I won't bore you with details of my "extremely long" journey from South Chailey to Brighton as it was uneventfull and by 06.15 i was parked right opposite the start point.The weather was good the sky looked pretty clear and the sun would soon be out. I spent the next hour setting up my gear in transition and chatting to other competitors. I even found myself giving advise to a very nervous guy about the swim leg! Yes ME giving advise about swimming!!! Well actually it was more about trying to reassure him to try to alleviate his nerves!!
I still find it hard to believe that i have reached a point in my triathlon career where the swim leg no longer presents a mental problem, i just wish i could move quicker through the water, then i will really have cracked it!!!
There were two "waves", the first, all males under 40yrs, the second, all males over 40yrs and all the females. The 1000m swim leg takes place in the Inner Marina, so the water is brackish and fairly still. At least i didn't have to fight the waves and the wind like in Wales!!! As i got into the water my nose clip broke, which in the past would have really "pissed" me off because without a nose clip i suffer after a swim with a severely congested nose, but being a real triathlete i ignored the issue!!! as soon as the hooter sounded i was off and into my rhythm albeit a slow one!! The swim went without any problems and the next thing i am climbing the ladder, yes climbing a ladder, to get out of the water, then it is a 200m run through the Marina shopping precinct on pavement and road back to T1.
No problems this time in getting my wet suit off and i was soon off on the two lap 32K bike course which takes you out of the Marina heading towards the roundabout at St. Dunstans where the route then goes up through Ovingdean and continues to climb up to Woodingdean. After climbing the short but steep ramp at the lights it then heads towards the race course where it turns left and down Wilson Avenue,[over 40mph down here but you have to careful at the bottom that you slow in time for left turn at the lights] then behind the golf course for the start of the second lap. By now although it was a bit cloudy the sun was warming up. During the two bike laps i managed to overtake a number of other riders so by the time i reached T2 i had made up some of the time i always lose on the swim.
No problems in T2 and then it was an 8K out and back run along
the underpass towards Rottingdean. the sun was quite warm now but
there was a nice breeze coming off the sea.On the way out i
overtook a few runners and the return leg i even managed to up my
pace and passed a couple more before "sprinting" to the finish
line. Although by now my nose was pretty blocked up i enjoyed my
last triathlon of this season.
SWIM: 1000 m 26 mins 25 sec
T1
4 mins
BIKE: 32 K 1 hr.7
mins 24 sec
T2
2 mins
RUN:8
K
38 mins 6 sec
OVERALL TIME: 2 hrs 17 mins 55
sec [ beat last years time by 5 mins
5 sec ]
OVERALL POSITION: 88th out of 134
Sorry no photos yet!!!
Author: Del