I’d only signed up to do this race a few weeks earlier. It was going to be the final race of the season. I was planning on taking it easy and wanted to enjoy the occasion. I’d done so much training to get me through Challenge Roth and I didn’t want it going to waste. That said, it was going to be a change racing without the pressure of trying to hit any specific targets.
Ask any triathlete about their preferred racing conditions and I’m fairly certain near-storm strength winds and pouring rain are not at the top of the list. I’d been following the weather forecast all week and there was supposed to be some rain but nothing too serious. I gave the rain radar a quick check before leaving home and it seemed as if we’d be getting a light shower around race start. How wrong those weathermen can be?
We got to Murten, venue for the Seeland Triathlon, around 9am, parked up and headed to race check-in. Grey clouds were gathering ominously overhead and the wind was picking up. It didn’t look promising but the optimist in me thought it would clear up by the time the starting-gun went bang. Nope I was wrong.
Along with strong winds come big waves. The lake surface was far from flat with white-tops as far as the eye could see. This was not going to be fun. Then came the announcement. The swim was to be cancelled for the sprint distance and reduce from 1900m to 500m for the middle distance. There was a collective sigh of disappointment and simultaneous jump for joy. I don’t think anybody present really wanted to get in with those conditions.
For one of our party then came the next piece of bad news. Race judges had taken the decision to prohibit disc wheels. If it hadn’t been for another team member having to pull out due to sickness, Oscar’s race would’ve been over before it even started. A quick change of rear wheel and he was back in the game.
The conditions improved just enough to allow the organisers to give the go-ahead for the swim. The waves were still there but nothing compared to the maelstrom earlier in the morning. As start-time neared the hundred or so male competitors made their way to the line. I did a quick warm up swim to get wake up my muscles and get the blood flowing. A couple more minutes passed. Enough time to quickly chat with those around me and wish my team mates good luck.
The starter’s gun went off and we all headed to the buoy some 250m offshore. The revised course meant that the field would be closer together for much of the way. Not being the best swimmer this wasn’t too much of an issue for me. I went at my usual pace, rounding the buoy and then trying to sight the finish point back on the shore. I eventually spied the inflatable Red Bull arch and made my way to the exit. As I approached a hand reached out and grabbed my hand, yanking me out of the water and into T1.
Swim 500m (Garmin 591m) 11:28
My wetsuit was off in no time. Number fastened around my waste, helmet on and out on to the road. Hopped on the bike at the line and gave myself time to get some momentum before slipping my feet into my shoes. That went fine. What I didn’t appreciate was the industrial-strength elastic band I’d used on my left shoe. Rather than snapping as planned, it stayed in place. Only thing I could do was to reach down and give it a hard yank. Now time to settle into my rhythm. This was easier said than done with the winds seemingly coming from every direction.
The course should in normal conditions be a quick one with no real technical sections. In the wet though it was a different story. The descents needed to be handled with care, especially as my lovely full carbon DT Swiss rims don’t like stopping in the wet. The road surface on a couple of sections was less than perfect but as it was the same for everybody, I can’t complain too much.
The 83km passed without incident, for me at least. I did see a guy who’d taken a tumble at a roundabout. The marshals were furiously waving and telling everybody to slow right down. Apart from a little wobble on the slippery tarmac going round said roundabout, I made it back to transition. I was soaked through from the rain and my toes were near frozen. My shoes had been waterlogged from the outset and 2.5 hours sat in cold water hadn’t done them any favours. Hopefully they’d be fine for the run.
Bike 83km (Garmin 79.2) 2:36.42
On to the run. I had my shoes and socks on quickly, grabbed my gels for the run and was off on to the two loops of the run course. It took about 3km before I had full feeling back in my toes. Thankfully though this hadn’t stopped me from keeping up a solid pace. I was moving well along the flat course and crossed the others on the team along the long drag out to the turn-around point. If I have any complaints about the course it would be the long straight section on the run which was boring and never felt like it would end.
As this was the last race of the season I was intent on pushing it as much as I could on the run. I kept the pace around 4:45 per/km which felt sustainable for the whole 20km. Late on in the second lap my effort dropped just a touch and I put in a 5:01 for kilometre 18. This really annoyed me so I picked up the pace again and was determined to finish strongly. I gathered my thoughts and concentrated on form for the final effort and crossed the line with a sprint.
Run 20km (20.5km) 1:38:00
Total time 4:30:40
So despite the shortened swim it was a great race to round off the season. I would’ve preferred warmer and drier conditions but it wasn’t to be. After the disappointments of injuries and accidents last year I’m really happy to see out 2017 without any mishaps. I’ve learned a lot about triathlon, especially over longer distances and will be back next year to see where I can improve.
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