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Talkback: Gallery: the Bastion

I certainly did, the first photo is my arm.

I did Challenge Henley last year and that doesnt even compare to the toughness of the Bastion. In places it was extreme to say the least. The swim is beautiful but technical and the bike is even more so with plenty of climbing to boot. I was looking forward to starting the run but when arriving at the bottom of the first of many hills I realised that it was going to be an out and out slog. That is putting it lightly!

I would say that some work is needed on the feed stations on the bike, I missed one because it was not clearly marked and very small, 1 table with 2 marshals when travelling passed at speed is insufficient. The run course can be a very lonely place at times which makes it a big mental battle as well as physical.

All in all a spectacular event ( not for the faint hearted ) with some superb offerings for the athletes, especially considering it was the first year. The team there are extremely welcoming and very helpful, I had a mental breakdown after lap 2 of the run and was ready to walk off. If it wasnt for the support of the 3 team members there I would've done, I am extremely grateful to them.

A must do for those of you that like your Iron distance on the side of extreme.

Comments

  • The Bastion was my first Iron distance race, and even though the terrain was incredibly hilly both across the bike and run, I thoroughly enjoyed it! bizarre as it may sound, the depth of the challenge made the finish all the more special. I knew I had been in the ultimate race, and conquered it.



    I have just turned 50, and decided last Christmas that this was the race for me, a treat for being 50 in June, in spite of friends warning me about the 2700m of climbing on the bike - luckily they and especially I did not know the run course was also up and down. I had targeted 12 hours, but was proud of 13'20, and finishing 3rd in the super veterans category.



    The whole event was brilliantly run, and high fiving marshals as I ran down the finishing chute is a highlight amongst a few. The biggest moment for me however was the support of my two sons, Ben and Richard, and particularly my elder son, Ben, running with me at the start of the 4th and final lap and telling me how proud he was of me. It made me well up, and still does at the thought of it a week or so later.
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