Barton Marina Triathlon 2014
June 15th 2014
500m swim, 18.5 km bike, 5k run
My second open water triathlon!
And what a weedy one too! I was very grateful that we had been let into the water to warm up as the weeds were a great shock. Well rooted and growing from the bed of the lake upwards they tickled my face, arms and ankles. I got well acquainted with some of them in the 5 minute warm up, enabling me to be aware of the potential of entanglement in the race, but was still surprised to find them there. Naive perhaps, but the water at Cliff Lakes so far had been weed-free, and from rowing I knew that it normally took until late August, early September for the weeds to get prohibitive.
Anyway, weeds aside, I found the swim very challenging. My first experience of racing in a swim pack on unfamiliar water. I decided to take some advice I'd been given and wait a couple of seconds to let the initial pack swim off. However, there were so many people of varying abilities that this didn't really happen so I set off in the middle of a rather strung out pack. The buoys were nice and big for sighting onto, and the biggest learning point I will take from this is not to swim too close to them. That may give the shortest course but everyone seems to converge onto each buoy, and twice I got unpleasantly stuck between swimmers and buoys.
Very relieved to get out of the swim I ran across to the grass transition, stripping as I went. I remembered to leave my hat and goggles up my sleeve and slid out of the wetsuit in record time (thank you Body Butter).
Soon on the bike I set off towards Yoxall, feeling very behind at this point as my weak swimming meant all of the bikes around me (we were racked by gender and age group) were already gone! Given that my running is also not brilliant (remind me why I do triathlon again?) I knew everything would be down to the bike.
The course involved a long shallow climb towards Yoxhall, when we went left, around a roundabout, straight up, around another roundabout and then left back towards the marina. Effectively, this meant that I could get a good idea of who was ahead of me, and by how much. Halfway through the bike I realised I'd already picked off two of my fellow 20-29 age group competitors, and by pushing to stay ahead I managed to catch one more. The final one seemed to be evading me though, so on the final turn I grit my teeth into the short climb out of Yoxhall and they were in sight! By the time I returned to Barton I knew I'd made a fair distance between myself and my competitors.
Before dismount the surface was flat and good so I decided that now was the time to try for the first time undoing my bike shoe velcro whilst on the bike. The left shoe went pretty smoothly and it wasn't until I got to the right shoe that I realised why the velcro on triathlon specific (rather than road specific) shoes goes the other way. My velcro straps immediately entangled themselves with the chain and chainset. Thankfully after two pedal cycles I managed to free them and firmly did the velcro up again. Something to practice in training I think!
Off the bike I struggled with the start of the run. The ground was fairly soft around the big lake, costing a lot of effort. The surface on the far side was a little better, so bit by bit I managed to pick up the pace. Knowing that my competitors were behind me but chasing me down fast (I'd overheard two of them discussing their rapid 5k PBs in the toilets pre-race) didn't make for the best mental place but somehow I pushed out the two laps in just under 27 minutes.
This secured me first place in the 20-29 age group category - hurrah! My first age group win of the season. As a prize I was presented with some Huub goggles (great once I'd swapped my Large ones with a Male age-group winner who'd been given Small), a bottle of wine and a trophy. I was also given £20 TFN vouchers which appear impossible to actually redeem. This seemed highly cheeky!
Overall a good event for the novice open water swimmer. Facilities rather lacking which is surprising as I know regular swimming happens in this lack, so don't do this one if you've a long trek home.
Generally unimpressed by PMA racing - poor delivery and execution of prizes and a T-shirt that says 'Various distances' for an event that was only a sprint. Why bother?
Times
Total time: 1:18:16
Swim: 12:23
T1: 01:14
Bike: 36:57
T2: 00:40
Run: 26:59
Standings
Age category: 01/05 10%
Gender category: 10/28 36%
Swim: 12/28 43%
T1: 06/28 21%
Bike: 10/28 36%
T2: 12/28 43%
Run: 18/28 64%
500m swim, 18.5 km bike, 5k run
My second open water triathlon!
And what a weedy one too! I was very grateful that we had been let into the water to warm up as the weeds were a great shock. Well rooted and growing from the bed of the lake upwards they tickled my face, arms and ankles. I got well acquainted with some of them in the 5 minute warm up, enabling me to be aware of the potential of entanglement in the race, but was still surprised to find them there. Naive perhaps, but the water at Cliff Lakes so far had been weed-free, and from rowing I knew that it normally took until late August, early September for the weeds to get prohibitive.
Anyway, weeds aside, I found the swim very challenging. My first experience of racing in a swim pack on unfamiliar water. I decided to take some advice I'd been given and wait a couple of seconds to let the initial pack swim off. However, there were so many people of varying abilities that this didn't really happen so I set off in the middle of a rather strung out pack. The buoys were nice and big for sighting onto, and the biggest learning point I will take from this is not to swim too close to them. That may give the shortest course but everyone seems to converge onto each buoy, and twice I got unpleasantly stuck between swimmers and buoys.
Very relieved to get out of the swim I ran across to the grass transition, stripping as I went. I remembered to leave my hat and goggles up my sleeve and slid out of the wetsuit in record time (thank you Body Butter).
Soon on the bike I set off towards Yoxall, feeling very behind at this point as my weak swimming meant all of the bikes around me (we were racked by gender and age group) were already gone! Given that my running is also not brilliant (remind me why I do triathlon again?) I knew everything would be down to the bike.
The course involved a long shallow climb towards Yoxhall, when we went left, around a roundabout, straight up, around another roundabout and then left back towards the marina. Effectively, this meant that I could get a good idea of who was ahead of me, and by how much. Halfway through the bike I realised I'd already picked off two of my fellow 20-29 age group competitors, and by pushing to stay ahead I managed to catch one more. The final one seemed to be evading me though, so on the final turn I grit my teeth into the short climb out of Yoxhall and they were in sight! By the time I returned to Barton I knew I'd made a fair distance between myself and my competitors.
Before dismount the surface was flat and good so I decided that now was the time to try for the first time undoing my bike shoe velcro whilst on the bike. The left shoe went pretty smoothly and it wasn't until I got to the right shoe that I realised why the velcro on triathlon specific (rather than road specific) shoes goes the other way. My velcro straps immediately entangled themselves with the chain and chainset. Thankfully after two pedal cycles I managed to free them and firmly did the velcro up again. Something to practice in training I think!
Off the bike I struggled with the start of the run. The ground was fairly soft around the big lake, costing a lot of effort. The surface on the far side was a little better, so bit by bit I managed to pick up the pace. Knowing that my competitors were behind me but chasing me down fast (I'd overheard two of them discussing their rapid 5k PBs in the toilets pre-race) didn't make for the best mental place but somehow I pushed out the two laps in just under 27 minutes.
This secured me first place in the 20-29 age group category - hurrah! My first age group win of the season. As a prize I was presented with some Huub goggles (great once I'd swapped my Large ones with a Male age-group winner who'd been given Small), a bottle of wine and a trophy. I was also given £20 TFN vouchers which appear impossible to actually redeem. This seemed highly cheeky!
Overall a good event for the novice open water swimmer. Facilities rather lacking which is surprising as I know regular swimming happens in this lack, so don't do this one if you've a long trek home.
Generally unimpressed by PMA racing - poor delivery and execution of prizes and a T-shirt that says 'Various distances' for an event that was only a sprint. Why bother?
Times
Total time: 1:18:16
Swim: 12:23
T1: 01:14
Bike: 36:57
T2: 00:40
Run: 26:59
Standings
Age category: 01/05 10%
Gender category: 10/28 36%
Swim: 12/28 43%
T1: 06/28 21%
Bike: 10/28 36%
T2: 12/28 43%
Run: 18/28 64%
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