Race Reports

On Saturday, the 2^nd July, there were many different ladies only races going on at Dorney Lake, with Clare, Jean & Sharon in the Challenge triathlon and Fiona in the Sprint. So here are two race reports for you:

Author: Sharon

Left the house at 7.30am which is not too early; apart from my teenage kids thinking that they have been woken up in the middle of the night. My crew in the car were: Gordon (hubby), Sean & Alina - the kids. We were hoping to catch up with the other car - Clare, Jean & Rob (Jean's hubby). Unfortunately 15mins up the road and we are straight back to the house for the forgotten camera.

No sign of Jean's car but the M25 was blissfully quiet and drama-free so we made great time to Dorney Lake.

There were loads of parking and a bit of walk to the boathouse so support crew were handed equipment to carry & off we went. The walk helped to settle the nerves a bit - worrying about all the unknowns for my first open water triathlon; the mass swim start, spotting & getting out of the spray-on wetsuit.

Saw three lovely smiling faces waiting for us outside the registration tent - Rob was trying to stay cheerful as when he had first spotted the large registration tent, he thought it was full of beer.

After collecting my number, we headed for the posh boathouse and upstairs to the balcony & café, which gives great views of the Lake and an excellent place to settle all the support crew who immediately organised themselves bacon sandwiches - oh crikey I'm going to hurl, there goes the nerves again.

As Clare, Jean & I racked our bikes, we were able to watch the first Wave enter the water. The first group were the Relay team and there didn't seem to be many of them so gave us all the wrong impression that the groups were going to be small. Not long before it's our time to wander down to the start position & there were LOADS of us (our wave - under 30s & over 40s). Clare was the bravest - going in without the wetsuit - whereas Jean & I just went "NO WAY - gives us the rubber".

All in the water, treading and trying to find our space while listening to the race briefing - excellent place to tell you the race details - knowing full well that you couldn't escape at this point. Then went the Starting Gun & wow! Arms, legs everywhere, all trying to head for the 1^st buoy. Had to stop as goggles were knocked off and then tried to avoid the kicking breast stroker. Going round the first buoy, someone actually grabbed my ankle. First time ever I was actually kicking!

Swim was 2 laps - bizarrely 800m in open water doesn't seem so long or so hard compared to a pool environment. After the race I discovered from the support team that the girl who was leading mistakenly starting heading back to the first buoy instead of the finish ramp & had to be chased by the speed boat to correct her. Even with her extra 200m-ish, she still managed to beat the rest of us.

Hit the finish ramp with my hands, straight up and running (first fear dealt with as I thought my legs were going to be too wobbly). The wetsuit came off so smoothly - shock - (2^nd fear dealt with) but then I had to sit on the floor to put shoes on as felt a bit dizzy. Out of T1, next came Jean - who absolutely loved her first experience of open water racing and then Clare.

I loved the cycle ride as it is SO flat, no cars and the surface is lovely & smooth. Its 6 laps around the lake and some excellent corners to take. Only time in each lap you had to slow down was when you return to the boathouse as caution was required from cyclist coming from the T1 slip way and supporters crossing the path. All our support crew were giving us great encouragement as we went past them on each lap - is that bloody ice-creams in their hands?????

T2 was okay, and then onto the run. A bit of a boring route as up & down the same path for 3 laps. Excellent option to check that everyone is okay. Saw Clare (looking strong and happy) while on my 1^st lap but where is Jean? - getting worried now! The positive aspect of the run is that it is as flat as a pancake, so my currently sore knees weren't suffering too much (last fear sorted).

Finally last lap & it is so hot, just kept looking straight ahead, counting to 100 and not worrying what other ladies were doing & then finally, I would love to say a sprint but more like a crawl to the finish line. Here I was met by a group of sweet cheering marshals, our screaming support crew and a dodgy looking man with a garden hose splashing everyone with cold water. In other circumstances he probably would have got a slap but this time I was truly grateful. Not long after a beaming Clare & then a smiling Jean crossed the finish line.

Now to hear "what had happened to poor Jean" - to be honest we are not really sure as number of laps are not officially counted, but we think that most probably Jean did an extra bike lap - I told you the bike route was so good - you just want to do more!

After we packed up and were ready to go home we were lucky to have a chance to cheer Fiona as she headed to the finish line - my god that girl can run.

To summarise I think I can happily say from all 4 of us that Dorney Lake is an excellent venue for competing and for your spectators. All the races were very well organised and had a great buzzing atmosphere - but no beer tent - sorry Rob.

Here are our results:

STANDARD DISTANCE (800m, 30km, 7.5km):

POS	CAT POS	NAME	TOTALTIME	SWIM	T1	BIKE	T2	RUN
55	2	Sharon	01:56:06	00:16:20	00:02:10	00:55:08	00:01:16	00:41:12
110	10	Clare	02:18:15	00:19:53	00:02:25	01:10:05	00:01:41	00:44:12
115	9	Jean	02:19:58	00:17:57	00:03:09	01:13:43	00:01:52	00:43:17

 

 

 

Author Fiona:

Managed to get round the M25 with relative ease so hoped that was a good omen for my 2nd attempt at triathlon.

On arrival the nerves really began to take hold and it seemed an age to walk from the car park to the boathouse and race registration.  After collecting my numbers and timing chip there were lots of green hats in the water.  Wondering if this could be Sharon, Claire and Jean in the challenge event.  The hooter went and there was flying arms and white water.....crikey that's a mass start then!

Racked the bike trying to remember the tips Steve B gave me at East Grinstead and then it was just a case of waiting.  This was probably the worst part of the day as thoughts of getting stuck in my wetsuit or further bike malfunctions did nothing to calm my nerves!  Standing on the balcony at the boathouse looking down on transition I was trying to spot the others but sadly didn't see them before the start of my wave.

I was glad that I had a couple of Ardingly swim sessions under my belt as I made my way to the water and chatting to some of the other competitors who were first timers I started to enjoy the moment!  The marshals friendly banter certainly helped and by the time I'd swam round the second buoy I was really enjoying the swim.  Was surprised to get a mouthful of weeds and realised that I'd veered off to the left on the final approach to the pontoon - idiot! I didn't struggle with the wetsuit as I'd thought but my 2:51 T1 will need some work!  The bike course was great fun and cycling with two fully inflated tyres makes it all the more easier.  I knew I would have been slower on the swim but wasn't sure how many people were in front of me on the bike.  It was also difficult to work out who was who as they were different waves out on the course so I just kept pedalling and praying for incident free cycling.  At the end of my final lap I was expecting a marshal to point me in the direction of transition but nothing so I was glad that I'd kept count myself.....it was 4 laps, wasn't it?  Now for the real test, running off the bike.  Dodged past some milling competitors in transition and made my way out onto the run course.  Getting off the bike I realised just how warm it was out there and hoped that my legs wouldn't cramp up.  I heard some shouts of encouragement, which was a real boost.  I certainly found it harder to run a 5k after the swim and the bike, and kept thinking to myself that I really should have practised some more brick sessions.  The sight of the finish arch after my second lap was a welcome sight and crossing the line I was very surprised and pleased to be given 2nd place in my wave.  I'd completed my first tri and it was worth the wait!

My results:

SPRINT DISTANCE (400m, 20km, 5km):

POS	CAT POS	NAME	TOTALTIME	SWIM	T1	BIKE	T2	RUN
14	4	Fiona	01:12:59	00:08:34	00:02:52	00:39:21	00:01:33	00:20:40

The GE Great Britain Age Group Team delivered a phenomenal 81 medals including 27 gold across the sprint and standard distance races at the ETU European Championships in Spain over the weekend of 23^rd to 26^th July 2011.

The two age group races gathered from all over Europe 1.500 to 2.000 athletes and as part of the GBR team, 3 of our own MSTC athletes were there: Rachel Baker, Margaret Hollamby and Steve Alden.

On June the 25th the sprint distance race (swim 750m, bike 20km, run 5km) took place which included Margaret who achieved an amazing 2^nd place in her age group (55-59).

Next day, Rachel and Steve took part in the Standard distance race (swim 1500m, bike 40km, 10km), coming a proud 16th & 11th for Great Britain.

The GBR Age Group recorded the fastest overall male and female triathletes in both the sprint and standard distance races. In the sprint race, Mat Clarkson (35-39) from Hertfordshire crossed the line first in 1:01.50, with Anna Turvey (30-34) from Newcastle leading a British one, two, and three in the women's event finishing in 1:08.12.

In the standard distance event, an equally impressive race saw Roger Witz Barnes (25-29) from Manchester finish first overall in 1:58.40, with Nick Dunn (30-34) from Nottingham crossing the line in third.

Final results:

STANDARD DISTANCE:

AG	POS	NAME	TOTALTIME	SWIM	T1	BIKE	T2	RUN
50-54	11	Steve	02:29:20	00:31:00	00:02:33	01:12:40	00:01:15	00:44:28
35-39	16	Rachel	02:34:21	00:31:19	00:02:33	01:13:08	00:01:23	00:48:31

SPRINT DISTANCE:

AG	POS	NAME	TOTALTIME	SWIM	T1	BIKE	T2	RUN
55-59	2	Margaret	01:22:22	00:18:30	00:02:44	00:38:50	00:01:36	00:23:26

 

Author: Sharon

 

No doubt you have heard of the film Nightmare On Elm Street, welcome to Nightmare at Wimbleball.

The day started at 06.00 with the putting on of the wet suit ready to be walked down to the lake at 06.30. It was overcast and windy but at least it wasn't raining, like Saturday!!! Eventually all 1600 competitors were in the very cold water having waded through the mud!! No "God Save The Queen" this year, not that "she" will be too worried! The gun goes off at 07.00 and we're off, not exactly at a gallop more like a massive washing machine on fast spin!! My swim was okay, got kicked a few times but isn't that what triathlon is all about!! 

I exited the water on 55 mins 17 sec , about 30 secs down on last year. T1 went okay at least i didn't get interviewed like last time! I was a bit unsure as what to wear for the bike as it was still a quite cool and very windy, anyway i opted to remain in my tri suit and put on arm warmers. The bike course is two laps and very hilly and although it remained cool, overcast and windy at least it didn't rain until about ten minutes before reaching T2 but luckily it was only a short shower. I had no problems on the bike, unlike a lot of others who suffered punctures and broken chains etc. and completed the ride in 4:03:51.  T2 passed without any hiccups and the sun had come out by then, it always shines on the righteous!.

Hope you are covering your eyes because this is where the nightmare begins, during the first lap i could feel the underside of my right foot starting to niggle where i had injured it at work a week ago! Even being passed and encouraged by John Webster [we met by chance at the race briefing the day before] couldn't help and by the end of the first lap i had been reduced to a hobble and for a split second i thought maybe i should call it a day!!! But it's an Ironman event, so there is NO GAIN without PAIN!!!! How i got to the finish i don't know,  but i dragged myself over the line after 2hrs 42 mins 4sec.

My overall time was 7hrs 53mins 15 secs, about 30 mins down on last years time. I was gutted at the time as i had wanted to try and finish first in my age group,

You're not going to believe this, i have just checked the results  and even with a shit performance i came FIRST in my age group!!!! Mind you i was the only ONE !!!! Obviously i shall be looking for the MSTC to sponsor my trip to Las Vegas later in the year for the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! Ha! Ha!

                 Cat Pos    Total        Swim      T1      Bike         T2    Run
Jon Webster    29    05:57:32   37:54  07:40 03:25:28 01:48 01:44:44
Derek Hastings 1     07:53:15   55:17  08:59 04:03:51 03:07 02:42:04

The night before

The Dambuster adventure started the night before as our MSTC athletes battled their way up the Motorways for a long journey up to Leicestershire. Exhausted Rose & Trev arrived at the Travelodge at 11pm, after driving for 4 hours navigating around the closed A1 which didn't stop Trev loading up on route for his pre-race dinner of chips and baked beans. Trev managed 4 hours sleep and surprisingly felt rested on the morning of the race! While poor Rose was up at 4am for the day to begin.

Jeff had his support team (Sue & two of his daughters) with him at the Travelodge to give home encouragement - again an early start for them all as checkout was 5am - now that's what I call a support team!

 

Nancy had all her support team in the campervan, but next time she is very keen to leave it at home and book a hotel (don't blame her!).

 

Poor Steve & Kay didn't arrive at the hotel until 00:30, so not a good start. Kay made the wise decision that with the lack of sleep, over worked and a bad cold that it was time to pull out and - oh it was so tempting for sleep-deprived Steve to do the same. Good job Steve found the strength to compete as he ended up thoroughly enjoying the swim and achieved a fantastic 9^th in his age group.

 

 

The swim

 

So Suited and ready to go...... the girls' warm up included a lesson in lip gloss application from Julie!!!..... a complete dance routine for which they won an award!!! "For best warm up"

 

So all warmed up and ready to go on the start line in bib number order were James, Ant, Steve B, Trev, Steve Mac, Jeff, Sam, Hazel, Pippa, Nancy, Rachel, Jules, Rose and our lovely lip-glossed Julie.

 

To best grasp the atmosphere and high/lows of this race, I can only do the report justice if I now hand over to the athletes' own words:

 

ANT - "I kinda went a bit off course on the swim, following a group of other swimmers to the right on the back leg of the swim. Maybe that was why my swim time was so slow?"

 

TREV - "I spent half of the swim drafting Ant - I can thoroughly recommend it as he swims in a very straight line and I would have stayed there if some idiot hadn't rammed into me from the side. Even after I lost him it all went very well and I loved the swim."

 

Nancy - "I was SOOO nervous beforehand but hanging out with the club members and some spontaneous wetsuit dancing helped to calm the nerves.  I had a dreadful swim - kept going in the wrong direction, more practice at Ardingly and Southwater required!"

 

STEVE B - "Swim - sat at a comfortable pace, middle of the pack... Tried not to drink too much water as it was a bit choppy out there."

 

Rose - "Totally loved the swim.... made the mistake of waiting at the back to start which meant I got kicked by lots of breaststrokers :(.... but once I swam through and found clear water it was a joy..... so came out the water with a big smile on my face.... fabulous support from Kay... suspect I lost time telling her how much I enjoyed the swim..... Fell over in transition think the body was still swimming!!!!!......"

Jeff - "I was disappointed by my swim after having done quite a bit recently, I was a good 5mins over my normal time for 1500m, but just didn't get into a comfortably rhythm.. Longish T1 so plenty of room for improvement."

   

 

The bike

 

Ant: "On the bike transition I got shouted at by a Marshall for mounting my bike before the bike start line, even though I asked her if it was OK - she was too busy speaking to the other Marshall and got very upset when she noticed I had got a 'leg over'. Muttered stuff like 2 minutes time penalty, which fortunately I didn't get.

 

The bike was a bit of a nightmare for me. On the big downhill my rather large 90cm front wheel caught some turbulence and oscillated all the way to the bottom. How I managed to stay on is beyond me. That kinda shook me up so all the other descents were taken a lot slower! Traffic was also a problem in some parts as the slower riders were holding up the cars which left no overtaking room.

 

I was looking out for Macca on the bike, and was quite surprised not to have seen him. Little did I know what a superb swim time he had done"

 

Trev - "Enjoyed the bike but found it pretty windy. I've no idea which was the Ripple bit, it all seemed ripply to me."

 

Nancy - "I felt like I was flying on the bike and over took loads of people uphill so my bike confidence is brimming - which is lucky since I've signed up for the Brighton 100 miler.  Unusually for me I wasn't the slowest person in transition - not fast but I did actually try for once."  

 

Steve B: "- with front 82 section wheel and lots of wind..... Not a great combination for the conditions ...  (but looks good) ...Had some very scary moments down the hills with the wind blowing me into the centre of the road, hanging on for dear life as bike front end wobbles... I still managed to clock 67 km/hr (41.6 m/hr) top speed, and could have gone faster!!!"

Rose: "Out on the bike.... Great to be greeted by Lucy along the route shouting support and encouragement, it's this that makes our club special and made me more determined...... So now I understand the meaning of the word ripple.... if it went down it went up and again and again and again.... Thought I was lost towards the end as lack of signage but finally made it into transition...."

 

Jeff: "Cycle ok but steady stream of people overtaking me - including Rachel who gave me words of encouragement - sorry if you didn't catch my laboured response Rachel! Then I saw Lucy running along the cycle route which confused me somewhat........"

 

Steve Mac: "the bike was a bit blowy so the deep section wheels made it interesting and although being bigger means you can control the bike easier when the head winds come up you really suffer, my main thought was not to get taken by Ant, so I was very relived to get to T2 ahead of him but I knew he was coming"

 

 

The run

 

Ant - "At the start of the run my quads felt completely shot, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to manage the full 10km but after a few minutes the pain lessened enough to establish sub 7 minute mile pace. By this time I had spotted Macca, a quick goose on that barn door before I pressed on, fast enough I hoped to stay in front of him (and to try and hide how tired I felt). The run section was ace, lots of high fives with Macc, Steve B and a quick Hi to Trev on the switchback section. I was starting to get tired on the second loop, the run pace was going over 7 minute mile pace now but I felt I had a big enough lead to keep in front of Macca. I even seemed to be catching up with Steve B, but then I hadn't realised he was running his iron man speed in preparation for his forthcoming event."

 

Trev: "The run I found hard but somehow did my best 10km time for a triathlon and my 3rd best ever for a solo 10km. All this despite my bad foot, which seems to have meant I protected it and in the process sprained my big toe. But I never felt this to afterwards so that was ok. I then demolished a wall at Roses and dropped a concrete block on the same toe! Even so I still really enjoyed it, a brilliant event. Totally recommend it."

Nancy: "With the run I managed to tuck in the 10k within my target of under 50 mins so I was happy with that.  Smiling faces to cheer me on at the finish was great and made up for the heavy rain showers and hail."

 

Steve B: "Paced out for a 9 min mile (as I want a 4hr marathon for my Ironman) making sure I did not get sucked into racing other bodies... It's harder than I thought, as my mind and body want to race.... Dambuster was a training race for me - used it to pace out for my Ironman...Had a great race felt very comfortable and could have gone round again, oh and again and some more..."

 

Rose - "..Again all the women in the club either passed me or lapped me but all with encouraging words.... Took time to get legs working but a fabulous playlist from the music guys really helped.... By the time I got to the dam it started to heavily rain then hail that stung!!!!.... So abandoning myself to the elements I had my Kate Bush moment along the top of the Dam!!!.... you have to laugh... and then Julie swept past me!!!!... but I kept going aware that Joules was just ahead of me ... but there was no catching her!!!!!..... last bit I knew you guys would all be there and you were.... i could have finished then... Superb moment.... I'd been worried that the marshals would have been packing up but thankfully they were great.... So I maintained my usual place in the last 10 in every Olympic I have done ... but this time it felt good and I truly enjoyed it :)"

Jeff - "T2 not bad and the legs took a bit of warming into the run - suffered for the first 15 mins or so. Again, sorry Steve, you saw me and shouted me, but I think I had my eyes closed at the time. I caught up and overtook some of those who went passed me on the bike, but by the end of the run I was pretty knackered. Glad to beat the 3 hour mark, but sure I can knock 10-15mins off the total time next time."

 

Steve Mac - "I was not looking forward to this as I had not run that far since October so I was getting ready to suffer, Ant caught me in the first mile as I was doing just over 8 min miles then it was high fives all the way round, I think I could have gone faster but didn't want to risk further injury. Good run though really enjoyed the whole race."

 

 

Final quotes from the Dambuster gang:
 
"I must say WE are a great club, the support and encouragement shown to all members is fantastic..."

 

"Awesome outing from everyone in the club :)...... This was a real personal achievement for me and still on a high...."

 

 

Apologies:

 

Our deepest sincere apologies to a particular pub in the Derby area for Jeff meeting up with his brother & family, while still wearing his tri-suit under his clothes and stunk the place out. His excuse was no shower facilities at Rutland. Lol. Didn't stop him partying all night in Crewe either!

 

 

Results: 

 

Pos Cat Pos     Name      Total Time    Swim     T1       Bike         T2          Run
99      21 JAMES DEAR           02:15:36  28:32  01:21  01:07:33  00:58    37:12  
262    32 ANTHONY GREY       02:28:29  30:12  02:16  01:13:04  00:58    41:59  
311    04 RACHEL BAKER        02:31:24  26:24  02:04  01:17:23  01:15    44:18  
321    46 STEVE MCMENAMIN  02:31:53  22:55  02:08  01:19:20  01:19    46:11
391    71 STEPHEN BIRCHALL  02:36:42  26:59  02:46  01:19:18  00:56    46:43
482    18 SAM ANDERSON       02:43:28  25:10  02:29  01:28:47  01:28    45:34
572    89 TREVOR MOORE      02:50:29  30:49  01:54  01:27:41  01:12    48:53
586    10 HAZEL TUPPEN        02:52:05  29:54  03:47  01:31:01  01:31    45:52
621    51 JEFF WOODALL       02:56:05  32:17  03:47  01:27:48  01:41    50:32
660    28 NANCY DOYLE         03:01:54  34:21  03:29  01:32:28  02:09    49:27
701    22 JULIE WILLIAMS      03:13:54  31:48  03:10  01:40:00  02:25    56:31
712    34 PIPPA CROUCH       03:20:10  28:45  03:54  01:41:05  02:39  01:03:47
728    23 JULIENNE                03:30:09  34:23  02:52  01:44:06  02:25  01:06:23
730    26 ROSE RYAN            03:34:30  34:16  03:52  01:48:25  02:13  01:05:44
 

  

 

Author: Sharon & quotes

 

Double Enduroman (New Forest) - 11 & 12 June 2011

Two members of the club John Liebers and newbie Jim Graham have just completed the Enduroman double IronMan event in the New Forest which took place on the 11th & 12th June at the same time as the Deca Ironman event. Here are both their outstanding race reports:

Author 1: Jim Graham 

The Enduroman Ultra Triathlon Championships at Avon Tyrrell in the New Forest was held for the first time. It was an intimate friendly small event compared to Ironman UK. The organisation was very good. The medal, finisher's shirt, food, drink, energy gels and goody bag (including t/shirt, beanie and buff headwear) were all first rate.

 

The location was good with a pleasant lake for the swim and a challenging hilly cycle course. Cattle grids, pot-holes and New Forest horses added to the difficulty. The run was hilly on soft ground that turned into a bog during the heavy rain that fell throughout the final day.

 

It seems that Enduroman like their events to be a bit tough, so it was never going to be an event for PB's. This course evidently turned out harder than anticipated as only 4 out of 20 entrants completed the deca-iron and the average finishing time for the single-iron was 16 hours 49 mins.

 

John Liebers completed the double-iron brilliantly in 34 hours 54 mins. John achieved consistently excellent times in all disciplines to finish 8th (despite coming off his bike to avoid a horse in the road).

 

Jim Graham did manage to register the fastest bike lap, as if ignorant of the fact that another 19 laps were required in addition. Jim finished 18th with a time of 37 hours 52 mins. A bit tired and wet by the end, with the last mile taking over 30 mins of trudging through swampy conditions in the dark. Only 25 of the 42 double-iron entrants completed the course.

 

The Enduroman organisers and marshals were fantastic. Recommended but best take the morning off work next day.

 

Don't even think about doing this event unsupported. Jim and John had a superb support team of Helen, Dave and Ben who all deserve medals for a massive effort. Much appreciated.

 

 2ndAuthor: John Liebers

"30 seconds to the start...."  Steve Hayward, the race director calls out from the jetty.

That's close enough... I set my watch alarm on 15min repeats then change the display back to chrono ready for the start.

I'd got up at 0430 that morning feeling fairly relaxed but without any certainty about how the next couple of days would unfold. However as I slipped off the jetty into the water and waded out something like a big electrical relay switch went 'CLUNK' in my head. I breathed in deeply....  "I'm here, let's get this done".

"5...4...3...2...1..." the klaxon sounds and we're off - Double Enduroman 2011; swim 4.8miles, bike 232 miles, run 52 miles.

I find my groove and slowly count off the swim laps. Each lap is just less than 300m round a small picturesque woodland lake. We come through a funnel system next to the jetty each time for the marshals to record our laps.

"71" I call out my number each time past. "71 confirmed". And a second marshal ticks off the lap.

The "20 laps completed" call agrees with my own mental tally and that of my support crew... only 6 to go. I was feeling good and a renewed energy anticipating the "last lap" call as I approached the jetty 5 laps later.

"2 laps to go..."   What?... you're bloody kidding, I thought. I'm on my last lap you tosser.

I politely challenge the marshal. My race crew, who were race  using a tally counter, question the marshal as well but to no avail.

Oh well... I got to swim 5 miles.

Okay, bike leg - not 232 miles but 20 laps. I refused to let myself think in distances... '232 miles followed by a double marathon'. I tried to banish these measurements of distance from my mind. Stay in the present and just count laps... 1 to 20, that's not so bad. For the same reason I'd taken my garmin off my bike... I didn't want a constant reminder about how far I'd gone and still had to go. Heartrate?... well I'd just try to keep the effort steady and comfortable.  Besides I didn't want to be carrying any extra gear over that distance and the battery wasn't designed to last long enough anyway.

Late in the day, standing out of the saddle working my way up a short but sharp incline a car of young girls slowed to pass me, cheering and leaning out of the window. "Corrr... you've got a fit bum!" one of them called out.            

Well that was a better lift than any sports gel. I had a shit-eating grin for the next couple of miles and amused myself imagining retelling the episode to my wife..."Yeah, they probably said you had a fat bum!"

The New Forest ponies though often standing adjacent to and sometimes in the road seemed pretty docile and for the most part ignored both cars and cyclists. Although initially wary when passing them I began to get complacent as the day went on.

Sweeping round a downhill bend I was suddenly faced with several horses trotting along either side of the road. I tried to scrub off some speed but not before a couple of horses veered across in front of me. Instinctively I jammed harder on the brakes... my back wheel skidding out beneath me. Shit... I was going to hit that horse in front of me. I released the pressure on my brakes to regain control of my bike and somehow managed to miss the horse but only by riding onto the embankment at the side of the road. As I came off my bike I thought my race was over.

I took the impact on my left shoulder and upper arm but thankfully onto soft ground. I'm okay...saddle's twisted about 70' but my bike seems okay...wheels good. Easton wheelsets are renowned for being bloody bombproof. In my haste I get on my bike and carry on. Thank goodness for that - I must concentrate.

The road sweeps downwards along a fast section of the course and I make the most of it leaning into the bends. Johnny - you arse! You've just crashed your bike and you haven't even checked it over properly. I slow down and pull over and give it a proper once over. Wheels true, quick releases secure, callipers aligned, chainset and derailleurs good, bars and headset secure. Okay... now get back on your bike and take it steady.

I felt good during the night although the temperature dropped quite a bit... down to 4'C according to the race organisers and occasional drizzle. Stopping for the odd hot drink or bite to eat the laps count down and soon the sun was coming up. Ironically that was the first time I really wanted to sleep and I was struggling to keep my eyes open. I found myself cycling with my eyes shut...just a few moments would be okay?

"C'mmon  Johnny!" I shouted out loud to myself "Stay with it."

The urge to sleep passed and soon I was back in transition preparing for the run. My uber-efficient support crew were like a Formula 1 pit stop team. You could almost hear the high pitched "ZZZZiip...ZZZiip" of electrical power tools as they undressed and re-dressed me, changed shoes, handed me food and massaged my sore back - all at the same time. Pat on the shoulder; thumbs up; ready to go.

The run course was a short loop on a woodland trail passing round the lake we'd swam in yesterday. Soft underfoot but undulating and plenty of trip hazards.  Soft underfoot eventually became ankle deep mud in many places as the weather turned for the worse. Relentless  sheeting rain and gusting wind; a couple of marquees and the race control tent were blown over.

I'd changed kit twice during the run and had no more dry clothes left. I was running in my club bike jacket which I can testify is definitely not waterproof.

I'm soaked through and my core temperature is dropping. Just stopping long enough for a hot drink I get colder...I have to keep moving. Just over a marathon to go... (don't think of those distances Johnny) ...but I'm shivering badly; teeth chattering. I need to sort myself out...  I go into a toilet block adjacent to the run course to get some temporary respite from the weather and think. I remove some wet clothing and repeatedly use the hand driers to blow some warm air over me... that feels good.

As if fate Jim Graham, the other mid Sussex tri club competitor, is in there too ...in the closed cubicle diligently reducing his racing weight. I haven't seen much of him since the bike leg but he's doing good. Jim gives me a spare space blanket... Yea Gods! And to think I had been taking the piss out of him on Friday for bringing so much kit! But the space blanket alone wouldn't do the trick. Back on the course I shout out to Ben (race crew) to bring a dustbin liner, small plastic bag and duct tape. I was annoyed with myself for not thinking to do this earlier. Sheltering among some trees we duct tape the space blanket round my torso next to my skin and use the bin liner over the top of my bike jacket. A small plastic bag taped over my head completes the ensemble. Great - I was more waterproof and had the means to trap some heat. After another couple of laps I was warm again.

The finish was sweet; not just the end of two days racing but the culmination of eight months training. I crossed the finish holding hands with my children.  But I will remember the race for these other things as well:

My support crew:

Ben my eldest son, Dave brother-in-law and Helen, Jim Graham's wife.  What a solid crew-able to anticipate our needs and keep us going. They got little sleep and spent the whole of Sun- cold and wet but never complained. Like Jim said don't even think about doing a race like this with-out a support crew. Outstanding!

Running miles 50 & 51 with my wife alongside me and Friends turning up unexpectedly having driven 2hr and standing in the rain for another 5 to help me finish.

The characters:

Both other competitors and Enduroman organisers. Take Rev Graham - Enduroman staffer and Buddhist priest. Gold tooth, bone earring in a stretched earlobe - kilt, army boots and wearing his buff pirate-style. He helped keep me running with hot beef stock drinks - it was if he was offering me the Holy Grail full of the elixir of youth.

Craig Spring, Royal Navy, eventual winner of Double Enduroman. Such composure; his face a study of complete determination and focus. Walking up an incline together we reached the point to start running again when he barked out "Right legs...move!" and off he went already 20miles ahead of me.  Amazing.

Fabian Pwi, Singapore Army. He was wobbling all over the road on his bike some 20hr into his race seemingly exhausted but still completed his triple another 44hr later.

Monique, the only female attempting the deca (10x daily iron dist format). One of only 4 remaining competitors on day9 (20 started on day1) she had to be pulled out of the water due to cold injury. It seemed her race was over but after 30min in the medical tent she was back at the jetty getting back into her wetsuit and into the water.  "Whatta you lot staring at!" she harangued the crowd of awestruck onlookers.... Hard as nails!

Jim Graham for having the grit to finish the run well into the second night in foul weather...cold,wet,muddy and hungry...but getting the job done.

Everyone was hurting, but everyone still had a ready smile and a few words of encouragement for each other. Most didn't know the meaning of 'giving up'. I like being in the proximity of these kind of people

  Why do it?  ....

It seems I have a button somewhere inside that requires an occasional 'press-to-test'..    ...Besides you get a great t-shirt.

 

RESULTS:

42 started the Double, 25 finished (including both MSTC competitors)... I came 8^th in 34h54 (cutoff 39h) having had no sleep on a course where the average time for Sunday's single Enduroman was 16h49.

Jonathan Liebers
Swim 02:44:34 (13) Cycle 17:43:44 (11) Run 14:25:54 (7)     Finish Time 34:54:14 Overall :  8

James Graham
Swim 03:16:29 (23)  Cycle 18:03:07 (12)   Run 16:33:14 (17)   Finish Time  37:52:52  Overall : 18