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blenheim tri

fatmattfatmatt Posts: 145
anybody doing the blenheim tri this year?

and anyone know anything about it from last year?

i'm doing the sprint on the sunday, going off in the 11am wave

fatmatt

Comments

  • the_moidthe_moid Posts: 23
    i'm in wave c on the saturday morning - last years times / results are on the web-site which are interesting. from what i hear there is a 400m run uphill from swim to bike, and the scenery is nice [;)]
  • DedeDede Posts: 35
    done tri's for 13 years, did this last year, the venue is great and it has atmosphere of that big race feeling especially even in its first year. However the weather was not as good as it could of been, it was quite damp that weekend, i was in the very 1st wave with the likes of stannard (jesus i think my arms were bigger than his legs!) I do not normally worry about the cold but the water was bloody freezing it bit your ankles and wrists, the cold can really alter your swim, so make sure your body/muscles are warmed up, exiting the water is a nasty 400m uphill run to T1, i think, if you can run with your wetsuit on then do so, but make sure not to strip it too far down if your gonna take it halfway off, the people cheering you on keeps you going. The bike section is a 2 or was it 3 lap affair? is technical the course being half uphill then downhill fast sweeping descents with some narrow turns--now then, like i said i did the 1st wave which was fortunate because there wasn't many athletes on the course, soon as the other wave started their 1st lap you certainly knew about it, basically the bike course is way too narrow for the amount of cyclists especially if there are a lot of novices (no disrespect) the downhill sections are very fast with some mad dips covered over with carpet like material as far as i can remember. The run course is good a mixture of up and down a steadish long climb to blenheim palace on each loop (2 lap run). On the whole its a great venue very picturesque it would be great if blessed with sunny weather. If your a novice/or first time racer its a good challenge there are flatter courses not too put you off. The experienced its another race with a great venue, the swim start is good the run is good, but i am very put off with the bike section its probably why i am not competing again pity anyone in the later waves. Finally this is all in my opinion, have a great race, do remember if the weather is bad bring essentials cause there's not much cover from the rain. If you drive and have to park your car, remember where you left it(you'll know what I mean, when there) its long walk to the start! good luck.
  • fatmattfatmatt Posts: 145
    cheers for that, thats all very helpful, it seems we'ree in the presence of an elite athlete? any other tips are greatly appreciated, by everyoine i'm sure, i've done a few tri's before over a few years but never seriously and never that well, chose blenheim for the location and hopefully the atmosphere

    cheers

    fatmatt
  • billybbillyb Posts: 1
    Hope u had a good race today. I heard the race is gonna be televised and just wondered if anyone new when and on what channel and would appreciate it if you could let us know cheers.
  • guv001guv001 Posts: 227
    I've heard that it is to be shown on Channel 4 I don't know when though sorry. They have some AR/tri stuff on on various saturday mornings at 7 o'clock
  • I didn't see any cameras at Blenheim so I'm not sure that it will be shown. The TV guide for Saturday says it is for the Longleat half ironman triathlon. Please post here if anyone knows of a TV slot - I figure that if I record it and show it to friends then none of them will be able to tell that I'm not the swimmer in 8th place of the elite race....
  • RewRew Posts: 62
    How wet was it yesterday!!!!!!!

    Got there early to register and rack before the elites went off and the second I stepped out the B&B it started to rain.

    I wasn't racing till half 12 in wave S so I was purple and soaked before I'd even got in the lake!!!

    Having said that really enjoyed the setting and the organisation. I will be back next year.

    How was your day?
  • Much the same as yours - wet before the swim, wet during it, wet afterwards! I put a fuller post on the "how did you rate the event" thread but, in short, I loved it. I've spent most of today working out which bits I can improve and guessing what my best possible time could be...one day. I was in wave R so you will have seen me swimming off towards the far bank in a drunken zigzag as you were waiting on the muddy bank!



    p.s a word of caution to readers - not all goggles float! A guy next to me in the water took off his goggles to wash them while we were treading water before the start, and they sank - poor bloke had to do it blind.

  • sba_dcgssba_dcgs Posts: 6
    Hello, I'm new. This seemed like a good thread to begin posting on.



    I was in wave P at Blenheim last weekend - what a great event!



    Despite the weather, it's an awesome venue, the water wasn't as cold as I expected and the whole thing was very well organised. Having only done a couple of very flat triathlons at Dorney Lake before this one, I didn't do as well on the bike as I'd hoped - more hill training needed. I'll definintely do it again next year.



    swim 14.43

    bike 39.33

    run 23.49

    transitions 3.53 and 1.39



    Is anyone doing Thames Turbo 3 or Dorney? They're next on my list...
  • v.good times Simon. I shouldn't worry about the bike course too much - it had quite a few hills and was seriously wet. I don't know about you, but I didn't feel confident enough to really push it downhill and kept my hand on the brake the whole way down. Where's Dorney Lake? I quite like the idea of a nice flat course!

  • sba_dcgssba_dcgs Posts: 6
    Couldn't agree with you more r.e. the downhill sections! I ended up covered in mud, but thoroughly enjoyed it :)



    Dorney Lake is the venue for the rowing regatta in the 2012 Olympics. It's near Slough/Windsor and is owned by Eton College. I've done a couple of events there organised by Human Race (http://www.humanrace.co.uk) which are always very well organised and it's perfect for a quick time due to being completely flat!



    The next one I'm entered for there is the Dorney Triathlon (Olympic distance) and then the Bananaman (3/4 distance) with some friends in the team time trial, where all three team members complete the course together - it's a great one to watch!
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