Welcome to ITCH - the Ipswich triathlon club hand-out - for May & June 2009...

(If you're very lucky there will be a July edition!)
 

Kate tries to look mysterious...

On the 21st of May in 1851 gold was first discovered in Australia. Now I don't suppose that we are all going to pop over to the Antipodes for a spot of prospecting, but with the race season now upon us I can see that we can reasonably expect to see several of our gals bringing home a little bit of the shiny stuff, indeed, Wendy Quantrill and Sarah Miller did at Wattisham, Julia Green did at Waveney, Julia did it again at ... as you'll see in the race reports, the list just goes on and on.

Well done all, keep it up.

And for those of you  just dipping your toes into the water for your first triathlons let me tell you that it becomes seriously addictive and you will be scouring the country for competitions to enter before you even realise it!

On the subject of dipping your toes into water, June 30th just happens to be Michael Phelps's birthday. Aaah, if only I could swim just a bit faster, but then I am only 5ft 2 and he is considerably taller and perhaps a little less....chunky - and he has got bigger feet! Perhaps a few of the new open water sessions will help...

It is also the anniversary of the day that French acrobat Charles Blondin crossed Niagara Falls on a tightrope in 1859. Now several of us have been known to try some seemingly momentous sporting challenges but that is just plain daft!

Happy racing and I hope to catch up with everyone over the next few weeks.

Toodle-pip, Kate

Kate can be contacted by e-mail to kate@ipswich-tri.org

Catling gunning it...

A chilly north wind made conditions on the bike very challenging and didn’t help on the run either.

The swim was 275m with the transition about 50 yards from the pool exit.

The bike was a 16K consisting of a three lap route, out on the bike you were hit immediately by the strong north wind, which for the first mile was absolutely freezing (for those who didn’t put an extra top on in T1) i.e. me.

Out of T2 you ran along side the pool and out on to the esplanade for the run course which was a simple out and back run of 3K.

The event was well organised with plenty of marshals. There were police at the pedestrian crossings, which you were only allowed to pass when they waved you through, as far as I know no one had to stop.

Ipswich Tri Club had six representatives competing in this event with Sarah Miller winning her age group, well done!

All in all very flat course and good event for both beginners and the more experienced.

See below for results concerning Ipswich Tri Members.

See http://www.activeoutdoorsport.co.uk/?page=10965 for full results. Some photographs are available from Sean Dunn [seanpeterdunn@gmail.com] .

(NB - this event wasn't included for the ITCH league)

A good ITC turn out for local early season sprint tri. Well  organised by the Military in a refreshingly straightforward manner. No dissenting voices to be heard near Lee Bark, the race director during the briefing in the army gym! Significant manual labour of the Army and RAF to marshal and cater for competitors. All with a civilised lunchtime start followed by a hog roast. Well recommended.

The wind seems to accelerate over the airfield and blew directly down the run way, that is lapped twice on the bike. General experience was up the runway right up the gears (at 16-17mph for me) into the wind with head on handlebars, around the cones at the top, all the way down the gears and  then 33-34mph back down the run way wind assisted. Distances: Swim 300m - Cycle 20km - Run 5km. And a traffic free course to boot.

Steve DeBoltz brought ITC home but the ladies took the podium  - twice! - with Sarah Miller and Wendy Quantrill winning their respective age groups.
 

The club had three places for this year's London Marathon - the last one to be sponsored by Flora - and those places went to William Catchpole, Sue Hargadon & Charlie Stannett (the only people who applied.) At least two other club members ran under their own steam - Simon Lockwood and Nicki Ramsey, who did a PB.

In my (Charlie's) case it was more of a “Doctor & the Medics” tour. My hamstring “went”  at 10km (not unexpected - it was niggling all week) so I limp-jogged the rest of the way with stops for massage and ice treatment at various places. I passed Simon when he suddenly ducked off the course for a pitstop.  Simon went past went past me again while I was prostrate on the ground at one of the medic stations.

Simon wrote:

yes well done to all, it was a fantastic day weather was hot but some one turned the heat up after the half way there was no air in the city. charlie, sounds a odd place to me for you to decide to get your prostrate checked half way throu a marathon but i guess the vasoline and rubber gloves swung the deal ha ha !
yes i did duck off i thought id found the tardis that would transport me to the finish line  and was pushing and pulling the buttons but sadly it was just another porter loo with no paper well there was but that was stuck to my shoe as i started the run again! im off to thorpeness to walk a half marathon this weekend in training for the moonwalk in acouple of weeks,then 2weeks after that to edinburgh to do there marathon and maybe just maybe get my sub 4hrs i ache for.........

William & Kate  having a quick T1 at David Lloyd, Ipswich.....

...but following the "No drafting" rules rigorously. (Spot William in the background!)

William wrote:

How you can lose over 5kgs in under 36 hours and still have fun.  Did I just say that ?

 

How did it go ?  Well the swim was a bit that I was most nervy about – Charlie and Tessa (Catchpole) sat with clip boards and insisted 155 lengths (2.4 miles) I had wanted to do 152. Kate was swimming in the fast lane and she was zooming along and did hers in 1 hrs 15 mins and I did mine in 1hr 45mins taking great care on the turns not to push off very hard thereby avoiding cramp. Felt a bit wobbly getting out but Nick Collinson was in the pool and gave me a clap so that was ok.

 

After a quick shower and change into the cycle kit plus a double espresso we were on the bikes headed around the Ipswich ring road and then headed to Freston, Alton Water, Mistley, Clacton, St Osyth, Colchester, Blackheath, Maldon, Goldhanger, Billericay, Ilford etc and circa 9hours 30 mins later plus 105.08 miles we were at Gants Hill not Redbridge so a shade under the 112 miles but as Kate said you get a 10% tolerance on the distance.

 

The major factors affecting our speed  was the wind being a South Easterly i.e. into our face and because we were heading one way we got no respite the whole route. Also once into the built up area it was lights and roundabouts for about 11 miles (not fun) Charlie was on hand at various points to check our progress and take some snaps.

 

Logistics on the bike front had dictated we couldn’t do the overnight gig but hey hoo as it was a pilot event it wasn’t the B all and end all. Crisps sarnies and a pint of milk in the car park was a brilliant finishing welcome and boy was I glad to get my bike helmet and shoes off.

 

 

 

I was billeted at a cheap hotel and after a sleepless night above disco city and up at 6.10am to head down to Greenwich for the 20 min walk to the start. Legs covered with vile smelling embrocation with nurofen at the ready feeling quite nervy about the next 6 hours. Some guys who got on the tube with me were from Clacton and St Osyth and were just stunned to hear what I had already done and was up to.

 

A bacon bap from a deli helped restore a bit of mental confidence and once I had visited the numerous portaloos for the umpteenth time it was into the holding pen and ready for the KO. Weather made the day plus all the bands and fancy dress runners. I was running fairly well to the half way about 2hrs 15mins and wondered if sub 5hours was possible but the heat was sapping and by 18 miles I was down to a shuffle. A few jelly babies and some energy drink pushed me on but being surrounded by other runners who had also realised their target was to finish. I did in 5hours 10 mins.

 

There was a very amusing incident when I went to collect my bag after the run – I went to the relevant lorry and all the bags were on the ground in sequence but mine was missing – Charlie who was running ahead of me had tipped them off and mine was a solitary bag on the trailer. I saw it and thought gosh whats happened to my bag thinking it had been split open and pilfered. I pointed to the bag and there was a big laugh and they presented it to me and said we have been expecting some “nutter” who had cycled from Ipswich and that it was me!

 

I phoned Tessa to tell her I was done and dusted and headed for home. The beer in the bath was just heaven.

What William didn't write was thin the walls were at the hotel, and how he was woken up at 3:00 in the morning by four voices from the room next door...

Fuller results, and details of the 2010 Virgin London Marathon, at http://www.virginlondonmarathon.com/ - and remember that, all things being equal, we will try and get two or three club places for 2010. (These are allocated by the committee against criteria such whether you've had a formal rejection, whether you've fulfilled your committments to the club, whether you've had a club place before, etc. Let Simon Palmer know if you want to bid for any club place we secure.)

I don't appear to have received a race report from Waveney Valley but I see that congratulations should go to Julia Green for winning her age group.
 

I don't appear to have received a race report for Newmarket.

What an awesome race. Hot, windy and steep. Tough as arse, no wonder people fear it. They call it the toughest Ironman in the world and race commentator Don Ryder confirmed to me its the hardest Ironman he's seen, and he's seen a few. He describes the course as the Trifecta of Triathlon Torture.

As Ironmanlive.com's Kevin Mackinnon reported of the race:

"While the race features so many of the things we're used to seeing at Ironman races around the world (cool backpacks full of stuff at registration, Champion Chip timing, carbo dinners and awards banquets, a race expo, etc.), us old fogeys remember the good ol' days of Ironman when we relished how hard an event was. I came back from my first Kona experience in 1987 and a few people told me my description sounded more like childbirth than a race. In those days it didn't matter how fast you had finished an Ironman – the fact that you finished was amazing. To finish in a top position was truly outstanding. Times get thrown out the window at Ironman Lanzarote. The course includes two major mountain climbs and winds so strong the sand you feel hitting you is often from the Sahara desert more than 100 km away. If the course isn't going to slow you up enough that all you'll care about is finishing, the winds most certainly will. At one point Cleveland was putting out 400 watts of power on the bike – those are Lance Armstrong-type numbers – and was going at 12 mph. This was on a downhill. This isn't a race that people clamor to for a personal best time. This isn't a race for anyone who hasn't done their homework and isn't ready for the challenge of their lives."

That being said, and if you leave thought of PBs, at home it's the best triathlon I've ever done, for atmosphere and camaraderie of the competitors and the organisation (now in its 18th year and one of the oldest Ironmans in the world) is second to none. They talk about the Ironman family - it's certainly evident at Lanzarote.

Arriving 10 days before the race was great, as was the relaxed atmosphere of Club la Santa. We (Gary Matthews, Marc Delea and I) rode the climbs a week before the race, swam the swim course and ran in the heat. By race day we felt ready and relaxed.

I had a good swim, out in 1:00, in 115th place. As usual the European Uber-bikers tore past (I passed a few of them again at 30km+ into the run). I rode in 6:41, ensuring I kept enough in the tank for the marathon. The wind was fierce on race day, but at least the last 40km is with the wind behind. The marathon was my usual plod, but the 5km to the turn around was into the wind, so 21km on the run was into the wind- 4:28 marathon. Total times: Marc Delea 11:41, Nick Collinson 12:25, Gary Matthews 14:59.

The finish line was beautiful and I carried Phoebe across. What a day! Now back and writing this 10 days after the race. Post Ironman-Blues. Aaahhh!!

What a great experience to recommend. Check it out on Eurosport on June 10th.

Nick Collinson
Ironman Lanzarote finisher
 

 See http://www.ironmanlanzarote.com/ for full results, and to enter next year's (22-May-10).

I don't appear to have received a race report for either of the Fritton Lake events but but I see that congratulations should once again go to Julia Green, this time for winning the ladies sprint event.

Wimbleball continues to claim, with some justification, that it is the hardest 70.3 (or "half" Ironman) in the world and I've still yet to find anybody who's done it who has disagrees. Part of the bike course features in the "Exmoor Beast" 100 mile bike circuit which some members have done - except that for the 70.3 you have to go around some that nasty hilly bit twice.

Having said that, I felt that the course was marginally easier than in previous years as slowly, very slowly, they are getting around to renewing some of the road surfaces. Indeed, some of the tarmac was positively smooooth which could only help things. That, and a very slightly reduced body weight, meant I was able to manage a PB by about 13 minutes (and well over half an hour faster than 2007), including PBs for the swim, T1, the bike (I managed to stay in the saddle all the way round - phoah!) and T2 but, in the end, I couldn't bring myself not to stop and dish out Polos on the last lap of the run.

But the big learning point for me was from other people, and the old thing about pride before a fall. Two non-Ipswich 70.3 first-timers - a Susannah and a Catherine - asked me to show them how the transition worked; both were nervous and asked loads of questions about the course, and listened to the answers. Susannah, doing her first ever triathlon let alone a 70.3, finished third in her age-group. Catherine won her age group. Whereas a cocky chap in our B&B made various disparaging comments about seeing people with all the gear/no idea, and riding expensive bikes with excess baggage around the waste. He had a DNF.

Which brings me to the club contingent and especially Rick Berry and Lucy Bowditch. I knew Rick was having a hard time of his first outing at this distance when I actually overtook him on the bike leg (Rick, you have absolutely no idea how much that boosted MY confidence!) so I made a point of asking every subsequent marshal to offer Rick appropriate abuse. And Rick persevered, stuck with it, and made the bike cut-off. On the multi-lap run, I was now getting marshals telling me "we've seen Rick - he's chasing you down" - and Rick finished with a very spirited sprint.

And, as for Lucy - I still find it amusing that I remember Kate first suggesting that Lucy try triathlon, and recall Lucy as a novice at Waveney asking me how transition worked. Lucy put in a phenomenal performance, winning her age group easily, and very nearly taking Mark's scalp in the process.

Needless to say, despite a relatively slow swim and having to walk up one or two of the hills, Kate took my scalp effortlessly.

Fuller results from http://www.ironmanuk.com/ where you can already pre-register for 2010.

Moira writes about the sprint event: Sarah Miller added another prize to her rapidly enlarging collection by winning the Old Ladies' (super vet age 50 to 55) category, and coming ninth lady overall.

Completing my second triathlon - at the age of 59 - I was 26th out of 49 women, and I won the Very Old Ladies' (even older vet 56 to 60) category.

Just as well there weren't many others in that age category - something for those young ones to look forward to!