Triangle Race Reports

Roe Valley Country Park Trail Run

2011-02-08T13:40:00.001-08:00

Well done to those athletes who took part in the Roe Valley Country Park Trail run on Saturday.

Congratulations to Alison who won the Female Open section at a fabulous time of 32:46 and to Kay who was 2nd in her age group in a time of 38:18 for the 5 mile course.

Adam Wilson finished 5th in the Male Open in a time of 29:32.

Well done to Stephen Keown who did his first race in 35:56 and to Johnny Dempsey who despite a knee injury finished 5th in the Vets and 3rd in the Male 40 category in a fabulous time of just 8 seconds outside 30 mins.

Roger Poland finished well in 34:24; Stephen Morrison 34:53; Iain O’Kane 38:19; Michael Rankin 41:18.

There was another victor in the Kendall/Hack household with Ailbhe Kendall winning the 1,600 metre race in a fine time of 6:43 secs.

It would be fare to say that the race wasn’t sufficiently supported and I have no idea what people want. Do they object to Moore’s Hill which is about 800 metres uphill?

My thanks to the Environment & Heritage Service and to the Springwell marshals who stood out to give everybody a great race.

Diary of a middle distance (age) athlete, Julian Grimes aged 39 and a quarter

2009-10-29T05:11:00.000-07:00

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 …………..

HAWAII IRONMAN 2009

2009-10-26T04:09:00.000-07:00

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.

Dublin City Triathlon

2009-08-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

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!

Lisburn Sprint Plus

2009-08-14T04:32:00.000-07:00

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.

IRON MAN-FRANCE-NICE JUNE 28TH 09

2009-08-10T03:53:00.000-07:00

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

Mourne Triathlon 01 August 2009

2009-08-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

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.

Alpe D’Huez Triathlon 29th July 09, Long Course

2009-08-02T14:30:00.000-07:00

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.

All Ireland Metalman Triathlon – Rosses – Point, Sligo.

2009-07-16T04:41:00.000-07:00

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.

Hell of the West

2009-06-29T05:22:00.000-07:00

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).

Anne Paul wins Sperrin Duathlon Series for Triangle Triathlon Club

2009-03-15T00:52:00.000-07:00

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

Sperrin Duathlon Race 2

2009-02-23T02:51:00.000-08:00

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

SPERRIN DUATHLON SERIES –RACE 1

2009-01-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

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!

Monaco 70.3

2008-09-26T02:28:00.000-07:00

The plan
A long, long time ago - well before the start of this season, there was a plan - Anne and I would both try and qualify for the 70.3 world championships in Florida. Anne had actually achieved this in 2007, so I was fairly confident that she would be able to repeat the feat this year. I was less sure about my own abilities - but this is now old news, I managed to qualify back in June - job done. Now it was Anne's turn. Anne had originally identified a qualifying race in Germany in August, however, having waited for me to get my slot, this race was already full. The only European qualifying event left in the calendar was Monaco, a nice spot if you are a millionaire and have a yacht or a Formula 1 racing car or a penchant for gaming tables - not so much fun for triathletes!

After careful consideration ( at least 2minutes) I decided to go to Monaco with Anne to keep her company- after all there was no pressure on me, I would just go and enjoy the race.
The summer racing season came and went very quickly, and I managed to fit in a couple of olympic distance races and time trials, with Anne warning me about getting properly prepared for the hills and heat that was to come. She was actually lining me up as her domestique- to tow her around the swim and then keep any eye on her competitors during the bike and run!

Registration
The race registration process was an endurance event in itself, including a one hour queue to check in your bike, part of which included a photograph of athlete plus bike for ID purposes. I was hoping that I would still be recognisable when I came to collect my bike after the event.
After registration there was a pre-race pasta party, somehow Anne and I managed to find ourselves at the front of the queue.................
We staggered back to the hotel, a couple of hours later - well that was the carbo loading done!

Race Day
An early start, and the familiar feeling of - I don't really feel like racing to day. The swim was, as most triathlon swims are, swim time is a function of how many times you lose your goggles, your sighting, or get swam over, rather than swimming ability. The idea that Anne could stay on my feet was a non-starter and we soon lost each other.
After a very long run through transition it was onto the bike course. I had a quick look at Anne's transition area and could not see any bikes out yet, so thought that her competitors were still behind me ( fulfilling my role as domestique).

The bike course has three major climbs, with gradients of 5-7%, the web-site blurb suggest that,

"During the 90km, you will discover gorgeous and picturesque villages; each of them is an invitation to a journey into a colourful past. "

However the only thing I saw was my handlebars - either sweating over them on the way up, or gripped with white knuckles on the way down.

Anne caught up with me after about 2 hours into the bike, I had only seen one woman from Anne's age group and she was about 30 seconds further up the road from us. We soon caught her and headed back to Monaco for the run course, needless to say that was the last I saw of Anne.

The 13 mile run, followed a five lap course, partly around the Grand Prix circuit, and (crucially not mentioned on the race website) up a brute of a hill in the centre of Monaco. The crowds however were fantastic, cheering you up the hill every time, with drums and chanting. After a fairly slow run, I completed the course in 5:47, Anne had got round in 5:21. We thought that she had won her age group, but it was difficult to tell as you could see other runners from your age-group on the course, and it was not easy to tell how many laps they had done. The results were available very quickly though- we spotted someone with a laptop in a cafe - and a quick peek over his shoulder showed Anne had won her age group - thus qualifying her for Florida in 2008 and the full Ironman championships in Hawaii in 2009. I was delighted and surprsied to discover that I had got 3rd in my age-group.
This was a great achievement for Anne; her season started very early this year with a brilliant performance in South Africa at the Two Oceans ultra marathon, quickly followed by the Belfast marathon. As the season wore on injury worries were plaguing Anne, and the week before the race she was not well. To pull out this performance required a tremendous effort - and one that should not be taken for granted. Top athletes get it tough too !

GROOMSPORT HALF IREMAN

2008-09-18T04:05:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY EVENING – Take me away

With 5 children, mealtime at the O’Kane household is like feeding time at the zoo, and cleaning up the aftermath is a daunting task to say the least. Therefore on Fridays we get a take away to give Roisin and myself a break. The boys love spicy food and hence it was an Indian all round. I know I will pay for this later, especially as I ordered chilli chicken bhuna………

ACCOMODATION – Millisle Mafia

Decided at the last minute that unlike last year I would stay in Bangor as opposed to travel down morning of the race. A quick Google threw up a few B&B numbers. The first guy informed me that he had no room at the inn and that there wasn’t a chance of getting accommodation anywhere in the area because there was an “iron-thing” on the next day. Took a chance and phoned a 2^nd B&B. A lovely lady answered and said I was out of luck, but told me to phone Margaret who might have a room. “You make sure and tell her that Mary gave you her number as we help each other out”. Margaret didn’t have a room, but informed me excitedly that May definitely has a room. “You make sure and tell her I gave you the number as we help each other out”. May did indeed have a room and asked me what time I’d be down in the afternoon. I let her know that it might not be till 9:30 pm and she asked if I could make it after 10:30 pm as she was going out for her dinner. Worked out just grand and was I snuggled up and asleep by 11:00 pm

RACE DAY – Grunt, snuff, snort, burp, oink

Woke up with a heavy stomach. Wonder what could have caused that? Start the gorging ritual, which this morning included banana, muesli, 4 slices toast, 2 croissants, orange juice and ½ gallon of coffee. Reckoned that would be sufficient to prepare myself to attempt a sub 6-hour assault of the course after having done a 6’17” last year.

SWIM – Conal the barbarian

Transition opened at 7:30 am. The intensity level went up a notch as Peter Jack was given (or did he find!!!!) a microphone at 8:00 am in the morning. PJ managed to be subdued for about 27 seconds before taking things up another few notches, and in the process ensured that all of Groomsport would be awake in time for race start. After the usual briefings etc, we were marshalled to the beach. The water didn’t look too bad and at 9:10 we were off on the first of 2 laps.

Once out in the open water there was definitely a swell and it was pretty hard to see the buoys. However the first lap soon passed and as I approached the shore could see that I was definitely in the top third of the field. My heart sank then when I looked at my watch to see that 22 minutes had elapsed. Completed the second lap, and was really gutted to find 45 minutes had gone by. Was even more confused upon entering transition to find most of the bikes still there. Grabbed the bike and on to the 2^nd leg after a few words of advice and encouragement from Adrian Devine

It later transpired that there was a considerable swell so swim times appeared to be about 10-12 minutes longer on the whole last year. Alistair Bratten also had the look of a naughty schoolboy, but the less said about that the better. Anyway it is irrelevant, as the conditions were the same for all competitors.

BIKE – Capped in Donadgadee

The course was the same as last year and consisted of three 31 km laps around Groomsport. For me, it was very eventful. Lap 1 was to plan. On lap 2, as I was going through Donaghadee, a wheel cover came flying off a car travelling in the opposite direction and missed me by about 2 feet and the guy behind by a few metres. On the dual carriageway section of lap 3, an impatient driver tried to gain time on other motorists approaching a roundabout by performing an overtaking manoeuvre on the inside lane and would have hit me if I hadn’t slammed on the brakes. As I started up again from a standstill, the cyclist behind pulled up to check I was OK. ”F**k, I though you were toast there mate” were his exact words (he must have been a GP given his diagnosis of the situation).

With respect to splits, I completed the first lap in 1’06”. As per plan, pushed it harder on the 2^nd lap, but this only resulted in a 1’08” ??!!?? On lap 3, my back started to hurt and my time fell off badly to 1’10” resulting in a 3’24” split, almost 1 hour slower than the fastest bike of the day.

RUN – Kebab King

Into T2 where I had the 40^th fastest split of the day. (Summarises just how average I really am when my I have to look to transition times to find my strongest discipline).

Out on to the run course and hooked up with Kevin Murphy for about 1 km before I had to jump behind a bush to empty my bladder. Did not push too hard and was feeling great for the first 6 km or so. However rumblings commenced thereafter, and as I completed first lap in 1-hour dead, I had to make a detour to the toilet. Many, many days (or was it weeks) later, I re-emerged feeling the worse for wear and from here on in it was downhill. The last 12 km were a mixture of run & shuffle, not helped by the magnificent afternoon sunshine and I completed the 2^nd lap in 1’15” for a run split of 2’15”and overall time of 6’29”. By the end of the race I had blown up in every sense of the word!!!!

SUMMARY – what I did in school today

Overall a great race again this year with superb organisation overseen by Conal. Also, great value for money, and the organisers give out the best goodie bag on the Irish circuit by a long way.

I found the going a lot tougher than last year, and took 12 minutes longer as opposed to my goal of taking 17 minutes off. However I learned quite a lot from it including:-

Periodization - I planned the Ironman in June right to the nth degree of detail, but did not apply the same discipline to the 2^nd half of the season and need to be more diligent next year
I need to improve on the bike. This will be the focus of winter training
Don’t eat curry the night before a big race. Obvious I know, but has to be stated
Don’t enter a race where Conal is in charge of the swim (only joking on this one, although I do seem to remember him being at Ballyronan this year)
I am convinced PJ has a microphone in the boot of his car. You just never know when you might need one. Can you imagine it at the side of the road – “ladies and gentlemen, I have a flat tyre, lets get ready to rumble”.

What I haven’t worked out just yet is if I am stupid enough to enter next year, especially if it is full distance as looks likely at this point.

RESULTS – You the man, Paul

On the day, there were a total of 207 starters and 196 finishers. In addition to all the volunteers on the course, triangle had 7 competitors and overall times are provided below. Well done to all

Although I have yet to meet the man formally, the moment of the day for me was the outpouring of emotion from Paul McErlain as he crossed the finish line. Now there is a guy who really took something from the race. Isn’t that what its all about?

OFF SEASON – come dine with me

For the next few weeks, I will be taking it easy and letting fat boy escape. In order to facilitate this, I plan to assess a few establishments over the coming weeks and have devised a competition to aid this effort (why do triathletes have to turn every activity into a competition?). I will give everyone the results next time we are in a race together, although you may not recognise me as I expect that I will comfortably be topping 16 stone on the scales…yeah

CAT GOT THE CREAM

2008-09-09T06:48:00.000-07:00

Everyone has got a discipline in triathlon that they are ‘less keen on’. As indicated in my previous contributions I have two – swim and run. I never learnt to swim as a kid and have never been able to feel at home in the alien aqueous environment. About 13 years ago I tried to get to grips with it but to no avail. I improved but the improvement was a result of increased strength and effort rather than improved technique. I know that I could get my running ‘going’ if I set my mind to it but I have always seen the swim as the big obstacle for me to overcome in triathlon.

So far this year I have competed in a few events and my swim times have gradually improved. The Carrick-on-Suir Try was my first event (when I was taken down the river in the current so it did not count as a valid comparator). My second event was the Lisburn Sprint (when I did 17 and a half minutes for 750m) and I hated the pool swim. At the Mourne Triathlon in Castlewellan lake I managed to exit the water in 30 minutes 13 sec for the 1500m. I exited the swim section at each of these events absolutely wrecked and somewhat dispirited. I had been pleased just to complete the Castlewellan swim as I did not know that I could last the distance but I had worked too hard. I finished Castlewellan but was ‘in bits’ at the end. The spirit was willing but I just had not done the training for my two weaker disciplines and the Olympic distances exposed this in the run.

After the Castlewellan event I concluded that I needed a few more races to get some pacing experience and really test whether I had any potential as a triathlete. Its clear to me that I won’t have the swim technique in the pool so will have to overcome my fear of open water swimming in order to maximise the benefits of wetsuits to improve my competitiveness. So I was disappointed that the Lough Neagh Triathlon was full (a lucky escape given the monsoon conditions it took place in) but places were still available at the Carlingford Triathlon and we duly entered. It would be my last event of the season and part of Kay’s build up to Monaco 70.3. When we had successfully entered it meant that the race would be my first sea swim. Kay took me for some sea swim practice off Portstewart Strand. I had one practice swim and didn’t like it. Basically the feeling of being alone in the ocean was too scary for me. That was therefore ‘enough practice’.

275 Competitors turned up on the shores of Carlingford Lough for the 2008 Carlingford Olympic Distance Triathlon run by Setanta Triathlon Club. The Carlingford event had a two lap swim, two lap cycle and an out and back run. When we arrived in Carlingford the sea was calm (whoopee) and my objective for the race was to learn to pace my race better than I had done at Castlewellan (where I had trashed myself in the swim, imploded on the bike and then hobbled home in the run).

At the swim start at Carlingford I stood back for a few seconds after the starting hooter had sounded and the ‘washine machine’ of swimmers thrashed into life. By hesitating at the start I thereby tried to ease into the swim and control the adrenaline surge. I certainly was not alone in this ocean and soon I was into the group of other swimmers and detected a swimmer with green wetsuit legs who seemed to be going at a similar speed to me. He was duly designated as my tow-rope. I sat on his feet for the first lap and was in a group during the whole race. I came out of the water and the clock said 25 minutes something. Talk about a boost – never in my wildest dreams… grinning like the cat that got the cream – all the clichés are appropriate. This counted as victory for me and I was elated and so distracted that I ran past my bike (coming rudely back to earth and feeling like a plonker).

I got onto the bike leg but it seems to take me a long time to get a timetrial rhythm after the swim. I kept the bike pace steady and was so buoyed by the swim that I just cruised along and resisted the temptation to blast it. Off the bike and, after the initial struggle when I had someone else’s legs attached to my body, I actually started to run. The run went ok for about the first two and a half miles but gradually fell apart after that and towards the end and I had to stop 3 times in the last mile or so. But on the whole I finished the race with the feeling that ‘I could do this properly with a bit of proper training’. The race was a real boost for me. The format for the event - laps on the cycle and an out and back run – meant that the Triangle athletes were able to encourage each other at each meeting point and it was great to see the club colours so well represented and get the supportive calls. It was also nice to get a chat at the finish with other club members who I had not had the occasion to meet previously. However the best reward for my swim performance was the look of surprise on Kay’s face when she saw me on the bike leg. Usually she gives me an encouraging call but the surprise of seeing me earlier than she expected meant that the initial expression on her face read ‘hell, will he catch me?’. Her question after the race was ‘did you go round all the buoys?’ – Good I thought, I’m improving and now perceived as a potential ‘competitor’.

So it seems that there is hope for us all if I can find such improvement with very little commitment (other than entering events). If there is anyone out there thinking of taking up triathlon and that they are too old for it – think again. Give it a try, learn from the experience and then give it another go (repeat). My intention is to give triathlon another lash next year so I will see you there!

The Carlingford race was well run and the course pretty flat. Local athlete Bryan McCrystal picked up the win in a time of 1:55:21, with Shane Scadding second 1 min 33 seconds behind and Newry athlete Peter Savage 3rd a further minute and 14 seconds adrift.

In the ladies race, the honours went to Eimear O'Brian from Northwest Tri in a time of 2:10:11, second was Keira-Eve Mooney from Belpark in 2:12:42 and 3rd was Setanta's own Mary Laverty in 2:13:05.

Triangle members did the club proud and the results are shown below (apologies if I have left anyone out). Well done to everyone who participated and doubtless like myself had their own personal battle during the event. Particularly noteworthy was Adam Wilson’s performance. He is absolutely flying and seems to be really enjoying his racing. He and Kay top the table in terms of the club and both were at the business end of the race throughout.

Pos

Forename

Surname

Cat

Cat Pos

Swim

Rank

Trans1

Cycle

Rank

Trans2

Run

Rank

Overall

Adam

Wilson

M30-34

(004)

0:21:13

(017)

0:01:31

1:01:57

(034)

0:00:41

0:39:04

(013)

2:04:24

Kay

Hack

F40-44

(001)

0:23:07

(042)

0:01:07

1:04:53

(067)

0:00:56

0:44:04

(069)

2:14:06

Gary

Kendall

M45-49

(006)

0:25:51

(111)

0:02:04

1:04:50

(066)

0:01:24

0:48:10

(130)

2:22:17

101

Rodney

Young

M35-39

(020)

0:28:38

(162)

0:01:40

1:05:52

(084)

0:01:25

0:44:52

(079)

2:22:25

132

Christopher

Doherty

M35-39

(026)

0:28:14

(153)

0:02:03

1:05:16

(077)

0:00:58

0:51:28

(184)

2:27:56

134

Kevin

Murphy

M45-49

(010)

0:27:19

(137)

0:01:44

1:11:21

(160)

0:01:29

0:46:22

(104)

2:28:14

153

Bernie

Gribbin

F45-49

(002)

0:28:46

(165)

0:02:01

1:12:37

(172)

0:01:21

0:47:35

(121)

2:32:17

217

Paul

McErlain

M40-44

(026)

0:35:57

(230)

0:02:11

1:20:03

(239)

0:01:49

0:48:00

(129)

2:47:58

231

Linda

Tomb

F35-39

(007)

0:35:59

(231)

0:02:20

1:18:45

(233)

0:01:13

0:54:18

(202)

2:52:34

Whilst I have learnt a lot from and enjoyed my few events this season the big lesson that I literally took away from Carlingford was that I have to get a tri-suit. Apologies for sharing this with you all but the blistering and chaffing was extraordinary – side and back of my neck from the wetsuit, under each armpit from the wetsuit rubbing against the armhole seam of my running vest and both nipples (honest gov, no man boobs – the vest is too loose) and the old undercarriage suffered from an unfortunate wrinkle in wet tri-shorts. When I got into the shower after the event I must have sounded like a cross between Homer Simpson and Yogi-bear – oh! Oh! Oh! I think that Sudocream should be my official sponsor given how much of the stuff I have used this week. I did the club 10 mile TT on Tuesday night sitting side-saddle! So if the club is putting in an order this winter count me in for one and if the club suits are not comfy let me know! Now I know why they call them Ironman events – how could you survive the chaffing never mind the distances!

BALLYRAININ

2008-08-20T09:26:00.000-07:00

9:00 am

Current conditions: very heavy rain and gusty winds

Text from Gavin, Superstar, O’Kane – “Lough is like an ocean, what a sh*t day”. At the time I was just going through Garvagh and considered doing a u-turn and hopping back into bed for a few hours sleep, but convinced myself that the organisers would cancel the swim, have a wee duathlon and all would be well.

9:30 am

Current conditions: Still very heavy rain and gusty winds

Jeepers, creepers. The Lough really was like an ocean. There was no way that the original swim course would be viable and the organisers were franticly trying to come up with a “plan B”, the most viable of which appeared to be to shorten the swim to a 400-600m lap of the marina. I mentioned this to Ann Paul and like the rest of us, she was chuffed that we did not have to spend too much time in the washing machine that was Lough Neagh.

10:30 am

Current conditions: Yup…very heavy rain and gusty winds

Conal Heatley donned his wet suit to check alternate swim directions and eventually decided that the there were viable separate exit and entry points within the marina allowing for lapped swims. I made a mental note to avoid Ann for misinforming her regarding the swim distance.

11:30 am

Current conditions: You’ve guessed it - very heavy rain and gusty winds

Organisers announced that the modified swim would now occur within the marina and that the 3-lap course will be approx 1200m, with the bike and run course remaining the same as previous years. The only difference noted is that there are now speed bumps on the main road into Ballyronan village that would affect fast bikers, but this was not something I had to worry about.

12:00 pm (ish)

Current conditions: Wet, but no wind under the water (other than competitor generated)

Unlike my previous races here, the race was a single wave start, so 300 odd people fighting for the same limited space in the marina made it my most claustrophobic swim ever. Even though the field spread out a bit as time went on, I managed to get punched or kicked on all 3 laps. Still though, as I was using this primarily as a hard training day I was quite happy to exit the water in around 24 minutes. As we exited the marina at a different location than originally planned, the run into T2 was quite long my poor feet were in bits as I hobbled across the pebbly tarmac

12:30 pm

Current conditions: Horizontal rain (or was it hail ??)

Took a good 4 minutes in T2 getting on a fleece-lined top (I know, in the middle of August!), headscarf, and socks before heading out onto the bike course. The first 3-4k per lap was great with wind behind, 2-3 k of OK with gust coming sideways and 3-4k of pain against the wind. Against the wind, the rain was blinding me and I hade to slow on the downhill section. For me, the cycle was the low point of the day as it was then that I realised that I had still not fully got my cycling legs back after Moraviaman. Ahead of me, Ann was motoring along impervious to the conditions, Simpson was going well, and looking good (in a manly way, I should point out), Chris Doherty overtook me on his new De Rosa bike (nice wheels) and the other O’Kane idiot was spotted out on the course too.

1:50 pm

Current Conditions: Not even going to mention it

Finally on to run course, which offered a bit of protection from the wind. Format was 4 x 2.5 km out and back laps with a 50 metre long “puddle” to wade through twice each lap! Was going reasonably well, but it was hard to judge as the only other competitors left at this point were the hardcore loonies. Finished in just around 49 minutes for a total time of 2:43, but time was irrelevant in these conditions. Chris Doherty came in a few minutes behind to finish his first ever-Olympic distance race under the worst conditions I’ve ever participated so well done to him.

3:30 pm

Current conditions: Don’t care. It’s lovely and warm in my car

Overall for me, this was a good hard training session in weather that is becoming a bit too commonplace here. Under the circumstances, the organisers did a great job, although I personally think that the swim section needs a rethink, especially as this is the second year that a mass start has been employed. The race was well attended, and as usual Triangle had lots of representation. A summary of names and times is posted below. Well done to all.

A Game of Three Halves

2008-08-05T03:17:00.000-07:00

You may be under the delusion that it would be great to have a partner that is a fellow triathlete, they would understand that you need to go training and why painting the kids bedroom can wait until the season is over…unfortunately the reality is less attractive: bickering about who’s turn it is to go out training, why have you taken my spare inner tubes … , whose turn it is to race. The only good thing is that when Kay tells me that the latest bike bit she has bought was ‘soooooo cheap’, I know she is lying (unlike the price of women’s clothing and shoes, I do know how much cycling bits cost). The purpose of this ramble is to introduce the careful and sensitive negotiation we enter into when trying to decide what events we will train for. It basically goes like this – Kay decides her events and I fit around these. OK boys it sounds bad but it’s not really. I like to road race in the first part of the season whilst Kay is still building up her training. It is more difficult in the second half of the season when triathlons become more frequent and road races less so. This year the only unmovable race for me was the Newry 3 Day and for Kay it was the UK 70.3. Each were one week apart thank goodness. After this we were to holiday and I had decided that marital bliss would be best served by me doing some triathlons in the latter half of the season. Season’s plan and marital bliss sorted, thus began my entry into multisport.

First Half - The Newry 3 Day

My 3-day started on the Friday evening with a 40 mile criterium through Warrenpoint and the dual carriageway that leads off to Newry. Last year I had been blasted by the group and was dropped after 5 laps and grovelled home 2 laps down. The following day was a road stage, I punctured after 5 miles had a garbage wheel change and never regained the peloton. When I arrived at the finish the officials had left and they would not let me start the afternoon’s time-trial. How could this year’s event be worse? It wasn’t.

Day 1

The criterium was fast and furious with an average overall speed of 25.6 mph and riders being shelled each time we went through the town. Lessons learnt from last year paid dividends and I finished mid-group (40^th ) sprinting for the stage.

Day 2

The second day’s 55 mile stage involved three laps of a circuit of Hilltown-Kilcoo-Rathfriland followed by a return trip over the mountains from Hilltown to Rostrevor and back. The peloton stayed together until the trip over the mountains when men were men and I was nervous. I ‘blew’ about half a mile from the summit and chased to regain contact on the way down the other side. I had gone into the colour that must follow the red zone (how about psychedelic zone?) and shortened my life span with the effort but finally regained the group. Although I nagged my body to recover, its failure to achieve this was savagely revealed when the group accelerated at the bottom of the climb on the return journey. I had to say ‘bye boys’ and was left to suffer on my own. Gradually I picked up other riders who had been shelled by the group and by the time we crested the climb I was in a group of half a dozen riders who worked together to the finish. We lost 5 minutes on the lead group but I was somewhat consoled that a third of the field had finished behind me on the stage. That afternoon there was a short 4 Mile time-trial which I finished in 9mins 26 (placing me about halfway down the field).

Day 3

Anyone who has done some road racing will know that the start of the races are the worst part. It is manic as guys try to escape and the peloton reacts but, if you grin and bear it, the pace has to settle down at some stage. At the start of the final stage we had the wind at our backs and were absolutely flying. The race went from Newry via Warrenpoint and Rostrevor towards Kilkeel and we did not drop below 40mph. We took a left hand turn and I felt the bike ‘step out’. A feeling of doom swept over me – not a puncture. I stopped and got off the bike, a quick feel of the wheel but the expected puncture wasn’t there – the wheel was hard?? I Jumped on the bike and into the race convoy trying (and failing) to keep panic at bay. Up the gutter, jumping between the team cars (who thankfully drive nice and close to each other) and then to the commisaires car, next, the last car before the peleton – the race doctor. These health professionals are a bit too careful for my liking. He was sitting 80 yards back from the group (i.e. too far). I sat on his rear bumper waving at him to get closer to the group; could he not see that I was suffering badly? Despite my encouragement it was plain that he was not going to budge closer to the peleton so I sat where I was, trying to recover enough strength to bridge the gap. Deep breath and go for it – straight into the red zone and into the psychedelic in an all out effort. I was on the back of the peleton and gasping for air.

I was repeating the mantra – recover, calm, recover, calm… when the group took another left turn and again my bike stepped out and I nearly came off. I thought ‘I must have a puncture’ and stopped again – the wheel was hard but my confidence was shot. I tried to get back up to the peloton but could not repeat another ‘all-out’ effort so soon after the last one and particularly with the group traveling so fast. I had to concede defeat. I felt embarrassed to get into the broom wagon. I hadn’t been dropped – I had dropped myself. It wasn’t until I got changed in my car at the finish that I understood what had happened. My look shoe plate had broken and my shoe had slipped across the pedal on each of the left hand turns giving me the sensation that my bike was stepping out.

I came away from the race quite satisfied despite the failure to complete the race as I had ridden well. I will be back again next year – a great race, well organized and a real challenge on a fantastic course.

Second Half - Kendalls on Holiday

We were planning to take a ferry to Fishguard from Rosslare and Kay was supposed to be looking on the web for accommodation in Wexford when she looked up and said – ‘we can do a triathlon en route (I responded with an articulate ‘eh?’) There is an event in Carrick on Suir you can do the try event and I will do the sprint.’ Decision made.

We arrived in Carrick on Friday afternoon. It had been raining for 3 days and as it would be my first open water swim. By this I don't mean first opem water race, but literally first open water swim! I thought I would have a look at the river Suir. I was horrified – it was a torrent – the bloody Zambeze in full spate. My wife lovingly laughed her legs off with no empathy whatsoever. Her view was that I would get down the river nice and quick, my view was that I would drown, get smashed into a bridge and probably be swept out to sea (I was now hysterical). Kay seemed to think I was joking when I said I was not getting ‘in that’. Whilst the race course had a grassy bank at the side of the river, if you overshot the exit, (a small set of steps) the following stretch of river was constrained by steep stone walls and there was no way to get out of the river there.

I did not sleep well on Friday night - I worried and fretted about the swim. On Saturday morning I got up pronto and went down to look at the river, buttocks clenched. Thank you Lord – the torrent had subsided and whilst the river was definitely running quickly, the surf had gone.

This was the first open water swim I had done for about 10 years and I had done minimal swim and run training focusing solely on my cycling. The race briefing was a bit odd – ‘All of you get in quickly as you won’t be able to stop yourself going down the river – we will start you on the bank’. I gathered up my (very limited) bravery and followed my competitors into the river. Once I was in I was committed. I swam out into the centre of the river to gain the benefit of the flow and was soon overtaking people (a new experience for me in a swim). I think the others decided that they would just float down but I tried to swim and soon I could only see one competitor ahead. I was desperately trying to sight the swim exit and decided that I should start to make my way closer to the bank so I could effect my exit from the river. My swim inexperience became evident to me – it was easy to get into the flow but hard to escape it. I swam perpendicular to the bank but still seemed to be making little progress toward the bank, ‘swim harder Gary’ I thought, then ‘harder still’, then ‘sprint’. I caught the downstream rail with my outstretched left arm. Unknowing onlookers probably admired the superb judgement and daring, not realizing that they had witnessed a man in utter and sheer desperation.

I jogged along to transition, feet squishing through the mud with a feeling of elation from escaping death (ok a bit overdramatic but I was happy). The fact that I was second out of the water escaped me entirely. This is a real pity as I am sure it is a first and last time it will be the case.

The rest of the try event was pretty uneventful – the cycle and run courses were user friendly and were not testing enough to spread the field of entrants. The drafting law seemed to have been suspended for the day but as I had not bothered with tri-bars I was not too preoccupied. I won first vet in the try event and Kay was 3rd overall and won a weekend in Kilarney so we both came away happy. Clearly, given my inexperience at triathlon, if I found Carrick a good event, anyone who is similarly inexperienced would enjoy this event. The atmosphere was great and the host club could not have been more welcoming (it would make a good club weekend trip Peter!).

Third Half - Home From Holiday

We got home on the Monday and Kay had entered us in a 5 mile run on Friday evening, the Lisburn Sprint event that Sunday and the Mourne Olympic distance the following weekend (the holiday was obviously a recovery phase in Kay’s parlance – translate this into a beer and burgers phase in Gary’s parlance). The Friday evening went ok for a non-runner like me but my lack of swimming became starkly exposed at Lisburn and Castlewellan. Despite zig-zagging all over Castlewellan lake I enjoyed the swim more than the Lisburn pool swim and suffice to say that my transitions and running off the bike needs attention (whats left?). My plan to jump into triathlon mid season has been shown to be naïve but needs must and I will have to find another event to enter as … well, why the hell not!

Whilst I was intent on ‘getting round’ at Lisburn and Castlewellan, others in the club were competing with distinction. Adrian who is in the middle of his training for Ironman UK, was first Triangle athlete home in 2:13, and 19th overall, followed by Kay who was 5th woman in a time of 2:25. Simpson McGrath , Gary Kendall and Gavin O'Kane all finished within one minute of each other at 2:38. Finally Linda Tomb finished in 3:04, almost 15 minutes quicker than her time on the course last year, well done Linda. Aplogies if I missed anyone, the results do not list clubs.

Roe Valley Sprint Triathlon

2008-06-18T02:01:00.001-07:00

ongratulations to Peter Jack for organising the ever popular Roe Valley Sprint Triathlon. This year there were 150 entrants in 6 waves, with the field encompassing complete beginners and International athletes. First home in the men's race was Art MacManusa in 58:33 beating the course record of 58:36 set by Brian Cambell in 2006, (although I stand to be corrected on this). The ladies race was hotly contested between Claire Connor (Whitehead) and Junior athlete Rachel Boyd (Olympian). The two girls exited the water together and Rachel took the lead on the bike course, only being caught by Claire in the last 2k of the run. Claire's time of 1:05:48 was also a course record and demonstrates the high standard of women's racing that currently exists in Ireland.
Triangle Triathlon Club was well represented either competing or marshalling the event. First TTC member home and Race sponsor was Paul Fletcher(1:04:48), closely followed by training partner Ronnie Kidd (1:05:28). Next club member home was Kay Hack, who took third place in the ladies race (1:09:21). Adam Wilson(1:10:36) showed that fatherhood has not slowed him down too much. (Congratulations on birth of Eva). Other TTC finishers were Anthony McKenna (1:15:34), Brian Lockington (1:15:47) , SImpson McGrath (1:16:42), Bernie Gribben (1:16:47) , Kevin Murphy (1:17:18) Gavin O'Kane ( 1:19:02),Christopher Doherty ( 1:19:48), Eamon McKenna (1:20 :42) and Linda Tomb (1:27: 53).

The club would like to thank the PSNI, Roe Valley Cycling Club, Springwell Running club and Limavady Swimming club, who helped to make this a safe and successful event.
Results

Ironman UK 70.3

2008-06-17T05:15:00.000-07:00

It was just before 6:00 in the morning, I was in a lake with a water temperature of about 17oC and an air temperature slightly lower. The sun was trying to break through, but an eerie mist had descended through which a 'sea' of brightly colored swim hats could be seen bobbing in the water against a backdrop of the hills of Exmoor. I was no longer feeling nervous, I had done the training and the day was finally here- bring it on.
The starting horn rang out across the lake and we were off. I had chosen a position near the front of the swim but at a point that meant you had the longest swim out to the first turning buoy. There was a theory behind this, a) I didn't want to get caught up in ' the washing machine' of mass swim starts and b) I didn't want to get boxed in behind slower swimmers. It was also about 700m to the first turn so a quick mathematical calculation (Pythagoras hasn't let me down yet) showed that I would actually only be swimming an extra 20-30 m. All went to plan, I had a relaxed enjoyable, easy swim, I therefore couldn't believe it as I looked at my watch as I was running up the beach and saw that I had completed the 1.2 miles in 31:38. It was then to the first tent, to pick up the T1 bag before heading out to find the bike. Whilst I had thought this was going to be a bit intimidating, not only did you have to remember where you had racked your bike but also 2 bag rack spots- it all went very smoothly, with marshalls directing you to the right row.

Ironman UK 70.3 is widely recognised as one of the toughest bike courses on the 70.3 circuit. The boasts of '52 hills in 56 miles' may strike fear into the heart (or legs) of triathletes but the biggest concern for me was negotiating the twisty descents, on wet, narrow roads. It was definitely a course for a conventional road bike and cautious riding (thanks again Anne for the txt advising 'slow and steady' the night before the race). There were several rain showers during the bike course, and I saw the remnants of one very painful crash, which I had avoided thanks to Anne's warning ringing in my ears. As it was still very early in the morning it was pretty cold, at one point I couldn't shift my chain onto the big ring as my hands had frozen.The showers didn't help much, it actually got to the point where I was looking forward to the climbs so that I could get warmed up again. As I approached the lake again at the end of the second lap, I was just delighted that I had made it around in one piece. A nice marshall grabbed my bike as I crossed the dismount line and the American commentator roared something about Kay Hack, I sort of got the idea that I was doing OK in my age group- or was it just general American enthusiasm ?? Then it was onto the run course, my triathlon nemesis.
The off-road run comprised of three laps which included grass, trails and a nice concrete hill. The route was surrounded with supporters and it was great to hear cheers of 'Come on Triangle'. By my second and third lap the course was starting to fill up and it was a great feeling to be running past people - something I have not experienced very often in my running career. My 'Best Outcome' goal run time was around 1:52, with a fall back of 1:59. The distance markers were at 1,5 and 9 miles, so I was shocked to see that I was covering 4 miles at about 8 min/mile pace . More mental arithmetic and I realised that I could get home in around 1:45- sorry doesn't everyone do mental arithmetic when they are running/cycling long endurance events - or is that just me ?
The run course included a long drag up a grass field, not dissimilar to the one on the University Cross Country Course that Anne has been pacing me around for the last month. Anne was recovering from her 2 Oceans run, and was pacing me at MY half marathon pace- I think Anne was slightly misguided in what she thought my pace was. My thoughts drifted back to those sessions and Anne exhorting me to keep the pace up, and drive up the hill, so her voice was ringing in my ears again with a constant ' up up up'.
At a couple of points on the course you could see back up the field to the runners behind you, I was constantly scanning the groups for women of a certain age, then trying to work out whether they were running fast enough to be catching me or whether they were a lap behind. Down to the last turn, and the poor marshall who must have spent about 4 hours saying ' 3 big laps then up to the finish'- I wonder how many times he must have said that during the course of the day .....more sums.
Up then to the finish, and our American friend roaring that I had won my age group, and broken the previous course record for that age group by 20 minutes - Job Done - World Champs Florida here we come.
One final embarrassing saga...at the prize presentation and allocation of slots for the World Championships. I heard my name called out, and as I approached the podium, the commentator was calling me Dr Catherine Hack - my brain was a bit addled- how did he know my full name, surely it is only Peter Jack that gives me my full title. He asked me if I wanted to go to Florida, "err yes", I replied,
" well I think you might need this" he said as he produced my wallet. I had left it in the phone box when I was trying to call home. Thanks to the very honest athlete who had handed it in - if he hadn't not only would I not have been able to sign up for the world champs, but I would also have had trouble getting back home.
Finally thanks to two people without whom I don't think I would have achieved this. Anne has already had a couple of mentions in this blog, she gave me some great advice when I was putting my plan together, not to mention the ' red pen' and the ' why' against certain sessions. She also gave invaluable advice on the taper, something I certainly didn't feel confident about.
The last person to thank is of course Gary, his support, his sense of perspective and his humour ( as well as his efforts with the hacksaw on my tribars) were critical in getting me to the start line.

Athy 2008

2008-06-17T05:13:00.000-07:00

The Irish National Olympic Distance Triathlon Championships were held in the beautiful town of Athy, Co. Kildare. Embracing the true spirit of triathlon the Olympic and Sprint events attracted 1300 competitors of all standards from Olympic hopefuls to past and current National and International champions including Richard Stannard, Spencer Smith and Fraser Cartmell, as well as novices and age groupers. The men's Olympic distance race was won by Fraser(1:47:35) closely followed by Gavin Noble(1:50:03). Gavin completed the course 4 minutes quicker than last year, an indication of how much he has stepped up this year. It is a disappointment to Gavin and all those who watch Triathlon in Northern Ireland that despite this progress, Gavin just missed out on Olympic selection.
The women's field was strong with last years champion Aileen Morrison, Claire Connor, Elena Maslova and Katrina Bladinger.Ulster junior athlete, Rachel Boyd was also going to be one to watch after she had pushed Claire hard in the Roe Valley Sprint race the previous week.
Rachel exited the water first in 17:28, closely followed by Claire 17:45. Rachel then put in a blistering bike leg, and managed to retain her lead through the run to become Irish champion at the age of 19.
TTC was well represented with Ronnie Kidd (2:06:35) and Paul Fletcher (2:07:07) both putting in strong performances which will no doubt give them confidence as they go on to Ironman Germany. There was a strong Magherafelt contingent, with several club members recording PB's. Kay Hack, also in the throes of long distance training for Ironman UK 70.3, was delighted to come in first female vet ( 2:18:55).
The event was well organised, with a great goody bag, and technical t-shirt. The downstream river swim made for fast swim splits, which, combined with a flattish bike course, made for fast overall times, and justifies the organisers claims that TryAThy is Ireland's fastest Triathlon.

Camlough 2008

2008-06-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

Crooked Lake Sprint Triathlon – Saturday 07 June 2008

Saturday 7 June and the sun was still shining after the beautiful spell. We headed off for Camlough diligently following Alistair’s instructions on how to get there. True to his word, we arrived to register in the village before 12.00 noon, which was in plenty of time given the 14.00 kick off.

The event, based at Camlough Lake in South Armagh, is now in its fifth year and has become one of the most popular sprint distance races on the Triathlon Ireland calendar with the race attracting athletes from all over Ireland, embracing those experienced in the sport and those new to it.

The lake was still, the roads congested with triathletes and their families milling about, organising kit, comparing stories, fixing bikes and generally experiencing all the same pre – race tension.

The transition was undoubtedly the worst I have seen in my short racing career. The 400 odd competitors in the two waves were all cramped together on the lakeside, with no space between each bike for one’s bike shoes, racing shoes, towel, helmet, and whatever else we triathletes require, either for superstitions sake or to get us off smoothly.

The first wave started promptly at 14.00 when 205 red hats took to the water. The choice of colour scheme posed its own challenge when trying to sight red buoys amongst all the swimming caps, however this did not curtail Brian Campbell who was first into the first transition in 9.56. Gerry McCabe (U/A) recorded the fastest bike time of the day in 27.25, but Campbell’s ever impressive style saw him take the overall winners prize in a blistering 55.39. Elana Maslova (also U/A) was the first female to dip under the finishers arch in 1.04.04.

The setting for Crooked Lake Triathlon is spectacular. The 20k bike ride is run over an undulating course, which circles the lake, through Meigh village, before looping back into Camlough village. There were plenty of marshals out on the course, although a distinct lack of same at the swim transition, which enabled some unsportsmanlike competitors to jump the transition barriers, which “deneutralises” the equitable devised system!

In all, there were 16 clubs from across the country represented on Saturday.

Triangle had 12 club members decked out in red and black, all putting on a good show for the club. Alistair Bratten was the first club member home in 1.08.07, taking the third prize in the 45-49 category. Perhaps if some other competitors had observed the non-drafting TI rules, Alistair’s position could have been improved upon. Also in the prizes, was Alison Rankin, who took third prize in the female 35-39 category in a time of 1.18.29. The other Triangle times were Anthony McKenna 1.14.38, Gavin O’Kane 1.15.03, Eamon McKenna 1.16.09, Paul Dornan 1.17.09, (an excellent result only one week after having completed the Switzerland Ironman), followed one second later by Kevin Murphy. Conal Heatley finished strong in 1.18.29, and Johnny Graham put in another good performance at 1.19.50. Paul McErlain will be pleased with his performance of 1.23.48, and Nicky McBride fought to the end with another good result at 1.26.09. Finally, after an excellent swim (12.53), the fastest transition in the club, and a determined cycle time of 33.56, Michael McCarron came home in 1.45.27.

Crooked Lake is a challenging little course, and one for the diary for next year.