Race morning dawned clear and mild, with a light south-easterly breeze. After a cup of tea and a Red Bull – my only concession to race morning breakfast - I drove the 21km from my small, basic Kinka Beach apartment to the Capricorn Resort, site for the event. At 6:10am the visitor car-park was filling rapidly. It was cool enough to wear a track suit and with forecast maximum of 25º I was raring to go.
The transition site was easy to navigate: race numbers were in alphabetical order within each wave – my wave was the over 40 males. The grass surface was wet with dew, but it would be dry by the time I returned at T1, so there was no need to lay down a towel. At 7am we assembled in transition for a group photo and pre race briefing. Scoffed a second Red Bull. At 7:20am we began the slow walk to the beach, then a further 1,700 metres south along the beach to the start. With the tide low the beach was very wide, at least 200m, and it was a great sight with 500 competitors ambling along in their wetsuits, many accompanied by friends and family. I chatted to several people from Canberra: we agreed that conditions were ideal for racing.
Had a brief warm-up swim out to the first buoy. The water temperature was a pleasant 21º with a small chop. We assembled a few metres from the water’s edge. I chatted to Shane, Kristen and Travis. The first three waves went and it was my turn. The first buoy was about 50 metres to our left, so I stood on the left of the start line. As the start siren sounded I ran further to the left before heading out through the small waves. As I turned at the buoy I realised that I had a start of 20-30 metres over many in my wave: I had picked the fastest side from which to start.
Swimming parallel to the beach allowed plenty of room to move. We could take a direct line or move out a few metres where it was less crowded. With the constant chop it was very difficult to see the buoys ahead and I think most of us zigzagged constantly. I felt that I had been swimming only a short while before the first swimmer from the following wave came motoring past. With the movement of the waves it was hard to draft off the faster swimmers, but I did my best, making up 2-3 metres each time. I had no idea where the finish of the swim was, and we seemed to be going on and on. Another wave of swimmers came past and I still ploughed on. Eventually I passed a buoy with a bloke on a ski pointing us to shore. I swam until it was too shallow to swim further, passing people who were struggling to wade through waist deep water. Started jogging as soon as I could, then up the wooden stairs, passing people all the time. Immediately in front were two blokes from Vikings Club whom I’d expected to be further in front. With plenty of olive oil on my lower legs I had no trouble with the wetsuit and made quite a good transition.
I eased myself into the cycle, not going too hard until we were out on the divided road, with cyclists in the right lane and cars on the left. Although the course was flat, the surface was granulated and “dead”, so cycling speed was relatively slow. The main part of the course was L-shaped, with a head-wind along the section leading to the turn-around, and a tail-wind on the return. I passed quite a few people in the first lap or two, making up ground on those who would finish in slow times but swam faster than me. I probably rode the first two of the five lap course a bit hard, and then had to back off a little. Shane overtook me after one lap, and Travis not long after that. I kept drinking regularly, collecting a fresh bidon on each lap, with an extra one on the third lap to ensure I started the run well hydrated. Although I felt the temperature was comfortable, I was conscious of sweating steadily.
On my second lap I passed a cyclist down and bloodied, sitting on the grass median strip and being tended by medics. As I passed I realised it was Stu Bardsley. Later in the day I talked to him after he was discharged from hospital, covered in bandages and with half a dozen stitches in his elbow. He told me that he had been overtaking a slow rider who swerved into his path at the last moment. You cannot be too careful of incompetent cyclists while overtaking!
From about half way through the cycle I could feel a pain in my lower back, a problem that has troubled me for several years. I stretched regularly and got out of the saddle for a few seconds at a time, but the pain kept increasing. By the finish I was being forced to stretch every couple of hundred metres and was pleased to jump off the bike. A few hundred metres from the finish I waved to Kristen, striding out on her first run lap and looking strong.
My ample drinking made me desperate for a pit stop, but was able to relieve myself once my feet were out of the bike shoes and trotting along the grass transition area. The start of the run was along a path through the resort, before heading out along the edge of the road. It was a three lap circuit, with about half along sandy, stony paths through the bush. After easing into the run for a few hundred metres I felt good and went as hard as I could, aiming to pass as many as possible.
As I reached a short out and back section along a rough dirt road, I saw Travis ahead, ducking into the bush for a pit stop. Shane was a couple of hundred metres ahead, and I passed him while winding along the bush track. Soon I was back in the resort, twisting and turning along paths that passed close to the finish line and across small bridges over the resort swimming pools. I kept pushing hard, overtaking people but not knowing where I was in my age group.
By the third lap I started to feel the effects of running hard early. I counted down the kms to the finish and focussed hard on maintaining my stride. I took a drink from every aid station – there were four each lap – and was pleased I did, as it was hot, particularly on the road sections.
Before leaving Canberra I had checked the competitors in my age group and had identified the strongest bloke. From past experience I know it is possible to overtake people close to the finish line, so I kept pushing myself, though feeling exhausted over the last couple of km. A few metres short of the finish chute I heard the commentator call that he was finishing. After crossing the line I felt pleased that I had got so close to him, but also frustrated at being just 15 seconds behind. At the presentation that night he was confirmed as the winner of the age group.
It was pleasant after the race relaxing around the resort pools, chatting with Kristen (still looking fresh) and other Canberrans. It is a terrific event and I would encourage others to consider competing there in future.
The Tridents results were: Kristen 5:03:17 (3rd F30-34), Bob 5:12:27, Travis 5:15:34, Shane 5:47:17.
Bob