Big Ed

I prefer the new route....better road surface on the downhills makes it safer in my opinion. My fitness levels very similar over past 4 years and today’s time very similar to last 3 years.

Very well organised indeed. My 11th 94.7 and one of the best in my opinion. Traffic in and out of the venue was a breeze, huge improvement from 2014. Cyclists well behaved, saw no crashes, spectators and water points great as always. Thought starting groups were a bit big (but I guess there is no other way with such a big field) and speed humps at Steyn City could have been better marked. Well done!

Davem definitely seems overpriced for the sprint at Sun City. Personally not holding my breath for the BSG replacement sprint series - would have expected to have heard a lot more on the event by now......

With the high entry fees and the 2 races only a week apart, I decided to only do 1 of these races. I have done the 5150 Bela Bela as well as 11 Global for the last 3 editions and would rate them both very highly. For 11 Global - Cheaper $55 (R600) vs R820 for 5150 if I enter tomorrow, cleaner dam & generally more pleasant surroundings For 5150 - Guaranteed to be a quality event (probably better than 11 Global), closer to home Think I am leaning towards 11 Global.....what do you think?

Haven't decided yet, will be my 3rd if I do. Just want to see how training goes in January before entering.

Nice report ibruegge, glad you enjoyed it :-)

Great race again!! The vibe and support were just awesome. I would also prefer an earlier start (perhaps 10am for the elites), not necessarily for the heat (this year was just very hot on the day - unusually hot for August), but to allow more time to make use of the swimming facilities after the race with the family and to ensure the waterbottles remain fairly cold. Areas I think the race can improve on: - Areas out of transition should really be covered if there are thorns - I always exit barefoot and had to change my routine to cater for the thorns. - The swim start (I was in wave 3) just got a bit too crowded this year. I tried to swim but had to stop a few times as many were walking (maybe I should improve my swimming to ensure I get out in front of the walkers). Perhaps smaller groups starting every 10 min with an exit and back in the water with a timing mat for control could take care of that.

I would bet on the Kenyans beating the Bushmen over the marathon :-)

Having experimented with different diets through 20 years of endurance sport, I have always felt very weak after a day or so of high fat/protein with low carbs. Definitely doesn't work for me + I love carbs!!! I also cannot imagine the top Kenyan/Ethiopian runners would perform as well using Tim Noakes' new diet plan....

Crazy, the race has been around for many years. Safety has never been an issue for me at Prestige Ultra. The same organisers have been putting together a quality event for years. TSA seems to be trying to cash out on triathlon becoming bigger and bigger. I would certainly not attribute the huge growth over the past 3/4 years to the effort of TSA but rather Ironman/70.3 and local shops (Troisport etc). Maybe time to get a controlling body that are sensible and actually cares about the sport (road running seems to be doing much better) to run our sport in SA?

I did the race last year. I think it was a bit shorter than 90km - my time was 10 minutes faster than I would normally have done. Definitely tougher than the Vanderbijl route (if you have done the Prestige Ultra) but I wouldn't say it is difficult.

Surely you cannot expect any race organiser to guarantee that wetsuits will be allowed - they cannot control the temperature. My understanding with the upper limit is that it gets dangerously hot in the wetsuits, so don't think it can ever be a guarantee. All you can ask is that they are more lenient and approach TSA to get triathletes in SA a consistent rule (the rules Ironman races apply). Will you do the same with other triathlons (threaten not to enter if they don't allow wetsuits) - this mean you will do no further races...

See below link for US ironman races www.trijuice.com/2010/04/ironman_announces_us_rule_changes_for_2011_season.htm "Wetsuits may be worn in water temperatures up to and including 24.5 degrees Celsius/76.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Athletes who choose to wear a wetsuit in water temperatures exceeding 24.5 degrees C /76.1 degrees F will not be eligible for awards, including World Championship slots. Wetsuits will be prohibited in water temperatures greater than 28.8 degrees C/84 degrees F." Seems like Ironman SA is applying the same rules. With Ironman and Triathlon SA friends again you would have thought having consistent rules in SA would make sense. Personally I wouldn't want to wear a wetsuit in 24 degree temperatures. Also I am not convinced that non wetsuit swims for longer distance events scare that many people of, but I guess a consistent rule would be great.

Interesting days racing, started with a tannie in a seriously bad mood at registration telling the queue of 15 or so that we are late (more than an hour before the race started - I guess she wanted us all to make the trip to Pta West the day before). When one guy wanted to enter, she mumbled that this is the last year they will allow this...whatever. The race itself was not bad at all - great swim and run. Traffic on the cycle was not a problem at all and the route was well marshalled. Only problem with the cycle was taking us through an unnecessary out and back section up and down a hill with some nasty speedbumps. I enjoyed watching the pros race later on in the African cup ITU race. I did think we could have given the international competitors a better venue (perhaps at the coast somewhere?).