CWTC

By Paul Reynolds

http://www.racenewforest.co.uk/00_NFMD_tri.html

1.9km lake swim, 90km bike, 22km run

Having done the Boskman race in June which is longer (2.6/120/22km), I was feeling quite comfortable about at least finishing this race. Plus we stayed on site this time at Sandy Balls which made things a lot easier what with the registration the day before, the split location transitions (so lots of labels and kit bags!), and the early start.

Driving a small part of the route the day before though made me realise again that this wasn’t to be taken lightly!

The start comprised of 2 mass starts. Despite my best intentions, I caught glimpses of the veterans wearing the different colour hats from the second wave overtaking me towards the end of the first of 2 laps.

The first lap on the bike was much longer than the second, and included the Boulderwood panoramic drives. Thankfully at that time there weren’t too many cars around to get in the way. I had to slow a few times for herds of New Forest cattle heading towards me on the road, or deciding to leisurely cross in front of me! It was nice to have a relatively shorter second lap and not having to do the extra loops, leading you home to the run.

The run was described by the organisers as "challenging"… and it certainly was! Straight out to a 1 in 4 climb. Most of the route was off track. I managed to run most of the way around… apart from a few of the climbs, which I was pleased about. The hilly route certainly had slowed me down. I had a boost at one point thinking I was seeing some runners on the loop much further behind me, only to realise I wasn’t where I thought I was, that they were in fact much further ahead I had a few more miles to go! I generally felt fairly strong on the way around, so was a bit disappointed to come in 8mins slower than last time. Despite this, a final burst did mean I overtook 4 competitors I’d been leap-frogging with in the final 50m.

So given the fact I can’t really get away with claiming "Boskman + Middle Distance = 1 Iron Distance", will I be doing a full one next year? Yes… New Forest application has been submitted! I’ll just have to remember the head torch!

Swim: 41.38 mins

T1: 5.41 mins

Bike: 3 hrs : 29 mins

T2: 5 mins

Run: 2 hrs 58 mins

Overall: 7hrs 21 mins

M30 category – 56th out of 59 finishers

Overall – 345th out of 371 finishers

2 photos below…

Gareth

1500m lake swim – 40Km bike – 10Km trail run

A year ago I competed in the Reading Sprint triathlon……just to dip my metaphorical toe in the water. I did okay and was hooked. A year, CWTC membership, The Slateman Tri and The Outlaw Tri later I was back to set myself a benchmark for my 2012 season. Again, I did okay.

The 2x750m lap of the lake swim was interesting. I was in the second wave to set off, which was 15 minutes after the first had started, which meant that not only was I in the melee with my wave, but I was immediately fighting my way through tail enders from the 1^st wave who were just starting their 2^nd lap! There was only one thing for it and that was to kick hard at the start and find as clear water as possible before settling into a more relaxes rhythm. My tactic worked and I maintained a steady pace against another chap as we pushed each other along.

T1 and 2 laps around rural Berkshire on the bike. I rode as hard as I could, pleasantly buoyed by the fact that I didn’t get overtaken as much as I had the previous year. T2 and onto the run, which considering the heavy rain the previous evening, was 6x boggy laps around the lake trail. Again I was pleased that I wasn’t overtaken and I finished on the verge of cramping in 37^th position overall 11^th in my age group.

My benchmark for 2012 has been set. Onwards and upwards!

Dave

Gareth

On Sunday 11^th September two members CWTC took part in the World Triathlon Championships which was taking place in Beijing China.

Following the spectacular opening ceremony, a total of 2000 age-group athletes competed on the 2008 Beijing Olympic course in the sprint distance on Saturday and the Olympic distance race on Sunday

It was an early start with Wilf Hill starting at 0630am in the 18-19 age group and slightly later at 0725am Mike Cooper started in the 45-49 age group.

The weather was good with the sun and the temperature rising to make the day perfect for racing as the water temperature was 25c it was declared a non wet suit swim which would favour the stronger swimmer.

After completing the 1500 meters swim a 40km undulating bike and a 10km undulating run both Wilf and Mike had fantastic races and were pleased with their times.

Wilf Hill achieved a Personal Best time of 02:24:11 and Mike Cooper achieved the high position placing of 17^th in the 45-49 age group and the 4^th British team member for that age group in a time of 02:20:21.

Both said “it was great to see the elite’s race on the Saturday and for Alistair Brownlee to become World Champion and it motivate us to do the best we could on the Sunday and it was fantastic to race on an Olympic course.

Gareth

11 September 2011

Emma Gueterbock

In 1995 a Japanese film crew spent a week scouring the depths of Lake Bala (Llyn Tegyd) in Snowdonia in search of the Bala Monster aka ‘Teggy’ with little result. 16 years later three intrepid Chi Tri-ers, Andy Matthews, Jo Gray and I, joined a 540-strong expedition and though we didn’t bump into Teggy, we did discover a Bala beast of our own.

Raging near-gale-force southwesterlies on Saturday afternoon left the Bala Standard race Ref pondering…the swim course on the northern tip of Lake Bala was awash with breaking waves and the southwesterly bike leg was to head directly into a driving headwind. Talking to him, there was a high probability that we’d be heading out onto a duathlon course the next day.

Sunday came and with it the same wild conditions but Jo and I set off together in the ladies-only swim wave. With waves breaking over our heads it was a challenge to get into a rhythm let alone sight. Around 20 people were rescued from the 1500m course and for some of us who did get round it was more Survival than Speed. Andy starting 10 min after the girls stormed past, coming out of the water 2^nd in his group while Jo and I battled on. Andrew G who was there supporting didn’t dare leave the waterside to go to watch the rugby world cup as planned until he’d seen the three of us safely out of the swell. We emerged with frozen hands and feet …and a rolling gait.

T1 was a challenge for me after surfing the waves and I did it sitting down, feeling dizzy and wondering if I’d make it to the mount line!

The bike course with its mean wind and lashing rain was a joy after the water and an opportunity to start racing properly. After continued problems with my balance and some exciting minutes of random swerving, the straight undulating course was fast and furious. Heading into the headwind I had to pedal hard downhill to maintain 28km/h while on the return I hit 62km/h spinning on the flat. Andy pushed out the fastest MVet bike time of the day and though I clawed back a minute, Jo who’d expected me to overtake had a great ride managing to stay just ahead of me all the way then gained a further 35sec at T2.

Conditions improved for the run out and back along the bike course. Andy was forced to retire at 2km due to his ongoing injury but did well to hold his 2^nd position until that point. Jo maintained her lead over me increasing the gap by a further 2:20 over 10.25km. A great race Jo! A fun weekend too.

So… Never heard of the Bala monster? You have now!

Gareth

4 members of the Chichester Westgate Triathlon Club (CWTC) took part in what can arguably be called one of the hardest Olympic Distance Triathlons in the south.

The Swim was a 1500m sea swim which went 750m across the bay where the swimmers got out the water and ran around a marker before re-entering the water and swimming the remaining 750m back to the exiting area and then running 600m to the transition area.

We then went onto the 40k Bike ride which was a very undulating course with hills at the beginning and the end of the ride, taking in some very scenic views of Corfe castle.

The run was described as a sadistic organiser’s idea of fun! With a road run out of transition for about 2 miles then a right turn and a ¼ mile uphill climb onto Ballard Down that nearly all competitors had to walk (grappling irons would have come in handy!!) across the down to “Old Harry Rocks” the views here were spectacular to say the least. We then had to negotiate a very steep downhill shingle track onto the main road and the back to a very welcome finish line.

The CWTC members did our club proud with 3 awards being achieved as follows:

Mary Campbell was 3^rd overall female

Chandra Morton won her age group 45-49

Wilf Hill won the junior category

Although not in the award winning position Del completed his first Olympic distance race and first sea swim and is testament that anyone can do a Triathlon with a bit of training and dedication.

During the award ceremony the organisers (Concept Sports) complimented the CWTC on their continued success in triathlon, having winners and competitors in nearly every organised event.

The full CWTC results are as follows:

Del Morton

Photos are available in the gallery.

Gareth

In his very first season competing in triathlons Samuel Pink has been selected to represent the South East Region in the Inter-Regional Championships in Sunderland on 4 September! Samuel’s South East season began on 4 June at Wildern in the Chapel Triathlon where he came 2^nd with a total of 9,413 points which was a great effort considering this was his first race in the South East League and only his second ever triathlon! The distances were 200m swim, 4k bike and 2K run. He had an exceptional bike section with the fastest time of his age group overall. Next up was the huge event at the Dorney Open Water at Eton (where the Olympic Rowing will take place next year) on 26^th June, when it was a scorching day.

There were 250 boys taking part in his race alone, and they all set off together in the water at the same time. It was heavy going in the lake and Samuel came 47^th overall. This was an amazing achievement considering he had to ride the whole 5K bike ride with a puncture in his front tyre, which he didn’t discover until after the swim when it was too late to fix! Despite this no-one managed to overtake him on the bike but unfortunately it meant he couldn’t maximise his strongest discipline and had to work really hard on the 1,800m run to make up some time (which he still did with a smile on his face despite his bad luck!) The next race was 10^th July at Trinity but unfortunately Samuel had been aware of this event until it was too late to enter, so had to miss this one. This was a fairly weak event so it was a shame as Samuel could have maximised his strengths and scored maximum points, which meant that his opposition could make the most of his not taking part and maximise their points, making the rest of the season very tight indeed. So at the next South East League event on 17^th July, the Hannah Trust, Samuel knew he had to give it his best shot to stand any chance of finishing in the top two places and represent the South East at the IRC. He came a very respectable third overall at this event, scoring 9,120 points. It was especially hard as it was pouring with rain throughout his race, and it was a tricky bike course with the manhole covers being very slippery and a lot of people came off and got punctures but Samuel managed to stay on.

Finally came the Farnham Triathlon on 30 July. At this point he was standing at 4^th on the League Table, so didn’t know if he would be able to push up a gear to make it to 2^nd place, but gave it his very best shot. He came out of the pool 6^th and had a very smooth transition, and began a very technical bike section with numerous sharp corners and inclines, where many competitors had come off, so Samuel had to use all his biking expertise and strengths to maintain his speed but not risk coming off, as he couldn’t afford to lose precious time, and by the end he led his wave on the bike and lapped everybody up to 3^rd place. Going into the run he had a steep 200m uphill run to get onto the running track to begin his four laps. He knew he had to beat his main competitor by over 1 minute 30 seconds to stand a chance of qualifying for the South East, and put his all into the race. He lapped the 2^nd place runner, his main competitor, and then pulled away from him, beating him by 1 minute 45 seconds, scoring 9,283 points for the race. He then had an anxious wait for a few days to find out whether he had made it, and was delighted to find out that he had scored a grand total of 27,816 points from his best three results of the season, leaving a margin of 135 points between him and 3^rd place. It was an amazing end to the season, and well worth all the hard work in training that he had put in. It’s a very demanding League with 5 races in 8 weeks, with little chance to rest in between races. Now he is off to Sunderland for the Championships and we wish him lots of success. A big thank you to the Chichester Westgate Triathlon Club for all their support and advice, and also to Chichester Runners and the Chichester Cormorants Swimming Club. A special thank you to Barreg Cycles of Fishbourne from whom Samuel hired the racing bike for the events, without which he wouldn’t have been so strong on the bike. Samuel says “I have really enjoyed the season, and have made lots of new friends and would recommend the sport to anyone who has lots of energy like me!”

Gareth

Chichester’s Big Swim has sadly been cancelled due to very low competitor numbers. Those athletes that have already entered will receive a refund in due course and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. We wish you the best of luck with the rest of your planned swims.

Gareth

The Outlaw – 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run

Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham

By David Cunningham

Saturday 23^rd July 2011 was the beginning of the end of what had been an epic journey for me. I arrived at Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre in Nottingham with my partner Julie in a car full of multi-sport paraphernalia, closely followed by another car that was full of our son (4 YO) and his Nana. (They were checking out parking, vantage points for spectators, and most importantly, if there was a bouncy castle). Parking, however, was plentiful and so after making use of that facility we all took a stroll towards the main building and registration.

A short walk through the woods and the realisation of what I would be doing the next day slapped me in the face like a wet fish. There was the rowing lake stretching out to the left and the main building, and a long way to the right was an orange dot in the water which was the half way marker buoy, a little over a mile away. A butterfly tried to escape from my throat.

Registration was straight forward and the mandatory peruse of goodies for sale in the expo followed. A new sweatshirt was purchased as there was a cold wind howling along the lake; not an unusual weather condition but I had my fingers crossed that it would slacken off the next day (It did a bit, which was nice).

At 11am there was an opportunity to take a swim practice in the lake and so I took advantage of that. The majority of my swim training had been either in the pool or in the sea and so it was interesting to see how different it was to be in fresh (fresh is a relative word) and non-tidal water. It was great and my confidence was lifted. The rest of the day was spent eating, briefing, packing and racking transition gear and so the little guy and my mum took the opportunity to leave me to it. Saturday was also the day of the Speedo Big Swim races: 3k, 1.5k and 500m events were held through the afternoon and it was great to have that as a distraction while I was doing my admin.

My alarm was set for 3am on Sunday morning but it didn’t need to go off as I was already awake and on the process conveyor belt. Any time that I thought about the magnitude of the event as a whole the nerves would kick in and so I had broken each aspect of the day into a series of micro tasks, giving each one a reasonable amount of contingency time just in case. My mum and Julie were also up and about as they would be coming to watch the start and so the plan ticked along nicely. Coffee, porridge and banana for breakfast, then Julie woke Sebastian before I grabbed a quick shower and got ready.

“Wakey wakey Little Man” said Julie. “But it’s bed time!” said Sebastian. Wiser words have never been uttered!

There was a hum of activity at the venue and I left my supporters to grab a coffee while I went to check my gear for a final time. More friends arrived to support and I donned my wetsuit. It cannot be underestimated how much of a lift it gives you to have friends and family there to cheer you on at such an early time of the day. At 05:45 it was off to the start line along with the other 599 entrants.

It was cool with a light breeze. The water was a balmy 19 degrees. I positioned myself in the second of the four start bays as I was aiming for between 60-75 mins on the swim. Sub 60 mins would have been optimistic but I set myself towards the front so that I would be able to latch onto the toes of a speed snake if I got a good start. The hooter went at 06:00 and I did get a good start, initially fighting my way through the melee before settling into a decent rhythm while drafting off various competitors. It was an out and back course and at the turn point I was feeling fine having paced myself relatively conservatively. The chap I was drafting had been holding back too and took the opportunity to up his tempo as we started on the return leg, I clung on and we started to pick off one after another swimmer. I was 91^st out of the water in 1:06:03 and felt fresh.

Transition was pretty slow at 5:47, but that included having to replace the wrong bag that I picked up and then having to fix the lens of my sunglasses that had fallen out, but a methodical approach to the task ensured I kept calm as I headed out for my weakest event. The course was 1 lap of the lake and about 20 miles out towards Southwell where 3×25-ish mile loops kicked in and was followed for the return leg of 20-ish miles back the same way that we went out. It wasn’t a terribly hilly course (apart from Oxton Hill – 400m of 12% climb on the loop leg) but it was undulating and the wind was a little unfriendly. However, once I dropped onto the aerobars I managed to keep a good rhythm going and with the support of the crowds and the fabulous people at the aid stations keeping me fed and watered (plus my gel strategy), I returned to T2 in 6:17:07. I was very happy with that.

T2 and out onto the run. My quads were heavy and my hip flexors were tight as I started but my pace was steady and my first lap of the lake (3 miles) was comfortable. I was making good time as I headed onto the River Trent towpath on the City loop (5 miles) and made sure that I was taking on fluids, carbs and salts at the feed stations as the sun had come out and it was becoming a hot old afternoon. My pace slowed down as my legs demanded more fuel and salts in order to keep on moving forward and I had to resort to the run/walk strategy if I was to be able to finish. Each feed station was fully utilised, stretches were had and I ticked off each of the subsequent loops of the Lake and towpath until I arrived at lap 4 of the lake. Julie had cheered me through each of my visits past the main building and for the last lap she was joined by more friends and family for my big finish. I could see the finish chute at the other side of the lake and the sound of the crowd’s cheering was mesmerising, drawing me on. A final burst of adrenaline, a cheer from Julie and friends, a hand from my son and the voice of Ian Hamilton screaming “David Cunningham, YOU ARE AN OUTLAW!” over the tanoy lifted me until I was across the line in a total of 12:47:47. 5:14:40 for the run was way off my run target, but overall I hit my generous goal of 12-14hours. I was ecstatic! Overall position 318.

The Outlaw has been an amazingly well managed, well supported and well structured event. The venue was brilliant and the course lent itself to keeping the crowds entertained all through the day, however, a bouncy castle wouldn’t go amiss for next year.

Gareth

The results for the 4 races from the SE junior triathlon series have been collated  and are available from the link below.

http://www.southeasttri.org/children

There is one further triathlon in the series which is the Farnham Triathlon Club event at Sandhurst on the 3oth July 2011. So far three members of the junior club are registered to take part; Rosie Sloane (Tristar 1);  Adam Long (Tristar 1) and Sam Pink (Tristar 2) .  Sam is currently in third place in the series ranking and may well improve on this as three of his close competitors are not taking part in this event. Adam faces some strong competition from the Bodyworks team who are out in force again.

Good luck to all of them, hopefully the weather will stay dry but not too hot as it is a midday start.

Gareth

CWTC had a great turnout in this year Triathlon with 35 of the 210 entrants being club members. The weather started out very sunny but soon deteriorated to a wet cold and windy day, not ideal for Triathlon, however they pressed on and the majority finished the course.

The club had some great results with the following deserving mention:

Dan Bailey finished 3^rd overall and remains club champion.

Mary Campbell was 1^st female

Chan Morton won her age group (45-49)

Katie Michael won her age group (50-54)

As this was Katie’s first ever triathlon she deserves special congratulations.

Punctures were abundant due to the poor weather, Del Morton, Lucy Blain, Alan Durham, Wilf Hill & Patrick Glynn all suffered the Triathlete’s worst nightmare, Del, Lucy, Alan & Wilf managed to repair their bikes and carry on but Patrick having tub tyres was unable to repair and could not finish.

Wilf Hill not only had the misfortune of a puncture but also came a cropper on the notorious South Harting hill, Schoolboy error for home ground eh Wilf?

In the team event Naomi Munns & Nigel Littler came 3^rd. Naomi did the Swim & Run whilst Nigel did the bike.

Steve Winter is walking proof that you should count your own lengths when swimming in competition as he managed 22 lengths to everyone else’s 18!! a lesson to be learnt there?

Whilst on the cycle Lizzie Gerrard was chasing down 3 cyclists in the distance, after hard graft she managed to catch them up only to find they were Sunday cyclists out on a leisurely ride, inspiration comes in many forms eh?? Oh and not forgetting she actually put her helmet on the wrong way round in transition.

Sibling rivalry was present in the Morton household as Del’s brother Steven (who last did a triathlon 6 years ago) travelled down from Birmingham to take part and attempt to beat Del, but I think training was the eventual winner as Del beat him by 2 minutes.

Paul Reynolds did exceptionally well by shaving off a whopping 25 minutes off last year’s time, apparently he could have taken even more off if he hadn’t stopped to go to the little boys room on the run!

Club results are as follow:

Later on the Try a Tri event took place with 10 members participating in a field of 214. For some this was their very first attempt at Triathlon and they got some very commendable times. Andrew Maynard did exceptionally well and came first out of the club entrants, time to step up to full triathlons???

Diana Littler managed to get a sizable amount of friends to try their first taste of triathlon, hope they didn’t hold it against you and have thoughts of becoming members of CWTC? Diana also came 2^nd in her age group.

All told the weekend was a resounding success and the organisers should be well and truly congratulated.

Gareth