mytrilife

Queenstown Half-Iron 2004

Queenstown was to be the only test of my fitness leading into IMNZ. It was to be a hard training day and work out any problems in my racing plan.

Due to the ITU World Championships in Queenstown this year, the organizers did almost nothing to advertise this race. They were quite simply burnt out from that race. So it was not surprising that only 26 people showed up on race day. You had to really know where to look to find an entry to this race. It was mostly the hardcore IM people, who were using it as a warmup for Taupo

Lyndsey, Chris (our flatmate), his father and I drove up and stayed in Cromwell the night before. Accommodations in Queenstown were scarce due to a Chicago concert and a couple of conventions in Queenstown. The Chicago concert pushed back the usual date of the race from a Saturday to a Sunday, as part of the run course looped behind the main stage.


It continually rained the entire night before the race, and it was a dreary, wet drive to Lake Hayes in the morning. My last race had been in the rain at Great White North and I froze. It dreading a repeat of that day, so I was hoping things would clear and warm up as the day progressed.

The racecourse followed much of the ITU Worlds course. A one-loop swim in the shape of a M. The top of the M being the 1500m Worlds buoys 650m out and a 300m swim to the middle of the M and back. The bike was 5 loops of the Worlds course, with an added out and back at the start on Speargrass Road to get the full 90k. The run was 5 loops around the Millbrook resort.

Knowing the roads would be slick and wet, a mild head cold, and my legs feeling heavy and tight, it did not seem the day to be setting any PB's.

After a quick race briefing, we headed down the hillside to the swim start. We quickly noticed the added third buoy had blown away! Doh! The RD said "Oh well, you're swimming 1500m then!" Woohoo! Or no? It was only 500m, and I'm not the greatest swimmer, but I kinda wished we had the full course.


So, off we went. I picked up set of feet right away, but was dropped within 300m. I refused to get out of the nice comfortable pace, so didn't bother briding the gap to another swimmer. In my mind, at this point, I knew the whole race was going to be at IM pace, my pace. Near the middle of the lake the wind was considerably stronger and there was quite a chop. Was fun to swim through and I started to find my rythm among the waves!

Swim time: 28:21. Wish I could have swam longer, I was finally warmed up and my stroke was feeling good! Took about 3mins for transition, which was pretty good considering the muddy hill we had to ascend.

Got going on the bike and my legs felt flat, tired, and weak. I switched to an easier gear to spin a little. After about 15mins I checked my HR and I was waaaay high... 169 I think! Too hard, too fast. I backed off, just in time for the first major climb, McIntryes hill, which is about 7% grade. Took me about 3 minutes to get to the top, so I estimate it was about 1k long. Then to the start of 5 loops around Millbrook(15k loop), which would also come up that same hill!


I was very even paced for the 5 loops. 28-32 mins for all of them despite the increasing wind on the backside of the course. I also had to pee 5 times! Too much hydration? I think so. I couldn't drink much on the bike. I was afraid of bonking so I sucked down my Hammergel in the last two loops. Probably didn't take enough water with it as later I would cramp on the run. I took every corner easy, and the long fast downhill section much, much slower than everyone else I'm sure! I didn't feel like hitting the pavement 5 weeks out from IMNZ... oh yeah.. no health insurance too!

Bike time: 2:59:xx Not bad for a hilly, windy, slick race course. It was measured correctly at 90k. Transition was pretty quick. Less than 2 mins, even with a change into fresh socks!


Started the run, legs were feeling ok, but not great, at this point... but I had the worst stomach cramping. For the first two laps, I friggin suffered, and just tried to keep moving. I still managed an even pace of around 20mins a lap, so figured if I held pace a 1:40 would be ok day. My stomach finally cleared up on the start of the 4th lap. Last lap I finally started to feel "good" (relatively), and picked up the pace a notch to knock off an 18:xx lap. I was thinking it would have been great to go farther as my legs and stomach were finally in tune!

1:39 run time. Some small short hilly sections and was estimated to be 600-1100 meters short.

5:09:25 total. Not officially a PB for me, as the course was short, but a good time for a tough course. Hope to do it again next year!


Overall, a very well paced race, but I never really pushed it at any time, it was all IM pace. I carbo-loaded so well the day before, and ate a decent breakfast, that I never felt I needed any nutrition til near the end of the bike. Next half-iron I might just do that.... just drink water till 75k, then drink flat coke to the finish!

posted by Greg @ 2/01/2004