World Long Course Tri Champs Report!

I am back! What a great trip it was to Holland! Here I am with my new Dutch super aero TT machine!! It has been ages since we had a family holiday and the break was well needed by all of us. However, mixing a high profile race with a family holiday is not the best way to have a holiday to please all! In the future I think the family hols will be separate from triathlon.

Anyway, the race was the World Long Course Triathlon Champs and here is my race report. It is a bit lengthy, so read in chunks to stay awake!

I arrived on the Monday prior to the race (Sunday) so there was plenty of time to chill and tick over. I managed to grab a couple of open water swims with Daz ‘fast man’ Sharpe, who was also stopping at Center Parks (as was Mike Masters and Mike Westwell. Jase Walkley and Kelda were camping nearby)). My swimming had been feeling very out of sorts for some time and the open water swims in Holland went the same way! I couldn’t stay with Daz, even though he was just ambling along. A bit worrying, but not much could be done at that stage. An easy few days, with only easy biking and running followed. Mind you, as a family, we hired out a 4 person cycle buggy and went exploring. It was hard work pedalling and we sort of got lost in the woods! I am sure that the buggy went places that it had never been before! We ended up pushing it through all sorts of mud and cow ........stuff!

Finding race registration and the team briefing was a real effort. There were no signs at all and it felt like the entire day was spent searching for places. On the plus side, the weather had really picked up and the temperature was around 27 degrees and sunny. Come race morning, I met Daz and we made sure that we arrived at transition nice and early. We had to rack the bikes the

previous day, so there was not that much to do. It seemed as though the racking was batched in age groups. My thoughts drifted to the normal scenario of my arriving out of the swim and seeing an empty transition! I stood with Daz and watched the Pros start and we commented on how long it was taking for the fast guys to complete the initial loop of the swim. Oh how right we were! As it turns out the swim has been reported to be between 4.8k and 5.1k, depending on the source. Add to that the current that was encountered on the leg into the harbour and it makes for one tough swim. I exited the water and glanced at my watch – 1:32 something! I couldn’t believe it! My hope of going under 7 hours for the entire race was definitely gone! However, there were plenty of guys and gals that suffered more than me. I have seen reports of people swimming for over 2 hours!

With the swim out of the way and the sun shining, it was time to get busy on the bike. As I ran into T1 I saw Westy at the start of the bike course wrestling with a puncture – poor guy! He had had a decent swim at 1:24 and to have a puncture was cruel (but typical of Westy as he rarely has a race without some sort of drama!). Well done to Westy for getting the job done, as he was long gone when I got to the same point out of T1. The first part of the bike course was through the town of Almere, with plenty of crowd support as we weaved through some narrow barriers. Then it was out onto a cycle path for a few miles prior to a ‘U’ turn. The wind was blowing, but not too strong. As I turned at the ‘U’ I saw Daz’s family cheering and I headed off with the wind behind me. I was passing people at an alarming rate and I kept telling myself to ease back. After all, this race distance was new to me and I did not want to blow up later on. We turned into the country side and commenced some huge square circuits round the Dutch country side. Sometimes the wind was smack in the face and it made for hard stretches. However, the times when the wind was at my tail, it was 52/12 time! I was still passing far too many people. I was convinced that they all knew better than me and that I should be going slower! So, I eased off slightly. Lap one of 60k went by in a blur really. I was feeding well – far more than when I raced at Trentham Half Ironman. – which was pleasing. Lap 2 started and I wondered where the other RAF guys were. I pretty much assumed that they were all out of the swim before me! After a few kilometres I saw Westy turn at the ‘U’ ahead of me. Westy has a new Specialised Transition TT bike, complete with Use bars. It looks a fine machine and is easy to spot! I pulled up alongside Westy at the feed zone and gave him a shout before going on my way. The wind seemed to have increased on lap 2 but still I was passing many people and had not been passed myself yet! As the second lap came to an end a couple of Spanish guys (was it Gomez and Rana?!) passed me doing a nice team time trial impression. I let them go, still mindful of going too hard prior to the 30k run. I glanced at my watch as I approached T2 – 3:13 .....tick.....tick. Wow! I was happy enough with that and I felt ok too.

Into T2 I hobbled over some stones – I hate bare foot running! After racking my bike and strapping on my gels I ambled into the urinals! Well this is long course! Everything is slow and relaxed?! Out onto the run course and the music was pumping and the crowds were cheering. It was a truly great atmosphere. With my 7 hour target gone after the swim I had decided to enjoy myself to the full and preceded to ‘aeroplane’ through the carpeted stretch high fiving the kids in the crowd! With hold back still etched in my brain I cruised into run mode feeling ok. More high fives and encouragement for other competitors who seemed to be suffering more than me made for an enjoyable first few kilometres. I passed Gomez and Rana early on; they were not looking good! Soon I passed Mike masters too. He was complaining of feeling bad but he looked ok to me. I could see Jase Walkley up ahead and pulled up alongside. It was good to see him and I decided that I would run with him. He seemed to up the pace as I arrived, though he says it was me! We saw Daz starting his second lap of 15k, as we neared completion of our first! He looked strong and was bounding along.

Me and Jase ran together for much of the remainder of the race; he was strong and maintained a decent enough speed. In fact, during the last 3k I started to feel a bit rough and eased off to maintain the enjoyment of the event – I had half killed myself at the London Marathon earlier in the year and didn’t fancy repeating the experience! Jase continued on, and produced a great performance. As I got to 2k to go I passed a particularly flamboyant group of Dutch supporters! I walked through them jigging around to their pumping music...........they loved it and joined in; it was a great moment! With about 800m to go Dawn, the GB Team Manager passed me a Union Jack flag. I speeded up and cruised the last part of the race, enjoying the cheers; the support for the GB participants was awesome! Crossing the line felt fantastic and I had had such an enjoyable race (I could forget the swim!). I have felt worse after Olympic Distance races; hence I could really savour the moment! I congratulated Jase on his race too. At his age, he is certainly going to reach a high standard in years to come.

So there we have it; my first race on the world stage! I am very happy! The official stats are as follows:

Overall – 14 in age group in a time of 7:07:39
Swim – 1:31:38 rank 71 in age group
Bike – 3:14:08 rank 17 in age group
Run – 2:14:27 rank 11 in age group

I loved the event and the atmosphere but boy do I need to do something about my swimming! The long distance stuff can wait for a few years, though I am sure that I will do the World Champs again someday, God willing! The RAF guys did very well, though I think that Westy suffered on the run.:

Daz – 6:56:54
Jase – 7:06:41
Mike Masters – 7:25:06
Westy – 7:34:35
Kelda – 7:51:55

I would recommend the event to anyone and it is true that when you pull on the GB kit, you feel strong and proud! Here is a caption contest pic of Mike and Daz in transition prior to starting:

Mike: "Yeah, I reckon about 55 mins for the swim, an easy 3:05 bike and cruise the run in 2 hours"


Daz thinking and holding back a giggle: La la la la la la la la la....