Tri An Mhi Olympic 2016

This year’s Tri An Mhi race was an Olympic. For years associated with being a cold half distance event at the start of the season, this race now takes place in mid June as the Triathlon Ireland ‘Race Calendar’ starts to get very full. The wide choice of races available on the same weekend, including the Super Series City of Derry Triathlon in Derry and Hook or by Crook in Waterford, means the front end of each race is weakened by absences.  But the overall standard of the top five in each race was very high illustrating how the standard of finishers in any triathlon held across the country is now very high. There are no easy races. 

I opted for Tri An Mhi as it is only about an hour’s drive from my house. I am more or less opting out of the Cat 1 series this year as Triathlon Ireland seem deaf to complaints that there are too few races to score from. If you can’t make the first two races of the season for any reason (e.g. sickness, injury, family commitments, job commitments, etc.), you are left with having to do all the remaining four races to score. This level of inflexibility needs to be addressed. If the National Series were run this way there would be protests, but many Cat 1s don’t complain as most of the top racers are young and have few commitments outside triathlon. But I digress. 

As an alternative to driving all the way to Waterford or Derry, Collinstown on Lough Lene in Westmeath could not be better. The organisers had gone out their way to organise the car park and transition area in such a way as to allow those wanting to leave after the race to watch the Ireland Euro 2016 football game, to do so safely. I parked immediately beside transition around 8:40am and stepped out of the car. Race preparation was well under way and the atmosphere was good. The sky was overcast and a bit chilly compared to the sun in Dublin, but it promised to get warmer as the morning progressed.  I registered with the happy faced volunteers in a marquee alongside the lake and looked out over the water whose surface was a bit choppy. I like a bit of chop, so no complaints there. I walked back to the car and got out my bike and gear bag before sitting back inside to warm up (why did I wear shorts?). 

Once warm, I got out and walked to transition where I racked the bike alongside a few lads who appeared to need most of an entire rack for their bike. What is it with some people? I can understand taking up room if you expect to be in the top 5, but increasingly those taking the most space in transition are those who have spent loads of money on a bike and gear to look the part, but whose final result means they should have allowed faster racers the racking spots closer to, for example, the run exit from transition. Anyhow, all this could be solved by race organisers simply sticking race numbers onto the bike racks. Bike racking should not be first come, first served. I found a sport between two racked bikes and squeezed in my bike. I quickly completed the ritual of attaching my bike shoes to the bike, squeezing talc into them and into my runners and left everything ready to go.

Before long it was race briefing time, so I zipped up my tri suit, climbed into my wetsuit and began walking to the lake side. I zipped up a woman’s wetsuit and she did mine, then the briefing was underway. There were no surprises. I pulled on my swim hat and goggles and lined up to be counted in the water. The water temperature was around 15 degrees, so it felt warmer in the water than out. I warmed up and then swam over to the start. The lake water was clear so it was easy to avoid others warming up. The start line was three deep and before long there was a count down from ten. I started swimming expecting it to be a bit fight club, but it was ok. I swam a little wide to get my bearings and then swam back into the mass of swimmers. I found a rhythm and worked away behind swimmers in front. The choppiness of the water suited me and I found myself passing some swimmers who were lifting their heads or stopping for a second. I could breathe with every opportunity as I was being hit by chop, but I found this ok.  Then it was round the first buoy, again without any issues beyond touching a few feet. Swimmers were strung out in a line at this point and it was easier to navigate. I turned at the next buoy and started for home. The line broke up as people started swimming hard and trying to find the straightest line to the finish of the swim. This section took a while. I kept expecting to see the bottom under my feet, but it was a long time coming. Then I was standing up and running toward transition. 

This was quick. The wetsuit came off easily. I clicked on my helmet, put on the glasses, lifted the bike from the rack and ran to the mount line.  I’d passed people in transition, now I had to pass people on the bike. The bike course was undulating for the most part, with a couple of long straights. There had been some tough climbing on the old half distance lap, but the new Olympic course contained nothing which required use of the granny ring, though in places you had to get out of the saddle. The two laps went quickly, a bit too quickly; the bike course was short by around 2km. This is to take nothing away from the excellent marshalling and well thought out course. On some courses you reach a point where you are not sure which way to go, but not on this one. Each left turn was well flagged in advance and heavily marshalled to make those turns safe. It is very reassuring when you are cornering at full speed to see traffic being held back for you. 

The final section to the dismount line is downhill, so it was quickly off the bike into the racking area.

I hung my bike, pulled my shoes on and, hat in hand, I was off. I could hear lads behind me, but I just concentrated on holding my running style on the undulating run out. My heart rate was high, but I was feeling ok. I’d drunk 750ml on the bike and I wasn’t thirsty. No one came past me in the first 5k; then I turned at the turning point and began my way back. I started picking up pace as the course seemed to go downhill to the finish. I held my position throughout and was pleased to cross the finish line without losing a place. It was a fast run split for me. I turned and shook hands with those crossing the line shortly after me. The sun had come out briefly and there were smiles all around. I drank some water and then ate a baked potato with cheese and beans – why not? 

I started to feel chilly, so I asked for my bag and changed into warm gear. I walked back to where the results were coming in and had a look at mine: happy enough. I noticed that David Graham and Brendan Buck had come first again as they had the previous weekend in Blessington. That’s come consistent racing. Then it was time to take my bike, wetsuit and runners from transition. Pack the car and head off back to family life. This was a well organised race across a course suited to an Olympic. There is a need to extend the bike course a little, but this is a minor issue. The swim and run legs are both great and the volunteer marshals were all enjoying themselves. Would I do it again? Yes I would. This is a race which I hope will become a fixture in my calendar.