Home Chat General Chat

Hever Castle

Anyone do it yesterday? Thoughts? I really enjoyed it - great venue even if the bike leg was hilly.

Comments

  • I was down to do it... but a combination of shin splints, a mate pulling out and the misses nagging menat I spent a day doing DIY meant an executive decision was taken to not attend.

    Sounds great though. How was the swim and run? Heard the bike was hilly... What was in the goody bag? DId you get a medal? Pleased with your time?
  • LexLex Posts: 65
    Defo the toughest bike course Ive done this season - I was not looking forward to the second lap!! The nasty hill towards the end of the run lap also made a tough run course and the lake was fantasically clean. All in all a tough but enjoyable day.

    Being their first event its understandable but a bit more organisation with transition would have been welcome. There were random people walking around in there who clearly werent racing.

    Any sign of results yet??
  • deeessdeeess Posts: 150
    no results on the site yet. they were providing them at the tent yesterday though after the race - i managed 2hr 30 for the Henry VIII which was pretty much what I predicted.

    Had a nightmare on the swim as per usual - i find my websuit really restrictive - not sure i have right size so so can feel a replacement coming on (that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it). it was a bit of a novelty that if you ever needed a rest you could just stand up - depth must have been around 4ft for the whole 800m. quite a few people without wetsuit who looked freezeing when they came out!

    really enjoyed the bike but it was tough - the first hill out of transition just kept going up and up. The downhill parts were pretty fun. quite a few spectators on the course as well which was nice.

    run was tough - i was pretty tired by that stage but managed to keep trotting all the way round. there were a few nasty slopes plus it went a bit x-country in places.

    organisation was a bit basic but given it was the first running i thought they did ok. apparently someone had been round the night before altering all the directional signs for a 'laugh' which can't have helped.

    all in all i enjoyed it - definitely makes a change to Dorney!
  • I also did it yesterday Loved it what a great event , the run up was very professional , information send by text, water condition etc nice little touches.
    got there a little too early and stood around getting cold it was 4 degrees when I arrived at 7am did turn into a fab day later.

    even though I have spent a lot of time training in open water and happy with how my swimming in a pool is going I made the Male rookie mistake of thinking start at the front because I will have a better start, well how wrong could I of been, really had a bad swim got to the first bouy at 50m and thought I cant do this I had no stroke my breathing had gone to pot, I had drunk too much muddy water, I wanted to just get out. loved getting back on hard ground and running up that grass bank to the bike , the route was fab , hilly but great really loved it , all manor of bikes and people out there, from a lot of people who seem to not cycled down the hills to the tucked in cervelo boy that went pass me and off into the distance like I was a stone statue. Makes me realise after starting this silly tri game in feb and completing 3 sprints how much i have enjoyed the journey how much I have improved and just how FAR I have to go, Still found myself on the run stopping , not really very good at running and not really very good at running on the rough ground either.

    would I do it next year , 100% would like to move up to play with the bigger boys and girls on the longer one but that still seems like a massive hill to climb

    now what do I do all winter ...... Beer anyone ?

    tummymustgo
  • Water not so clear by wave 10 though, as last 200m hands where going through the silt on the bottom, one of the downsides of such a dry September I suppose.

    Overall really enjoyed it (once I got out of the water), yes a few things to improve on, but that is to expected for a first event.

    Couldn't quite understand why the transition area was all on stones, when the entire area was surrounded by grass!!!!
  • did this one, and enjoyed it - few problems with toilets and transition area (some people didnt even have the blue mat to walk on and were on the stones in bare foot from the swim!). slightly worryingly some of the marshalls didn't seem to know what they were doing - hubby says photographer had to tell one of them what to do when the mat slipped on the swim exit and someone fell over onto the concrete. But all in all, a good day, enjoyable, and given the water was apparently 15.5 degrees, mightly glad I wore the wetsuit!
  • timtim Posts: 43
    Lake... clean... no chance certianly not by wave 7, i ducked under before we set off and everything went black just a few inches from the surface, thats the trouble with a shallow lake and muddy bottom, still it was not as cold as i had expected, the ride was lovely, hills were a challenge, the run was very challenging due to the terrain, rolled my ankle after about 200m and kinda hobbled the rest. Probably should not have played footy on the saturday as preparation either! taper whats that!

    sounds like i am complaining... that is not the case it was a very picturesque setting for a Tri, was fantastic weather, and the organisation (for a first tri) acceptable, it was nice to be able entertain the missus with a look around a historic venue (castle and Gardens), as a thank you for the support, something not really available at Dorney!

    by the way if anyone else who was there found a pair of aquasphere googles on the run up into transition, i'd love to have em back, seems losing an item at every event is becoming par for the course for me!
  • Did this and 'loved it'. The swim was in the lake after being waved off by Henry VIII and Anne B - who gave a rousing speech to competitors - nice touch.

    Run up was excellent, one or two teething problems as it was the first time this event has been run here so here goes:

    Registration - great & quick but you could only register when your 'wave' was allowed which meant that you had to wait to register - I personally prefer to register early and then watch others start and prepare

    Swim - brilliant, long lake swim - buoys marked 100 meters and canoeists and rescue boats were all around. Looked fantastic with backdrop of castle

    Bike - punishing course, but all LH turns and well marshalled/ signed

    Run - round the lake so stunning all off road, water stations

    What was also great was the amount of local support - people cheering outside gates etc

    My thanks to the organisers even if my time was a bit slower than hoped!
  • timtim Posts: 43
    Just had a text saying the results will be available today by 5
  • Hever was my second Triathlon and the longest, I did the Super Sprint Mazda London tri and the Anne Boleyn yesterday. A really great day and I agree with most of the comments above.

    I've just been to check out the results and they appear not to give your overall results just your wave.

    I was in Wave 1 and came 19th. But there were some really quick guys in the other waves, so when you "manually" tot everything up I actually came 75th.

    Would be a lot better if they had the overall rankings, unless I'm missing something?

    Amazing day though, can't wait to do it all over again!
  • results there all done in waves but not overall results which is a shame,

    Really chuffed

    worked out that it is now official I cant run, but i can bike :
  • Agree with everyone's comments about the results. Ideally you want all waves together in a spreadsheet. I always want to separate girls from boys so excel is much better than a pdf.

    I was pleased because I was second fastest female in my wave but then realised there were only about 6 other girls in my wave. Where were all the women yesterday? (not that I'm complaining!)

    My main grumble is about the run. I though the track was pretty terrible - I'm surprised there weren't more twisted ankles, I certainly nearly went over a few times.
    Second small grumble is the transition on the gravel - ouch!

    I found it tougher than the London tri Olympic distance, although not sure if that's because of the route, because it's end of season or because an injured knee was playing up. Probably a combination of all three. Still quite pleased with my 2:25 time though.

    As always, all competitors were really friendly, which is why I love races.
    Also, loved all the kids who came out to wave us on!
  • First tri now done - and I've already found myself thinking about what I need to do to improve next time! Does this mean I've caught the bug!!!???
    Thanks for all the advice from my post about suitable attire when I first decided to give it a go.
    Swim was cold and muddy - wore a shorty wet suit from my windsurfing days, and found it too restricting to take advantage of all that front crawl training I'd done. Also a bit surprised by just how many feet and elbows there were in my face.
    Glad I'm not the only one who noticed the hills on the bike course. I was one of those on a mountain bike coz that's all I've got! Sounds promising that the bike ride might be flatter if I go elsewhere.
    Have to admit it my run was pants. I'm not a runner, but would have liked to have done better than 81st in my wave! Still, means there's plenty of room for improvement......
    Oh my goodness, I think I might be another convert to the cause..........
  • yes quite frustrating that they ranked via waves; doesn't tell you much of anything! and lacking excel spreadsheet didn't make it easier i ended up working my ranks out after some time practicing my counting skills. would imagine they'll change this for next year, if not within the next couple of days (assuming they're getting feedback).

    i thought the swim was rough. far too shallow, very dirty.
    bike was lovely; hilly but enjoyable. didn't like the speed bumps out of T1 (and lack of warning!)
    run was perfect; loved the trail

    totally agree with those stones coming out of the swim. a little more carpet would have been a treat.

    i've just race reported it too;
    http://runcycleswimvirgin.blogspot.com/
  • chwchw Posts: 1
    To my understanding the wave results are provisional and the full results will be available sometime this week hopefully today.
  • Awsome news - thanks!
  • Lol...the swim was horrific!. What can I say, it was like trudging through a muddy bog, at one stage the water was no deeper than 3ft before I was well over knee deep in silt/mud. I'm not adverse to getting mucky so didn't mind too much it was just a shock. Despite managing the 750m swim for the london tri sprint with ease I found the 400m swim for this really hard, i just couldnt get into my stroke and my breathing was terrible. I'm just glad I managed to get round as quite a few people were getting pulled out around me in my heat (4).

    As for the water temp, well if that was over the mandatory 15c for not needing a wetsuit then I'm a monkeys uncle. When I got in there was still fog/mist hanging over the surface (it was 8.30am) and it's was seriously chilly. I couldn't believe my ears when the announcer declared that the temp was "ok" to allow for non wetsuit swimming.

    The Bike leg was fun, I loved the country lanes, speeding through them on the downhill with hedge rows and trees either side was fun even if the hilly slog back up did blast my legs.

    The run was really difficult bearing in mind I'd shot my legs to bits by pushing too hard on the bike leg. I literally stumbled across the finish line!

    I'll be back for next year - it's soo local for me I just can't not do it.
  • overall results are on the website now guys...
  • stevecantswim,
    i was also in wave 4 , i'm with you between 8.30am and 8.45 there was a mistic force over that lake that prevented me after all my training in lakes and swimming clubs from remembering to breath , stroke or not panic.

    felt like it was the first time I had swam, I blame the mud and next year I will beat it .....I hope
    tummymustgo
  • they haven't separated males + females
  • Hever was my first Tri event. I agree with most people that the swim was bad. The slippery steps they warned us about into the lake were so slippery that I fell and caught my spine on the last step in. Good start! then on exit up the very slippery boat ramp my shin caught on the edge of that ramp and got cut. Doing well wasn't I? Bike ride went OK until a corner without a marshall where I went wrong and added 1.1/2 miles to my ride. There have been a lot of bad comments on the organization of the event - it was their first I guess - but did they get a bit greedy by letting in more competitors than the 1000 allowed - I think so. Despite that, great day met some fab people and I will give another one a go. Jane
  • It was a local event for me so it became a must do. I did the Henry VIII course (wave 10). It was my first open water swim, so after receiving confirmation from the organisers that wet suits were not compulsary, I was the idiot not wearing one! BIG mistake! It was bloody freezing. I was just pleased to get out of the water, and spent the next few miniutes shivering. As already written the transition area was horrible with all those stones. The bike course was great, especially all the supporters, but I didn't think it was that hilly (maybe i'm just used to cycling up hills all the time). Run was a bit cross country, and I felt good and managed to go past quite a lot of people. The finish was great with all the spectators and supporters.

    BUT what an awful goody bag - the worst I have ever had!

    So will I be back next year.......................I think so
  • MaQ1MaQ1 Posts: 4
    Hever 27/09/09: Fun event - chance for novices & experienced Triathletes to compete together in a late-September open-water swim/train race with some nice hills for the bike leg, though not one for PB's.

    Cons: Lake needed a bit more water in places! ... of course, would not have had the 'shallow-end' problem had I been leading my wave... should be an easy enhancement to include a chip-gun at Transition entry as well as exit in order to measure all splits ... was a bit concerned that I just walked into Trans at the end without anyone checking my creds. Feet in tatters after the gravel-pit of Transition & needed more water on the run - I could see the lake, the fountain, the water feature ... the castle bar... but not a drinkable drop of clean H2O left by Wave 11!

    Pros: Imaginative, historic & sylvan setting, lovely Kentish village atmos all gave it a real 'sense of place' & very canny timing for the usual Indian Summer. Quirky, Fun, 'No Egos Allowed', quintessential English event - not perhaps one for the 'uber-athlete' but a lot more interesting than 'out+back' road races. Really friendly atmos but sponsors perhaps need to think a bit more laterally on incentives to keep competitors and families interest until the end; the results/prize-giving ceremony was a bit like being invited to a blind date with Henry VIII... but we'll be back!

    Well done Telemark Events - nice debut race...
    MaQ1
  • Having done the London Sprint last year and again this year, Hever was my longest one yet.

    Really enjoyed it and thought it was pretty well organised, although I only have London to compare it to. I do agree about the transition area and the speed bumps though (broke a spoke on one coming back into transition).

    The bike route for me was good, as on a completely flat course I can't keep up with the stronger guys and gals, so the hills became a bit of a leveller

    Definately going to sign up again next year if they run it.
Sign In or Register to comment.