1) The JT Cycles triathlon series finished on the weekend. It was the fifth race - this one being the usual ‘Challenge’ length comprising a 600m swim, a 19.5km bike ride and a 4km run. The weather conditions were not wonderful to say the least. Overcast and warmish it may have been but it was also windy. Quite windy. In fact, it was windy enough to cause West Lakes to become West Seas complete with its own set of 40cm waves. Above is the start of the swim leg and me about to pass the marker buoy about half way through the swim. The rough water was yet to come, when we rounded a corner and headed straight into the southerly. The swim turned from being pretty straight forward to “stroke, stroke, bash into wave, stop, stroke, stroke, bash, breaststroke, regain equilibrium, repeat sequence”.
Fashion news: I now own a pair of real triathlon dacks – you can swim, ride and run in them in comfort. They worked well.
2) Here I am emerging from the pure (filth) waters of West Lakes. Anyone reminded of Daniel Craig? Hmmm . . . Perhaps not. Anywho, after regaining terra firma I wandered over to the bike area, grabbed my trusty steed and rode off as fast as I could – as slow as 24kph into the southerly and at one moment an almost respectable 44kph with the rapidly moving air. The photo on the right is me returning to the transition area. It also proves you can do the ‘hokey pokey’ dance with a bike.
3) I then ran off. Unfortunately I discovered I had run off too fast toward the end of the third kilometre. The dreaded stitch had struck. I reduced speed, completely stopped at one point and watched Ailsa ahead rejoin the main route to the finish line having nearly completed the last kilometre loop of the race.
4) Being the trooper that Ailsa is she saw how slow I was running at the end of the 3km lap and ran with me for most of the last kilometre, pushing me on. As I crossed the finishing line I felt like throwing up. The feeling passed and I had two large plastic cups of Gatorade (or the like) instead. Much more pleasurable.
5) The last photo shows Ailsa very pleased that there was plenty of watermelon at the triathlon this time and me pulling a funny face. I felt I had put in a fairly poor effort and that Ailsa had beaten me by minutes.
6) However, I was quite surprised to see the results. I completed the course only eight seconds slower than Ailsa. Thanks to her ‘encouragement’ over the last kilometre of the run I actually did the triathlon in a pretty good time (for me) considering the wind.
I came 120th in a field of 165; 16th out of a field of 20 for my age group and as usual I did comparatively best in the swim, worst in the ride and middling in the run.
Garahm and Terry from the swimming group also competed in this triathlon.
Click on the photos for enlargification.
