Anaconda Gold Coast – Race Report
This was my first adventure race back after 15 months out of the sport so it was always going to be interesting to see how the training was going and where i was at. With a number of the top guys having recently competed in a demanding multi day adventure race in China it meant i would have the advantage of fresh legs. My preparations didn’t start well when i arrived on the Gold Coast and realised i had forgotten my wetsuit. A quick call to a friend (Mike Lori) who is now living over in Brisbane and he was able to help us out. A huge thanks for helping me out Mike, i won’t be forgetting my wetsuit again that’s for sure.
The race started with a 2km swim in the Currumbin Creek before heading out into the ocean. Conditions were perfect on the day and i got off to a good start, coming out of the water in 4th place with local surf legend Guy Andrews leading out of the water.
The paddle was next up and while this is my weakest leg i was looking forward to seeing if i had improved from previous years. I did feel much better throughout the paddle and while i lost more time to Guy Andrews i did manage to finish with a slender advantage over the main contenders.
This wasn’t to last very long as i made a crucial mistake just 2km’s into the run leg, taking a wrong turn and ending up on the wrong side of the river. I was forced to swim back across and surrender any advantage i had over the two chasers in Braden Currie and Jarad Kohler who were not far behind. The run winds its way through a river bed for approximately 5km before hitting an undulating road section for 2km then heading straight uphill for a daunting 2km climb then 2km back down the other side. I came out of the river section with Kohlar but trailing Currie by some 30sec. I worked hard through the undulating road section but couldn’t make any ground on Currie until we reached the climb where i eventually caught up at the top of the hill. This wasn’t to last long though as Currie motored down hill leaving me scrambling behind and eventually hitting the mountain bike leg almost 30sec behind. In the meantime we had caught the leader in Guy Andrews and were now sitting in 1st and 2nd place with Kohlar just 30sec back.
The bike was another hilly course and despite seeing Currie at the top of each climb i just couldn’t make up any ground. To make matters worse i had Kohlar chasing me down and 3/4 into the bike leg he caught me. This somehow fired me up and i found another gear pushing the rest of the bike leg hard and coming of the bike with a slight 20sec advantage over Kohlar but almost 1min down on Currie.
Over the final 2km run i could’t close the gap on Currie who took out a fantastic win in hist first ever Anaconda Race and i’m sure it won’t be his last. I was just able to hold of Kohlar for 2nd place and being back on the podium again after such a long break is a great feeling. I was also able to secure a spot in the Aussie Team for the trans Tasman Challenge which takes place at the next race in Augusta. Hopefully i can improve on some weaknesses in the coming weeks and help the Aussie team to a win over the Kiwi’s. Before then i will be tackling the Mainpeak Multisport race on the 25th September which involves 96km of cycling, 31km of off-road running and 33km of paddling from Toodyay to Perth.
SeanO
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2011 Season Update
I started this season with a new level of invigoration after taking 6 months off to travel last year. This worked wonders as i found myself improving rapidly in my first 6 weeks being back home. I competed in the Rockingham State Sprint Championships and kicked off the season with a win in the final straight, outsprinting local young gun James Lewin. Little did i know that Paul McKay, another local and ex professional athlete was also improving rapidly and had a run leg that dominates.
The next race at Champion Lakes was a draft legal event and four of us all entered T2 together ready to battle it out for that top podium spot. Paul and myself established an early lead and battled it out for 2.5km’s before Paul picked it up a notch leaving me wondering what else i could do to win a race. Paul eventually won comfortably by 30sec, i picked up 2nd and Lajos Varga scraped in for 3rd.
The next hit-out was the State Olympic Distance Champs which threw up all sorts of challenges. Just 2 days out from the race it was almost certain to be cancelled due to a looming cyclone coming down the coast and i thought it wise to use the Saturday as a big training day. This proved to be a bad idea as the race did go ahead in 36 degree heat and stupid humidity. I knew things weren’t going well on the bike and to make matters worse i was given a drafting penalty by a first time tech official who thought getting overtaken automatically qualifies for drafting. I served the 5min penalty and completed the race, knowing next time to never go that hard the day before.
Hillary’s was another sprint race and almost a carbon copy of Champion Lakes but this time Paul didn’t wait till the 2.5km mark to break away on the run. He went from the start and i was forced to hang on for 2nd ahead of fast finishing Varga and bike machine McSwain. Just before Hilary’s i was given the opportunity to race in a 4 day criterium series and surprised myself by finishing 2nd overall. The rest of my team from Bikesure put in a huge effort pulling off 3rd in the series also and protecting me throughout the four races.
Albany was the next triathlon in the state series and usually throws up some big performances with its big prize pool and tough course. Again it was Paul who dominated the run but a young guy by the name of Ben Elliot surprised everyone to ride solo and make up ground on the leaders before unleashing a blistering run leg and taking out 2nd. I hung on for third with the Triathlete of the Year Title now seriously in doubt.
Finally we hit Karri Valley where i could use the hills and the longer course to my advantage and just maybe get one up on Paul. 3 of us including Paul, myself and pro Ironman athlete Scott Niyadli went out on the bike together but it was Scott who proved dominant on the hilly bike course, breaking away after 25kms. Not long after we rode past Scott on the side of the road trying to fix a flat tyre which unfortunately ended is day and i’m sure he would have been a serious chance of taking the win. This left Paul and myself to battle it out once again before we too were unlucky to get stuck behind a bunch of cars going downhill at 30km/h while the rest of the field caught up to us. Uber bikers Brynt McSwain and Matt Illingworth hit the run first with a handy lead and i had my work cut out trying to catch them over the 12km course. Thankfully Paul found the bike tough and struggled for the first time on the run leg giving me a chance to win another race. I finally caught Brynt after 8kms but the race proved one of the toughest courses i have ever done and i was ecstatic to come away with a win for a change.
I am now in serious preparation mode for the Half Ironman in 5 weeks and todays 80km time trial proved i have some serious work to do. Thankfully i identified it now but after finishing todays ride with seriously sore hamstrings i realised there must be something wrong with my setup. After a bit of research and a re-measure of key dimensions i realised i was 2.5cms too high on the seat and still too far back behind the bottom bracket. So i have now hopefully fixed the problem and look forward to trialling the new setup and improving my bike split down at Busso this year.
The Triathlete of the Year title is still up for grabs despite needing a small miracle to win it but anything can happen at Busso and i’m looking forward to the challenge.
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3 from 3 – Not To Be
This year was my third attempt on the Champion Lakes course and I was attempting to make it three wins from three starts. With James Lewin out through illness it opened up the field and the draft legal concept meant this race could be won by anyone. While most people believe drafting makes the race easier it also makes the race much more tactical as you just can’t get out there and go hard from start to finish and expect to win. You have to be able to push above your normal threshold in order to hang on to a break away or force a breakaway in a leg which may be your strength.
Going into the Champion Lakes race I had been doing quite a lot of cycling but my swimming has taken a back seat and this meant I had to push hard to make sure I wasn’t left behind in the first leg of the race. I exited the water in 4th place with a small bunch of guys who were all good riders including Paul Mackay, Lajos Varga, Troy Main and Clint May. Ben Lyons managed to establish a 30sec lead out of the water but this was quickly reeled in on the bike as the 5 of us worked well together and built a gap on the rest of the field.
My main focus on the bike was to establish a breakaway from Paul Mackay who was clearly the strongest runner in the group and the greatest threat for the win. My attempt came at the end of the first lap but after 500m I looked back only to find Paul still with me and my hopes of getting away shattered. This effort had its toll on my legs and for the rest of the ride I was happy to roll through with the rest of the group and sit on a more comfortable pace. Both Brad and Lajos rode extremely well to keep the pace high while being cautious of another attack. Not far behind, Uber biker Brynt McSwain rode solo the whole way, almost bridging a 1min gap before hitting the run.
The four of us all hit transition at once and after a quick changeover I was out on the run with Paul hot on my heels and Lajos not far behind. I tried to control the pace at the front and thought I was doing a good job with Paul showing early signs of fatigue but this wasn’t to be as Paul started to surge at the 2.5km mark and quickly established a lead. He then proceeded to run away with the race, winning by a comfortable 30sec. Although a little tired, I hung on for 2nd place ahead of Lajos Varga, with the fast finishing Brynt McSwain topping off a valiant effort in 4th.
With the season now well underway the remaining races will prove valuable for points both in the Pure Blonde Series and the TWA Triathlete of the Year awards. The State Olympic Distance Championships are next on January 30 at Langley Park and the competition is sure to be fierce. Hopefully I can reverse the tables once again but only time will tell.
Seano
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1 Sec Win – WA State Sprint Champs
With double points and the title of State Champion up for grabs, WA triathletes were out in force at yesterday’s sprint race in Rockingham.
Like a Christmas smorgasbord, the race featured plenty of tasty treats for spectators with previous champions lining up against the sport’s new blood. Last year’s winners Sean O’Neill and Felicity Sheedy-Ryan looked fighting fit (despite rumours the former would represent as the Christmas pudding of the field) while a host of potential bon bons in the form of James Lewin, Brynt McSwain, Paul McKay, Katrina Mercer and Tineke Hancey were hoping to send out the year with a bang.
After a six-month hiatus, surely the unknown was the form of reigning Triathlete of the Year, Sean O’Neill. Supping on the delights of USA, Canada, Europe and Dubai had seen the athlete evolve from whippet to whopper and whether he could revive the outstanding, unbeaten form of last year was questionable.
Winner of the first race of the TWA series, Lewin got off to a flying start and emerged from the water with a 10m gap on Ben Lyons (who, to his credit, was sans wetsuit). Sauntering in with a handy lead, Lewin set off on the bike with O’Neill, Lajos Varga and Jeremy Drake sprinting up the beach to bridge the gap.
The two-lap bike course and stringent technical officials saw a relatively clean bike race (although a few of the top men were seen serving their time in the penalty box). The race was on after the first lap where O’Neill joined Lewin at the pointy end of the field while the rest scrambled to track the leaders down. Making mince pies of the bike course was Matt Illingworth, who set a cracking 26.40, well over the next best Brynt McSwain who is no slouch on two wheels. However, it wasn’t enough to catch the leaders who worked hard to hit transition together.
O’Neill was first out after a lightning-fast transition with Lewin sitting on his shoulder until a quick surge saw him take the lead again. McSwain was next into transition and looked very comfortable setting off in pursuit of the leaders.
Thrilling the crowd, Lewin and O’Neill passed transition for the final two kilometres side by side with neither dropping the pace and both smiling at supporters. Poker faces were in place and the boys used similar tactics, surging to break the other before the same favour was returned. In the finishing straight, the experience and perhaps fresher legs of O’Neill reigned supreme as he crossed the finish line as state champion once more.
“That would have to rate as one of my best wins ever, James pushed me hard all day and I was happy just to be hanging with him at the end,” O’Neill said today. “Winning a sprint finish is the hardest way to win a race and I still haven’t come down from cloud nine yet.”
After missing out on a podium finish at the Bunbury Olympic Distance Triathlon, O’Neill was thrilled to be back in the box seat.
“I look back to 4 weeks ago when I was lucky to place 4th at Bunbury and I was a couple of minutes behind in every discipline,” said O’Neill. “I have trained really hard since then and have been seeing improvements almost daily.
Lewin allowed the steadfast poker face to slip briefly, confessing to be “gutted” to miss out on the title by only one second when interviewed straight after the race. With a friendly rivalry now firmly established, the next series race should be a showdown of epic proportions.
The women’s race was largely dominated by Sheedy-Ryan who bolted out of the water 12 seconds ahead of Mercer, before Mercer showed her cycling strength and reeled her in on the first lap of the bike. Alas, it was momentary as Sheedy-Ryan made fast work of the run with a blistering 17.44 for the five kilometres, pushing out her win to one and a half minutes over Mercer.
Next up is the State Aquathlon Championships were the State’s triathlon stars will go head to head over the swim-run battlefield on January 7. Visit www.sean.oneill.com.au for a race report on January 9.
Lisa O’Neill
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Welcome Back to Painsville
First week back and i don’t remember training ever hurting this bad, not even when i first started doing triathlon. I think the biggest problem is that i have expectations of what i can usually do when fit and the body is no where near achieving those goals at the moment. I have jumped straight back into it and not working for the first week means i am able to train full time!
Saturday i managed to get out for a steady river ride with an easy group, or what i thought would be easy. Until i got dropped in the first 2km and spent the rest of the ride just trying to get back onto the back of the group taking shortcuts wherever possible. That night i slept like a log but managed to get my very sore legs out of bed the next morning for a 10km jog. I decided to do this solo for fear of embarrassing myself further and thankfully i did as i needed a few rest breaks along the way to catch my breath.
The rest of the week i strung together 3 swims, another 3 rides and 3 runs to make it a pretty good first week of training. I was absolutely stuffed by Sunday but happy with my improvement and i am now able to run without stopping. Most importantly the weight has been dropping fairly rapidly which makes everything easier and my fat percentage is getting better by the day. My stats on the Tanita scales at the end of the first week are as follows;
Weight: 77.5kg
Body Fat %: 18.2%
Metabolic Age: 24
With 2 weeks to go i hope to keep the good run going and i will report back next week with an update on the progress.
Seano
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Back in the Swing of Things
I’m glad to say that Lisa and I finally returned to Perth on Friday 8th October after 6 months of travelling overseas. As i mentioned in the last post i had put on 6kg and we were only at the half way point. Well, i can now give the final result after weighing in on our return 80.5kg! It’s not quite the 10kg that was promised but 8.5kg in 6 months is not a bad effort and all the gelato, chocolate croissants and italian pasta was worth it. The hard thing is now getting back into shape and trying to find some form of fitness before i head down to Anaconda in a couple of weeks.
Thankfully i have come to my senses and decided that doing the whole race solo was probably not going to be a good idea and would have resulted in a heart attack of some sort. Therefore i have teamed up with local surf ironman champion Brendon Sarson to do the race in a Duo team. Brendon has come to my rescue and will do the swim and paddle legs and i will do my best not to embarrass myself too much while trying to run and ride.
I have started using the Tanita scales to monitor my fitness on a regular basis in the lead up and so far the results are slowly improving. I will provide some key stats that i will update on a weekly basis and hopefully come race day i will have some level of fitness back.
Friday 8th October
Weight: 80.2kg
Body Fat: 21.5%
Metabolic Age: 29
Hopefully i can report back with some positive results next week but for those doing the Anaconda, have fun training and i will see you down there in a few weeks.
Seano
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Travel, Training & Tanita
It’s now week 10 of our round the world journey so i thought i would give a quick update on how things are going and more importantly share some exciting news. As Lisa has been keeping a fantastic travel blog (www.oneillsabroad.wordpress.com) i won’t elaborate too much on that. Except for the fact that we have just finished our time in the United States and Canada and are now on our way to Paris to catch the end of the Tour de France. That’s not the exciting news though. Ever since i left Perth back in May i have been trying to decide whether i would race Anaconda Augusta on my return and more importantly would i be able to maintain any form of fitness while i’m away?
Eating our way around America
To say that i haven’t been maintaining my fitness levels would be an understatement as i jumped on the scales for the first time a few days ago and weighed in a whopping 6kgs heavier than when i left! With no regular exercise and eating american food it was never going to be easy but still i am a little shocked. I have another 10 weeks of travelling ahead of me and plenty of French pastries so things aren’t looking much better. I then have 4 weeks from the date i fly home till race day down in Augusta and not even Lance Armstrong could launch a comeback in that time. Despite all this i have decided to inflict the most cruel form of punishment on myself by entering Anaconda anyway. I won’t be racing for line honours this year but instead i will use it as a way to regain fitness and hopefully prepare me for races later in the year such as Lorne.
To help me do this Tanita (Scales & body composition monitors) have kindly jumped on board and will be monitoring my weight, muscle & fat levels as i try to return to fitness. I used these last year and found them to be a great tool in knowing when i was in peak physical condition. This time i will be using them to hopefully reduce my skinfolds (fat). When i return home i will give regular updates on my progress and hopefully i will be fit enough to finish the race come November 7.
Regards,
Sean O’Neill
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Anaconda Forster Day 2
It was an absolute bonus going into day 2 with a 10min lead but anything can happen in adventure racing and there was no way I was going to get complacent. After collecting all our gear from transitions on day 1, Lisa booked Karl and I in for a massage and started carbo loading for day 2. I was feeling 99% better than I did after the New Zealand event thanks mainly to the flatter terrain and my body now being use to the punishment. While day 1 covered approx 50kms over the 4 stages, day 2 was a big one covering over 65kms with 20kms of that being running. The added complexity was the fact that it was going to be sunny and 27 degrees meaning nutrition and hydration were going to be key factors.
Day 2 started with a 2.5km swim in another spectacular location famous for its surf breaks and rolling swell and today didn’t disappoint. I made it out through the first set of breakers and slowly established a rhythm sitting behind “Maxi”, one of the Bondi Surf Lifesavers. The swim was broken up mid-way with a quick run around some flags on the beach and back through the pounding surf for round two. I clambered out of the water in about 10th position overall and first out of the individual competitors.
On to the run leg which started with a fairly nasty ascent before some beach running and finally hitting some flatter 4wd tracks for the majority. About halfway through the run I had worked my way into 4th position overall and was feeling pretty good. I knew the dreaded paddle leg was last and wanted to make sure I had the biggest lead possible before everyone started chasing me down in the dying stages. Then the worst possible thing happened and I was left panicking and wondering if I would even finish the race. The run leg had ascended up onto a ridge line and the track was now almost invisible, the only way to pick the right path was following small bits of white tape marked on trees about 30m apart and hoping the next piece was just ahead.
The tape ran out and I was left by myself on the top of a heavily wooded ridge with no idea where to go. Firstly I listened for footsteps hoping someone was close that I could follow but no luck. The only thing I could hear was birds and the low droning sound of cars going down a nearby highway. That was my only hope so I descended down off the ridge heading for the sounds of cars and bush bashing my way through thick scrub. After what seemed like eternity I emerged out on a small gravel track and found other runners going past in their Anaconda bibs. Phew, I had made it back on track but how much time had I lost and was I still in the lead.
Not long after I ran into transition where Lisa and Kelly where waiting and cheering. They quickly briefed me on my position before I departed but I had lost almost 8mins and 2nd place was now right on my tail. I rode hard trying to make up lost ground but it was a long stage and I didn’t want to fade early and before long I found myself riding with 2nd place individual Rob Preston from Victoria. We traded the lead on numerous occasions and it was good to have someone else within sight to keep me focused on the task and working hard. The mountain bike covered 30km’s of mostly undulating terrain with nothing too technical or steep and I was thankful to step off the bike in a relatively good position.
Onto the paddle leg with comprised 13.5kms of shallow lakes that were dotted with small islands and streams going nowhere. At one point early in the paddle we could see our destination but were forced to paddle in the opposite direction so as to make the paddle that little bit longer. I started out quite strong and quickly established a lead over 2nd place but I had no idea where I was going and often thought about waiting so that I could follow someone who did know the way. I plodded on and fumbled my way around the lakes taking the odd wrong turn or two before realizing the stream went nowhere and I turned around to get back on track. After what seemed like eternity I reached the Forster Bridge which I thought had to be the finish line.
My arse was now killing me and all I could think about was getting out of the boat but there were no flags or markers anywhere. I paddled under the bridge and started heading towards the marina before a group of team runners started yelling at me from shore telling me I had gone the wrong way and the finish was back on the other side of the bridge. Now really annoyed, I turned around to look for the finish line which was still 3kms away. Thankfully no one had caught me yet but I could see a group of 3 boats chasing me down and there was no way I was going to settle for 2nd place on day 2. I finally made it to the end of the paddle with my legs now completely numb after sitting down for almost 1.5hrs.
The final leg was a 3km run to the finish where I struggled all the way but managed to hold off some fast finishing individuals to cross the line just 30sec ahead of second place. Grant Suckling had a tough day at the office and while he crossed the line in 5th place he managed to hang onto his 2nd place overall for the weekend. The win on day 2 meant I had established an 18min lead and was now the most comfortable win of the series. We all enjoyed the Forster hospitality after the race and once again it was a pleasure visiting this spectacular part of our country.
For me, I am now on a 6 month break from all training and racing as Lisa and I head overseas for a round the world trip. We will be traveling without our bikes for a change and experiencing culture, food and amazing experiences as we make our way through the U.S, Canada, Europe and Dubai. Thanks to everyone who has read the blog over the past year and I look forward to continuing on our return in October. Although I think there will be a little less winning and a lot more getting fit.
Seano
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Anaconda Forster Race Report (Day 1)
After winning New Zealand last weekend and the Forster race being only 6 days later i had some serious recovering to do. Winning NZ was an absolute highlight for me as it meant i had wrapped up the series and could now relax going into the last race. What i really wanted though was to finish the series on a high in Forster as it would be my last race for at least 6 months.
I stayed on in New Zealand for a few extra days to do a bit of sight seeing and it proved to be a good idea as both Karl and i were in no state to travel. The hills in the race really took their toll and we both spent the week hobbling around like a pair of geriatric cripples. We did however venture north along the Coromandal Peninsula to check out some of New Zealands spectacular scenery and some friendly local from Waihi took me out for a “recovery” mountain bike ride on the Tuesday.
What they didn’t tell me was that we were going to ride up one of the biggest mountains in the area at 500m which took us a little over 2hrs to do. Before descending back down in 20mins. It was by far the most amazing mountain bike ride i have ever done but i don’t know how much it helped my recovery.
Anyway, we flew into Sydney on Wednesday night where i met my lovely wife at the airport and stayed overnight in Sydney before the long drive up to Forster on Thursday. We organised a Tarago van for our bikes, little baby Jade and the four of us and we didn’t have 1cm of space left after packing it to the roof. The trip took us 4hrs and we arrived at our house right on the edge of Smiths Lake. The girls quickly went about booking facials, manicures and pedicures while us boys put the bikes together and tried to ride some of the course. With 2 days of racing it was near impossible to know the whole course so we relied heavily on the maps and tried to see as much of the day 1 course as we could.
By Friday the legs were finally feeling good after New Zealand and i was starting to think the NZ race was beneficial after all. While it did trash our bodies, they were now use to the pain and anything we threw at them over the Forster weekend would be insignificant compared to what they dealt with last weekend. After all, the Forster course was relatively flat so how hard could it be!
The race started on Saturday morning with the team run up first which consisted of a 3km sprint in our wetsuits from the Forster main beach around the headlands to 1 Mile Beach. I lead the run for the first 2km’s before Brad Bevan took the lead and went sprinting up the final few hills. I came in 3rd but hit the water in 2nd place while the teams sorted out their race bibs. The swim was absolutely spectacular as we rounded the headlands and made our way back to Forsters main beach approx. 2.4kms in total. This was broken into 2 parts as we had to run out of the water and up some steps before re-entering and finishing off the last 500m. I had a great swim and exited the water in 2nd place behind Guy Leach.
Onto the paddle and the leg i dread most. Straight away i was passed by 3 teams but my goal was to remain in front of Grant Suckling who usually puts about 6mins into me during the paddle leg. The conditions were quite tricky with some big rolling swell and a lot of back-wash bouncing of the rocks as we made our way south along the coast. The teams continued to paddle past but i was surprised that by the halfway point no individuals had caught me yet,surely they weren’t far away. Then it happened, 2 older guys racing in the vets category went flying past and all i could hope was that they couldn’t ride or run. Thankfully still no sign of Grant at this point so i was pretty safe but i still had some work to do.
The paddle finished on a local surf beach and today the surf was up which made for some pretty good spectating. I caught 1 wave most of the way in but peeled off just before it dumped me. The second time i wasn’t so lucky as i was just 10m from the beach when a shore dumper picked me up and flipped me over before i knew what was going on. I managed to re-surface thanks to my life jacket but was missing my helmet and boat.
I entered T3 in approximately 10th position overall and 3rd solo but it didn’t take long before i wound in the first solo. At this point the rain was absolutely belting down and the mud flicking up from the track made seeing where we were going almost impossible. The ride started out flat around a lake before heading into the hills. Some of the descents were a bit hairy due to the washouts caused by the rain but thankfully i managed my way through it unscathed and hit the final run in 4th place overall and 1st individual.
It was the run that i really started to feel good as i managed to get into a nice tempo on some of the flatter sections. We had a nice treat early on as we passed by our house where Lisa and Kelly where cheering out the front then we paddled across the lake on surfboards before resuming the run on the other side.
I crossed the line feeling pretty good on day 1 with plenty in reserve to do it all again on day 2. The final margin was a little over 10mins before 2nd place Grant Suckling came across the line which gave me some good breathing space going into day 2.
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Anaconda NZ Race Report
After arriving in New Zealand last Thursday things have been slightly hectic but i am relieved to be travelling with Karl Thorstensen who is originally from NZ and has some handy local knowledge. Karl and his wife Kelly were at the airport waiting for me even though my plane was delayed 6hrs and had already picked up my ski ready for the race. We travelled 2.5hrs south to Waihi where the race was being held and on Friday the day before the race we went out for a paddle to test the boats out. It was here that i realised my boat wasn’t going to be ideal and i spent the whole time trying to stay in it rather than paddling forward.
I learnt to paddle in a particularly tippy boat so i should be accustomed to it now but this boat was something else and with rudder problems as well it didn’t make things any easier. I quickly contacted the race organiser but all their boats were already hired out and he put me on to a friendly local who drove me an hour down south to a kayak shop to look for a back-up. All we could find was a plastic sea kayak weighing in at approx 50kg. The decision was now paddle a tippy boat and spend a fair bit of time in the water or go the safe option in the unsinkable barge that would add over 30mins to my time. I didn’t want to think about it as both options would certainly mean i couldn’t win this race so i shut it out of my mind and thought about the other legs.
Running out of time we didn’t get to practice on the run course but just looking at the headlands along the coastline you could see it was going to be an epic run with a large amount of climbing and descending and some amazing views. We did however get to experience the first 5km’s of the mountain bike course and it too was a ripper. A brilliant descent through rolling green paddocks before a long 1km climb up a steep ascent. This course had everything and apart from the paddle i was very excited to really give it a crack. If i won it would mean the series is wrapped up and i could go into Forster next weekend feeling quite relaxed. If i lost i had a heap of work to do in Forster and a whole heap of pressure on my shoulders. I didn’t want that!
At 8pm on Friday night the briefing was held and i bumped into Rapid Ascent director John Jacoby who heard about my boat predicament and found a local kiwi who came to my aid. He too was doing the race but had a spare boat that was far better than the 2 boats i currently had at my disposal, A Honcho. I felt a huge wave of relief and suddenly i was back in the race.
The swim started in a protected estuary that had some huge tidal currents running through it and while we were able to wade for a good 200m out it suddenly dropped away to a staggering depth of 97m and Orca sightings were not uncommon. Thankfully not today! I had a reasonable swim, beaten out of the water by a NZ superfish but coming in 2nd overall and holding a 1:45sec lead over the next individual (Grant Suckling). Grant has been my nemisis all season and improved his weaknesses out of site this season while all the time maintaining his strengths making him a formidable opponent.
The paddle made it’s way out through the estuary and into the ocean where we followed the coastline North for approx 10km’s before turning into a small beach break where we started the run. The paddle seemed to take forever and i was passed straight away by Grant then another kiwi doing solo and about 10 team competitors. Things weren’t going so well but i had to limit the loss and keep plugging away. Grant managed to hit the run almost 5mins clear and the other kiwi was 3mins up the road before i was able to slip on the running shoes.
Things weren’t looking good but finally i was running and ready to claw back some lost ground. The run was absolutely spectacular, climbing 200 vertical metres over coastal headlands before descending back down onto protected beaches below. At some points you were ducking through lush rain forest, the next minute you were hugging a cliff face on a 50cm ledge perched 200m over the ocean. This was by far the most amazing run i had ever done. I knew we finished with an epic climb that ascended 2km’s from the ocean up to the mountain bike transition but i was leaving nothing in the tank. I had reached this point and still could not see the two other solo competitors ahead of me. I punished myself up this hill and passed the kiwi copetitor halfway up but was getting increasingly concerned that i still had not seen Grant. I hit the Mountain Bike i started the final leg in 2nd position.
At this point i wasn’t feeling very confident as Grant is a great cyclist but i wasn’t about to give up. I hammered along for the next 5km’s until my left leg gave up and was completely overwhelmed with cramp. No, i thought, this was the end of my race and could be walking the next 20km’s to the finish. I took that leg out of the pedal and rode 1 legged for the next kilometre. It was then that i looked up the next climb to see Grant only 400m ahead and doing the same thing. I couldn’t believe my luck but that run course had certainly taken it’s toll. The cramp slowly subsided and i was able to ride normal again but how long would it last. I passed Grant at the top of the climb and knew i had to keep working hard if i wanted to stay in front.
The next 10km’s was torture as the cramps kept coming back in waves and then to my horror Grant came up behind me just as i was climbing over a fenceline. This race wasn’t won yet and we still had 5km’s to ride. I sprinted away for the second time and didn’t look back. I was on the home straight as we were coming into town and knew that if i could enter the last transition with Grant i had a good chance of winning.
I did exactly that, hitting the final transition with a 30sec lead and headed out on the last 2km run. I just prayed the cramps would stay away. The final run was spectacular, looping around the outside rim of an open cut mine over 200m deep. I came across that finish line so relieved that i had won and Grant was less than 2min behind. The kiwi’s were amazing in their support and the local town and media were behind the event all the way.
I am absolutely stoked to have been involved in this series this year and although i am feeling battered and bruised i’m looking forward to seeing Lisa in Sydney in a few days and heading up to tackle the last race in Forster this weekend. Thanks for all the support on Facebook and hopefully i can report back with more great news next week after Forster.
Seano
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