When I told some of you that I was returning to Essex to participate in a middle distance triathlon, I'm sure you were picturing me swimming amongst discarded shopping trollies , cycling around burnt out cars and running through a travellers site wearing my Burberry tri suit and then returning to transition to find my bike on bricks with my new carbon wheels missing !
Well I can assure you it was nothing like that ! Fambridge is a picturesque village beside the River Crouch . The swim was a two lap circuit around the moored yachts and old Thames barges , I thought I was doing well but did struggle when we turned into the tide ,I was just pleased that I wasn't the last out of the water this time . The cycle route was two laps of a completely flat course through more quaint villages . Again I felt reasonably comfortable on the ride. The run was a four lap mainly off road route which included a path along side the river . I finished the run without having to walk any part which again was something I had done in past middle distance events . My split times were 1.9km swim 55 min , 90km bike 3.23 and 18km run 1:52 . My total time was 6 hours and 18 minutes!
Whilst I am pleased with my time , I'm still worried that I have to double this distance in August !
After the race most of the competitors relaxed in the garden of the nearby Ferry Boat Inn , I even bumped into some old team mates from Billericay rugby club who like me turned to triathlon once their playing days were over .
I proudly wore my mid Sussex outfit back in my old manor , as much as I love Sussex , I'm always defensive of Essex as it is a nice place which is much maligned due to a minority of people who live there.
Dean