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Race Report - Coniston Standard Tri

Well done! The weather has been awful - just been reading about the missing competitors in the fell race in Wales - I expect the lake district was also pretty bad.



You are being too modest with your crash. That must have been pretty scary and unnerving- a highly commended for your "pick yourself up, dust yourself down, and get back on with it" attitude.



The prospect of that swim just makes me quail.



Doing it in those sorts of conditions puts in on a par, in my book, with the heat of Hawaii. Just completing it is excellent.



You are, of course, completely mad, but with the stoutest heart! Very well done.

Comments

  • sfullersfuller Posts: 628
    This was my first Oly distance, thought it would be a good start - nice and challenging!



    Headed up to my parents on Friday night (West Yorkshire) and then headed to the tri Sat morning at 930 as it started at 2pm. The weather was horrendous on the way there and the temperature dropped to 8 deg c which didnt bode well for the temp of coniston water lake.



    We got there nice and early, racked the bike and set out my kit, all covered in carrier bags.



    When the time came I headed over - wetsuited up - and had the briefing (it was brief) and headed into the lake. WOW was it cold, it took my a good 5-6 mins to get myself together and luckily i was in the water enough time before the whistle. The lake had a horrible stoner beach which was not fun.



    The swim went very well, only my second time OW swimming but felt comfortable and finished in the top quarter of the competitors (only 130-140 entered) even with the deep freeze temps!



    Making my way to transition over the stones was hard as I couldnt get my balance, i was totally disorientated - weird feeling, this took 5 mins or so whilst in transition to overcome.



    Headed out on the bike course, i thought i knew what I had coming as I had studied the route and elevation profile on mapmyride - this was wrong. The elevation showed only one hill but the actual route was up down up down and was a lot more challenging than i thought it would be. The rain and wind didn't help. It was an out and back course and on the way back the wind almost brought me to a standstill or it seemed that way.

    The highlight of the ride was when a car big time cut me up and pushed me into a bush at 25kph and sent me flying over my handle bars - this left me with a nice graze on my chin and a massive graze on my butt cheek with about 5 holes in my tri suit. I look like I have been in a brawl! I got up, checked my bike (which was fine surprisingly) and cracked on.... this was about 5-6 mins down.



    T2 was fine, in and out in no time at all.



    The run hurt a bit but I did it in around 50 mins which I felt was good. This also was a hily route, no easing up!



    Overall I think I finished in 3hrs 10 mins, which in Oly terms seems slow but for this tri, with these routes I am happy with. First Oly tri - done.



    The tri was a No Frills race, nothing like Eton where its very well organised, goody bag and all.



    Thanks for listening, over and out.



    Samuel
  • sfullersfuller Posts: 628
    Thanks. I appreciate that message.



    Samuel
  • treefrogtreefrog Posts: 1,242
    Good work the cold water really takes its toll you did very well to get through the swim. I dare say the cold added to your disorientation and made the hills steeper! Good run time. Have a beer pat yourself on the back go for the next one
  • nivaghnivagh Posts: 595
    Sounds like an interesting race...!

    There's an even tougher version of the race where the run goes right to the top of the Old Man and back...! I'm planning on doing my first OD this year; might be a while before I do anything like this :-0
  • HarryDHarryD Posts: 425
    Samuel, I was there too & it was hard.



    Yes the swim was cold due to all the rain but wasn't that bad. Have swum in far colder this year - could keep my fingers together which is a good sign. Ripon for instance & Lake Bohini (9C). What was bad though was the wind coming down the lake which made it very choppy indeed. Forget about bilateral breathing & forward sighting - focus was on keeping going.



    The bike route was probably as hard as you are likely to get in an OD race. Apart from a couple of km around Broughton it was all up & down with more than enough wiggles for anyones tastes. With the road being wet & twisty the effort of the climbs wasn't always rewarded with fast decents. Hardest of all was the 180m climb into a stiff headwind at halfway.



    The run was flat apart from a middle coulple of km up to the turnaround on a rocky bridlepath.



    Yes the event was no frills but it was well, if simply, organised. I knew what was going on. The routes were well signed & adequately marshalled. I felt safe.



    It it did test mental & physical toughness though. No fear of overheating. Will make other events seem so much easier.



    HarryD





  • BritspinBritspin Posts: 1,655
    Anyone that kept going in any race today gets my full vote. I thought about stopping at least 2x on the bike when confronted with tricky (because of wet debris strewn roads) descents, with a darkening sky & a river for a road in many tree shaded places, but since I was past the turn point & I have to get back somehow...I simply slowed down from race pace until comfortable again & picked up the pace then. So well done to anyone today, good to see you again Bathtub, Conehead & to meet Jon_E, who survived better than me..he looked cool as as cucumber whilst I was shivering my bones afterwards.
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