Aquathlon in or near Howth?

Jupiter36

I heard a rumour that there is to be an aquathlon/aquathlon series in or near Howth but I cannot find any information about it. Does anyone on here know anything about it and/or where to get further information?
Apologies if this should have gone into the events forum

NeedsTraining

Is this the one you are after? Not Howth but not too far.

http://aquathlon.3dtri.com/

bazman

http://howthaquathon.com

billy.fish

More races close to home, perfect

GoHardOrGoHome

I like triathlons but I'm a weak swimmer and a crap cyclist! Any chance of a 200m swim and a half marathon? Probably not.

Ah well, a 500m swim with a wetsuit followed by a 2.8k run will do me so. I'm going to do the shorter option. I *could* do the 1000m swim but I'd be knackered by the end of it.

I did the Greystones Aquathon and I really enjoyed that. It was my first time running without socks. Didn't have any blisters or hot spots while wearing my Asics Hyperspeed 3 so I'll be doing the same for this one.

(If I get back in the pool and work on my technique I'll do the 1000m option in July).

Excuseless

Surely your feet have hardened up a bit with all these long events you have being doing Go Hard?

Expecting a big performance out of you one of these days and of course I mean on the course not just in a social setting

weather looking fab for the weekend and Monday :cool:

connundrum

Just signed up for this, will be my first Aquathlon.

Can't baleedin wait!

GoHardOrGoHome

Excuseless wrote: »

Surely your feet have hardened up a bit with all these long events you have being doing Go Hard?

Expecting a big performance out of you one of these days and of course I mean on the course not just in a social setting

weather looking fab for the weekend and Monday :cool:

Well yeah! That's what I'm saying! I'm going without socks because I'm so hard!

A friend of mine doesn't know if she'll be out of work on time. Depends on her boss etc. Can you sign up tonight? If so, what time do you have to be there at?

Thanks

Excuseless

Good stuff Go Hard!

We will allow you to run on the bare tarmac - good for mind and body - others can use the fabric matting we are providng - not quite red carpet but it will protect your feet.

Will be taking sign up on the night in Scout Hall close to the Dart Station / Port from 6 to 7 but better if you can sign up on line.
Only possible to sign up for the Series 3 race special on-line so best do that now as will be closing on-line entries soon.

see you out there

Peckham

I will be there this evening cheering on Mrs Peckham as she takes part in her first event (using this as a warm up for Skerries Tri at end of next month).

Excuseless - what size field are you expecting for this? What would be the anticipated range of finish times?

Also, is there fabric matting for the entire length of the run? Surely not?

Excuseless

Fabric matting only from beach exit to transition where you will be in your bare feet.

Expecting 100+ - Depends on entries on the night.

Time range - depends on who turns up really.

On line entries now closed so be there early if you want to enter on the night - between 6 and 7 close to the Dart station / Port at Sea Scouts Hall

GoHardOrGoHome

Just back from a marathon session of fish and chips consumption congregated around a bench outside Beshoff's in Howth. Great stuff!

Very friendly atmosphere at this race. I did the short course and I threatened to do the long course next time but I think I'll stick to the short one next time. I think I was in the top 5 during the first part of the swim due to my amazing horsey-type galloping gait through the shallow water. When it actually got to swimming the swimmers zoomed by me. I was quite relaxed during the swim and didn't struggle I'm just not very fast at all!

It was great having all the kids cheering us as we left the water and ran along the lane to transition. No sand on my feet so didn't need to wash them off. Threw on the Asics DS racers and already had my singlet on underneath the wetsuit. Seemed to take an age to tie my laces, need to get those lock-lace yokes. I'd say three people passed me in transition due to the laces. In a short race like this seconds count! The girl who was in 4th position was just ahead of me and was running strongly (she was 2nd lady in the end). I only caught her on the last third of the run (2.8k total). Geraldine O'Shea from Piranha Tri had a super swim which put her way out in front and she managed to hold off the next three marauding 3D-Tri girls for first place.

The spot prizes were really excellent. A wetsuit (worth three hundred squid I think) and Zoot tri runners were given away. The winners don't need any more gear - give it to us plebs! Vouchers were given away for Ivan's restaurant, Harriet's nutrition workshop, golf weekends away, Beshoff's etc. Really good atmosphere. Can't wait for the next one.

I'll need to see the results but I'm pretty sure 3D Tri entered about 50 people into the race. Really nice friendly bunch of people.

Can't wait to see John Shiel's pictures on www.actionphotography.ie. There's always some great shots. Especially when the weather is so nice!

Jupiter36

Super race tonight. Thanks to Harriet, Paul, the scouts and to Beshoffs for the picnic afterwards. What a lovely way to spend a sunny Monday evening!:)

GoHardOrGoHome

Jupiter36 wrote: »

Super race tonight. Thanks to Harriet, Paul, the scouts and to Beshoffs for the picnic afterwards. What a lovely way to spend a sunny Monday evening!:)

Sorry, yes, the Scouts were excellent. Friendly and helpful and organised. Thanks again.

Excuseless

Thanks to all that supported the first ever Howth Aquathon

Preliminary Results now up on www.howthaquathon.com

Everyone (almost) was a winner with the spot prizes and particularly those that left with the Zoot shoes and wetsuits!

Peckham

Very enjoyable event from the spectator point of view, and Mrs Peckham gained a lot in terms of learnings.

Didn't hang round for long afterwards - had to get home for Lost!

GoHard - was that you in the IMRA vest?

billy.fish

Excellent event, well run, fun, great prizes and a perfect night for it.

The face on the guy in Beshoffs when we all came in for 3 cod and chips each. Priceless.

Roll on the next one.


Oh get the jellyfish sorted, had a total spas attack when i swam into a cloud of the buggers

Once again, awesome event

GoHardOrGoHome

Peckham wrote: »

Very enjoyable event from the spectator point of view, and Mrs Peckham gained a lot in terms of learnings.

Didn't hang round for long afterwards - had to get home for Lost!

GoHard - was that you in the IMRA vest?

Yep! That was me! How did Mrs. Peckham do? The swim was a bit long so it'll be shorter the next time (thank God!). Well that's for the short option. Did she do the short one or the long one?

Peckham

Thought I recognised you. Regret not saying hello now.

Mrs P did the short race, and struggled with the swim due to her only wearing a short wetsuit. Lesson learned on that front. The event was a familiarisation exercise for her, so objective achieved in that sense. She did well on the run, which was great considering that's her weakest discipline and also she was wrecked coming out of the water and didn't even want to start the run.

Raging_Hull

This was a terrific event. A very modest entry fee (€20), very well organised (bar the tide not being fully in), super fast registration and a beautiful evening to boot.

I did the long course. The shoals of Jellyfish (or whatever a group of them is called!) between the second and third marks was a bit nerve wrecking, but the calm seas were great. A guy told me after the race that the white ones don't sting....:eek:

The run out and back twice along the harbour wall was glorious. Having never done an aquathon, I found going straight into the run as opposed onto a bike a bit tough to get going. This was not helped by the smell of vinegar in the air from everyone eating their Beshoffs chips along the route!

Well done to the organisers and the sea scouts. A really great night was had.

NeedsTraining

Great event. I really enjoyed it and it had a real local feel about it. Loved been able to park so close to transition too

Well done to all involved, especially the sea scouts with the oranges at the end.

Looking forward to the next event.

GoHardOrGoHome

Peckham wrote: »

Thought I recognised you. Regret not saying hello now.

Mrs P did the short race, and struggled with the swim due to her only wearing a short wetsuit. Lesson learned on that front. The event was a familiarisation exercise for her, so objective achieved in that sense. She did well on the run, which was great considering that's her weakest discipline and also she was wrecked coming out of the water and didn't even want to start the run.

I'm a bit of a cauld creature so I was really glad I had the full wetsuit when we got into the deep water. Pretty chilly for me. She won't be wrecked during the second race in July because it will be a fair bit shorter.

Also, if she does manage to get a full wetsuit the extra buoyancy it provides should make the swim easier.

That's great she warmed up on the run. Sometimes it's a matter of saying to yourself - just one more step, just one more step and you warm up and get going.

And yeah! Say hello next time!

Sport101

I'm afraid the second aquathlon suffered from a swim problem, which resulted in most of the field wading out to the first buoy after the start for a few minutes. It made the swim a mess, and a lot shorter than it should have been.
Its a lovely run along the pier and the race is well organised, but surely they can find a deep bit of water to do the swim in?! Or perhaps use a water start.

connundrum

Sport101 wrote: »

I'm afraid the second aquathlon suffered from a swim problem, which resulted in most of the field wading out to the first buoy after the start for a few minutes. It made the swim a mess, and a lot shorter than it should have been.
Its a lovely run along the pier and the race is well organised, but surely they can find a deep bit of water to do the swim in?! Or perhaps use a water start.

Really? The tide was completely out? A bit of practical thinking is in order, water start would help.

billy.fish

Its always shallow, tide was in more than last time.

Anyway a bit of aqua running never hurt anybody

Sport101

Part of the attraction of the event, as far as I was concerned, was a longer swim + a 5.x run, not a 200 metre aqua run + 750swim. I feel its something the organisers should try to address if they want to make it a successful annual series.

onimpulse

Sport101 wrote: »

Part of the attraction of the event, as far as I was concerned, was a longer swim + a 5.x run, not a 200 metre aqua run + 750swim. I feel its something the organisers should try to address if they want to make it a successful annual series.

Every race is different - that's part of the challenge of this sport - some are deep water starts, some are beach starts, some rivers, some lakes... next we'll be looking for currents in a certain direction or the waves not too choppy but not too calm either - or really that sun makes it difficult to sight sometimes - maybe they should do something about that?

Jupiter36

I agree; part of the challenge and attraction of open water swimming is the unpredictable nature of it. You won't achieve consistent times nor will you be able to compare times because, as Onimpulse pointed out, each race is completely different, even when its run on the same course. If you want consistent predictable conditions, then you need to stick to the pool. The Howth Aquathlon is a lovely small, safe, friendly race that promotes the spirit of participation and personal achievement. I hope it stays that way and I'm looking forward to the next one.

Sport101

I'm all on for challenging swims and couldn't care less about comparing times to other races, however, this wading aspect of the race is neither challenging or attractive its just a pain in the as*.
As for it being feature of open water swimming, you won't find an open water swimming race on the calendar, at least in leinster, with any wading as part of the race, that's why they are called swimming races. Anything experienced during the swim, like current, wind, waves, or sighting problems are fair game.

Anyway, its just my opinion, at the end of the day people will vote with their wallets, you guys obviously liked the wading, I didn't.

onimpulse

Sport101 wrote: »

As for it being feature of open water swimming, you won't find an open water swimming race on the calendar, at least in leinster, with any wading as part of the race, that's why they are called swimming races.

And maybe thats why this is called an aquathon...

When it comes to aquathons & triathlons different courses & different types of swim starts are part of the sport. So, either find out in advance what the start is like & make your decision to enter or not based on that or stick to seperate swim & run races.

GoHardOrGoHome

Last of the Howth aquathons tonight. I'll be helping out and competing! Well participating.

Missed the middle one due to injury. Might see some of you out there? Peckham? Mrs. Peckham?! IMRA vest will be on show!

Excuseless

Go Hard had the fastest final 50 (m) split of the night:eek:

Results now posted at
http://howthaquathon.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55&Itemid=71

Sport101

Miserable evening... good race though and a tough swim. That stage of the outgoing tide makes it fairer for a swim given the aqua jogging leg.

Thought that young lad was finishing the shorter race when I left transition he was so far ahead:eek:

Congrats on organising a successful series.

Fitzilicious

Took part in my first Howth aquathlon last night, really enjoyed it despite the conditions!
Fair play to the organisers!
Got a nice Beshoffs spot prize so happy out!
Hope the Howth Tri becomes a reality next year!!