Butcher's Block - Race 3 2016

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.