Arrived Friday morning to our hotel which was also the race host hotel. Note to self, this will be done again as it saved so much hassle. Checked into the hotel and then registered for the race straight after. After spotting many other racers, it was obvious that we were in a different planet, the planet of the pointy hat cyclists. I still reckon my plain white normal helmet was unique, even if it was because "Police" was half rubbed off on both sides of it. My paranoia got the better of me and i put my race number stickers over the word. It now read "ice" which might make sense if it was warm enough!
Also the quality of bikes on show was nothing short of extraordinary and Dave was relieved more than anything that he had purchased a new Planet X TT bike in time to race. I didn't see any bikes without tri bars until the race itself and they were few and far between. Still we had raced enough times to know that most of these super duper bikes didn’t come with a spare set of legs and we pretended not to be intimidated. We had a short nap and wandered down to the water for a practice swim. I was quickly reminded that i had only one sea swim under my belt and that was 750m. It doesn’t matter how much salt water i drank it still doesnt taste great. My confidence had taken a knock and completing the swim was now the main objective. Race briefing was uneventful and we went back to the hotel for the so called pasta party which is an eat all ya like pasta dinner. We duly did and hit the bed as we had a 5am start.
Race day and i had breakfast at 5.15 as i was a little lazy in getting up and went back to the room to get my drinks mixed and gear ready for the race. The joy of the hotel being close to transition meant i didnt leave the hotel until 7am and was in the water for a practise swim at 7.30am. The water was calmer than the previous day and confidence was restored. The race started on time at 8am and no chances were taken as i took to the outside to avoid trouble. Even around the buoys i went the equivalent of lane 8 and avoided the usual hammering. This is something i may do again! The rest of the swim was uneventful apart my swim hat coming off near the end, but i completed the swim in just over 40mins which was exactly what i expected.
I was like a granny goin tru transition as i was over cautious in getting all my food into my top for the bike. I wont do that again as i nearly forgot i was racing and it took a while to get goin again. The bike was 4 laps of an out an back course with a stiff wind into us on the way out and a nasty 1km climb up to the turnaround point. Being lapped on lap 2 by the pros was a shock but the standard in general was different gravy to back home. Also when hitting 67km/hr on the downhill section, i was passed as if i was standing still, i had to check my speedometer to check that it was working.
The rest of the bike was just taking on food and drink as much as possible and i finished it in 2hrs 47mins which was a little dissapointing with a very low av. speed of just over 32km/hr for the 90km.
I went tru the next transition a bit quicker but was told to go back and get my number as it wasnt compulsary on the bike. Luckily my spot was not too far from the end and i only lost 45secs. Transition was a long and skinny and my error would have cost my a few minutes if my spot was at the other end. Out onto the run and i knew a fast time was gone due to the windy conditions on the bike, so i concentrated on catching Dave as we had met several times on the bike and he was 3-5mins ahead every time i met him. I met him 250m from the turnaround which meant i had reeled him in to 2 mins after only 2.5km. I started very fast but couldnt believe i had got so close so quickly. I since found out dave had a 4 course meal, a bath and a change of clothes in transition 2. We met at the turnaround point of each of the 4 laps and i caught him at that point with a lap and a half to go. It was strange to race without anyone i knew watching and I met several of the midland tri guys and let a roar of "come on westmeath" every time i saw one. Also i made it my business to interact with the crowd as much as possible and high fived children along the finishing chute even though i had 3 laps to go. The rest of the run was relatively comfortable and i finished in a time of 1hr 34mins for the 21km which again was what i expected.
My finishing time of 5hrs 10 was a little outside what i was expecting due to the bike being alot slower than last year, but i learned alot even though i would've preferred it to be hotter than the 18degrees it was. It was fantastic to have my trusty training partner Dave so close all tru the race and it kept me concentrating all the way tru. For us both to finish within 2 mins of each other over such a long distance is extraordinary, although not surprising to either of us as we knew we were very close from our training together. Finally this was a great race to come to, hassle free, not very expensive and one we should aim to get to as a club next year. Midland tri had 2 relay teams as well as several individuals which seemed to be a great idea to me for club spirit etc. Roll on Austria!
Marc
Dave’s Story
Despite sleeping in on Friday morning (4am start!!) the trip to Lisbon was pretty easy. As Marc said the Hotel was right on the course and only 3.5km from the Airport and with the help of a friendly taxi driver (yes they do exist!) getting the bike boxes to the hotel was sinch!
The hotel was buzzing when we arrived with athletes, carbon-fiber bikes, pointy helmets and oodles and oodles of Lycra! Now, I like my lycra gear as much as the next triathlete but these guys took it to the extreme.
Thank god we managed to get in the practice swim on Friday evening. The shock from open water swimming again was a fairly sharp plus the fact that I’d never swam in salt water and that the waves were kicking us about meant that myself and Marc were two confused and dejected puppies on Friday evening. The race briefing that evening was fairly informal with the Head Umpire actually telling one competitor that he didn’t look like he was going to be out of the water first so he shouldn’t worry about which way to go to transition, just follow everyone else!
A pasta party, fitful sleep and a breakfast later and I was mixing drinks and packing gels into my jersey. Not being as patient as Marc I left the hotel at 06:30 to set up transition. In retrospect it was probably a bit early but it allowed me to work off any nerves and meant that once I had transition set up I concentrated on the race and settling myself!
The swim course had settled a lot since the previous night and even the mass start was not too bad. I hung at the back for the start but worked my way back to the middle of the field and eventually found plenty of space and managed to get into a rhythm. I cut right in at the buoys expecting to be milled out of it but I was able to hold my own and came out of the corners relatively unscathed. I actually enjoyed the swim and started to run through the bike plan and what I would do in transition as I approached the last few 100 metres.
Similar to Marc I spent an age in transition, paranoid that I would forget something essential, not a mistake I’ll make again. The bike course was excellent and despite a strong headwind and a stiff climb at the turnaround it was really enjoyable. It’s not too often that you get to ride on a closed off 3 lane freeway! Not a pothole or motorist in sight.
The first sight I caught of Marc was at the turnaround on the third lap of the bike. I guessed he was about 5 mins behind me and I worked hard trying to improve that on the last lap, knowing that eventually he’d chase me down on the run.
Back into transition and yet again I spent an age putting on shoes double checking everything. A sort pit stop in the bushes and I was off. The run was a four lap affair with two feeding stations on each lap. The water and bananas were greatly appreciated but I’ve yet to try fizzy coke while running! I met Marc on each of the laps and he looked to be comfortable and strong. We both passed Midland Tri Guys along the way and it was nice to have somebody to talk to and mutually encourage even if only for a couple of seconds. Marc passed me with a lap and ½ to go and try as I may I knew I wouldn’t be able to match his pace. I finished the run in 1hr 40mins and was delighted that I managed my pace, heart rate & hydration so well, hopefully I manage it in Austria!
Overall I was delighted with my time and I think Marc would agree that we both learned a lot from the race. It was a great encouragement to have Marc in the race as well and despite wanting to kick his arse during the race I was delighted to see him cycling and running so well (even if he was passing me out at the time!!) it’s testament to his dedicated training for the past year. Looking back it was a great weekend, super race, and effortless travel and accommodation arrangements. I’d have to recommend this race to anyone intending to do an Ironman next year or even as a standalone event. It would be great to see a large contingent from Athlone Tri Club with supporters over there next year! Roll on Austria!!!
Dave
