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 9th 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.
After a great first year racing in the professional category in 2016, I was amped for the 2017 season. Feeling stronger and fitter and more in the "right head space" - I had done some great training over December spending many many many (and many more) hours on the bike - I loved it. My swim was starting to click, I was starting to understand the phrase "feel the water", and my running was strong
READ ON