After spending a small fortune on doctors, physios, naturopaths
and podiatrists in the last 6 months I was incredibly happy to be racing the
Shepparton Half Ironman last weekend. Even the predicted 41 degree temperature
for the day couldn’t wipe the smile from my face.
I had panicked a week before the race and was convinced I wasn’t fit enough to
qualify for the Australia Ironman Championships as a pro. I tried to drop back
to race age-group, but had left it only minutes too late and was berated by a
very grumpy race organiser, who must have been having a very bad day. So I was a
tad depressed that my already less than successful tilt at training full-time to
give Ironman a real shot, was going down the gurgler. But then I hardened up and
decided to enjoy the race.
I drove down with Ubber Ginga (Carl Fellows, arguably the worlds strongest
ginger haired cyclist) on Friday morning. The 3 days we spent in Shepparton were
seriously the 3 hottest days I have ever had in Australia. All sport (junior and
senior) had been cancelled for the weekend due to the heat and the haze and
smoke from the bushfires. The rumour was they were also going to cancel the
triathlon! It is also quite possibly the flattest place I have ever been – not a
hill in sight and hence slightly claustrophobic for someone like me!
Our Motel was smack bang in the middle of the industrial area, looked like a
public convenience and had acres and acres of concrete and tarmac everywhere.
Very hot and depressing! The only redeeming features were the cows only metres
away from our back window. They were very cute but marooned in a similiarly
depressing paddock to our motel. They proved to be very effective alarm clocks
at 4:30am both mornings!
We hooked up with Kirra Rankin and Pete Clarke on both nights
for dinner, and got to bed bright and early on Saturday night. Only problem was
the air conditioning decided to not work properly, I assume because everyone in
town had theirs cranked up to maximum and the electricity grid was in
meltdown!!!!
Because of the heat, Ubber and I got virtually no sleep, and Ubber got a massive
headache. He only rolled out of bed the next morning to drive me to the race and
then returned back to the motel to sleep again. A friend of ours had died in the
triple tri a couple of weeks ago, and there was no way I was going to let him
race if he was sick.
The transition for the race was in the lagoon of a newish housing estate on the
outskirts of town. The swim was in the lagoon. It was brown and murky and 10
times less visible than any of Canberra’s lakes. But quite cool (wetsuits
allowed thank god!), which was nice on such a hot day, and very picturesque.
The ride was 3 laps of a large squarish 30km loop. It passed through orchards,
and paddocks, with lots of long straights and quite a few technical bends and
turns. There was a bit of a breeze on the bike so the heat wasn’t too bad.
The run was 3 laps of 7km. Very hot and exposed around the lake for about 3 km,
and then a nice and shady out and back on a bike path. They were taking no
chances in the heat with 8 aid stations for each 7 km lap - each with plenty of
freezing cold water and ice, so heat on the run wasn’t really an issue (for me
at least – and not for Ubber either wrapped up snugly back in bed).
I started in the first wave with all the pro men and women and the younger guys.
I thought I was having a good swim, but was disappointed to get out and see 28
minutes. But also the top guys also seemed to swim a bit slower than usual – so
no real drama, but still 2 to 3 minutes down on the leaders.
I was riding really strong, then at the 10km mark on the bike I got out of the
saddle to stand up and stretch my legs and popped a spoke on my front wheel. I
had just ridden past the three lead females and away from a large pack.
The clang clanging of the spoke was annoying me and alarming everyone I passed,
so I stopped at the end of the first lap and bent and weaved it through the
other spokes to shut it up, and lost a bit of time. As soon as I started riding
again it unwrapped itself and started clanging again! The rest of the ride was
spent gingerly turning any corners, not getting out of the saddle and praying
the wheel would hold together. I was just happy to finally get off the bike with
a 2:23 ride, probably 5 minutes off what I would have hoped to ride.
As I got off the bike the commentator kindly got in to me. “Geez – it’s Paul
Smith. He’s way behind. He didn’t have a very good ride. He wouldn’t be very
happy with that.”
The run flew by. The constant aid stations and the interesting course made it
very pleasant. I just concentrated on keeping my heart rate below 160 and
running solidly. I stuck to 4 minutes k’s for about 14 kilometres, then slowed
down a bit to run a 1:26 and the 7th fastest run. I was really stoked with the
run, and was catching quite a few of the lead runners. It was solid and
controlled and I was never going to blow up.
I ended up crossing the line in 9th or 10th place, but then a couple of
age-group guys from later waves popped me back to 12th overall. So I was 9th
pro, and not looking too good to qualify for Ironman. 5 pro men had ticked the
box that they wanted to qualify, and only 2 or 3 slots were set aside for us.
I then staggered off to enjoy one of the greatest perks of finishing high up – a
50 minute long massage!
Kirra also had a good race to finish 6th pro female, and Peter Clarke and Dot
Foster both had great races to easily finish their debut Half Ironman’s. Peter
despite cramping most of the run, and Dot despite the guilt of dragging her
family to such a miserable hot place for a whole fun-filled weekend.
I hung around for the roll-downs in the diminishing hope of getting a slot. I
had already been on the phone to my beautiful and supportive wife Simone
(please, please - 3 more months off work), planning a trip to Devonport for the
last qualifying race.
Ubber was almost excited as me when my name was called out for a roll-down slot.
It meant I would be a happy camper on the drive home, and we could finally get
out of the oppressive heat and in to the air-conditioned car.
All in all a successful weekend, and a race I would go back and do again. I am
now looking forward to getting in 3 hard training months in before Ironman
Australia!
Cheers,
Smuthy