The Lost Sheep Triathlon Kenmare (mod note,post 29)

KentuckyPete

4 stars (good)

I see a note a note up on the CorkTri website saying that the swim course has changed due to tidal conditions on Saturday.

No further details until the race briefing but this may mean the swim is out and back to the slipway followed by a run across the bridge to transition during T1.

Might be worth considering bringing an extra pair of old runners just in case.

Otherwise, all set, very tense. Usual taper problems - I've been getting fierce physio on my ankle since ast week - hope it holds up OK. If I make it down off the Healy in one piece in the wet I'll be happy - came off twice during a rainy spin there a few weeks ago:(

Can't believe how nervous I am already ...

Macanri

3 stars (average)

email received:

Only hours to go and just time to send you some last minute information.


The swim route has changed from what is in the briefing. You will be starting from the pier and heading directly to the bridge and under the left arch. Then a brief tour of the Sound and exit at the Riversdale Hotel slipway. You will be unhappy to learn that you will not have that 1km run to transition :-) THIS NEW ROUTE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AGAIN IF NECESSARY

If you need anything urgently, just contact The Edge Sports Shop on 021 480 60 40 before 3pm on Friday and they will have it have it for you at registration.

Regards

interested

In addition to being absolutely gutted about not having the 1km run after the swim Id recommend bringing clear or light lensed goggles - if theres going to be plently of twists and turns to the course and the potential of a dark morning tomorrow they may be useful.

see you guys at the briefing tonight - Ill most likely be eating cake

blind_hurler

3 stars (average)

interested wrote: »

In addition to being absolutely gutted about not having the 1km run after the swim Id recommend bringing clear or light lensed goggles - if theres going to be plently of twists and turns to the course and the potential of a dark morning tomorrow they may be useful.

see you guys at the briefing tonight - Ill most likely be eating cake

What else are people planning to wear on the bike.. might be a bit of a chill in the morning but I'm sure the climbs will warm us up nicely

interested

blind_hurler wrote: »

What else are people planning to wear on the bike.. might be a bit of a chill in the morning but I'm sure the climbs will warm us up nicely

trisuit and arm warmers ... theres every chance Ill wear a short sleeve baselayer as well - if this is the case its bound to turn out glorious for both bike and run and Ill just cook slowly during the day.

KentuckyPete

4 stars (good)

blind_hurler wrote: »

What else are people planning to wear on the bike.. might be a bit of a chill in the morning but I'm sure the climbs will warm us up nicely

Reckon I'll take the extra 30 seconds in T1 to throw on a cycling shirt - over the tri vest I'd say. Then if all is OK I'll whip it off for the run. Might even pull out the old Saxo Bank shirt for a spin

Wondering about arm warmers but they'd take an age to get on and off

Is everyone staying on for the craic on Saturday night or heading away directly?

interested

re: arm warmers
put them on when biking to transition and then 'roll' them down - forming two perfect donut shapes - stick em on your bike shoes/helmet - exit swim put them on your wrists and then roll them up at your leisure when into the bike

depending on the weather you may even want to keep em on at the end of the bike - but getting em off at that stage wont take long.

re: saturday night - yep - should be sticking about

blind_hurler

3 stars (average)

KentuckyPete wrote: »

Is everyone staying on for the craic on Saturday night or heading away directly?

I won't be hanging around but sure by the time I finish you will all probably enjoying the start of the celebrations...:cool:

Any idea of parking in the area is like??

big mce

4 stars (good)

Just finshed, just over 6 hours. The swim was mega tough but other that it was grand. Well done to the organisers on a great day

n-dawg

3 stars (average)

big mce wrote: »

The swim was mega tough

Understatment of the year.... that swim was epic!!! I was falling over myself in transition I was so tired after it. Fantastic race thought 9/10 for cork tri club. I'd only take away the one mark because the water bottle at the aid station in glengarrif was given to me with no cap.... ended up soaked (and so did the guy who was trying to give me the bottle). Is it so hard to fill bidons?

RedB

4 stars (good)

Current in swim had me out there way past my bedtime. Did 39mins last year. Did 1:12 this year :eek: :eek:

A bad day at the office for me with nausea throughout the entire run that stopped me ever getting moving properly. 7:05:(

interested

fair play to everyone who got around in one piece.

I was 2nd out of the water and can honestly say it was a low moment when 6 or 7 guys who'd just gotten out of the safety boat and packed in the swim were trudging in front of me on the carpet into T1. Ive never seen a tougher swim at a triathlon to be honest and although I do my own suffering during the run at least thats something consistent to deal with. Id imagine there were alot of people coming out after a 60+ minute swim wondering what they'd been hit by and looking at alot of bikes still in transition.

Again, congrats to all who got around and especially to anyone who did the event as their first HIM. Course played tough on saturday but Jam and the pubs if kenmare hopefully offered people some comfort afterwards

KentuckyPete

4 stars (good)

The killer about the swim was that it really punished the average swimmers. The faster ones got to the bridge before the tidal effects were too strong but all others were stuck in the flow. Faster swimmers got maybe 5 to 10 minutes added to their time. Slower swimmers had 30 to 40 added. The extra half hour of effort and the consequent complete screw-up of the nutrition plan meant the average and slower swimmers got really smacked.

The race going off 15 minutes late is what caused the problem. Up to that the CTC contingency plan was excellent.

My big ambition was to break 5:30. It was my first attempt at the distance. However with my swim getting knocked out from the usual 36 minutes to 1hr 7 minutes (:eek:) the 5:30 target was a non runner from the start.

The bike leg was a real experience. Started off brilliantly when I spotted the great Mickey Ned O'Sullivan taking my picture as I got the pedals turning! What a great course -seeing all the competitors lined up along the climb to the Healy in such incredible scenery was a real tonic. Then those hairpin switchbacks on the way down were the biz. Good banter among the various passers and the passed too. I started to bonk a bit on the Caha climb - I was out of bars and took my last gel at Glengarrif. I knew I better be a bit cautious so I'd have something left for the run. The 5:30 was out of the question so it was all about keeping it steady at that stage.

Got out running in time to see the triumphal final mile of B. Keane and then it was down to business. I was surprised at how good I felt on the first half - was clipping along at 7:15's or so. Then the climb to the turnaround nailed me and I knew I was in for a rough 6 miles back. With 4 to go I was hanging on - totally cramped and just focusing on the next guy in front each time. Even though I was slowing to over 8 minute pace I was still passing lads all the time - a great boost. There was a very welcome descent at 11 miles and then the slog to the line and an OK 5:54 finish.

Hats off to Cork Tri club - what a great event - run by triathletes for triathletes. There are few clubs who could put together such a highly-organised race where everything ran so well. Decent tracksuit top as well - I'm wearing it in work today

If the swim had been "as advertised" I'd have gotten under the 5:30. No worries, it was a great day and a real experience. I have to decide now whether I want to go at this properly or whether I focus on the marathon - great choice to have.

Cheers to Interested for the encouragement and the call on Saturday - hope ye all had a great night lad!

RedB

4 stars (good)

Provisional results up on the Cork Tri site now.

levitronix

3 stars (average)

Great race really enjoyed it even if i nearly died in the swim , loved the bike course was so happy i left the tri bars at home, only one bad thing i can say about the race was there should of been a toilet on the run course

rubs

Wow, I can`t believe the one-sided comments on this thread:eek:

There is a big elephant in the room and nobody wants to talk about it. I feel that Kenmare is living off the past to a large degree and that, in a way, the scenery on the bike clouds everyone`s judgement!!

First off, Transition is an actual joke at this stage. I`ve done the race several times now and every year it seems to get tighter and tighter. This year, clubmates of mine had gear damaged, including expensive bikes. Would a few more stands really be that hard to organise and arrange...as well as additional flood lighting for the early start.

The swim....my word. There is something wrong when people are struggling c.400m into the first leg! Then, on reviewing the provisional results, I see that over 40 people have no swim time. I know several people who were pulled from the water early on allowed to wait in transition for last swimmer and then continue on!!!.....whereas people who decided to brave it out and struggle through but missed the cut-off time were stripped of timing chip and effectively race over as a personal contest....whats that all about

If they had the foresight to amend the swim after the experience of 2 years ago than why oh why did they decide to put approx. 1000m upstream and play roulette with he current? Even then, if there was a 10-20 min window, why allow the race to start 10 min late??

The bike leg is stunning and a joy every year but there are stretches where the road surface is very poor and no signs whatsoever to warn competitors. The run is tough, but fair and a real test, no complaints there.

I suppose for €90 I expect a lot. When I first did Kenmare a few years back it was an excellent goodie bag, free meal afterwards and it cost less and that was in the height of the Celtic Tiger! From a loose calculation I reckon Cork Tri take in over 27K in sign-on money alone... Fair play to them, nice earner, but I judge all events here in Ireland by my experience in Kilkee (no affilations BTW). Now that is how you run an event!

Rant over,

Axel1

I have to agree with you Rubs.

I am not going to go bashing the lost sheep as it is a very good event. Its just this thread seems to be very much on the "excellent" event vibe. At €90 euro a pop I think we should be settling for nothing less than excellent and not allow the stunning scenery blurr our assessment of the day.

I note the comment that has been put up on CTC website in relation to the swim leg and acknowledge the fact that they got caught out by nature but if the 15 min late start added to the issue I do not see how this could be seen as an excuse. If the event was to start at 7 why did that not happen? It is the competitors responsibility to get to the start on time and so if people were going to be late - so be it.

I also agree with your point on the congested transition area and the dodgy road surfaces.

Alll the CTC marshalls and members etc were as usual extremely sporting and encouraging and have no issue with any of that side of things. I suppose my main issue is around the swim and the fact that at €90 we seem to be paying for the scenery which, as far as I know, is free on the day!

Having said all that...I will more than likely be back again next year......but I hope the fact that 300 people will turn up will not be taken for granted by the organisers.

kruger73

2 stars (poor)

I am in agreement on the "not quite up to par" vibe.
Why not use the swim course of the past out at the sailing centre, in a bay with far less tide and unpredictability?
And whatever swim course they use, why not insist (with kayakers) that swimmers go around the buoys which are part of the course, there were people cutting the 3rd buoy by the truckload, and I heard of a few who didnt bother going around the 2nd or 3rd, just cut across early.
Hundreds missed the first yellow (horizontal, being dragged out to sea by the tide) buoy, though I suspect the flow was no less strong further in even if the route was shorter.

Finish area is dreadful, beside a derelict hotel? I can't think of anywhere less scenic for it.

Having said that, I'll probably do it again.

brooklane

Congrats to all competitors in Last weekends Lost sheep Triathlon in Kenmare ,from all at Brook Lane

Fortyfoot

2 stars (poor)

I'm not at all sure what Cork-Tri mean when they say everybody was told at the briefing the race would start at 7am sharp. It didn't and that was probably the most significant part the problem. I don't think it was an option for swimmers to start on their own initiative at 7 sharp was it?
This seems to be the crux of the matter....they knew there was a potential problem, they knew they needed to get swimmers away sharply. They didn't.
A simple clear announcement in the - overcrowded - transition at 6.30 that the hooter was going at 7am whether swimmers were ready or not would have forced competitors along.....then tough-luck to those who started late.
More than forty competitors didn't get a finishing time. That's bad. We all know though that shedloads more didn't properly complete the swim. Probably upwards of a quarter (70 plus) competitors....maybe more. That's a mess.
It's very scenic and Kenmare's a great town. I love the cycle and run - and you can't blame Cork-Tri for the state of the road in Bonane. But lets be honest the swim is never great - you're either dragged up under the bridge for a ridiculously fast time - or held back for a snails swim.
Wonder would it be such a draw if there were a decent range of other HIM's available late season?????? :cool:

KentuckyPete

4 stars (good)

Fortyfoot wrote: »

I'm not at all sure what Cork-Tri mean when they say everybody was told at the briefing the race would start at 7am sharp. It didn't and that was probably the most significant part the problem. I don't think it was an option for swimmers to start on their own initiative at 7 sharp was it?
This seems to be the crux of the matter....they knew there was a potential problem, they knew they needed to get swimmers away sharply. They didn't.
A simple clear announcement in the - overcrowded - transition at 6.30 that the hooter was going at 7am whether swimmers were ready or not would have forced competitors along.....then tough-luck to those who started late.
More than forty competitors didn't get a finishing time. That's bad. We all know though that shedloads more didn't properly complete the swim. Probably upwards of a quarter (70 plus) competitors....maybe more. That's a mess.
It's very scenic and Kenmare's a great town. I love the cycle and run - and you can't blame Cork-Tri for the state of the road in Bonane. But lets be honest the swim is never great - you're either dragged up under the bridge for a ridiculously fast time - or held back for a snails swim.
Wonder would it be such a draw if there were a decent range of other HIM's available late season?????? :cool:

OK, now I'm convinced too. Now that the buzz of the event has worn off and Cork Tri have put up that ridiculous mealy-mouthed statement on their website, I'm no longer in the exclusively positive "one-sided comments" category.

The swim was a major screw up - I had no idea that so many people cheated and cut short the route in the upper estuary - hard to believe they weren't pulled up on it. Then so many others not even getting to finish the swim at all. A mess which would never have happened if they got the gun fired on time. So, if all that is true the swim (and therefore the event) was effectively out of control and TI should determine what should be done about it. Clearly much more than a web-based apology is needed.

Fortyfoot, if you witnessed the wholesale ignoring of the route, can you complain to TI?

At the do on Saturday night I was talking to a few of the big guns in Cork Tri club, including a few of the organisers. Every one of them would be considered a strong swimmer and wouldn't have lost more than 8 to 10 minutes on the swim. As a result I think they genuinely did not understand what the fuss was about - hence the less than adequate response. Doesn't excuse the mess in any way - just helps to explain it.

ZZJ

The people who did not follow the course and go around all the buoys correctly know they did not complete the race.

The swim course was very hard this year and probably they should have looked at the tide tables well in advanced and let people know the impact of not starting on time and that the swim would be though. But that is no excuse for just deciding that the course does not apply to you, like if there was a bad headwind on the bike you just take a more sheltered road.

The exact same thing happened in Little Bo Peep where a big bunch decided they would just cut the corner on the outside buoy and the course was an easy swim!

Fortyfoot

2 stars (poor)

In fairness, it's not really about the people who cut corners or not - and I certainly don't think it's comparable to cutting the corner on an easy swim of 1500m if that's what happened in Bo Peep.
People who planned and trained for a high 30's or 40+ minute swim finding themselves in the water for 60/ 70/ 80 mins plus?
That's closer to full ironman swim duration and we are, by definition, talking about the "weaker" swimmers. I'm sure it was screwing with their minds as well as their bodies and plans for finishing.
I don't think we're talking about people who thought they'd cut the swim so they'd cheat their way to beating Brian Keane, are we?

I think it's a reasonable expectation in any event that you should be able to approximate your times based on training times. Presumably every single starter, even "weaker" swimmers, had a reasonable expectation of comfortably beating 1.10. Dozens couldn't. That's a joke - And not their fault.

blind_hurler

3 stars (average)

As a first timer I didn't really know what to expect...
Thought the registration went very smoothly and liked the nice new top to add to my collection.. Briefing was short and to the point and didn't really learn anything bar the change of swim that I didn't read in the brief.

Now as I was staying about forty minutes away this made for an early start.. Up porridge and bananas on board and away I go. Got to Kenmare parked up just down the road and all was going fine... Sorted the gear and was just about to head to transition when a last minute decision to add a small bit more pressure to my back wheel backfired when the valve broke on the tube and panic set in as I'd to change the tube and now time was against me. Thankfully tube in and pumped and a little help from a passer by and my back wheel was on and away I went to transition.. As I was now pretty late it was a squash to find a spot but did so thanks to a few making space...

As I was now running late it meant trying to get everything sorted quickly and properly, next thing I know is we are getting called for the swim... One last check and hoping all was right... All I could think was a few more minutes would be nice even just to have a nervous p*** but alas no and the walk to swim start..

The swim as everyone knows was tough... very tough.... went around each and every buoy even if i was nearly killed at the first one doing so... then slowly it seemed I was losing distance to those in front and the swim felt like it went on forever.. looking left and right I couldn't see anyone and started to think I was right at the back... Caught up with 3 or 4 more that were a little ahead and around the last buoy and home.. quick look at the clock and it was 52mins.. that took way longer than expected must be one of the last... up to transition and still lots of bikes.. okay maybe I'm not last now time to go...

Out on the bike and just took it slow and steady as people streamed past me.. felt comfortable and kept a steady pace knowing the run was still to come and as this was my first HIM my main aim was the finish line.. Got a good bit of fluids in and some gels and kept the head down... Not a fast or great one for the downhills and was glad to be finished with the switch backs at the bottom of the Heally Pass.. Just kept going.. cycle time was 3h15 which not great and I know I can improve on this I was happy as I knew starting the run that there was still some power in the legs..

So off on the run where we had a few nice showers and found it to be one of the hardest 21Km I've done... Was never so happy to hear the beeps as I was at the half way stage and delighted to get to the finish line...

Thought the marshals and the people giving out water did a great job and were very vocal and enthusiastic... Must have been a long day for them and their encouragement was very welcome as was the encouragement from the locals... I was delighted to see the finish line and now have a pb to go after

Really enjoyed the day and the sense of achievement at finishing... To improve I think a bit of lighting at the transition for that hour of the morning would help.. another stand if it would fit would be great to give people a bit more space and finally a potaloo or two..

They may have been there at the start but as I was rushed I might have missed them but with around 300people there fully carb loaded and one or two more nervous about what was ahead they are needed ...


All in all an enjoyable day and I'll be back with more training done next time....:D:D:D

S. Goodspeed

I agree with some of the later comments criticising the event. I didn't bother doing it this year simply because I think it's one of the most over priced ( that slane sprint tri is obviously the no.1 in this category) and over rated events on the calendar. The real problem as someone else illuded to is that there are no other decent mid or end of season HIMs so the lost sheep is always full and Cork tri don't need to bother listening to feedback and trying to improve things.