of canoeists and treaded water waiting on the hooter to blow. Those who had prior knowledge of the race choose a perfect race line by starting far out in the lake, but without the local knowledge, I opted to stay on the far right nearer to the bank. Anyone who was not wildly confident in open water would like this start, because with the participants being spread out, there was less chance of a kick in the head, or worse.
The bike course was an out and back 33K towards Rathfriland. I like out and back, as it affords me the opportunity to see the other members of the Team Triangle, and shout a few words of encouragement, but with battling the hills, wind and rain, the words were short and sweet on Saturday.
I did manage to spot Adam, whizzing in the opposite direction, giving Paul’s bike a good run for it’s money.
The run leg could not be better – two laps of a trail path around the lake. Perfect underfoot conditions, and ideal scenery, if you had a chance to look around you. I knew coming into T2 that I had a lot of work to do to catch some of the ladies up ahead. Adam was finished when I came around for my second lap, and in true team spirit, shouted “Come on Al”, which spurred me on out through the second lap. I had cut my toe on glass on the slipway as I exited the swim, but brave woman that I am, (hardy soul,); I did not notice the pain until I crossed the line, and when removing my chip noticed the blood pouring (well seeping) through my trainers.
The Castlewellan event, now 20 years on the scene, consisted of a 1km swim, a 33km cycle and an 8km, 2-lap trail run around the lake. Ulster's most successful triathletes, and former National Champions, overcame challenging conditions and a competitive field.
Trudy Brown from the host Club and Brian Campbell from Hi Elbow, added to their season's tally as they produced top class performances on the testing Castlewellan course.
We had five athletes out in the black and red, with another top ten finish from Adam Wilson (1.37), followed by Gavin O’Kane in 1.53, I was next (1.57 and 2nd VET, or second old woman as my husband calls it). Conal Heatley put in another sterling performance (2.05), having competed in the Riada 5 mile road race the previous night, and Johnny Graham completed the team in 2.09. Group hug, lots of well wishing, and we began to plot and plan the next big event - Groomsport.
Now, how was Peter getting on in Sweden, and Kay and Anne in Alpe d’Huez?
What about Castlewellan for a Club race next year? It’s close, it’s an ideal setting, and the goody bag was reasonable.
Castlewellan Country Park is the ideal setting for an open - water triathlon. The lake looked a little rough but the walk out to the swim start along the lakeside was quite calming, as we chatted and compared stories of previous years, and previous events.
The swim start was strange for me, as we spread out across the lake behind a row of canoeists and treaded water waiting on the hooter to blow. Those who had prior knowledge of the race choose a perfect race line by starting far out in the lake, but without the local knowledge, I opted to stay on the far right nearer to the bank. Anyone who was not wildly confident in open water would like this start, because with the participants being spread out, there was less chance of a kick in the head, or worse.
The bike course was an out and back 33K towards Rathfriland. I like out and back, as it affords me the opportunity to see the other members of the Team Triangle, and shout a few words of encouragement, but with battling the hills, wind and rain, the words were short and sweet on Saturday.
I did manage to spot Adam, whizzing in the opposite direction, giving Paul’s bike a good run for it’s money.
The run leg could not be better – two laps of a trail path around the lake. Perfect underfoot conditions, and ideal scenery, if you had a chance to look around you. I knew coming into T2 that I had a lot of work to do to catch some of the ladies up ahead. Adam was finished when I came around for my second lap, and in true team spirit, shouted “Come on Al”, which spurred me on out through the second lap. I had cut my toe on glass on the slipway as I exited the swim, but brave woman that I am, (hardy soul,); I did not notice the pain until I crossed the line, and when removing my chip noticed the blood pouring (well seeping) through my trainers.
The Castlewellan event, now 20 years on the scene, consisted of a 1km swim, a 33km cycle and an 8km, 2-lap trail run around the lake. Ulster's most successful triathletes, and former National Champions, overcame challenging conditions and a competitive field.
Trudy Brown from the host Club and Brian Campbell from Hi Elbow, added to their season's tally as they produced top class performances on the testing Castlewellan course.
We had five athletes out in the black and red, with another top ten finish from Adam Wilson (1.37), followed by Gavin O’Kane in 1.53, I was next (1.57 and 2nd VET, or second old woman as my husband calls it). Conal Heatley put in another sterling performance (2.05), having competed in the Riada 5 mile road race the previous night, and Johnny Graham completed the team in 2.09. Group hug, lots of well wishing, and we began to plot and plan the next big event - Groomsport.
Now, how was Peter getting on in Sweden, and Kay and Anne in Alpe d’Huez?
What about Castlewellan for a Club race next year? It’s close, it’s an ideal setting, and the goody bag was reasonable.
Sunday, 2 August 2009
Alpe D’Huez Triathlon 29th July 09, Long Course
You can imagine who had the idea to do this one!! An intrepid group of four went forth – two competitors, Kay and Anne plus support crew, myself and Ailbhe – our 12 year old son. We arrived at Grenoble Airport and after the obligatory dispute with the car hire firm we squeezed our kit plus four bikes into the car (Ailbhe and I had taken our bikes too!).
The long course race consisted of a 2.2k swim in Lac Du Verny, a 115k cycle including 2 cols and finishing up Alpe D’Huez and then a half marathon at the top of the mountain (i.e. above 1800m).
Kay and Anne were first unnerved when we drove up to the Alpe from the airport. At the bottom of the climb somebody had painted ‘and so it begins’ and immediately the road rises never to level out again. On the Tuesday morning I headed out on the bike and rode up the Col du Glandon and Col de la Croix de Fer. On my way back up the Alpe, I bonked ‘big style’ and had to phone Anne and Kay to come and get me (I was only half way up). Of course they laughed at me but they also were concerned about how severe the climb would be during their race. I had only taken water plus 2 gels for my ride, so re-assured them that they would be OK as long as they kept eating and drinking, and were not as stupid as I had been. I decided not to tell them that our bikes needed a lower gear – the climbs were ridable but would rip the legs off you (well what else should I have done – the race was the next day and they weren’t going to be able to change their gearing).
I took Kay and Anne down to Lac du Verney for the race start. There was an awful lot of lithe, fit bodies of all nationalities (about 700 in all) and both Anne and Kay resolved that they were going to pace themselves to get around the course (it had dawned on them that the race was more akin to an ironman than a long course Olympic). Both Kay and Anne swam well coming out of the water in the front third, but they knew that the swim was insignificant to their overall performance.
Some six and a half hours later, I was standing at the transition in the village of Alpe d’huez getting progressively more worried. I knew that the course was murder and the temperature was 2 degrees higher than when I had bonked on the Alpe. I saw riders falling off their bikes with exhaustion as they came into transition. Most competitors walked into transition, spent a long time recovering during transition and then walked out of transition to the first drinks station. Anne was first of the pair to arrive. The toll the bike had taken on her was obvious as she sat down to change into her running shoes. I shouted some encouragement and she mouthed ‘that was brutal’. Finally she shuffled out onto the run course and I was now panicking just thinking how Kay might be faring. Anne had punctured on the second climb and had taken 15 minutes to change her tub.
Thankfully Kay came into transition not too long later. I called to her and she smiled across to me (much to my relief). I knew that, if the pair of them had hauled themselves up the Alpe, there was no way that these two ladies were not going to finish. At that moment I had very mixed feelings – I was incredulous about what they were doing as I knew it was beyond me but part of me also wanted them to stop as the event was taking so much out of them. I knew that this wasn’t going to happen so out I went onto the three lap run course to show support and take photos!! Later Kay confessed to stopping on the Alpe for 15 mins after she passed out, suffering from heat stroke. She decided to sneak away from the race marshalls in case they would not let her start again.
As if the bike course was not tough enough, the race organisers took the triathletes up every hill they could find with a suitable running surface, and some hills that did not. It was hot, dusty and windy. Needless to say both Anne and Kay both finished the race after a total of 3,280 metres of climbing in 9:09 (Anne) and 9:18(Kay), and two scary women are now (in my eyes anyway) scarier still. Seldom will you come across better examples of training, racing and resolve, and more resolve.
If you are tempted by the Alpe D’Huez Long Course Triathlon – invest in your resolve (and a compact chain set), you will need both.
The long course race consisted of a 2.2k swim in Lac Du Verny, a 115k cycle including 2 cols and finishing up Alpe D’Huez and then a half marathon at the top of the mountain (i.e. above 1800m).
Kay and Anne were first unnerved when we drove up to the Alpe from the airport. At the bottom of the climb somebody had painted ‘and so it begins’ and immediately the road rises never to level out again. On the Tuesday morning I headed out on the bike and rode up the Col du Glandon and Col de la Croix de Fer. On my way back up the Alpe, I bonked ‘big style’ and had to phone Anne and Kay to come and get me (I was only half way up). Of course they laughed at me but they also were concerned about how severe the climb would be during their race. I had only taken water plus 2 gels for my ride, so re-assured them that they would be OK as long as they kept eating and drinking, and were not as stupid as I had been. I decided not to tell them that our bikes needed a lower gear – the climbs were ridable but would rip the legs off you (well what else should I have done – the race was the next day and they weren’t going to be able to change their gearing).
I took Kay and Anne down to Lac du Verney for the race start. There was an awful lot of lithe, fit bodies of all nationalities (about 700 in all) and both Anne and Kay resolved that they were going to pace themselves to get around the course (it had dawned on them that the race was more akin to an ironman than a long course Olympic). Both Kay and Anne swam well coming out of the water in the front third, but they knew that the swim was insignificant to their overall performance.
Some six and a half hours later, I was standing at the transition in the village of Alpe d’huez getting progressively more worried. I knew that the course was murder and the temperature was 2 degrees higher than when I had bonked on the Alpe. I saw riders falling off their bikes with exhaustion as they came into transition. Most competitors walked into transition, spent a long time recovering during transition and then walked out of transition to the first drinks station. Anne was first of the pair to arrive. The toll the bike had taken on her was obvious as she sat down to change into her running shoes. I shouted some encouragement and she mouthed ‘that was brutal’. Finally she shuffled out onto the run course and I was now panicking just thinking how Kay might be faring. Anne had punctured on the second climb and had taken 15 minutes to change her tub.
Thankfully Kay came into transition not too long later. I called to her and she smiled across to me (much to my relief). I knew that, if the pair of them had hauled themselves up the Alpe, there was no way that these two ladies were not going to finish. At that moment I had very mixed feelings – I was incredulous about what they were doing as I knew it was beyond me but part of me also wanted them to stop as the event was taking so much out of them. I knew that this wasn’t going to happen so out I went onto the three lap run course to show support and take photos!! Later Kay confessed to stopping on the Alpe for 15 mins after she passed out, suffering from heat stroke. She decided to sneak away from the race marshalls in case they would not let her start again.
As if the bike course was not tough enough, the race organisers took the triathletes up every hill they could find with a suitable running surface, and some hills that did not. It was hot, dusty and windy. Needless to say both Anne and Kay both finished the race after a total of 3,280 metres of climbing in 9:09 (Anne) and 9:18(Kay), and two scary women are now (in my eyes anyway) scarier still. Seldom will you come across better examples of training, racing and resolve, and more resolve.
If you are tempted by the Alpe D’Huez Long Course Triathlon – invest in your resolve (and a compact chain set), you will need both.
Thursday, 16 July 2009
All Ireland Metalman Triathlon – Rosses – Point, Sligo.
Bank to my roots…..my first Olympic.
Having grown up in Rosses Point, and assisted with water rescue and the water and feed stations for the All - Ireland Triathlons which were held in the village in the 80s and early 90’s, when I heard that the “Metalman Triathlon” was to be re-launched, it was a must on my calendar, and what better a place to tackle my first Olympic distance than on this familiar ground.
The lead up to the race was a challenge in itself, having struggled with a chest infection for over three weeks, and as I drove to Sligo on the 11th of July, I was still croaking, coughing, and spluttering, (it’s good to get the excuses in early), with my husband questioning whether or not I had totally lost the plot even contemplating this race.
There was the option to register the night before, so I headed to the Yacht Club, to sign my swim proficiency, and collect my chip. As I parked at the club, I could hardly get the car door open, as it was blowing a gale and raining, and the still, clear calm Rosses Point bay, that I remembered from my youth, was rough and grey.
I awoke on Sunday morning – still a bit dark and dreary outside, but preached to myself, that this was sport, a pastime after all, and not to be taken too seriously. “Enjoy it Alison”, the voice in my head kept telling me.
I had a good breakfast at the Radisson Hotel, where a few other triathletes sat quietly, fuelling on bananas, nuts and whatever other delights were on offer from the buffet. I was seated beside a guy from the Olympia, Tri Club, who questioned my athletic ability, but was impressed that I belonged to “Peter’s Club”.
Car packed and off to get organised. I think it was fate that I drove up and parked beside Gavin O’Kane, who was parked next to Julian Grimes (from Magherafelt). I was reassured by the support that this sense of team provided, and after a quick spin on the bike, to make sure all was in order, I racked it at transition, and organised that rest of my kit. It was still very windy, the sea still looked grey and rough, and then it started to rain. Simpson (who was holidaying in the nearby Ballyshannon) had taken the early morning drive to the Point, to support his teammates. Now what about that for dedication. Again, this sense of team support warmed me, and soon the Team Triangle was complete, with the arrival of Paul (Fletcher), Gary (Kendall) and Adam (Wilson) in Paul’s van.
Race briefing warned us on the perils of open water swimming, particularly in the rough sea, and of every climb on the cycle route, which was on open roads. After this, armed with goggles and hats, we headed off for the (what seemed to me, long) walk to the swim start. The start was to be a run off the beach, but owing to the rough seas, the race organisers opted for a “waist deep” start, and as I waded in, Gary was along side me, and he advised me that he was not happy. How did he think I felt. I confirmed my race tactics to lie back a bit, and remembered Johnnie’s (Goldie) advice to conserve energy in the swim, and that I would be fine.
And we’re off! I did as instructed, and swam easy out past the first buoy, the swim then headed in a straight line parallel to the beaches, past buoy two, buoy three and then the swim in. When I stood up in the water, I recollected my time as a marshall standing on this very beach, and could not quite fathom that the roles were now reversed. Up the slipway, and I could hear Simpson and Johnnie shouting “get up that hill girl”, so I made a half hearted attempt at a run, until I reached the shower shoot, (now that was a great idea), and into T1. What to wear? Jacket or no jacket? Would I be cold? Then Gavin’s advice from earlier rang in my ears, when he reminded me that he had once been unable to complete an Olympic, because he was so cold when he came in off the bike. Jacket it was. Then I heard my Mum shouting “Get a move on Alison”. Obviously seeing the look on my face she toned it down to “well done love. Keep it going.”
The next shout came from Johnnie and Sarah as I exited T1, (“This is the easy bit!”) and I was off towards Grange village. Easy bit?? The bike was an undulating course, from Rosses Point to Sligo, out through Rathcormac village, on to Drumcliffe village (past Yeats burial ground) and on towards the turn around just before Grange village. A climb back up the hill, and I was homeward bound. The good thing about the out – back course is that it gives you the opportunity to see the rest of the Triangle gang, particularly, if like me, you are further down the pack.
As I was perhaps 4k out from the village on the return leg of the bike, Trudi Brown (first lady home) passed me on the first leg of her run. What skill, which is only to be admired, so I shouted, “well done Trudi” and knuckled down.
T2 to the shouts of my husband, and my parents, and Julian passed me on the bike on the way in. It is always a welcome relief for me to rack my bike, and know that whatever happens now, I should be OK. This is definitely the easiest bit (not easy, just easier), and a tried to smile for Simpson’s camera as I exited T2, and headed for Rosses Point promenade.
As I left the village, Adam was leading Team Triangle in towards the finish, and I shouted a few words of encouragement. With this Julian passed me on the inside, saying “Don’t you just hate that. He is on the way in and we’re on the way out.” This incentivised Julian, and he took off like a hare! Next thing I knew I had turned at Ballincar, and was now on the final furlong.
The finish was on the prom. The crowd was good, given that the sun was now trying to break through, and the rest of the gang were waiting patiently at the finish to welcome me home. What a relief, and what a great feeling to have completed my first Olympic in my home village. I never imagined in the 1980’s that I would be a triathlete. It was all over.
The final results: Adam Wilson 2.14, Paul Fletcher 2.16, Gary Kendall 2.28, Gavin O’Kane 2.44, Julian Grimes 2.45, and Alison Rankin 2.46.
Thanks to Simpson, Elish, Johnnie, Sarah, Michael, Mum and Dad for their support for Team Triangle. Same place next year, and here’s hoping we will have a greater splash of red and black.
Having grown up in Rosses Point, and assisted with water rescue and the water and feed stations for the All - Ireland Triathlons which were held in the village in the 80s and early 90’s, when I heard that the “Metalman Triathlon” was to be re-launched, it was a must on my calendar, and what better a place to tackle my first Olympic distance than on this familiar ground.
The lead up to the race was a challenge in itself, having struggled with a chest infection for over three weeks, and as I drove to Sligo on the 11th of July, I was still croaking, coughing, and spluttering, (it’s good to get the excuses in early), with my husband questioning whether or not I had totally lost the plot even contemplating this race.
There was the option to register the night before, so I headed to the Yacht Club, to sign my swim proficiency, and collect my chip. As I parked at the club, I could hardly get the car door open, as it was blowing a gale and raining, and the still, clear calm Rosses Point bay, that I remembered from my youth, was rough and grey.
I awoke on Sunday morning – still a bit dark and dreary outside, but preached to myself, that this was sport, a pastime after all, and not to be taken too seriously. “Enjoy it Alison”, the voice in my head kept telling me.
I had a good breakfast at the Radisson Hotel, where a few other triathletes sat quietly, fuelling on bananas, nuts and whatever other delights were on offer from the buffet. I was seated beside a guy from the Olympia, Tri Club, who questioned my athletic ability, but was impressed that I belonged to “Peter’s Club”.
Car packed and off to get organised. I think it was fate that I drove up and parked beside Gavin O’Kane, who was parked next to Julian Grimes (from Magherafelt). I was reassured by the support that this sense of team provided, and after a quick spin on the bike, to make sure all was in order, I racked it at transition, and organised that rest of my kit. It was still very windy, the sea still looked grey and rough, and then it started to rain. Simpson (who was holidaying in the nearby Ballyshannon) had taken the early morning drive to the Point, to support his teammates. Now what about that for dedication. Again, this sense of team support warmed me, and soon the Team Triangle was complete, with the arrival of Paul (Fletcher), Gary (Kendall) and Adam (Wilson) in Paul’s van.
Race briefing warned us on the perils of open water swimming, particularly in the rough sea, and of every climb on the cycle route, which was on open roads. After this, armed with goggles and hats, we headed off for the (what seemed to me, long) walk to the swim start. The start was to be a run off the beach, but owing to the rough seas, the race organisers opted for a “waist deep” start, and as I waded in, Gary was along side me, and he advised me that he was not happy. How did he think I felt. I confirmed my race tactics to lie back a bit, and remembered Johnnie’s (Goldie) advice to conserve energy in the swim, and that I would be fine.
And we’re off! I did as instructed, and swam easy out past the first buoy, the swim then headed in a straight line parallel to the beaches, past buoy two, buoy three and then the swim in. When I stood up in the water, I recollected my time as a marshall standing on this very beach, and could not quite fathom that the roles were now reversed. Up the slipway, and I could hear Simpson and Johnnie shouting “get up that hill girl”, so I made a half hearted attempt at a run, until I reached the shower shoot, (now that was a great idea), and into T1. What to wear? Jacket or no jacket? Would I be cold? Then Gavin’s advice from earlier rang in my ears, when he reminded me that he had once been unable to complete an Olympic, because he was so cold when he came in off the bike. Jacket it was. Then I heard my Mum shouting “Get a move on Alison”. Obviously seeing the look on my face she toned it down to “well done love. Keep it going.”
The next shout came from Johnnie and Sarah as I exited T1, (“This is the easy bit!”) and I was off towards Grange village. Easy bit?? The bike was an undulating course, from Rosses Point to Sligo, out through Rathcormac village, on to Drumcliffe village (past Yeats burial ground) and on towards the turn around just before Grange village. A climb back up the hill, and I was homeward bound. The good thing about the out – back course is that it gives you the opportunity to see the rest of the Triangle gang, particularly, if like me, you are further down the pack.
As I was perhaps 4k out from the village on the return leg of the bike, Trudi Brown (first lady home) passed me on the first leg of her run. What skill, which is only to be admired, so I shouted, “well done Trudi” and knuckled down.
T2 to the shouts of my husband, and my parents, and Julian passed me on the bike on the way in. It is always a welcome relief for me to rack my bike, and know that whatever happens now, I should be OK. This is definitely the easiest bit (not easy, just easier), and a tried to smile for Simpson’s camera as I exited T2, and headed for Rosses Point promenade.
As I left the village, Adam was leading Team Triangle in towards the finish, and I shouted a few words of encouragement. With this Julian passed me on the inside, saying “Don’t you just hate that. He is on the way in and we’re on the way out.” This incentivised Julian, and he took off like a hare! Next thing I knew I had turned at Ballincar, and was now on the final furlong.
The finish was on the prom. The crowd was good, given that the sun was now trying to break through, and the rest of the gang were waiting patiently at the finish to welcome me home. What a relief, and what a great feeling to have completed my first Olympic in my home village. I never imagined in the 1980’s that I would be a triathlete. It was all over.
The final results: Adam Wilson 2.14, Paul Fletcher 2.16, Gary Kendall 2.28, Gavin O’Kane 2.44, Julian Grimes 2.45, and Alison Rankin 2.46.
Thanks to Simpson, Elish, Johnnie, Sarah, Michael, Mum and Dad for their support for Team Triangle. Same place next year, and here’s hoping we will have a greater splash of red and black.
Monday, 29 June 2009
Hell of the West
You may recall my installment last year when Kay and I went on holiday and ended up doing the Carrick-on-Suir triathlon? If you don’t (and I am trying to forget it as well) I should tell you that one of the outcomes was that Kay won her age group and her prize was a weekend for 2 in Killarney. Since the start of the season Kay has scanned the Triathlon Ireland calendar and google maps websites to find a triathlon that would put her prize to good use. Finally I was asked if I would like to do the Irish Championships. I have long held the view that those, like myself, who are over the hill should make the best of life before they are under the hill. I duly agreed to enter and found out later that I was destined for the ‘Hell of the West’ (a race based in Kilkee, Co. Clare). Neither Kay or I had entered with any expectation in terms of performance – she needed to test her injury plagued leg in the run with a view to getting around L’Alpe D’Huez triathlon at the end of July and I just needed to practice my open water swimming and kick off my triathlon season.
The most hellish aspect of the whole affair was getting to Kilkee. We set off on the Friday morning in glorious sunshine and it felt like we were going on holiday. Granny was minding the kids so it was just Kay and me off for a weekend on our own – whoopeeeee! We decided on a western route through Sligo and Galway – big mistake, very scenic but we should have gone via Dublin. We registered Friday evening in Kilkee which was bathed in warm sunshine, no wind and calm seas – definitely Mediterranean in feel. I felt chilled, like a nice evening sitting in the sun, drinking a little too much beer and perhaps relaxing to the point when we would sing (out of tune) with the locals – the scene was perfect except for the fact that we were to compete in a triathlon the morning. But you know how it is at these events – the relaxation is shaken by the sight of all those fit looking tanned young people strutting about in shades, limbering up, playing with carbon fibre kit and wearing compression gear in the sunshine (still don’t know what’s that about – especially when it is hot?). For Kay and I it would be the first race of the triathlon season and we were twitchy - obviously we couldn’t be outdone and so had to strut too; so I sucked in the belly (as best I could) and took a quick spin out on our bikes (to get to somewhere where I could start breathing properly again). It was then I discovered that I had put the wrong rear cassette on my wheel and that the chain slipped in gears 2-4 (inclusive). After some liberal cursing I realised that I couldn’t fix it so it was just too bad, I would just have to ride in the other gears.
Early on race day we loaded all our kit into the car and set off. The crowds of triathletes were incredible and snapped me out of my holiday reverie. The race started in two waves: wave 1 was male under 40, wave 2 was all the rest of us attired in bright pink swim caps. There was just over 600 competitors in the race and I was concerned about the swim start in such a large field. I decided to start at the back so that I would not get wacked or worse. On the face of it this seemed like a reasonable approach as swimming is never going to be my forte and this was my first open water swim this year. Once we started it became apparent that I should have been less intimidated by the large field. I was too far back and after swimming over a few competitors it was plain that there were too many in front who were worse swimmers than me – my speed however would not warrant swimming over the top of so many other weak swimmers. I had to wait a while until the field thinned out before I could make my way through the competitors. It did mean however that I could not get a tow off another swimmer but this was no big deal. My objective for the race was just to get round and not to stop in the run (as I had done in my last 3 olympic distances). The swim was good – nice, calm seas so I was happy and I actually enjoyed it. The only problem I had was sighting on the home leg – the sun glare off the sea was blinding (I don’t feel it’s really legitimate to moan about sunshine at an Irish Triathlon). Towards the end of the swim I was surprised to pass some of the swimmers from the first wave who had started 10 minutes earlier.
Out onto the bike course and into a slight headwind. Again the large field gave me a totally false impression. I normally make up a decent number of places on the bike leg but this seemed ridiculous – I seemed to be overtaking everyone – obviously they were the weak swimmers like myself from wave 2 and the tail end swimmers from wave 1. There I was bombing along on my ‘limited gearing’ bike (frame bought for £40 on e-bay) passing all these competitors on top notch carbon fibre steeds clad with rear discs, zipp 404s etc. My mind was trying to deal with the conflict between feelings of immense satisfaction (me smug?) and mega-doubts as to whether I was going too hard. I don’t ride with a speedometer, HRM or any other device so there was no objective measure – except I was not breathing hard and my competitors seemed to be going backwards. Another observation confused me – there were groups of riders who were plainly drafting and some groups had organised themselves to do ‘through and off’, but the funny thing was that they were not going fast. They were cheating and still going slow – duh! Never had the phrase ‘all the gear and no idea’ seemed more appropriate. The bike leg was 45k and I only felt uncomfortable towards the end and that was a consequence of a backache due to the rough road surface.
Out onto the run leg and a short level run along the promenade was ended by a left turn up a hill. I knew it was 5km uphill and then a return downhill and thought I would be ok. I had not gone too hard on the bike as I knew there would be trouble for me on the run, and I was right. Now some of the competitors that I had passed earlier on the bike came skipping past as I laboured up the hill. It felt as if they may as well have been flicking the Vs to me – I was annoyed by being passed but I could not do anything about it. I resolved to keep my diesel engine going up the hill and ignore the two-stroke engines powering past me. I could find no speed or induce any rhythm into my run – I just began to suffer in the sun. I spotted Kay as she passed on her return leg down the hill, there was no sign of her injury but she didn’t seem to recognise me? As I neared the top of the hill there was a slight breeze and although the hill steepened a bit, the cool air was delicious. I descended with a plod and nothing else entered my mind but to get to the finish without stopping – no further thoughts of racing came into my head: I was spent.
How good it was to reach the finish line - my first triathlon of the season had been bagged – more lessons learnt and more races to enter.
I crossed the line and they handed me a bottle of water. Six bottles of water later Kay found me sitting in the shade of a tent chatting to a South African guy, who now lives in Galway. ‘How did you go?’ I asked, ‘OK I think ‘ Kay says. She had only just become Irish age-group Champion! I did OK, she did champion. She had not seen me on the run as she had been focussed on catching her age-group competitor up ahead.
Kay finished in 138th overall in 2:37:33, first in her age group and Irish Age-group Champion for the second year running. I finished 185th overall in 2:41:55. That’s the good thing about starting at the back of a race – you get to overtake about 400 people!!
Sitting in my kitchen (Sunday evening) I can only report that the Hell of the West is a complete misnomer – the race was great, weather was fantastic, the course was fair and the people were wonderful, the most hellish part of it all was the journey there and back. Unfortunately, the management at the hotel messed up our booking and on the 2nd night we got downgraded from our suite to a normal room. To recompense for this travesty( actually I could have slept on the washing line) they have given us another voucher to stay there again. As we were traveling back home, I could see Kay scouring the atlas and uttering the immortal words
" do you fancy doing Kenmare next year .....?"
I don't even want to know what that is.
BTW for those interested in the elite rather than the 'also rans' the new overall Irish Champions are David Graham (2:08:56) and Elena Maslova (2:23:17).
The most hellish aspect of the whole affair was getting to Kilkee. We set off on the Friday morning in glorious sunshine and it felt like we were going on holiday. Granny was minding the kids so it was just Kay and me off for a weekend on our own – whoopeeeee! We decided on a western route through Sligo and Galway – big mistake, very scenic but we should have gone via Dublin. We registered Friday evening in Kilkee which was bathed in warm sunshine, no wind and calm seas – definitely Mediterranean in feel. I felt chilled, like a nice evening sitting in the sun, drinking a little too much beer and perhaps relaxing to the point when we would sing (out of tune) with the locals – the scene was perfect except for the fact that we were to compete in a triathlon the morning. But you know how it is at these events – the relaxation is shaken by the sight of all those fit looking tanned young people strutting about in shades, limbering up, playing with carbon fibre kit and wearing compression gear in the sunshine (still don’t know what’s that about – especially when it is hot?). For Kay and I it would be the first race of the triathlon season and we were twitchy - obviously we couldn’t be outdone and so had to strut too; so I sucked in the belly (as best I could) and took a quick spin out on our bikes (to get to somewhere where I could start breathing properly again). It was then I discovered that I had put the wrong rear cassette on my wheel and that the chain slipped in gears 2-4 (inclusive). After some liberal cursing I realised that I couldn’t fix it so it was just too bad, I would just have to ride in the other gears.
Early on race day we loaded all our kit into the car and set off. The crowds of triathletes were incredible and snapped me out of my holiday reverie. The race started in two waves: wave 1 was male under 40, wave 2 was all the rest of us attired in bright pink swim caps. There was just over 600 competitors in the race and I was concerned about the swim start in such a large field. I decided to start at the back so that I would not get wacked or worse. On the face of it this seemed like a reasonable approach as swimming is never going to be my forte and this was my first open water swim this year. Once we started it became apparent that I should have been less intimidated by the large field. I was too far back and after swimming over a few competitors it was plain that there were too many in front who were worse swimmers than me – my speed however would not warrant swimming over the top of so many other weak swimmers. I had to wait a while until the field thinned out before I could make my way through the competitors. It did mean however that I could not get a tow off another swimmer but this was no big deal. My objective for the race was just to get round and not to stop in the run (as I had done in my last 3 olympic distances). The swim was good – nice, calm seas so I was happy and I actually enjoyed it. The only problem I had was sighting on the home leg – the sun glare off the sea was blinding (I don’t feel it’s really legitimate to moan about sunshine at an Irish Triathlon). Towards the end of the swim I was surprised to pass some of the swimmers from the first wave who had started 10 minutes earlier.
Out onto the bike course and into a slight headwind. Again the large field gave me a totally false impression. I normally make up a decent number of places on the bike leg but this seemed ridiculous – I seemed to be overtaking everyone – obviously they were the weak swimmers like myself from wave 2 and the tail end swimmers from wave 1. There I was bombing along on my ‘limited gearing’ bike (frame bought for £40 on e-bay) passing all these competitors on top notch carbon fibre steeds clad with rear discs, zipp 404s etc. My mind was trying to deal with the conflict between feelings of immense satisfaction (me smug?) and mega-doubts as to whether I was going too hard. I don’t ride with a speedometer, HRM or any other device so there was no objective measure – except I was not breathing hard and my competitors seemed to be going backwards. Another observation confused me – there were groups of riders who were plainly drafting and some groups had organised themselves to do ‘through and off’, but the funny thing was that they were not going fast. They were cheating and still going slow – duh! Never had the phrase ‘all the gear and no idea’ seemed more appropriate. The bike leg was 45k and I only felt uncomfortable towards the end and that was a consequence of a backache due to the rough road surface.
Out onto the run leg and a short level run along the promenade was ended by a left turn up a hill. I knew it was 5km uphill and then a return downhill and thought I would be ok. I had not gone too hard on the bike as I knew there would be trouble for me on the run, and I was right. Now some of the competitors that I had passed earlier on the bike came skipping past as I laboured up the hill. It felt as if they may as well have been flicking the Vs to me – I was annoyed by being passed but I could not do anything about it. I resolved to keep my diesel engine going up the hill and ignore the two-stroke engines powering past me. I could find no speed or induce any rhythm into my run – I just began to suffer in the sun. I spotted Kay as she passed on her return leg down the hill, there was no sign of her injury but she didn’t seem to recognise me? As I neared the top of the hill there was a slight breeze and although the hill steepened a bit, the cool air was delicious. I descended with a plod and nothing else entered my mind but to get to the finish without stopping – no further thoughts of racing came into my head: I was spent.
How good it was to reach the finish line - my first triathlon of the season had been bagged – more lessons learnt and more races to enter.
I crossed the line and they handed me a bottle of water. Six bottles of water later Kay found me sitting in the shade of a tent chatting to a South African guy, who now lives in Galway. ‘How did you go?’ I asked, ‘OK I think ‘ Kay says. She had only just become Irish age-group Champion! I did OK, she did champion. She had not seen me on the run as she had been focussed on catching her age-group competitor up ahead.
Kay finished in 138th overall in 2:37:33, first in her age group and Irish Age-group Champion for the second year running. I finished 185th overall in 2:41:55. That’s the good thing about starting at the back of a race – you get to overtake about 400 people!!
Sitting in my kitchen (Sunday evening) I can only report that the Hell of the West is a complete misnomer – the race was great, weather was fantastic, the course was fair and the people were wonderful, the most hellish part of it all was the journey there and back. Unfortunately, the management at the hotel messed up our booking and on the 2nd night we got downgraded from our suite to a normal room. To recompense for this travesty( actually I could have slept on the washing line) they have given us another voucher to stay there again. As we were traveling back home, I could see Kay scouring the atlas and uttering the immortal words
" do you fancy doing Kenmare next year .....?"
I don't even want to know what that is.
BTW for those interested in the elite rather than the 'also rans' the new overall Irish Champions are David Graham (2:08:56) and Elena Maslova (2:23:17).
Sunday, 15 March 2009
Anne Paul wins Sperrin Duathlon Series for Triangle Triathlon Club
Sperrin Duathlon Series – March 14 2009 Race Report
Seven athletes from Triangle took to the line for the final race of the three race series. The race followed the same format as the previous editions. All of us were slightly apprehensive before the start due to strong winds (30 mph) out of the North. What this meant was a return leg on the bike that would be both uphill and into the wind (gulp!). Simpson was acting technical delegate for the race and took great pleasure in repeating (ad nauseum) ‘glad I’m not racing today lads’. Anyway he did a great job on the technical front and doubled up as Triangle Photographer (who said men can’t multitask?).
The first run lap around Lough Fea saw Adrian, Anthony and Anne in a big bunch behind the leaders. I was ‘gapped’ but doing my level best to keep the big bunch in sight. I was sure the other guys were on my heels but was not prepared to look over my shoulder. I reached transition thinking that I gone too hard and would be no good on the bike. My transition seemed to take an age and the stress level seemed out the roof!
My helmet had been knocked off the bike in transition but I was fortunate it had not been blown far. I donned my cycling shoes and clomped off towards the bike mount area (as graceful as a bear).
In the last race in the series I had managed to catch Anne during the outward leg of the bike but there was no sign of her white socks to be seen today. Desperate measures were employed – I descended the first part of the bike course in mountain bike style (i.e. like a lunatic) passing Anthony and scaring several runners (hehehe). Despite the Franz Klammer descent I did not see Anne until the turn so she had not hung about either on the way out. The return leg of the cycle was just awful. There was about one minute where I got into timetrial rhythm/mode, the rest was pure slog. All that effort and you were getting nowhere fast (should that be nowhere slow?).
I never thought I would actually say this, but for once I was relieved to rack my bike and start the last run.
As I ran I was expecting Adrian to come steaming past but he had pulled out with a sore hip after the bike. As the run went on and there was no sign off him I began to convince myself that I was going well and would not be caught by my clubmates. But then I heard it – that distinctive sound of Miss Whitesocks’ rapid footfall. Anne gave me a few encouraging words and I returned my best gasps and grunts as she seemed to float past. I clung on as best I could and it meant that I finished the run at pace.
Trilimits plan to hold an evening series of 3 duathlons, over the next 3 months. All events are on a Thursday evening, and will follow a 2:10:2 format. Details, as well as full race results for this series are available at www.trilimits.com.
Report with pics and results also available from main Triangle website
Monday, 23 February 2009
Sperrin Duathlon Race 2
Four Triangle members were on the line for the second race of the Sperrin Duathlon Series near Cookstown. There was a much larger field of 67 athletes for the second race compared to the 38 that had lined up in the freezing conditions of the first race. An upgrade in cycling weaponry was also apparent at this event with mudguard clad steeds thin on the ground.
The race followed the same format as the first race, that is, runs around Lough Fea with an out and back (actually down hill and uphill) bike course favoured over the originally planned circuit route.
Anne and Kay were first and second female athletes home and this performance was all the more creditable given that they were both feeling jaded after a hard training block in Portugal the week previous (personally I don’t think members will sympathise with them for this – just expect more speed in about a months time).
Conditions were good and the times were markedly faster than the first race. Johnny and myself had good races. The horror of T2 and the ensuing run seemed less excruciating and the T2 practice should serve as good preparation for the season ahead. I was even ahead of Annie P up until the last mile of the run – this is evidence of how tired she was. I heard the familiar pitter patter of her quick stride and, without looking round, had no doubt who was about to come past. Thanks for the tow to the finish line Anne. Next race I think I will have to ride pillion on Jonny Dempsey’s motorbike to get anywhere near Anne!
I had expected Rodney Young to race but apparently a surprise 40th Birthday party was held for him on the previous evening. It seems that it surprised him so much that his head throbbed on race day. Strange that, but many congrats.
Final race in the series is on 14th March – go on, get your toe on the line!
See full results and entry for next race at: Trilimits
Gary
Monday, 26 January 2009
SPERRIN DUATHLON SERIES –RACE 1
41 athletes braved the conditions on last Saturday (24th Jan) to take on their first duathlon of 2009. The race consisted of two 2.5 mile runs around Lough Fea interrupted by the 10 mile cycle leg. There was a lot of snow and ice at the Lough and the cycle route was changed to a simple out and back course towards Cookstown (which resulted in a descent outward leg and a climbing return).
After a delayed start (to let the road conditions improve) we were off on the relatively flat trail run around the lake. Whilst the underfoot conditions were snowy it was not too slippery and the course was scenic. The lake is very exposed and a windy day could be severe but we were served a cold still day and the vista was beautiful (as long as you looked away from the quarry). Our initial trepidation about the conditions was soon forgotten once the race was underway.
First home for Triangle and first female athlete home was Anne Paul – congratulations Anne. Rodney and I got ‘close’ to her by the turn on the bike but the return leg uphill cycle and final run left us well behind. Rodney Young was the first male Triangle athlete home (despite my best efforts). Kay was second woman home but had struggled somewhat with her Achilles injury on the runs but biked well and at least she had plenty of snow to ice her leg with afterwards (he adds sympathetically). The race was won by Adam Speer in just under 1hour 6mins followed home by Mike Millar and Bryce Irvine.
I hope I have not omitted any other Triangle athletes from the results table. The course and event was a good one and provided some good early season training – where were all you guys?
Next edition of the Sperrin Duathlon Series is on 21st February – get your toe on the line!
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