The Naas Butcher’s Block Duathlon, repeated three times each year, is an example of a well planned and executed race. There are few frills, leaving the focus on the racing. A lap of Punchestown Racecourse’s ambulance track (around 3km) followed by a 20km hilly cycle to Blessington and back and ending with another lap of the Racecourse. The racing is quick, but the weather plays its part. The races are held in the first three months of the year when it is predictably cold and can be brutally windy and wet. Running or cycling into a head wind or side wind can be horribly hard. Due to high winds, disc wheels were banned by Triathlon Ireland officials at last Sunday’s (Easter Sunday) race.
Turning up to race is easy. Google maps and similar software
will take you straight to Punchestown, where there is plenty of parking. There
are plenty of toilets for those whose morning coffee is makes itself felt on
the trip to the race. Registration is quick and the bike racking area well
organised. I had my gear all set up in about five minutes. It being cold and windy,
the briefing was brief and you were allowed to run around transition to stay
warm. Duathlons are always hard races. Eyeballs out from the start and no let
up at any point; transitions onto and off the bike are always greeted by
moments of jelly leggedness and stabs of cramp. This race was no different. Everyone
jogged up to the start and the klaxon kicked things off. The opening KM was run
(Strava tells me) in approx. 3:10. No one held back. The first part of the run
was downhill but then it was slightly uphill and into the wind. Groups formed,
with no one wanting to run out front. Those hoping to get a lead on their
rivals found themselves pinned back by the conditions. This didn’t stop the
podium chasers from taking an early lead as they maintained the early speed.
I got to transition and whipped on my helmet and pulled
off my runners at the same time – using my heels. I then grabbed the bike and
ran to the bike mount line. I was trying my new tri shoes. The heels pull right
back to allow you to shove your feet in quick and then you can reach down –
once you are speeding along (in theory) -
and twist a winder to raise the heel around your foot. I had arranged
the shoes with elastic bands so I could step straight into the right foot,
thrown my leg over the bike and push my left foot into the other shoe. It
worked well, though I need to practice. Then I was moving and trying to get my
running leg muscles to give way to my biking leg muscles. It is a hard course
to get into rhythm on as there is a long uphill drag toward Blessington, but I
started making headway and found myself coming back to the faster runners. I
made it into the top ten and kept pushing hard. I stayed down on the tri bars
throughout to minimise wind resistance. The return leg from Blessington turned
out to be very fast and the 20km cycle was quickly over. There were some
headwinds and sidewinds but nothing dangerous. I noted how the marshalling of
the course is well managed and how the course feels safe throughout. Had
something gone wrong, it would have been me to blame as some of the corners are
severe.
Before long, I was opening the heels of my tri shoes
again and preparing to pull out my feet for jumping off the bike at the dismount
line. It went ok though my shoes dragged a little. I then ran into transition,
dropped the bike, unclipped the helmet and pulled on my runners (elastic laces:
why use anything else?). I started running with my legs just cramping a little
before stopping entirely. I was quickly into my stride. I knew there were
faster runners behind me, so I tried to go as hard as possible to get to the
section of the run lap which was into the wind. This way, to run past me would
require some effort. As expected, I lost a couple of places on the run but I
finished well. Under the hour: no complaints in the conditions.
Well done to all. It is a tough, lung busting, race. I cheered
on some friends, changed to get warm (I had raced in a tri suit with a light
base layer underneath), had a coffee and went home for some well earned Easter
egg. I would recommend the race. I also think a special mention should go to
the Naas Tri Club marshalls who have to endure often horrible conditions for
each of the races in the series. These races are a credit to the club. I’ll be
back.
