Race Reports

Doug and Helen successfully complete this wonderful race but Jim DNFs with a broken hip

Background

The ancient fishing village of Cervia hosts a spectacular race that takes place along the coastal Emilia-Romagna region flanked by the Adriatic Sea. Italian village vibe and historic scenery plus very hospitable local people. The biggest ironman event currently, with approximately 3,000 participants.

Pre race

Doug, Helen and Jim signed up for this fast warm weather triathlon. Doug's wife, Carol came along to provide essential support.

Swim

Relatively fast sea swim with pleasant temperature but not too hot for wetsuits. Doug, Helen and Jim completed the swim near to personal best times despite significant currents and a lot of contacts due to the large number of swimmers.

Bike

A fast 2-loop closed road cycle that is mostly flat except for one sharp hill climb and descent that is the same for each loop. Doug and Helen managed near personal best bike splits. Jim was matching his 2015 lifetime best Ironman race for both swim and cycle pace when he suffered a front wheel puncture at 25 mph at mile 60. Jim lost control of his bike due to the puncture and sustained a broken hip when he crashed.

Run

Doug and Helen finished strongly with good running. Doug got a new personal best time for this distance in a shade over 12 hours. Helen was just a couple of minutes slower than her personal best in 15:43. Jim was achieved terrific speed in the ambulance on his way to one of Italy's top trauma centres.

Post race

Carol deduced that Jim was in trouble and with perseverance she found Jim in a hospital many miles from the race venue. Helen and Doug's celebrations were bit subdued due to Jim's crash.

Reflections and Acknowledgements

There was one digit wrong with Carol's phone number written on the back of Jim's bib number so the messages left for Carol were sadly useless. Ironman staff had been told by roadside officials that the injury was a grazed elbow and they had not been told where the ambulance had gone to. It was amazing that Carol managed to track Jim down in an orthopaedic ward with a broken hip in order to provide much needed emotional support. Jim had blown his chance to compete with Alistair Brownlee at Ironman Kona 3 weeks later. Jim had completed 99th marathons prior to this race and the 100th could be many months away now.

More than 260 athletes took part in Mid Sussex Triathlon Club's annual sprint triathlon on Sunday 9th June, held at the Triangle Leisure Centre in Burgess Hill.

This year's sunny event attracted 85 female and 175 male competitors, ranging in age from 15 to 70. Competitors were mostly from other clubs in Brighton, Horsham, Crawley, Steyning, Crowborough and East Grinstead, but a few came from much further afield, including Ashford, Ealing and Devon. About a third of the athletes were beginners taking part in their first triathlon.

The sprint triathlon involves a 400m pool swim, a 25km bike ride through country lanes in Wineham and Twineham, and a 5km run in Burgess Hill. Fifteen competitors took part in the Aquabike event, involving just the swim and cycle, and there were also four relay teams, each with three athletes completing one discipline each.

The winner of the women's event was Sally Bliss in a time of 1.16.59, with Harriet Cunningham of Brighton Tri Club second in 1.17.01. Georgina Tasker of the Mid Sussex Tri Club was third in 1.19.53. Hannah Droscher was the second Mid Sussex Club member to finish in 1.30.40, followed by Sally Gardner in 1.32.30.

The winner of the men's event was Mik Onions of Brighton Tri Club in 1.03.46, with Jon Salisbury of Horsham Amphibians second in 1.06.36. Charlie Mactear was third in 1.06.43. The first Mid Sussex Tri Club member to finish was Dan Anniston in 1.10.31, followed by Luc Berthouze in 1.13.34 and Tom Spensley in 1.17.05.

There were several age group prizes, as well as an award for the Spirit of Triathlon, plus many spot prizes and a race number raffle. Each participant also received a goodie bag. The prizes were donated by local organisations including Hurstpierpoint College, Dinnages, CAE Simulation, Piople for Places, Tesco and Waitrose in Burgess Hill, Wisdom Sports, The Perrymount Clinic, Hassocks Opticians, Swim Secure, The Tri Store in Eastbourne, The Chia Co. Chia Seeds  and Mint-Ease. Charlie Langhorne from exhibition organiser Wild in Art was also a much-appreciated sponsor and also marshalled at the event wearing a bear suit, which won him the Best Marshal prize.

This triathlon has a reputation as a very welcoming event and is ideal for beginners, as well as experienced triathletes. It is marshalled by members of Mid Sussex Triathlon Club, who this year received many compliments from competitors on the club's Facebook page about their friendliness and encouragement.

Race Director Jo Fleming, in his first year in this position, was very pleased with the successful outcome of the event.

Background

The inaugural Ironman Triathlon race was held in 1978 and in 1981, the race moved from the tranquil shores of Waikiki to the barren lava fields of Kona on the Big Island of Hawai'i. Along the Kona Coast, black lava rock dominates the panorama, and athletes battle the "ho'omumuku" crosswinds of 45 mph, 95-degree temperatures, 90% humidity and a scorching sun.

Just 15 people came to Waikiki to take on the first Ironman race in 1978. For this the 40th anniversary race in 2018 there were 2,400 competitors who represented the top 1-2% in their age groups, having gained qualification with fast finish times in one of 42 qualifying races throughout the world.

My Journey

It took a huge effort for me to gain qualification for this race because 10 years of Ironman racing has shown that even on a good day I do not tend to finish within the top 2%.
Beyond the usual high volume of training, I raised my game by traveling alone to Colorado in June 2018 to stay at altitude in the Rocky Mountains in an out of season ski-resort airbnb rental. This altitude adaptation was successful and allowed me to clinch 1st place (by just one minute) in the 55-59 age group at the 5,000 foot elevation of Ironman Boulder, Colorado just 10 days after arriving in USA. I got a welcome boost during that run at Boulder when resident professional, Tim Don, cheered me on from the crowd with "Go Mid Sussex!" having read the lettering on my tri-vest.

A burst appendix (with post-operative infection) 7 weeks before this Ironman World Championship in Kona abruptly halted all training for three weeks at a critical time and threatened to cause my withdrawal from the race completely. The target for race day at Kona became simply to finish within the 17 hours cut-off time. I hoped to do a fast cycle but not over-exert myself on the swim or the run.

Swim

Sea conditions were perfect and Great Britain's Lucy Charles broke the female swim course record by completing the 2.4 miles in just 48 minutes, on her way to finishing second overall.

I placed myself at the back of the mass start of swimmers to keep out of trouble and I completed in 1:39, which was almost the slowest in my age group. I was placed 124th in age group at the end of the swim.

Cycle

The winds were gentler than usual, which may explain why both the male and female cycle course records were broken by professionals in 4:09 and 4:26 respectively. My cycle of 4:58 (average speed 22.6 mph) was one of the fastest in my age group so I advanced to 44th place in age group.

Run

Despite temperatures being a little cooler than previous years, the heat and humidity was brutal. By half-way there were many athletes walking and some were in distress with nausea and exhaustion. Some of the professionals had slow runs, including Tim Don and Lionel Sanders.

I made full use of the copious amounts of water, salt, energy gels and ice provided at each of the 26 feed stations. Surprisingly, I felt fine throughout and maintained a steady pace for the the entire run, even in the dreaded natural energy lab section.

My marathon run time of 3:51 was comparatively fast so I advanced to 24th in age group. My wife Helen was volunteering at the finish line and I gratefully fell into her arms to complete a wonderful race experience.

Reflections

My finish time of 10:36 is one of my fastest for an Ironman race, despite it starting with a swim that was 27 minutes slower than my previous best. I think I have only ever gone faster at the famously fast Ironman Barcelona course. This result was an hour or two quicker than I had expected at the start of the day. Germany's Patrick Lange took 9 minutes off his own course record then (on one knee) proposed marriage to his girlfriend (in English) at the finish line. Switzerland's Daniela Ryf broke the previous course record and was 24 minutes faster than her 2017 winning time despite a jelly-fish sting at the beginning of the swim that slowed her progress and almost made her quit the race. That jelly-fish sting seemed to unleash astonishing powers to enable Daniela to overhaul Lucy Charles's substantial lead, whilst breaking the female cycle course record.

I am so lucky to have the support of family and friends to allow me to participate in such a terrific sporting event. The many NHS staff that got me through appendicitis gave me first rate care and literally saved my life. Ironman Kona is a very special event and it has been a privilege to participate alongside wonderful volunteers and world class athletes.

Oh, yes…… and the annual Kona race-week charity "Underpants Run" plus the "Parade of Nations" were a fun traditions not to be missed.

Over the weekend of 22nd and 23rd September, and despite the poor weather, members were competing in Swim Serpentine, the 170 mile Ragnar White Cliffs relay and the Weymouth Half Ironman (70.3).

Swim Serpentine

Six members took part in the 2 mile swim with Jeremy Paine being first club member to finish in 1.11.41, followed by Ricci Lennon (1.12.25), Jim Graham (1.15.51), Julie Williams (1.16.10), Sarah Hinton (1.17.14) and Helen Graham (1.35.57). Callum and Angela Murray took part in the 1 mile swim finishing in 43.16 and 55.50.

Ragnar White Cliffs 170 mile overnight relay run

Ten MSTC athletes took part in the Ragnar Relay, a 177 mile relay from Sittingbourne to Brighton following the coast. 7 men and 3 women, along with two mini buses, took part with each team member running 3 legs varying from about 4 to 8 miles per leg.

The team took just under 24 hours to complete the course although 4 legs had to be suspended due to severe weather conditions especially on the cliff top paths.

Torrential rain and wind made it very challenging, particularly as route finding was part of the challenge. It was a real test for everyone but was incredibly satisfying to overcome all the hurdles and win their category.

The team was comprised of Graham Bond, Steve Alden, Kevin James, Clair Hunt, Emma Alden, Mike Jaffe, Kate Eifler, Paul Richardson, Jo Fleming and Mark Jordan.

Weymouth Half Ironman

Colin Chambers and Charlie Langhorne braved the cold and wet conditions, with temperatures as low as 8C, to finish in 5.25.49 and 6.10.32.

Mid Sussex Triathlon Club is 3rd club out of 66 in SE England to achieve Trimark Club Bronze Accreditation

Last Tuesday evening Kelly Wickens from Triathlon England SE attended the club's open water swim session at Ardingly Reservoir to present the Trimark Club Bronze Accreditation Award to members.

The Bronze level is the entry point into the Triathlon England accreditation scheme. This level outlines that the club has confirmed it is a community club with a management committee, that it has a constitution, an active activity programme, and a Welfare Officer. Additionally the club coaches  must be operating within their qualification remit and the club should have an open and inclusive membership offer. The Mid Sussex Triathlon Club is the 3rd club out of 66 in the South East Region to achieve this award.

The open water swim sessions have proved to be very popular this summer with between 20 and 30 and sometimes over 40 swimmers taking part in the Tuesday evening and Saturday morning sessions. 

Eastbourne Rovers Cycling 10 Mile Time Trial: East Hoathly to Boship and back on A22

The Club's 10 mile TT Best All Rounder competition took place on Saturday 8th September within the Eastbourne Rovers event on the A22. Top woman was Emma Smith in a time of 32.41 (a PB) closely followed by Clair Hunt in a time of 34.23. Top man was Lawrence Wintergold in a superb time of 22.40 followed by Phil Couch 25.19. Derek Hastings (age 70+)  rode brilliantly in 30.44.

Ironman Wales

Meanwhile club member Doug Mac Taggart competed in the Ironman Wales event at Tenby on Sunday 9th September. Doug reported that he struggled a bit with his breathing initially in the swim, probably due to four weeks of no swimming, the last being at Maastricht in 27 degrees, and it was only 16 at Tenby. However he had a decent bike ride on the notorious hills, although not helped by pretty strong winds, and finished off with a good run to get around in 13:40:24. This event includes a marathon run which was Doug's 189th marathon. He plans to complete marathon number 190 at the Chiltern 50 next weekend and his 200th in Brighton in 2019, where he also ran his 100th marathon.