Sheep or triathletes?

James Gill, who finished 12^th in the sub 2hr30 wave, sent us this report on the London Triathlon.

Date: Sunday 8^th August 2010

Format: Olympic distance:1500m Swim / 40km Cycle / 10km Run

Organiser: Challenger World

Website: www.thelondontriathlon.co.uk

The spectacle of the London Triathlon never fails to excite. This was the 7^th time I have raced there, 5 times previously as an elite, last year as the swimmer for the Bangkok Lady Boys relay team and this year for the first time as an age grouper. Having been through medical school since last doing the Olympic course I was looking forward to returning to the London Triathlon with its revamped route. Would the run still be as “fast” as the old course?

I think the one thing that strikes me each year above anything else at the London Triathlon is the number of bikes in transition. Nowhere else in the world is there such a gathering of triathletes competing in one place. This attracts just about every major triathlon retailer to the expo. My friends at Total Fitness were there, as were Speedo who had brought and endless pool for so their new TriathELITE wetsuits could be tried on the spot. I enquired if the pool had a jacuzzi setting for after my race……. they agreed to look into it for next year!!

With my gear set up in transition I headed over to the swim assembly area which is where one starts to feel more bovine than homo sapien. This sensation is further reinforced as you are herded down a stair well, into the doc below. This years’ swim was a simple large loop and proved much more practical than some of the previous swim courses. I took an inside line and managed to stay out of trouble. I made sure I was slightly recovered before approaching the first two ninety degree turn buoys as getting around these quickly and not getting caught up in trouble can save time and energy. I exited the swim in 3^rd place in a time of 21.18.

T1 at London has to one of the most painful experiences on the triathlon circuit. With the crowd support as awesome as it always is, it is easy to push yourself to the limit and beyond. Once you have fumbled your wetsuit into a plastic bag like at an express supermarket checkout you have to ascend two flights and run a fair distance to your bike.

My bike leg was a little lonelier than I was expecting…. Why wasn’t I being overtaken? Was I too strong for the charge of disc wheels? …… No I had missed the turn around! Thankfully this was not the end of my race. The course was meant to be one short loop followed by a long loop to Big Ben. I could therefore in theory do a long loop followed by a short and rejoin the rest of my wave. A motor bike borne marshal condoned the plan. The embankment on the approach to Big Ben brought back memories of the final miles of the London Marathon. Fortunately I was feeling better than I did at 24 miles in April and was travelling a fair deal faster. When I rejoined my wave on the bike course I had no idea of my position in the race.

On entering T2 I was relieved not to see too many bikes already racked in my isle. I exited T2 as fast as I could telling myself as I always do when I run off the bike that my legs would start to feel better after a couple of kilometres of running. The new four lap run had positives and negatives. Congestion was present at times because the loops were half the distance than previously. However this was balanced out by the increased concentration of crowd support and the number of water stations. I managed to hold my position fairly well, to finish 12^th in the Sub 2.30 wave in a time of 2hrs 11mins 22 seconds.

Tips for racing the London Triathlon:

• Leave plenty of time to prepare your bike in T1 and get ready for the race. Due to the size of the event it takes a while to get around for example to the swim start.
• The swim is a good one; no currents or waves, the water is always fairly clean and thanks to the time of the year never cold.
• On entering T1 be prepared for the ascent of two flights of stairs.
• On the bike pay attention and do not miss the turn around like I did.
• On the run enjoy the support and beware it is no longer a short course.

I wouldn’t have been in half the shape I am had I not recently attended Steve Lumley’s training camp in the Alps, I have to say it is one of the best holidays I have ever been on and I cannot wait for his next camp in Majorca over Easter 2011. See his website for more details: www.steve-lumley.net. A final mention and thank you has to go to www.driventotri.com for all their coaching support over the years.

Related posts:

1. Race report: London Triathlon 2009  A fanatically well organised smooth running event, great to ride...
2. Race report: London Triathlon 2010 – Reconfigured and improved Challenger World claim the London Triathlon to be the world’s...
3. Race report: Shropshire Triathlon 2010 – Fast racing on the hottest day of the year Date: 27 June 2010 Location: Ellesmere, Shropshire Format: Olympic Distance...
4. Race report: The Alpe d’Huez Triathlon In just five years the Alpe d’Huez triathlon has...
5. Race report: Wensleydale Triathlon – The UK’s hilliest tri? Date: 8 August 2010 Location: Hawes/Semerwater, North Yorkshire Format:...