Last night Wicklow Tri Club staged the
first of their aquathons races of the season on Bray seafront. Years of
practice has made these races better and better. Last night I walked from the
Dart Station to register at the Martello on the seafront. The Martello’s
sponsorship of these races is a real plus, as you can go in and use their
facilities knowing they are a race partner. It is also great to be able to
register on the night. Pre-registering for races always assumes you will make
it, injury free, to the start line. I received my race number and Amphibian
King sponsored hat and then walked to the toilets where I changed into my tri
suit (coming straight from work this was the only choice). I then went and sat
in the sunshine – yes, the rain had given way to blue skies: people were
putting on suncream!
The race volunteers were everywhere and
they all knew what they were doing. Neat numbered boxes for every racer, a well
marked and marshalled course with an excellent finish area beside the bandstand
on the seafront. The sea front was busy as it was now sunny and warm, but
having done this race many times before, I knew it wouldn’t be an issue for
runners, as people stop and watch or gladly move aside bemused by the tri
suited runners. Before long I needed to
warm up, so I dropped in my bag and went for a jog. I returned just as the
briefing got under way, quickly putting on my wetsuit and grabbing my hat and
goggles.
The swim was south to north this year and
so we walked down the seafront towards Bray Head. As we walked, it seemed the
swim would be a bit long: the buoy placement wider than I’d seen in previous
years. The women started first and were quickly around the first marker and
swimming along the seafront. Then we were counted into the water which seemed
cold at first given the warm outside temperature. There was some good natured banter
as people warmed up and then the canoeists called everyone to the start line.
Then 10, 9, 8 … we were off. I found it hard initially to breathe as the distance
to the first marker was short and required a sharp left turn. Once around the
turn, I gradually got into a rhythm, though I am struggling to get comfortable
in the swim legs of races this year. The swim was long. I’d say around 850m
instead of the 750m. This probably brought the first ten or so swimmers closer
together than would have a shorter swim. I got to my feet and ran up the mat on
the beach.
Crossing the footpath when exiting the
beach is always fun as there is plenty of support and you can see the first
runners just starting into the 5k. I whipped off the wetsuit and hopped on one
leg as I dragged on my runners. Then it was into oxygen deficit. I started catching
runners quickly and then got to a position where I knew I’d catch no more. The
5k is two laps of the seafront and two climbs up the first section of Bray Head
footpath. It is tough stuff. Running full blast, eyeballs, out, you suddenly
find yourself labouring up the hill until you can’t breathe and then lashing
down the hill trying to get going again. I was a little slower this year, but
it didn’t feel it. It felt hard. You can hear your breathing labouring and your
heart beating out of your chest. No one is taking it easy. Coming down the hill
for the second time, I held the fastest pace I could while trying to avoid
knocking down pedestrians. Finally, I was turning off the Bray seafront footpath
and toward the finish line, then finished.
The true class of this race then ensues.
The Martello provides a massive cauldron of soup and trays of excellent sandwiches.
Standing at the finish, in the sunshine, eating soup and sandwiches was very
enjoyable. Chatting to people you quickly realise this is why they do it. There
is a real sense of camaraderie at these events. Everyone has come through it.
People talked about the slightly long swim, but all agreed it was better to
have been longer rather than shorter.
I eventually got changed and then left
before the Amphibian King sponsored prizes were handed out. I had to get home.
The sun was only starting to go down over the event as I walked away. This race
runs like clockwork and this should be a source of pride for Wicklow Tri Club.
The other point worth saying is that this race leaves no trace – no rubbish, no
wrappers, no drinks bottles, etc. Even the wet footprints evaporate. It is easy
to see why this race is allowed to use Bray Seafront three times each year. At
e15 for the race, this is an incredibly good value event and a great introduction
into racing duathlons.
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