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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