TriAthlone

The Rook

This was my first ever triathlon and I did the Sprint on Saturday evening.

I have to say I thought it was an excellent race. Great organisation, great atmosphere, great support.

I found the swim very hard and without the support of the kayak team I think I would have pulled out of the race. They were great, really calming, helpful and encouraging.

I think as it was my first race in open water I panicked and didn’t even have the presence of mind to switch stroke, or to float on my back but thankfully the kayak guys were there!

The relief as I left the water was amazing and then I really enjoyed the rest of it.

Nice slightly undulating bike ride and a run with really great music and supporters to give you a pep in your step.

Thanks very much TriAthlone for a really memorable first triathlon !

Podge83

The Rook wrote: »

This was my first ever triathlon and I did the Sprint on Saturday evening.

I have to say I thought it was an excellent race. Great organisation, great atmosphere, great support.

I found the swim very hard and without the support of the kayak team I think I would have pulled out of the race. They were great, really calming, helpful and encouraging.

I think as it was my first race in open water I panicked and didn’t even have the presence of mind to switch stroke, or to float on my back but thankfully the kayak guys were there!

The relief as I left the water was amazing and then I really enjoyed the rest of it.

Nice slightly undulating bike ride and a run with really great music and supporters to give you a pep in your step.

Thanks very much TriAthlone for a really memorable first triathlon !

Pity it took so long to get everyone in the water - Some were waiting a long time. After that Couldn't really complain about too much. Results are gone again though. Heard of a bit of nonsense on Saturday alright!!

The Davestator

Did the half yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it. Brilliant organisation, outstanding marshals and good course. Tough in places but fast in others. Only downside was the waiting for the bus to swim start in the sun. Very easily fixed though.

Got a pb by 28 min so very happy. Some serious times posted by people

bryangiggsy

Enjoyed the race for the most part yday. The bike course is flat and fast. However the drafting and wheel sucking going on was abs ridiculous. I have never seen it so bad in a race. 8-10 people caught me at 40 k bike and i could still see the same 8-10 people up the road at 65k. Very frustrating when you are trying to hold your power then have to spike to get by them ..then for one of them to come by you carrying the other 8 along. All those guys started the run with very fresh legs. I only saw 1 motorbike marshall once the whole 90k.
CRacking bike and run course imo but a lot to improve on. Challenge Galway will be some draft fest next year!!!

rodneyr1981

bryangiggsy wrote:

Enjoyed the race for the most part yday. The bike course is flat and fast. However the drafting and wheel sucking going on was abs ridiculous. I have never seen it so bad in a race. 8-10 people caught me at 40 k bike and i could still see the same 8-10 people up the road at 65k. Very frustrating when you are trying to hold your power then have to spike to get by them ..then for one of them to come by you carrying the other 8 along. All those guys started the run with very fresh legs. I only saw 1 motorbike marshall once the whole 90k. CRacking bike and run course imo but a lot to improve on. Challenge Galway will be some draft fest next year!!!

Would have to agree with above. Enjoyed race. Thought it was well run and a fast course. Drafting was terrible. I def burnt a few matches staying away from a train near me. A few of them were making making it look like a Sun group spin. Motorbike passed me at around 81km and there was a group up the road and he just drove past. Not even a warning.
Anyway over all very enjoyable day.

Podge83

Thought I'd share my random thoughts of Sunday:

The Lost Keys!

It was Sunday morning early. Up again for a big race… big in distance, big in status and surely, again, big in pain. Why bother – why not stay in bed – it’s nice, it’s warm, it’s safe, it’s easy, the company is good and there’s no need to face the pain.
Anyway, these thoughts were put to one side today. This was a race I had my eye on since the fixtures came out. The big half distance race of the year for this year. Last year it was the lost sheep, this year it was the lost keys – more about that later.

Porridge eaten and into the car before 7 bells. I wanted to leave at 7 or before – Sunday morning traffic would be easy – a nice spin to Athlone – shouldn’t take much more than 2 hours. Strange journeys these – long but relaxing in a strange sort of way – good music on the player – for this journey I had selected The Blades and the Stone Roses. A good mix of motivation, distant memories of fights in dodgy halls, memories of that night in Heaton Park, generally good feelings though – arrived in Athlone at about 9.10 ish – bang on target. Got to the race site and it seemed to be in the middle of a gigantic car park full of plumb parking spots which couldn’t be used!! Official parking was advised in the Sheraton, but I grabbed myself a decent spot near enough to the race HQ (although not in the forbidden garden).

Register, work out what all the bags are for, put the various bits and pieces in the proper bags and lay them in their allotted spots in the riverside park. It would all make sense later I thought – it had to – listened to a few bemoaning the complications but this apparently was the European way – transition bags, super tidy transition. Racked the bike in what I thought was a flimsy enough timber mounting system – the rear wheel slotted into the rack like those bike racks in school long ago—only they were steel (or were they concrete). Anyway noticed a few of the timber lats weren’t as strong as they ought to be and a fella on patrol with a cordless drill could have spooked me but put those thoughts away instantly!!

That usual substitution of normal with pre-race time was slipped in by whoever controls these things and the two hours had elapsed since my arrival which seemed like just enough time to do what could normally be done in a jiffy.

Race briefing time. Don’t put on the wetsuit though – too early and still a good time to go to the start.

We were given the choice of being bussed or walking the mile or so to the start line. I felt like walking but elected to take the bus. The bus journey seemed like some dodgy taxi driver had taken the wheel and was trying to take the longest conceivable route only to then think – these lads really haven’t an idea where they are, deffo from out of town so let’s add on another bit. Anyway we eventually got to the drop off which still a good walk from the start to meet the people who elected to walk getting there before us!!

Down to swim start, ablution stop in the trees and don the wetsuit. High Noon had arrived and we were ready to go. I had given the mass start a few thoughts – not all good as the first turning buoy was 150m from the start. 400 odd mad swimmers bearing down on this one spot to get the best start was going to be interesting and something that I had decided I was going to give a wideish berth!!

We were guided into the water down a very narrow ramp which allowed one by one. Thought to self – that’s going to take a long time!!!
Into the water anyway – lovely I thought, nice temperature, warm up. Swim down and under the Motorway bridge and back – that should do it. Look up at the bank – still hundreds to get in. First thoughts of getting in the water too early. Swam another bit, treaded water for an eternity and then thought – time for a rest over by the bank in shallower water. 20 minutes passed and still they were coming!!! The red hats bobbed around. I had my start strategy sorted and it was fool proof. Keep leftish and stay near enough in but far enough out so that a few slaps were likely in the mass dash to the buoy but far enough out so I could manoeuver a little if it got too rough – after all there was a long way to go!!

Looked around and still they came down the ramp. Deffo got in too early. Any we all lined up and there it was a shot – no not the starting gun but my calf – the result of my early entry was an early dash to the nearest canoe as the start was sounded my signal was to a canoeist to get a calf cramp stretched out – fook – the race was over before it started.

Note to race organisers - it takes a long time to get 400 one by one into the water!!

In all this I had the piece of mind to start the watch. The guy pulled the toes back and the calf eased – time for me to start but nearly everyone else was gone!! Why was there anyone still here – the race was on FFS!! Glanced the watch and noticed over a minute had gone – anyway I looked ahead and headed for the buoy – in a strange way the tall yellow turn buoy reminded me of the film I had taken the kids to last week. As I closed in on the buoy the scene in front of me resembled some mad cap movie scene of flailing arms bobbing red hats like lottery balls in the drum and the odd piece of flying debris with the buoy like the king minion of the Shannon with its yellow friend, the close by second buoy lying down in a fit of laughter.

I swam well when I got going and was soon passing people. The two buoys were rounded before I knew it. The Minions now behind me it was full steam ahead. Downstream now!! We passed under the railway bridge, its white steel girders above us was an impressive enough sight. Eyed the town bridge – aim for the square arch we were told in the race brief (square arch – that doesn’t make sense – arches are round!!). Anyway it made sense for me to keep left of the “square arch” as the straight line meant swimming like the s’s of a Tour de France mountain due to the scattering of bodies that I was overtaking as I went – started to feel good and was swimming well, was relaxed and yep – I was enjoying myself. My lofty ambitions on a National Medal may have been in tatters but I was here now, racing and going to get to the finish as quickly as I could.

Bang!! Calf cramp again – sh1te – need to get those toes back again – thanks to the nice lady in the canoe for helping, but more time lost – go again – veer right through the square arch and the Vodafone inflatables came into view on the backwards ramp. On to the ramp and half way out of the water and there it was again laying down on the ramp half way out of the water like some bad extra in the making of “Saving Private Ryan” – I was in severe pain and it showed – I screamed like a baby – got to the wall stood up and stretched out the calfs. Relief – quick look around – cap still on, goggles still on – suitable disguise – no one will recognise me later for making such a fool of myself – off I run to transition. When I got out of sight I whipped off the goggles and hat!! Cursed my luck a bit but must get going now.

Anyway, transition made sense after all – got the first of the bags, threw in the wetsuit and stuck on the helmet – running with the bike wearing the pointy helmet makes sense to onlookers but the coupling of my “shroin mor” and the pointy helmet and without the bike I must have resembled a pickaxe with arms running towards the bike.

Straight into transition and got the bike. Noticed that despite starting last there were still plenty of bikes around – later reference to the results would confirm that 126 bikes of the 400 or so were gone – not too bad I suppose.

Jumped onto the bike and this was the signal to the heavens to open its trap doors and release last night’s dish water – and down it poured big time. Look, I just spent about an hour in a River – couldn’t get any wetter – keep going. As we got out of town the rain eased and the steady breeze kicked in.

The bike course was flattish with a few rolling sections – nothing that could be described as a hill!! Now this is where things start to get interesting. All of a sudden your competitors become real and recognizable – unlike the swim where everyone looks the same!!
Started passing a few and was feeling good despite some latent pain in my calves. A few twitches but happily the bike has a built in stretching mechanism which was used more than once – just drop the pedal and stretch!! The small cows were tamed at last!!

Drafting – that old chestnut. Now, in 56 miles of TT racing where drafting is forbidden it’s difficult for it not to come to mind a time or two. The nightmare scenario is when you find yourself in close proximity to cyclists of a similar ability. What are you supposed to do, get off the bike and wait for them to get down the road? No race them silly and within the laws!! I just decided that as soon as anyone overtook me I would let them past and then observe from afar (always more than 10 metres for those of you who doubt my integrity).

If they didn’t get away from me, like a Colditz inmate, it was my duty to escape. And the only honourable way to do this was to pass with conviction. I can honestly say that for long stretches on Sunday I was passed and passed by the same three or four people maybe twenty times and never drafted – maybe technically a time or two but I spent such a period of the cycle leg avoiding the draft – ironic for a Prisoner of War!! I’d add that whenever I looked back at no stage could I say that anyone was on my wheel.

Very awkward dismount with apologies due to the guy from Carrick (I think he posts here) who I nearly took out – didn’t mean it, honest!!
Anyway back to Athlone and into transition. Overall, feeling much more positive now with energy taken on board at good regular intervals and having passed a good few more people out on the road. Racked the bike, got the next bag, threw away the pick axe and headed out onto the run.

I can confirm now that the first section of lap 1 of that run was the worst I have ever felt in any race in my life. I have never pulled out of a race, save for a cross country once when my hammer went bang!!. Stopping was never an option but I questioned for the first time getting to the line with the latent cramp pain in my calf with every step!

Anyway, I found a good pace on what was an interesting course as for the first time you could start to see people at various positions and gauge really where you were. Got to the end of lap 1 and got the red armband. Feeling much better now and relaxed and the pain eased thankfully. Just goes to show that you really can come through bad patches in a race if you press on.

Had a good idea now as to my AG position and had worked out that I was third or fourth and gaining, but never fast enough. The lead which the dark wood man had on me which could be measured in miles rather than minutes was unassailable – I knew that as I had seen him when I was coming in on the bike well into the run. Fair play I thought and it was good to be where I was after the disaster of the first few minutes with the Minions.

A decent enough run brought me back to 40th position and 4th in my age group. Same as last year and forever the bridesmaid I thought. Finishing time 4.40. Jesus I was happy with that. I am getting faster, but so is everyone else!!

Congratulations dished out where due and off to find my buddies for a bit of social time. Ciaran and Stephen - two of the nicest guys you can meet – Special mention for Stephen – more punctures today than a plant pot bottom but still smiling. He also has a special target now in Majorca!! An IronMan and more!!

Into the car and head for home. Now thinking about the dinner!! Stop in Mountmellick for the Cup of Coffee. Get the coffee, up to the counter and pay and head back to the car happy enough with my lot. Sh1te! Where are the keys? Back into the shop and start to look around, at this stage starting to attract a few strange looks. Looked everywhere, no keys. Ask the lady at the counter – She hadn’t seen them. Asked the woman with two kids – she subsequently asked the two kids – negatory all around.

Back out to the car – deffo not out there. Jaysus. Back inside. Now at this stage I’m hobbling, not walking and the shop owner lends a help in hand. He starts to dismantle the shop – trays of crisps out on the floor cash register lifted, fridges searched. Then I spy the hole in the stone worktop on which the coffee machines stand. Hmmmm, I wonder? Open the door underneath and look in the, up to then, concealed bin. Amongst the used cups, lids and stained tissues I see the glistening of metal. Could it be – yes, thank God and all his mates!
Look back at the shop owner and the constituent parts of his premises around the floor, say thanks and leg it!!

Kurt_Godel

Great read Podge! Shame about the cramps- many here have a love/hate relationship with the calf. I presume you've tried every remedy, quack and otherwise. No warm-up? Might this have contributed? Anyway, well done on the race, very good going to come back to 40th.

("ablution", added to the part of brain where nice words are stored )

Podge83

Kurt_Godel wrote: »

Great read Podge! Shame about the cramps- many here have a love/hate relationship with the calf. I presume you've tried every remedy, quack and otherwise. No warm-up? Might this have contributed? Anyway, well done on the race, very good going to come back to 40th.

("ablution", added to the part of brain where nice words are stored )

Yeah Kurt. I tried everything, visited the quack-blood tests all good - magnesium, potassium, bananas, stretching. Thought I was over it to be honest. This year it hadn't bothered me at all really up till Sunday. I'm putting it down to the long period in the water before the start. I know on a separate thread that many put it down to being unfit, but I trained well for this race and tapered well. I was in good shape. I did warm up but did it too early. Just misjudged the length of time it would take all to get in!! Wint do that again!!

Ablution - don't you know I'm posh!!

iAcesHigh

great story and it seems you got the best you could on the spot considering everything - don't worry, with that attitude TOP 3 will come soon enough!

tunney

Podge83 wrote: »

Yeah Kurt. I tried everything, visited the quack-blood tests all good - magnesium, potassium, bananas, stretching. Thought I was over it to be honest. This year it hadn't bothered me at all really up till Sunday. I'm putting it down to the long period in the water before the start. I know on a separate thread that many put it down to being unfit, but I trained well for this race and tapered well. I was in good shape. I did warm up but did it too early. Just misjudged the length of time it would take all to get in!! Wint do that again!!

Ablution - don't you know I'm posh!!

I never said unfit. I said not having the level of fitness required for the level of exertion undertaken, that the mind and/or body effectively said "danger here" and stopped you.

tunney

The accounts that I have heard of this say that this was a total draft fest. Farcical levels of drafting. Anyone else to confirm/deny this?

pgibbo

tunney wrote: »

The accounts that I have heard of this say that this was a total draft fest. Farcical levels of drafting. Anyone else to confirm/deny this?

If you read back a few posts you will see that both Rodney & Bryan pointed this out. Sounds like it was nuts.

rodneyr1981

tunney wrote:

The accounts that I have heard of this say that this was a total draft fest. Farcical levels of drafting. Anyone else to confirm/deny this?

Confirm. Groups making no effort. Spent a large portion of first 40km getting caught and breaking away from one particular train. At one stage they were calling out potholes like a Sunday spin!! Any shouting I did landed on def ears.
Don't want to sound like a negative Ned. Enjoyed race other than this.

tunney

pgibbo wrote: »

If you read back a few posts you will see that both Rodney & Bryan pointed this out. Sounds like it was nuts.

Apologies, so reports confirmed. A totally facial draft fest, that was a NC and NS and really by all accounts has yielded totally inaccurate results due to widespread cheating and non-enforcement of rules.

But hey the NC and NS are important........

rodneyr1981

tunney wrote:

But devils advocate - it wasn't a race then. If you were riding legal but no one else was it wasn't really a race. Just a mickey swinging exercise (not suggesting by you)

To say nobody else wasn't riding fair isn't true as there was loads of honest too but look I had my own targets splits wise and I ain't going to be podiuming so ain't going to loose sleep over it.

bryangiggsy

It was more noticeable on Sunday because of the one wave start..(too many people on the bike course at same time) the fast flat course (less oppurtunities for folk to get dropped) and the complete non existence of policing. If they had 5 motorbikes policing 15-20k of road the groups would have been broken up.
Lads spinning 200 watts sitting on the wheel of other pushing 280. It was comical
I saw 1 motorbike official the whole 90k. I got great pleasure in seeing 1 guy in a highly visible yellow cycling jersey who must have sat on the back of a group and wheel for 40k get blown out with 20k to go.
I would like to do the race again if it was policied properly but for €145 it definitely was not worth the cash and i would not sign up at this price again. the nutrition on the course was a joke....and they ran out of coke after lap 2 of the run.

tunney

bryangiggsy wrote: »

It was more noticeable on Sunday because of the one wave start..(too many people on the bike course at same time) the fast flat course (less oppurtunities for folk to get dropped) and the complete non existence of policing. If they had 5 motorbikes policing 15-20k of road the groups would have been broken up.
Lads spinning 200 watts sitting on the wheel of other pushing 280. It was comical
I saw 1 motorbike official the whole 90k. I got great pleasure in seeing 1 guy in a highly visible yellow cycling jersey who must have sat on the back of a group and wheel for 40k get blown out with 20k to go.
I would like to do the race again if it was policied properly but for €145 it definitely was not worth the cash and i would not sign up at this price again. the nutrition on the course was a joke....and they ran out of coke after lap 2 of the run.

doesn't bode well for challenge galway............

Podge83

tunney wrote: »

The accounts that I have heard of this say that this was a total draft fest. Farcical levels of drafting. Anyone else to confirm/deny this?

Interesting thing about the drafting on Sunday was that in 90k I saw one Bike marshall in a race where marshalling should have been easier (although waves would have helped). At Dunmore east where marshalling was impossible due to the amount of bikes on the road I saw several in 20k, (although little action taken).