Leeds Xpress Triathlon Report

[Avoneer]

Hi All,

What an awesome day for my 1st Tri.

Weather was perfect for racing - not much wind, warm and overcast.

Pool was really salty though and was sh*tting myself being 1st in my lane of 4.

Managed to keep pulling away from the other 3 though and finished in good time.

Straight outside and ran to the bike thinking jesus, what the chuff am I doing - soaking wet running through a car park barefoot wearing tight lycra!

Anyway, couldn't for the life of me remember where I'd put my bike, despite carefully mentally noting it when I racked it earlier!

After a brief moment of panic, a marshall pointed me in the right direction and I found it straight away, sat down, dried my feet and got my shoes and trainers on a lot easier than I though I would and off I went on the bike.

Had a bit of a battle with others from my swim wave on the way to the roundabout (half way mark) as the salty pool water had made me feel a bit icky, so the 1st 15 minutes were a bit ropey, but eventually found my legs and seemed to get past everyone on the run up to the roundabout.

I flew round that roundabout way too fast (scared me a lot) - I was like a MotoGP bike and went round at about 25 mph with my inside knee far to close to the floor - didn't come off though!

Came out of the roundabout and put the hammer down so to speak all the way to the end of the bike leg.

Can't remember being overtaken, but I caught up a few people from the swim wave before mine and went past them.

Got into transition and was about to rack my bike when a marshall shouted at me not to.

I had inadvertently undone my helmet strap and was told that if I had racked my bike, I would have got a 2 minute penalty. He made me stop, re-buckle my helmet and then rack my bike.

Fair play to him for pointing that out as I really don't remember un-buckling my helmet - must have been well away with the fairies in race mode.

Set off for the run at a good pace for me.

Was a bit surprised/taken by the uneven ground which I wasn't expecting (most of the run was off road), but cracked on anyway.

Then about 1 mile in, my old ITB injury started playing up.

By 2 miles in, I was having to grit my teeth and could have so easily stopped, but carried on all the way to the end - how glad was I coming through the finish!

Times:

8:20 Swim

1:48 T1

47:08 Bike

00:41 T2

24.44 Run

Total : 1 Hour 21:13 minutes

Official position – Thirty Fooking Fith!!!!!!!!

Currently celebrating with a hydrating beer!

Big up to Xtra Mile Events for this one and I will be doing it again next year.

Pat...

P.S. Will add pics when I get them.

P.P.S. Hi to Nick (from here) who stopped to say hello at the beginning - it wasn't until after he'd gone that I realised who he was......was really nice of him to recognise my number and say Hi.

P.P.P.S. Really need to get back to the Physio again to sort out my ITB as had it on and off for 10 years now.

[ris]

great stuff, it was a good race and i enjoyed it, too. my bro really enjoyed it as his first race, although he's now pretty exhausted.

i had a quite a good time of it - hilly courses are my friend.
swim - 7:13
t1 - 1:04
bike - 43:34
t2 - 0:37
run - 22:59

o/a 1:15:29

i was out 4th or 5th from my wave from the pool, but we were closely bunched. i love hard bike legs and by the time i got to and was caught on the lights i had taken most of the wave back and was having a see-saw battle with a chap on a tri-spoke carbon porn monster. i'd take him on the hills and he'd nail me on the descent and the flat. i think we played this game and it wasn't until the last climbs that i made it stick.

the run was a bit gash, i picked up a recurrence of a peroneal tendon injury on friday and so couldn't run mid/forefoot. eventually i ran heelstrike and it eased off enough that on the second lap i could pick the pace. by then i'd been overtaken by at least one from my wave. i was very grateful to reach the end!

i was a bit stupid at the end and left before they adjusted for the lights at harewood. it turned out that this was the difference for me between 4th in a/g and 2nd. i'm slightly gobsmacked, particularly as i was also 13th overall.

it was good to briefly say hi, avoneer. i'm sorry that i wasn't able to catch up with you later but i was fairly busy herding my daughter around! i'm glad you had a good race and 35th is bloody awesome!

[sonofsammo]

Exceptionaly well organised event and thoroughly enjoyable - it's my second tri after not having done anything for a decade. Tragicaly I was 3 minutes slower than last time, but improved my T1/T2 and swim times.
I was so worried about touching my bike without my helmet on that I left it on while I racked my bike and put my shoes on - then forgot to take it off before I ran out of transition - arse - only realised when someone shouted to me!!
Many thanks to the kind marshall that looked after it for me at the gate
Practically fell over the line at 1:38 in a fit of asthmatic hyperventilation.
Lessons learned:
1. Train more on hills.
2. Take bloody helmet off in T2 so it doesn't bugger the run up.
3. Remember to smile for the finish line
I was looking out for you both, but didn't see you
Glad you had good races and a bit jealous too
Til next time!