Terry-Lynn McIntosh talks us through her races

Ekurhuleni 5150 African Championships

Pre-race nerves for this race started on Saturday, at registration… I say this in jest but actually there is a huge element of truth behind the statement. My earliest memories of this race are not for the faint of heart, I remember having a panic attack and doing breast stroke the entire way. Exiting the water, knees wobbling and being very sure that I would never do a triathlon again… Since then, I have come a long way but I still remember all too vividly how tough and scary the swim can be!

Registration was well organised and ran smoothly. The new paper-less system works seamlessly and was quite impressive to see in action.

Race day arrived and started off pretty chilly but was soon alive and buzzing with excitement and the thrill of the pending race.

My swimming has come a long way (thanks to Natalie) but is my weakest discipline so I was delighted to exit the water in good time.

The bike leg, my favourite, was a flat and fast one lap on the N17. Here I gained a few places and made-up time I lost in the swim.

I thought I was flying on the run until Claudia Harcus glided past me saying she needed to catch someone. Little did we both know we were competing for first place…I made it to the finish line, 23 seconds behind her, to secure wonderful second place age category position.

Well done to Claudia and everyone that participated!

 Global 11

The ELEVEN Sun City (Olympic distance) took place on the 9^th of November.  This race is coined as Africa’s Toughest Triathlon but is definitely the most scenic of races!

Registration was a bit chaotic when we arrived Friday evening but race packs were collected and we had a weekend of relaxation combined with a spectacular race to look forward too.

The race briefing was interesting as even the TSA officials seemed confused as to how the groups should go off in the swim. We all realised that this was going to be an exciting yet nerve wrecking race as we would battle to detect where we were placed when exiting the water (as there was a sea of mixed swimming caps in each group).

This swim is one of the best local swims any triathlete could hope for as the water is clean, warm and barring the reeds, absolutely fantastic! My swim wasn’t the greatest but that said it could have been a lot worse… My swim sighting was slightly off but I made my way to the swim exit in a slightly slower time than what I had initially hoped for.

Transition to the start of the bike course kicked off with a nice hill (I am being sarcastic…) and then up and onto the bike! The bike course was flat and fast the way we like it. Just a small ninja kick-you-in-the-lungs and burn your quads killer turnaround point, that we got to do twice… Off the bike and into the hottest part of the race, the run!

Claudia Harcus and I exited transition at roughly the same time and I had my work cut out for me… The run is scenic and beautiful circling around the golf course.  The first half is tough with a lot of rolling hills and climbing but it flattens out soon enough.   Claudia is a great runner and when she saw me she sped up, as I was hot on her heels.  A fantastic run ended with Claudia securing a second and I a third position in our age category (forty seconds behind her).  Well done to Claudia and my fellow team mates on a great race! ‘Africa is not for the faint of heart’ and this race proves it time and time again.