Ross Welton

...seen here at Diss duathlon before learning how to speak Spanish. Que?

Doblo Olympico, Elche (Spain), 6th May

Having randomly spotted this event whilst idly surfing Triathlon websites one day at work, I decided it would be 'fun' to enter and have a go at the 3000m sea swim, 80km bike and 20km run, just 20 mins away from Alicante Airport. Having only competed in London olympic triathlon last year, it was a fairly big leap up in distance, but I thought "its in Spain, if I mess up no one will know…"

The flight to Alicante with the bikes proved very efficient, and it was only £15 each way to take the bikes with Ryanair, worth remembering. We arrived on the Friday night and the race was on the Sunday morning, so plenty of time to acclimatise to the unseasonal 27c heat. We used the Saturday to carry out some research on the course and the thorough results concluded, long and wet, followed by long and hot, and finally long, hot and hilly!! Time well spent.

Arriving at the Swim venue, which was out on the coast, it was amazing to see so many people who were so outrageously 'ripped' (youth slang for toned and athletic) which was worrying, I like to pick someone out that I think "yep I'll beat them" thus not being last. It then became apparent that this was the Spanish National Middle Distance Championships…. The collection of top notch bikes and elaborate wheels only added to the fear! My Spanish is embarrassingly non-existent and unfortunately there were no English speakers, so the pre-race briefing was a little challenging, but I was sure there would be someone in front of me to follow.

The Swim was a beach start, with around 500 starting in the mens wave. The course was two 1500m laps with a 20m run in between them. The swim went pretty well, only a few slappings early on, and I went into T1 in around 51mins. The exit of T1 was a massive hill to start the 80km bike ride from the coast inland to the town of Elche. It wasn't the most scenic route in the world, and the heat was already hotter than anticipated and it was only 10am. I had stomach cramps early on, which meant my strict feeding program went out the window, but the quality of the Spanish bananas at the feed stations were a welcome snack.

Having negotiated the bike leg (my worst discipline) (see report on Diss duathlon in earlier edition of ITCH) in fairly wimpish fashion, the final leg was a 20km, two lap run route which had a 200m up hill 18%slope to be negotiated at the end of each lap, an absolute killer! The run went pretty well, I managed to claw back some of the time lost on my biking and by the second lap I started to feel comfortable and my watch was showing 8min/miles which was quicker than anticipated.

Crossing the line was pleasing, I was looking to do six hours, having no idea of pacing etc and wanting to make sure I finished and I came in 5hrs 38m. The event was so well organised and marshalled. The pre-race kit bag dished out to everyone included T-shirts, training bag, lock laces and all kinds of paraphernalia, and finisher T-shirts were also given out as you crossed the line. I have already pencilled the race in for next year (it's cheaper than London) and may well make a nice club race…..

Ross Welton

Anon

I believe this is Lucy Bowditch, on her way to coming second at Waveney (picture lifted from tri-anglia's website)

Waveney Valley triathlon - Sunday 13th May

I do not appear to have received a full race report for Waveney but I gather from the official website that:

"The forecast rain held off long enough for Billy Parker-Brown of Tri and Run to win the 2007 Waveney Valley Triathlon, with Juliet Vickery of Cambridge Tri winning the Ladies race.

"Having been held for over 10 years the Waveney Valley Triathlon is a well established event on the Eastern Region Triathlon calendar and being an early Super-Sprint Triathlon it is incredibly popular with all levels of local triathletes from  novice through to elite. This year the 150 places were full within 6 days of entries opening.

"The Super-Sprint has the shortest distances of all triathlons open to adult competitors.  The Waveney Valley version involves a 400m swim in the Waveney Valley swimming pool just south of Bungay, a 20km bike ride around the All Saints villages south of Bungay and a tough 3.2km hilly run to finish"

However, I did get a note from Sarah Jennings who, having only just joined the club, was shown as competing for Woodbridge Shufflers. Despite being new, Sarah won her age group, which is brilliant.  Ann Fish and William Newland also won their age groups, as did a Maria Reynolds who is shown as unattached but whom I'm assuming is our Maria, while Lucy Bowditch was second lady overall. Lee Bark was second man overall but also appears to have been competing unattached.

Fuller results on http://www.tri-anglia.co.uk/WaveneyTriathlon/ include splits - there are also some photographs.

Strivs Miller

...seen here at Diss duathlon...

...and seen here holding off GB competition in the world champs.
(Sarah went on to beat the other lady by six minutes.)

World Duathlon Championships - Gyor, Hungary Sunday 20th May

Despite the huge cost & lack of heavy duty sponsors I set off nervously in the (very) early hours of the Thursday before the race to pick up my flight at Luton Airport! I was nervous, not because of the race but because my bike was in many pieces in a box (thanks Dave & Susannah for the loan of the box) & I had no idea how to get it back together again!

I needn't have worried, there was a huge GB team there (only equalled by team USA) & my fellow athletes couldn't have been more supportive & helpful - probably because they realised I wasn't going to be worrying any of them in the medal stakes! A very kind young lady vet (not an oxymoron, a veterinary surgeon, she won a silver medal in her age group in the end - well done Louise Kelly!) reassembled my bike for me so I could then relax & enjoy the experience!

The whole experience was fantastic! The whole town has really enbraced the event & a huge grandstand had been assembled outside the town hall! On the Friday, after registration, the whole field of 800 athletes had a ride out on the bike course with a big police escort! It was very exciting & my first & possibly only experience of drafting/peleton cycling!

The elite race was on the Saturday & team GB did well with a silver medal for the ladies & gold for the men! It isn't until you see these "real" athletes close up that you realise quite how fast they are!! After this we all racked our bikes & collected our timing chips etc & were then paraded through the town in national teams/kit just like in the Olympics! The whole town seemed to have turned out to cheer us on & the olde worlde buildings made it look like a set from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! I expected to see the child-catcher come out at any minute!!

The opening ceremony included several boring speeches plus local children doing ballet & gymnastics & also something called "break performance" which turned out to be Hungarian break-dancers (!!?) & not an interval as we had anticipated!

The age group race on the Sunday was in 3 waves with the young men (under 45) going first, old(er) men next & finally, at 11am the women!! By this time the temperature had reached nearly 30 degrees - not good for women in the 45+ age groups!! I decided to carry drink & tip as much water as I could over my head, which turned out to be a good plan! We realised while watching the men that the whole course was probably short & when I did the first 10k in 43 mins that was confirmed! In fact my overall time of 2:22 was 20 minutes faster than the qualifying race at Cambridge! We estimated that it was probably 9k/37k/4.5k & mercifully flat, albeit with several sharp hairpin bends!!

My main aim was to get past a many Americans as I could & with closed roads you could really go for it so I sailed past dozens of them on the bike chanting the mantra (in my head of course!) "one yank, two yanks, three yanks, four etc!!" One has to have a way of focussing doesn't one!!

I really enjoyed every minute of it, even the race (husband David says if I enjoyed it that much I could have tried harder!!) & as I came round the corner to the finish, a guy from the BTF handed me a Union Jack to carry over the line - it was a very emotional moment! Best of all my worst fear, that I would be last, wasn't anywhere near realised!!

I was 17th (& 2nd Brit) in my age group & 130th woman out of 176!! The last woman in was a 77 year old American woman called Marge who walked/ limped both run legs & had to be winched onto her bike by 3 strong men (the "no outside assistance" rule obviously waived due to her advanced years!). She took nearly 4 hours but got the biggest cheer of all & a gold medal to boot! Which goes to prove what I've always said - if I live long enough I might get a gold medal!!

William Catchpole

...seen here refuelling during the Ironman Austria in 2006

Woodbridge 10km - Sunday 20th May

I had hoped to set a pb (personal best) at Woodbridge as the previous two years I had cycled over 60 miles Ironman training before doing the 10k and naturally did not set particularly fast times. The Next Gen treadmills took a fearsome pasting in the earlier past of the year as I and a colleague increased the speed and we were covering 5km in under 20mins. The omens looked good for a fast time but I had not factored in a skiing holiday 1st of April which resulted in an injury on the last day. I had torn some ligaments in my calf falling over in some slush. Fool that I am did not let it recover before trying the treadmills and ended up seeing the doctor who had told me that I had undone all the repair work and that it would need further rest but I could using the cross trainer or swimming would be OK.

Resigned to the fact that a pb was out of the window I elected to run with my wife Tessa who having also done the race the previous two years was keen to improve her time. I therefore jogged in Club kit at the back of the field holding her water bottle. The first 5 km we did in sub 30 and just started to slacken in the final three finishing in 62mins and 30 seconds. She was mildly disappointed and I was pleased just to finish and get a very garish Orange new Woodbridge 10k T shirt. It is a highlight in my race calendar and was brilliantly organised – good support – loads of marshals all in all a great day and my abiding memory will be Derrick beaming with pride having done a sub 40mins pb and won his age group. One interesting twist was that my 17year old son who had not done a 10k race before managed a very respectable 42 minutes and has now teamed up with two mates to enter a team in the London Tri Olympic distance relay. I think my relay team The Dirty Badgers are likely to get a drubbing by Dirty Badgers Juniors ! pass me the Zimmer and my cardigan.

William.

There was also a Junior race, in which club member Ruth Mallett came 15th in her catagory - naturally wearing club kit!

Full results at http://www.woodbridgeshufflers.org.uk/results/

Charlie Stannett

Lovely boating weather...

......or a nice day for Kate to take a jog in the park?

The Crystal Palace triathlon comprised a 750m swim in the 50m pool at the National Sports Centre, nine laps (20k) of a closed circuit within the park, then two laps (5k) of the same course for the run, before finishing in the renowned athletics stadium. Crystal Palace was the venue for the first triathlon I ever entered - when it was the London triathlon - but I bottled out when I figured I couldn't swim 50m in one go. It was surprising how short the pool looked this time!

The course really does sound like a stroll in the park, until you realise there is a nasty little hill - which you have to ride nine times & run twice.

Now, I don't know what the weather was like in Ipswich but when I got on to my bike, the rain was absolutely bucketing down, with a fair wind blowing to boot. I actually stopped at one point to see why my brakes were binding, only to realise it was the depth of water which was slowing me down!  I later found that a whole bunch of water had also made its way into my frame. Needless to say, when Kate began her bike leg it coincided with the wind & rain deciding to give up for a while. The words "lucky", "b*gg*r" & "you" were heard to be uttered (but uttered very quietly - the only DQ was for "abuse").

But I admit I did have a really warm feeling when I quietly overtook somebody on the final lap of the athletics stadium, thinking of the times when I'd seen the big boys do it on TV!  And, as well as the chance to experience the Crystal Palace facilities, there was a goody bag that would put some much more expensive events to shame - a good quality back pack, and good quality, subtle tee-shirts in varying sizes instead of the usual "One size fits nobody".  And it's not that difficult to get to from Ipswich - we live just south of Ipswich and I found it easier than going to Waveney.

However, a lesson for all forward-thinking race directors: rather than rely on manual timekeepers, Big Yellow* provided us all with timing chips. But then the timing mats failed in the wet weather, so we have no splits. (*Big Yellow is our nickname for Crystal Palace's chairman, with whom a couple of us share the distinction of a DNF at IMUK05. He is very big, and was wearing yellow at the time...)

Also, a trip down memory lane for those of you who did the Llanberis half ironman in 2002. There was a chap we met in Llanberis called Dominic Hale. Dom won spot prizes for both the appalling condition of his bike and his dubious dress sense (stars & stripes trousers). He swam Llanberis without goggles, totally breast stroke to keep his head out of water, and was more or less last into transition, where I was crewing. Dom then went the wrong way around the bike course before being told by marshalls basically to turn back & give up. So, to make up for it, he ran the run leg - 13.1 miles up and down Llanberis pass - twice.

I found Dom racking next to me at Crystal Palace. Still swimming breast stroke, and without goggles, he was last to finish. But at least he started - the race had been fully subscribed with 600 people entered, so I reckon that's over a 20% drop out rate. Worrying - they can't all have been scared by the idea of having to swim 50m non-stop.

Full results at http://www.crystalpalace-tri.co.uk/race/2007-race/2007-race.htm whence you can also go look at, and buy, more photographs of the rain.

Ant Birt

...tried running the swim leg earlier this year.

The weather was looking misty and not so good but all the racers knew it would be hot soon and to prepare for a hot run leg.  I counted quite a few ITC members in kit, unfortunately I'm to tight to buy a new suit so only had my tri T-Shirt. Dave husband was looking nervous and Simon Palmer and Lee Bark looked confused trying to work out the swim start sequence (First Come first Served rather than the proper order) which worked out well.

The Transition area was very well laid out with plenty of room for each competitor, the bike a straight forward out and in, the fact that the event incorporated the Police Championships was evident in the marshalling, the usual 'unsure' looking marshal in a tracksuit and Hi-Vis jacket was replaced with some of Essex finest (I counted at least 10 Police officers on one roundabout), needless to say the triathletes benefited from having the priority at all road junctions. Seeing all the Police triathletes reminded me why I didn't lead a life of crime as these guys looked fit and mean especially the cloned Met police who all looked the same:-o and looked like they could run after you forever and then disable you in one move.

The cycle leg was quite undulating but I got a good rhythm going, I managed to convince myself I had got a puncture at one stage but it turned out to be the road surface and the hill was taking more effort than I thought! Strange how the mind works:-o, I saw Simon on the in route and thought I might catch him but never did. My transition went well and got a shout from the PA (unfortunately he said Antonio Brit rather than Antony Birt but hey). The run started with a hill not to long but enough to think god this is not starting well. I had decided on a new strategy for the run as it was 3 laps of the course, 7min 1st lap, 6.5 Second and 6 last lap which gave me a focus and for the first time the people I overtook on the bike didn't run past me, in fact I wasn't overtaken on the bike or the run (a first for me whey hey).

I stayed to watch Dave husband finish a mere 30 Seconds less than me but I'm' not competitive:-) and cheered a few other tri club members Mark Bowditch was looking strong on the run and Lucy Bowditch as well. Lee Bark won with a fine cycle leg  (~3mins faster than number 2nd place) and one guy (guess it was Graham White) in retro ITC gear was there but never got a chance to speak and find out who it was. Also Juliet who joined us on Sat swim won the ladies (that should make Steve De Boltz and Dave H feel better after she nearly killed them with the pace at swimming:-) All in all a good 1st triathlon of the season, and one I would recommend to others however next year I think the venue will switch from Braintree town to Braintree FreePort but if its marshalled and organised as good as this its a good tri.

Fuller results at http://www.essex.police.uk/about/a_so_11.php give splits.