I had my last race for the 2011 calandar year on the weekend and I am pleased to say that although my last few races haven't produced disasterous results, I was hoping for more out of them but this race was a significant improvement and one that I am a lot more satisfied with. Raby Bay played host to the third race of the Queensland Triathlon Series and after a week of nothing less than horrible weather for a Brisbane summer I was more or less expecting the same come Sunday. Raby Bay exceeded expectations in this department and we had almost perfect conditions and got to race in the blistering heat.
The preparation wasn't perfect with my ever troublesome car having some brake functioning issues on the Friday leaving me firstly transportation-less until it can be resolved and secondly very anxious for the remainder of the drive home after it occured. Fortunately the front of our house often resembles a carpark at times and I was able to use a more reliable car to get me there. It seems to be that the transport to races is almost as challenging for me than actually completing the race! I also had to work all weekend and let me just say that running a warehouse after racing Sunday morning is a recipe for a seriously early bedtime on Sunday evening. The Saturday night beforehand was also our staff Christmas party which wasn't ideal either but it did allow me to relax after a long day at work so can't have been too harmful and maybe something I should consider adopting on a more regular basis!
The race was over the sprint distance of 750/20/5 and having positioned myself beside noted swimmers Bryce McMaster and Ben Shaw I got off to a great start and was straight in on their slipstream. Along with Kenji Nener, the four of us immediately put a gap on the rest of the field and as we exited the water we had close to a 30sec gap on the next group of swimmers. Getting onto the bike I thought the four of us would end up working together and increase our lead and perhaps I was a bit too complacent because Ben immediately put his head down and got on with the job and was able to open up a gap on the three of us and together we couldn't get any fluency together to be able to close down the gap. On the final lap I made a small break on both Bryce and Kenji to enter T2 with a 15sec lead on them but close to 45sec down on Ben. I set about closing the gap as quickly as I could and being able to see Ben out on the course was a massive advantage and by the end of the first lap I was hearing that I had already pulled back 20sec. The second lap was much the same and as I could see the gap getting smaller my confidence grew but unfortunately I just ran out of road and after closing another 20sec on the final lap I rounded the final corner with 50m to go to see Ben claim the victory. Full credit must go to Ben for digging deep to not only take his first victory in the series but also the style in which he did it. It not only makes the racing that much more exciting for everyone watching but it is also that much more satisfying to know that a true swimmer, cyclist and runner did the hard work to win the race and that you need to be on top of your game in all three disciplines at all times in this sport.
It's a very satistying way to finish the racing year knowing that all the great training sessions I have produced and the times I have logged have been reflected in a race but at the same time coming so close to a victory is something that is already driving me to find ways of being able to step on to the top of the podium next time.
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| (picture links to the USM media release from the race) |
With the first race of the junior elite series at Runaway Bay and a World Championship selection race for the age-group athletes down in Canberra this coming weekend there wasn't a large DAT contingent present at Raby Bay as they all prepare to tackle these challenges. In saying that I am looking forward to heading to Runaway Bay this weekend to support Tom Ryan, Luke Farrell, Angus Gibson, Jake Freeman, Holly Grice and Emily Bevan do battle with the best juniors in the country and I am sure every single one of them will be at the pointy end of the field if their pre-season form is anything to go by! Similarly, with all of the age-groupers beginning their campaign towards national representation for the 2012 World Championships in Auckland, I look forward to hearing all of the stories of success when they return!
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