averagejoe Posted December 6, 2013 Posted December 6, 2013 Great race, did maximum and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was hot but not unbearable, got a lekker triathlete tan though! Beats the trouble of getting to EL for 70.3. I was having a great race until I punctured at 40km, took a long time to fix!
Snytjie Posted December 7, 2013 Author Posted December 7, 2013 It was my first 70.3, and quite an experience! Conditions were pretty good. Swim was choppy, yes, but not too bad. The little bit of wind just cooled things down nicely without bothering too much. I liked the course and found it much more enjoyable than something like Global11 which is mainly in town. Organization overall was good. The officials were mostly friendly and helpful and the course was very well marked. It was a pity that the water point on the bike course was self help, so you had to stop for water. On the run the water points were brilliant: spaced perfectly, and man, those ice water sponges at each!!! I got them right up to the last point I passed too. The only real problem was the fact that the run turned out to be 24km ! I thought my watch's calibration was out, but two runners on course and a number at the end confirmed the distance. Don't know how you make that mistake... My wife said that some of the pro's were livid after finishing. They obviously paced themselves based on the three laps, which turned out to be 8km each rather than 7km resulting in them being pretty shot at the end. I myself only just made the finish, with my quads killing me over the last 2-3km. Overall a great experience, and I think a very good introductory race before EL and Midmar later in the season.
JGR Posted December 7, 2013 Posted December 7, 2013 I had a mixed race - worst swim ever. Got a hard kick in the face and swollowed a lot of water and had to move to the side for a few minutes ti catch my breathe and took twice as long as planned. The swim in my strength and is was quite weird coming into such a bust transition but ended having a great bike (by my standards) and past a lot of people (also unusual for me). Run pace was 5h36 and managed to finish strong! Got 11.8km on my Suunto (for the min) There was wind but a lot of the bike was quite sheltered I thoughtReally enjoyed the race! Denny Menchov and Garfield2010 2
reteid Posted December 8, 2013 Posted December 8, 2013 did the minimum.sort of ok swim,maintained on the bike with nothing spectacular,but also no real problems.clocked 6m/km for the first lap of the run and then 5:10/km for the second lap.felt strong so no problems for me.used the race to fine tune nutrition and to run off the bike.next up will be jan 26 after a bit more training over the festive season.learned my lesson re the sunburn at slanghoek so no problems this time around.all in all nice solid race for me. Garfield2010 and Denny Menchov 2
Ilana Posted December 9, 2013 Posted December 9, 2013 I did the max. Couldn't finish last year due to several reasons so had to come back this year and conquer the beast. Due to work constraints I haven't been able to do much training for the event, bar a race or two here and there the last couple of months, the goal was just to finish. The swim was choppy but got into a good rhythm and had a great swim in the end. The bike was fantastic, last year I was nearly in tears at the end of the bike leg due to pain and discomfort. I managed to organise some tt bars last week and set up worked like a charm, the wind was less brutal than last year. I came off the bike feeling fresh and ready to tackle the run, the discipline I was least prepared for. I just told myself to take it lap for lap and not worry about the distance. The first lap was more of a run/walk trying to find my rhythm. Second lap I settled in nicely and had a good run. By the third lap the lack of run training started to take effect and I run/walked/shuffled to the end. It was hot on the run! Thank goodness for the amazing waterpoints. I am happy with the finish and not a half bad time of 6:40 - finished 12 lady overall and 6th in age cat. One thing I am most happy about it is that I have finally found that sweet spot with my nutrition! Even though the body was taking strain at the end due to lack of training I never felt my energy levels dip or spike. Always good lessons to learn on race day. Well done to all that finished. fandacious, gummibear and Denny Menchov 3
Ilana Posted December 9, 2013 Posted December 9, 2013 Great race, organisers will get some stick due to the disks, but great event Ooi - is that not the race referee's call and not the event organiser? TSA referees were present so don't think the event organisers should be flamed for no disk call.
davem Posted December 9, 2013 Posted December 9, 2013 The only real problem was the fact that the run turned out to be 24km ! Sign during the run. "Not only do you get 21.1km but because you entered today, we are going to give you 3km more. Absolutely free. Don't worry about the pain, just enjoy the extra fresh air with your three free kilometers."
Sidekick Racer Posted December 9, 2013 Posted December 9, 2013 Sign during the run. "Not only do you get 21.1km but because you entered today, we are going to give you 3km more. Absolutely free. Don't worry about the pain, just enjoy the extra fresh air with your three free kilometers." Haha, was there really a sign mentioning the 24km distance?
davem Posted December 9, 2013 Posted December 9, 2013 Haha, was there really a sign mentioning the 24km distance? I live in Jhb. How would I know? Just sounded like a 'As seen on TV' ad.
JGR Posted December 9, 2013 Posted December 9, 2013 Haha, was there really a sign mentioning the 24km distance?Yes - they have them at all races
Sidekick Racer Posted December 9, 2013 Posted December 9, 2013 Yes - they have them at all races Maybe on the long route
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