mytrilife

Kingston SE Triathlon - SA State Champs

Last weekend was the SA state triathlon champs in Kingston SE, a small fishing/tourist town about 300km south of Adelaide on the coast. With Adelaide forecast to be over 40C for both Saturday and Sunday that weekend, Heather and I were eager to get out of the city and down the coast, which had forecast as the lowest temperatures in the state with daytime highs of only 34C! Ouch… hottest weekend of the summer so far here.

Our accommodation in Kingston was an older caravan setup in the caravan park. With no A/C and only a fan… it was going to be a hot night (high 20’s for sure), and sleep was tough. I think I managed about 3-4 hours sleep before the alarm went off and it was time to get in some cereal, pack the gear, and get down to race start. Heather decided to sit this race out and have a weekend off, so she was our race photographer and support crew.

After getting my gear sorted I jumped into the ocean for a quick warm up. A “change” was starting with the weather and a strong north wind had developed, breaking the waves into a fast chop. It would also mean 800m of the 1500m swim would be straight into a headwind. To make things even more fun, instead of a mass start, the RD announced that there would be 4 waves, with the open males going first. Needless to say, it was one of the hardest 1500m swims of my life. Dropped quickly by the fast guys, I struggled in the unpredictable ocean water, and managed to swallow more than a few gulps of the salty stuff, threatening to upset my stomach. Surprisingly, I entered transition with three other open men, so knew I wasn’t the only one who had difficulty in the conditions. 28 minutes and change.

The bike was flat and fast and I set out to try and make up lost time. Each lap I felt better and better, but my legs never really had a lot of spark. The strong winds meant a tough grind up the backside of the course. I think I managed to get back a spot or two on the bike, but that was about it. The race leader was already finishing his first lap when I pulled in transition. 1:07.

The run was TOUGH. First a 1k out and back loop, then onto 3x3k loops, up the beach, back on the bitumen path. The beach was a bit of a mess. Usually, beach sand is quite firm near the water, making running almost as easy as pavement. However, a couple weeks previous, a “king tide” had rolled in and moved all the sand, making it similar to quicksand. So, every so often, the sand would go soft under your shoe and almost roll your ankle. The fastest guy on the day barely broke 38 minutes for the 10k! I managed a respectable 43:XX.

I was quite happy with my performance, and hope to add some speed work in the next few weeks to get ready for Victor Harbour. I’m feeling fit, just not fast yet. I also won the most interesting draw prize… a crayfish (a smallish lobster)! Made for a tasty supper when we returned to Adelaide that night.

posted by Greg @ 2/20/2007