ScottCM Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 Does anyone know if there were any DQF's for drafting or aren't they that strict in enforcing the law, or did everybody adhere to the rules for once?
kingalton Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 Expo was a let down as usual, if you check online the IM clothing, accessories etc available in EU, USA and UK etc compared to here, it's pathetic..
kingalton Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 At least the finishers shirts were better this year.. I didn't get one though, never even started due to a migraine :-(
rudi-h Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 Expo was a let down as usual, if you check online the IM clothing, accessories etc available in EU, USA and UK etc compared to here, it's pathetic.. yip. last year I bought a "seemingly" nice looking IM branded long-sleeve cycling top in PE. I've maybe worn it 5 times and ALL of the print has come off to date. It was supposed to be MERRELL and cost an arm and a leg, but the way the print washed off it seems more like it was from chinaclothing.com
fanievb Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 I couldnt agree more. I wouldnt be surprised to see if this isnt a strategy to exit East London.And think about it like this. East London is in the ass end of the world. Imagine the logistics and expenses just for this non major city. And whats awesome is as well, it will take virtually the same amount of time, to get up there via car (coming from Cape Town that is).And you have a better airport. All in all, this is a win for the participants but more important their families and supporters. P.s. Least we can swim safely behind the Shark nets.Have you ever travelled through the Transkei? Last time I travelled from slumtown to debben it took me just under 12 hours
Raydek Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 Nope I thought this as well and it says so in the rules, but I spotted one on the course yesterday. It did have slicks on.. And was a rigid.
Brother Brett Posted January 26, 2015 Posted January 26, 2015 I reckon Dirtbin is the best venue in the county for a 70.3 hands down! Two half distance triathlons two months apart is gona be costly tho.
sluiper Posted January 26, 2015 Author Posted January 26, 2015 So, bit of a race wrap from me (seeing as I started the thread...) That was a hard, hard day out. I'm not going to pretend to be some seasoned pro, but I've done a few triathlons (including a few full Ironman events) and this was by a long shot one of the most difficult days out I've experienced. Firstly, the sea was choppy and unseasonably cold for East London. We were told beforehand that the temperature was around 15 degrees. The water felt about the same temperature as a nice warm day at Clifton 3rd, so by my reckoning 15 degrees was about accurate. I was in a smaller wave (getting older, must find more age suitable hobbies...) and there were hardly any decent sized groups swimming together. If there were, I missed them because every time I stuck my head out to look I could only see isolated guys thrashing their way through the waves. The chop and swell made it difficult to get into a rhythm and I swallowed enough of East London's finest to make me stop in the middle of my swim to deposit it back whence it came. In addition to the swell, there was a current which pulled more than a few of us off course. Hopefully we'll see some GPS uploads later confirming that we all swam like drunk sailors. I ended up with a sub 35 minute swim, which, given the conditions, was better than I expected. With the swim behind me, I thought I could settle down into a nice leisurely cycle around the rolling hills of the Eastern Cape, followed by an easy jog through some leafy suburbs. Boy, was I in for a shock. The standard wind direction in East London causes a tailwind going out and a headwind coming back. For the 70.3, this is actually quite handy, as you're climbing all the way out (so the tailwind helps) and descending on the way back (so the headwind isn't that bad). On this day there was a howling headwind on the way out, meaning you were climbing into the wind as well as trying to climb the suddenly insurmountable mountains of the Eastern Cape. I passed loads of guys crying into their tri-bars or who simply faked a puncture to get a few minutes' rest. By the time we hit the turnaround point, everyone who's name doesn't end with -odie Swallow had given up all hope of a PB. The tailwind coming back was nice, but the damage had been done. I tried to make up a bit of time and ended up coming in close to 3 hours, but I was completely shattered. My run started with me pouring anything liquid or solid anywhere close to my mouth and continued in that fashion for a long time. The sun was merciless and the wind blew the sand into your eyes and made you miserable as soon as you faced it. The usually boisterous crowds seemed to be stunned into silence by the savagery of the whole spectacle. I hobbled around the course, amazed at how slow my minute/km splits were and angry that the city planners had decided to see fit to make Bunkers Hill quite a lot steeper and longer over the previous year. I ended up with a time 20 minutes slower than last year and sunburn that looked worse than an Englishman's after his first day on Camps Bay. I was a bit disappointed, as I thought my target for this year was reachable and I had felt reasonably strong before the race. I crossed the line and held up my hand, but I was actually shaking my hand at the weather gods more than holding it aloft in victory. Upon checking and comparing my times with last year, I came to the stunning conclusion that despite the 20 minute increase, I had ended up almost exactly in the same position I had the previous year! So, upon looking back, not the glorious PB I had hoped for, but not a complete disappointment either. On the course I saw loads of people dropping out and the medical tent was working overtime. I'm not sure of the DNF stats, but I'd expect them to be much higher than previous years. East London is really looking tired and the beach front is now almost scary rather than just sad. With the Durban 70.3 I can't see many Gautengers making their way down to Slummies and I'll probably also be considering my options and season priorities, as a flight to Durbs from Cape Town is much cheaper than CT to EL. I'll see how the rest of the season goes, but if this was my last EL 70.3, I'm going to concede victory to the elements on this one.
fanievb Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 I thought this as well and it says so in the rules, but I spotted one on the course yesterday. It did have slicks on.. And was a rigid.Teams are allowed to use MTB's.
skipperw Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 It was my first triathlon and first half marathon. Managed a 6h17 which I'm very proud of considering where I was physically two years ago... I was fat and nasty! I'm not sure why no one went to claim world champs slots, but I went with my colleague who had a category top five. Owing to lack of numbers at the allocation... I'm going to Austria! Big thanks again to king Elton for lending me his bike computer!
BigBoy10 Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 Before and after. 23kgs in 18 months.Well done on both the weight and the entry to Austria, hats off!
dracs Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 Happy about Durban. but I for one really hope the EL race stays on the calendar well beyond 2016 and guys from elsewhere continue to support it. Yes the beach front is a bit tired, but if you don't insist on staying on the run course there are some awesome spots from Nahoon, Beacon Bay, Gonubie and further on to the east coast resorts. The local volunteers and spectators are great, the organisers will tell you they receive better support here than anywhere else from the local authorities in shutting the roads down effectively etc., the route is a great test and credit needs to be given for year after year of growth. Lastly, somehow a ironman weekend in slummies with mates feels like being "on tour" in a way that visiting Durbs won't, IMHO.
Garfield2010 Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 Both races will sell out. 70.3 sells out like hot cake. I had a good day. Swim was fun. What was not fun was when a guy was rushed to the beach with a rubber duck 3 minutes before my wave start - kind of takes the wind out of the sails. It was hard sighting the buoys due to the swell but I will take my 34 minutes any day considering I have swam about 4 times since my last race in July. The bike oh yes that was a beast. Wind was from the front and then changed South at the 60km mark. The pros had it lucky as they were already back into T2 when it changed. I thought it was really hard. I put in a lot of effort going out but still turned with a 25km/hour average. Flew back initially but then the wind changed and it became dangerous. I thought from the effort that I deserved a 32km average bike but could only do 30km at the end. I also nearly got taken out by a stray dog but thank heavens I missed it. Went about 60km/hour at that stage and I didn't even bother to try and brake as it would not have made any difference in any case..... When I reached the last hill I was tired but I realized that I needed to finish the cycle ASAP as it was only getting tougher. I will take the 03h05 although my GPS shows I cycled 91.8km's. Maybe it was the wind blowing my 1080's all over the road that made me cycle further . Top speed was 78.8km/hour - that was scary. When I started the run I knew it was a case of holding on for dear life. When I went up Bunkers the first time I started to feel like crap. My race defining moment came when I drank a whole can of red bull. I would never do that but I was so desperate that I did and it worked. I got a massive lift and then kept going and ate gels while managing my losses. Ended up with a 01h50 run which was OK considering the heat and wind. Fortunately I drafted behind some other runners. Lessons learned and some advise. Always reassess conditions during a race and adapt. Due to the wind and heat one needed to drink more than initially anticipated. Also ensure you do a couple of runs in mid day heat. I was happy with my 05h39 considering some training issues as mid December I was still a non-starter due to various reasons. I am now considering Sun City (10 May) and then the new Durban Race. Change of scenery is always welcome. Unfortunately I wont be able to do the Cradle race.
ADe Posted January 27, 2015 Posted January 27, 2015 It was my first triathlon and first half marathon. Managed a 6h17 which I'm very proud of considering where I was physically two years ago... I was fat and nasty! I'm not sure why no one went to claim world champs slots, but I went with my colleague who had a category top five. Owing to lack of numbers at the allocation... I'm going to Austria! Big thanks again to king Elton for lending me his bike computer!Congrats. What age category were you in?
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.