This time last week and I was making final preparations for the big one! The biggest race of the season so far.
In reflection I’d had a great year achieving and surpassing all of my racing goals. I’d set out to race and qualify at qualifying events for the European Sprint and Standard Duathlon. Mission accomplished at my first race of the season for Standard Distance after placing at the Anglian Water Standard Duathlon. Only 4 weeks later, placing again in 2nd place (1st in Age Group) at Clumber Park Sprint Duathlon secures a clean sweep and choice of races at the 2019 ETU multisport European Championships in Transylvania, Romania.
Not content with that, for the second year in succession, I picked up the Bronze Medal at the British age group Duathlon Champs in Bedford.
The triathlon season was now looming and qualifying events were lined up for world Sprint and Standard to be held in Lausanne Switzerland at the end of the 2019 season. The first triathlon of the season in Anglian Water saw me close but narrowly missing out on Standard Qualification as a result of athletes from a lower age group stepping up a year next year. Never mind, trying again at Leeds Castle just prior to my mid season break, 13th overall and 2nd in Age category, secured my place for the ITU world Champs at Standard Distance, this was accompanied by a position good enough to qualify in Sprint Distance also at the Eton Sprint Triathlon, my second try at draft legal racing.
Not content with that, for the second year in succession, I picked up the Bronze Medal at the British age group Duathlon Champs in Bedford.
The triathlon season was now looming and qualifying events were lined up for world Sprint and Standard to be held in Lausanne Switzerland at the end of the 2019 season. The first triathlon of the season in Anglian Water saw me close but narrowly missing out on Standard Qualification as a result of athletes from a lower age group stepping up a year next year. Never mind, trying again at Leeds Castle just prior to my mid season break, 13th overall and 2nd in Age category, secured my place for the ITU world Champs at Standard Distance, this was accompanied by a position good enough to qualify in Sprint Distance also at the Eton Sprint Triathlon, my second try at draft legal racing.
Having the choice at these events is great giving me the option to see how my fitness/speed is going on what I can choose.
That left me with only the Standard Distance European Triathlon champs to qualify for as the dates for qualifying at the sprint champs were not possible to race. For the first time I was forced to accept I couldn’t qualify for the ETU sprint, my preferred distance. The only option I had of qualifying for Standard was at the British Championships race at Leeds Triathlon. This was going to be a tough call, but 6th place being beaten by athletes who has already qualified from a previous race, guaranteed me another age group vest and another trip to The Netherlands to race in Weert.
That left me with only the Standard Distance European Triathlon champs to qualify for as the dates for qualifying at the sprint champs were not possible to race. For the first time I was forced to accept I couldn’t qualify for the ETU sprint, my preferred distance. The only option I had of qualifying for Standard was at the British Championships race at Leeds Triathlon. This was going to be a tough call, but 6th place being beaten by athletes who has already qualified from a previous race, guaranteed me another age group vest and another trip to The Netherlands to race in Weert.
Imagine my elation when, racing on home turf at Woodhorn Sprint at the British Sprint Distance Championships securing the win would give me a full house of qualification as a result of being British Champ. Another country another race and a trip to Kazan in Russia for a Euro Champs race that will now be draft legal like the world champs.
Back in Strathclyde Park. Home from home. A course I am extremely familiar with as I’ve ran a few training miles around that park while staying up there with work. The stage was set for the European Championships. A festival of sport covering Cycling, Swimming, Open Water Swimming, Golf, Gymnastics, Rowing and Triathlon. With the later being held away from the city. Along with the Elite Men and Women and Mixed Relay, us Age Groupers were racing over the same course. It felt strange racing the Europeans on home turf and arriving two days ahead allowing me time to get the formalities out of the way and spend some relaxing time with the family away from work.
Registration, briefing, bike and swim familiarisations, and racking all complete, allowed for an early night and plenty of time to rest as race start time was not until 9am. I felt great on race morning, training had been going well recently and I’d been hitting all the numbers I’d been asked to. Swimming was just as average as it always is, but cycling had remained strong all season and my running has been getting faster and faster with every session. I had been feeling fairly confident but the field was strong. We (40-44 age group) were also off with the 35-39 age group. It was a competitive field to say the least.
Half hour prior to start we had been called into the athlete zone and time soon passed that we were invited on to the blue pontoon. 90 of us lined up in the water holding on and waiting for the off. The music stopped and the call of “Take your marks” shortly preceded the air horn start. I had chosen to start far left second from the end, however we were not the only ones as this also seemed to be the shortest route to the buoy. Swimming parallel to the end of the pontoon, we were squashed in tight for ten meters. It was carnage. It didn’t take long to open out though, we were well strung out by the time we had reached the first buoy some 150m away from the start. I was feeling tired but seemed to be sitting on some good feet. It wasn’t until a debrief over a couple of drinks after the race that James Manson informed me he had been swimming alongside my distinctive blue Phantom wetsuit and then I just put the after burners on. It certainly didn’t feel like this during the race.
Eighth out of the water in my age group wasn’t to shabby but I was still a minute behind the first group. I’m going to have to find 8 seconds per hundred from somewhere before the draft legal racing starts from next season. Running into transition, after a fairly strong swim by my standards, my problems began. I’d lost my bloody bike. The transition was huge but not massive, I’d picked a marker point (usually a lamp post, speaker stand, barrier etc...) but I couldn’t get my bearings. I’d ran past the bike, realised and turned back on myself and ran back past it before eventually catching glimpse of it out the corner of my eye. Schoolboy error. This had never happened to me before, and I was beyond furious. I set off on the bike like a bullet, my heart rate was pounding and my head was spinning. Soon out of T1 we were climbing. Only short, but a punchy little climb where I just couldn’t find my legs. I’d set off to quick and was out of breath before we even hit it. The course, which I’d done numerous times before, wasn’t exactly flat but it certainly wasn’t what I’d call hilly. I’d said to myself during the familiarisation to remain calm until we crested the first climb and then start to build up the watts and get myself Into a rhythm before the only other hill on the course which was twice as long but no steeper at the turn point on each lap of four.
I was passed before this turn by Paul Brown, whom I’d managed to hold off at the British Championships earlier in the season before this turn. By now I was cursing my decisions knowing Paul’s strength and his run capabilities. The next familiar face I saw was at the same point on lap two. Kris Whitelaw, handy on the bike to say the least, flew past me like a Ferrari. I’d been in no mans land for a whole lap with no visual on anyone I knew, until now. Although I knew I couldn’t maintain Kris’s pace, I had now found my legs and could use him as a marker on the turn points, of which we still had 5 passes to go. I picked up the pace and this is the best thing that happened in my race.
Approaching T2, I knew if I could run hard out I could catch Kris back fairly early. I was feeling strong and immediately set to work to reel in the familiar GB vests ahead of me. I wasn’t sure where I was now, fearing I’d lost places and knowing that Medals were out of reach with at least Donald Brooks, Jonny McLean and Paul Brown ahead of me up the road. Every place was valuable and I must have caught ten athletes. As I was returning back home adjacent to the finish line on the opposite side of the lake where the first swim buoy turn was, I heard familiar names over the tannoy system. Paul Brown 4th, shortly after Jonny Mc in 6th. I crossed the line strong and wasn’t until I was reunited with my phone, I had finished in 9th inside the top 10 by 1min 22seconds (5th GB athlete) and 76th overall.
Happy with that? Disappointed with certain aspects of the race. T1 and my strategy for the bike, however this decision had probably been muddled with the stresses of the errors made looking for it. So yes, delighted to be back inside the top 10 and amongst the top athletes in the GB age group team for my age group in Europe which was won by Donald Brooks who won the event overall.
The Triathlon season has almost come to an end now with only a local Sprint Tri in the North East, a super Sprint in North Yorkshire and the National relays to go, all within a week of each other before we reset and focus for the next 10 weeks to get more run speed into the legs for the final big one of the year. The European Sprint Duathlon Champs in Ibiza in October.
The usual suspect can’t be thanked enough. Charlotte and the kids for giving up so much of their own time to allow me to compete nation and worldwide in a sport I love and have the opportunity to see so many different and MAINLY, new places. Mam and dad for equally giving up their time travel to support.
The usual suspect can’t be thanked enough. Charlotte and the kids for giving up so much of their own time to allow me to compete nation and worldwide in a sport I love and have the opportunity to see so many different and MAINLY, new places. Mam and dad for equally giving up their time travel to support.
And the support I’ve gained from Team ERDINGER Alkoholfrei, Fast Forward Wheels, RaceSkin for my race kit, Elivar Sports Nutrition, and AquaSphere. Thank you all for everything.