Testing Times

The CHAIN DRIVEN CYCLES time trail league recommences this Thursday evening with a lung busting 13k test. Looking at the times from Mullagmore triathlon we should be seeing loads of personal bests on Thursday evening.

Meet at the carpark at Rossess Point from 6.15pm

Mick and Neill Walton are down for Marshaling duties. If anyone else is available will you please let colm know ASAP.

Thanks

Metalman Swim Series Wk 4 Results

Race Photos Courtesy of Alan Shaw and Padraig Hanly
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51534920@N05/

Saturday 26^th June saw the last race of the Sligo Triathlon Club Metalman Swim Series.

The series comprised of 4 races over 4 weekends with swimmers awarded points for each race.

58 members of the Sligo Triathlon Club took part in the popular races which are now in their second year. Assistance was provided by the Civil Defence Lifeboat and Sligo Kayak Club with spectators treated to a flyover of the coast guard helicopter before the race began.

The swim took place in slightly choppy conditions over a 1.25km course. Conditions made for an interesting race swam at high speed with the experience of the previous three swims paying off for all swimmers.

In the Time Handicap Division Eamonn McAndrew took the honours with good winter pool training really paying off. Roy Kelly and Fintan Ewing were close behind and will be back next year keen to wrestle the title from Eamonn. Gavin Patton and Ray McMorrow completed the top five with strong final day swims.

In the outright division newcomers Matt McGarrigle and Stewart McKenna really pushed each other for first place as the weeks went by with McGarrigle edging it with a lighting fast swim to win the last race. Shane O'Doherty and Jason McMorrow returned from last year to the podium to take third and fourth position respectively challenging each other along the way. Molua Donoghue took 5^th position.

In the ladies division Deirdre Healy transferred her pool talents to the sea to narrowly edge Cecilia McGuinness into second position with the result going down to the wire on the last day. Martha Van Der Mulen took third position.

The series unearthed some very promising open water swimmers with Alan Shaw, Wayne Mc Nulty, Liam Fitzgerald and Padraig Hanly all rapidly improving and sure to challenge for podium positions next year. Many swimmers completed their first open water swim races over the four weeks.

Prizegiving and a BBQ took place at Harrys afterwards, the race sponsor.

Thanks to all from the club who helped with the races.

Time Handicap Result Week 4

Posn Name Hcap Time
1 Czerke Kelly 00:29:50 100
2 Liam Fitzgerald 00:32:20 99
3 Gavin Patton 00:33:38 98
4 Neil Dwyer 00:33:46 97
5 Tom Ford 00:33:50 96
6 C McGuinness 00:33:55 95
7 Jason McMorrow 00:34:09 94
8 Sean Flannery 00:34:16 93
9 Martha VDM 00:34:18 92
10 Eamon McAndrew 00:34:19 91
11 Melua Donaghue 00:34:20 90
12 Brian Gill 00:34:23 89
13 Darren Duncan 00:34:30 88
14 Noel Keavney 00:34:38 87
15 Lynsey Dunne 00:34:38 86
16 Gwen Hunter 00:34:40 85
17 Adrian O'Connor 00:34:40 84
18 Patrick Stewart 00:34:41 83
19 Deirdre Healy 00:34:44 82
20 Ray McMorrow 00:34:55 81
21 K O'Donnell 00:34:57 80
22 Fintan Ewing 00:35:00 79
23 Jana Dresse 00:35:02 78
24 Padraig Hanly 00:35:02 77
25 Tommy Sheridan 00:35:04 76
26 John Heneghan 00:35:15 75
27 Alan Shaw 00:35:18 74
28 Wayne Mc Nulty 00:35:22 73
29 K Cunningham 00:36:30 72
30 Mary Eglington 00:37:07 71
31 A Gaughran 00:37:12 70


Wk 4 Outright Results
Positon Name Outright Time Points
1 Matt McGarrigle 00:17:10 100
2 Shane O'Doherty 00:18:05 99
3 Jason McMorrow 00:19:09 98
4 Melua Donaghue 00:19:20 97
5 C McGuinness 00:19:25 96
6 Deirdre Healy 00:19:44 95
7 Neil Dwyer 00:20:16 94
8 Liam Fitzgerald 00:20:20 93
9 Kev O'Donnell 00:20:27 92
10 Alan Shaw 00:20:48 91
11 Wayne Mc Nulty 00:20:52 90
12 Fintan Ewing 00:21:00 89
13 Darren Duncan 00:21:30 88
14 Eamon McAndrew 00:21:49 87
15 Padraig Hanly 00:22:02 86
16 Tommy Sheridan 00:22:04 85
17 Sean Flannery 00:22:16 84
18 Martha VDM 00:22:18 83
19 Lynsey Dunne 00:22:38 82
20 Brian Gill 00:22:53 81
21 Gavin Patton 00:23:08 80
22 Adrian O'Connor 00:23:10 79
23 Gwen Hunter 00:23:40 78
24 Jana Dresse 00:24:02 77
25 Noel Keavney 00:24:08 76
26 Patrick Stewart 00:24:11 75
27 K Cunningham 00:24:30 74
28 Ray McMorrow 00:26:55 73
29 Czerke Kelly 00:27:50 72
30 John Heneghan 00:30:15 71
31 Tom Ford 00:32:50 70
32 A Gaughran 00:35:42 69
33 Mary Eglington 00:37:07 68

Week 4 Ladies Result
Posn Name Outright Time Points
1 C McGuinness 00:19:25 20
2 Deirdre Healy 00:19:44 19
3 Martha VDM 00:22:18 18
4 Lynsey Dunne 00:22:38 17
5 Gwen Hunter 00:23:40 16
6 Jana Dresse 00:24:02 15
7 A Gaughran 00:35:42 14
8 Mary Eglington 00:37:07 13

Time Handicap Final Table
Posn Name Total
1 Eamon McAndrew 287
2 Roy Kelly 269
3 Fintan Ewing 267
4 Gavin Patton 267
5 Ray McMorrow 267
6 Neil Dwyer 266
7 Brian Sexton 265
8 Martha VDM 265
9 Noel Keavney 265
10 L Fitzgerald 264
11 Stephen Carty 264
12 Jason McMorrow 263
13 Stuart McKenna 261
14 Sean Flannery 259
15 Wayne Mc Nulty 259
16 Jana Dresse 254
17 KCunningham 251
18 Melua Donaghue 248
19 Tommy Sheridan 247
20 Patrick Stewart 244
21 K O'Donnell 243
22 C McGlinchey 242
23 Una Mannion 239
24 Alan Shaw 238
25 Darren Duncan 237
26 Brian Gill 236
27 John Heneghan 235
28 Padraig Hanly 232
29 Sandra Deery 228
30 C McGuinness 222
31 Lynsey Dunne 222
32 AGaughran 204
33 Mary Eglington 201
34 Maureen Laffey 189
35 Tom Ford 187
36 Adrian O'Connor 180
37 Scott Reid 173
38 Gwen Hunter 169
39 Pat Bishop 169
40 Deirdre Healy 168
41 Czerke Kelly 166
42 Joe Watters 165
43 Alan Watters 162
44 Conal Sexton 161
45 Brian O'hara 131
46 Catriona Fallon 100
47 Ronan Brennan 100
48 David Downes 96
49 John Elliot 95
50 Paul Burns 92
51 Gary Higgins 90
52 Kate Hawney 89
53 C Ni Mhuruchu 83
54 Jenny Murray 81
55 Niall Melvin 70
56 Aidan Carty 60

Outright Table
Posn Name Total
1 Matt McGarrigle 298
2 Stuart McKenna 297
3 Shane O'Doherty 294
4 Jason McMorrow 291
5 Deirdre Healy 285
6 Melua Donaghue 284
7 Liam Fitzgerald 281
8 C McGuinness 279
8 K O'Donnell 279
9 Alan Shaw 275
10 Neil Dwyer 271
11 Wayne Mc Nulty 270
12 Fintan Ewing 266
13 Brian Sexton 262
14 Martha VDM 258
15 Darren Duncan 256
15 Padraig Hanly 256
16 Eamon McAndrew 254
17 Tommy Sheridan 251
18 Una Mannion 246
19 Sean Flannery 244
20 Brian Gill 237
21 Lynsey Dunne 235
22 Gavin Patton 232
23 Patrick Stewart 230
24 Jana Dresse 228
25 Noel Keavney 223
26 K Cunningham 218
27 Sandra Deery 216
28 Stephen Carty 210
29 Ray McMorrow 208
30 C McGlinchey 200
30 Roy Kelly 200
30 Scott Reid 200
31 John Heneghan 199
32 A Gaughran 193
33 Mary Eglington 191
34 Maureen Laffey 182
35 Conal Sexton 164
36 Adrian O'Connor 157
37 Gwen Hunter 154
38 Pat Bishop 151
39 Brian O'hara 149
40 Joe Waters 143
41 Czerke Kelly 135
42 Tom Ford 133
43 Alan Watters 132
44 Gary Higgins 95
45 C Ni Mhuruchu 93
46 Niall Melvin 90
47 David Downes 83
48 Jennifer Murray 82
49 John Elliot 79
50 Ronan Brennan 69
51 Catriona Fallon 65
52 Paul Burns 64
53 Kate Hawney 63
54 Aidan Carty 59

Ladies Table
Posn Name Total
1 Deirdre Healy 59
2 C McGuinness 58
3 Martha VDM 56
4 Una Mannion 51
5 Lynsey Dunne 47
6 Jana Dresse 44
7 Sandra Deery 43
8 C McGlinchey 39
9 A Gaughran 36
10 Mary Eglington 36
11 Gwen Hunter 30
12 Maureen Laffey 30
13 CNi Mhuruchu 19
14 Jennifer Murray 17
15 Kate Hawney 13
16 Catriona Fallon 10

Mullaghmore 2010 race report

Over 50 intrepid Sligo Triathlon Club members recently participated in this year’s Mullaghmore Sprint Triathlon. The sprint distance comprises of a 750m swim, 20km run and a 5km run. It was the 10th year of the event and in all, there were almost 400 competitors taking part with the male participants vastly outweighing the number of females competing.

The glorious sunshine which showcased the spectacular surrounding scenery proved to be hugely inviting to all participants. Despite the choppy conditions of the water and the long wade out to reach a level to swim in, there were nevertheless fast swim times recorded. Strong winds prevailed and proved to be testing for many competitors during the route of the cycle which was from Mullaghmore through Cliffoney on to Grange and back to Mullaghmore again. The exposed wind engulfed Moneygold section of the cycle proved to be particularly difficult for many people to endure. The wind didn’t abate during the run which was around the headland with a couple of arduous hills pushing even the most accomplished of triathletes. The fantastic support from so many spectators was particularly encouraging for all concerned.

Joseph Lynch set a new course record at a time of 1:00:28. His wife Aoife was in fact second female home. She was a mere 6 seconds slower than the now 5 time female winner Trudy Brown who posted a time of 1:09:27. Many Sligo Tri club members completed their first triathlon with 12 members finishing in the top 50. Accomplished local traithlete Neil Walton finished in 5th place at an impressive time of 1:02:39 while Caoimhe Ni Mhurchu was the first local female to finish at a time of 1:18:16. She was the 8th fastest lady. Both Mairin Laffey and Mick Walton were the fastest local veterans. It was Mairin’s first triathlon and all of her hard work over the winter months especially at her swimming paying off. 16 year old Tommy Maxwell was the fastest local junior club member to finish the race completing his first triathlon at a time of 1:23:55. With so many successful times recorded all club members can now look forward to yet more successes with the Rosses Point Tri imminent on July 31st.

Connacht League Cycling

Five club members travelled down to Castlebar last night for round one of the Connacht League bicycle racing series; Damien McSharry, Ronan McNamara, Eamonn McAndrew, Brian Sexton and seasoned racer Colm Casey. The race was a handicapped event held over 40 miles and the field of fifty competitors was divided into four groups; the pace of the first two these groups (all club members except Colm started in the second group) was similar to the club advanced and intermediate sessions held on Thursday nights. After suffering a nasty crash early in the race Colm was forced to retire, meanwhile Damien McSharry and Brian Sexton lost contact with their group over the second half of the race. Both Eamonn McAndrew and Ronan McNamara stayed in the main group and finished strongly, with local Eire Og rider Basil Freeman taking sixth place in the finish.

These races offer an opportunity for triathletes to get a taste of bicycle racing within reasonable travelling distance and are held throughout the year; anyone interested in giving one a go should contact club cycle officer Colm Casey at this Thursday’s national bike time trial event (held in place of Thursdays training this week).

Round 4 Details Swim Series + BBQ

The final round of the Metalman Swim Series, Sponsored by Harry’s Bar, takes place on Saturday 26th June at Rosses Point Beach.

Everything is still to play for with the leaderboards in all three divisions being very tight and lots of swimmers still to complete their third race (it’s best 3 races from 4)

For anyone already on 3 swims they can still move up into the prizes with a big swim on Saturday.

We have trophies for first 3 ladies, first 5 in the time handicap and another five for the outright as well as some other prizes on the day.

The time handicap award is the title of metal man and a specially commissioned carving by local artist Michael Quirke.

Registration is from 4-4:30pm in the usual place in the beach car park.

Swim will start at 5pm, we’re going to do a mass start (ie everyone goes at same time) and will add each swimmers handicap afterwards. This will certainly add to the excitement and make for some fast racing.

Distance is 1km, for anyone that’s already done a 750m race this year, the step up to 1km is very manageable and a nice progression for our newer swimmers.

The prize giving and BBQ will be immediately after the swim finishes, we will all make our way over to Harry’s for that.
We’re also making a donation to the local branch of the RNLI with some of the monies raised from the races. The civil defence, kayak club and event marshals will all be there as well so it’s a good chance to meet and thank them for their efforts.

All club members are invited along (not just swim series competitors) and bring some support (wife/husband/kids etc) on the day as it really adds to the atmosphere especially with an evening start. There will be plenty of burgers

See you there!

More photos from Saturday

Click here to see more photos from Mullaghmore; thanks to Edel Carty who captured the action despite having to carry one of the future generation of Sligo athletes along with her camera!

Photos from Saturdays race

Click here to view some photos from Saturdays race. Thanks to photographer Derek Novak for capturing the action -he can be contacted for prints at: info@photosligo.com. Full race report to follow…

Metalman Swim Series - Article 4 - Pre race Training and Event Psychology

Metalman Swim Series sponsored by Harry's Bar - Rosses Point, Sligo.

Article 4

We're in for a treat with the final of our 4 articles accompanying the Metalman Swim Series coming from Neil Walton (Pictured right). For those of you who don't know Neil, he is Sligo's prominent Triathlete having represented Ireland at Junior and Senior level in Triathlon and won senior state divisions whilst living in Australia.

Neil is also a lifeguard and swim coach and has coached under Olympic standard coaches so his advice well worth taking on board.

"Swim Training week before Race.

The objective the week before your swim section of a triathlon is to first and foremost that you are fresh going into the event even if you are looking on the event as a training session. To do justice to yourself be fresh and have the knowledge that you are not overcooked to give the event 100%.
I generally do short interval work, they can range from 50 to 150m sprints @ 80% effort, no point in getting injured so close to the event. Have 30 sec – 1min recovery, and do maximum of 1500 metres session. You can do up to 4 swims before the event again making sure you upper body is fresh for the comp.

Starts / Exits
In conjunction with your sprints it is no harm to practice starts and exits. This will depend if the event allows running starts or waist water starts.
If running starts I would normally do a technique of dolphin dives until I get deep enough to swim and generally will sprint for the first 200m to get in the right position in the pack. I would use the same technique exiting the water.
Waist water starts are pretty simple, once the gun goes off start swimming
like a bat out of hell to get some clear, open water, it is important to position yourself in our ability level as been swum over is not fun.

I would also concentrate on my flexibility as well the week leading up to my swim, the more flexibility you are the more stream lined you can be, plus you will put less strain on your ligaments and joints, please stretch correctly.

The day before your event, make sure you get out for a easy relaxed swim, a complete rest day can leave triathletes sluggish on the morning of the event. Also for the whole week, concentrate on super hydrating your body with good clean water, add lemon or lime to water with a small pinch of natural unbleached sea salt. (3 – 4 litres of general size adult) Drink water slowly.


SPORTS PSYCHOLOGY OF COMPETING IN TRIATHLONS

This is a huge a varied subject to touch on, I have been interested in sports psychology since college, and each year, new and more complex theories and methods come on stream.
However I will endeavour to give some very basic rules to follow when it come to our little monkeys in our heads.

Thoughts
Most of your are aware that we think in excess of 50,000 thoughts a day, thoughts are energy and you can either make those thoughts beneficial for your training / life / sport or not.
I believe and have observed the reason why some of the best athletes in the world fall desperately in the Olympics and elite competition is because of the self beliefs of the athlete and their expectations leading up to the event, while the other less known athletes do very well.

If we can simply give ourselves a break and not put so much pressure leading up to your event we would all do much better. To enter an event free of nerves and full of excitement, joy and dear I stay a bit of love you would be surprised how much better you would perform.

So for your next Triathlon, consider having fun, enjoy each stroke, each pedal and each step you take in the event, to me that is the ultimate prize on the day, to say that you truly enjoy the journey of training and competing is a very worthwhile goal.
Have a great day.

Neil Walton."

Time Trial Postponements and Date Changes

Due to event clashes and my stupidity after changing the Sunday timetrials there are a number of clashes on the timetrial series. A number of club members and participants have expressed an interest in competing in the Connacht league cycling races. Also a number of organisers and time keepers will not be available. We have therefore decided a few date changes for the timetrial series.

Tuesday the 22nd of June - Postponed until Tuesday August 3rd. (26 k)

Tuesday the 29th of June - Postponed until Thursday the 1st of July. (13k)

Tuesday the 13th of July - Postponed until Thursday the 15th of July. (26k)

Tuesday the 20th of July- Same (Hill Climb).

Tuesday the 27th of July - Postponed until Tuesday 10th of August. (26k)

Sorry for any inconvenience caused

Rosses Point Sprint Reminder

Reminder to anyone competing in the 2010 Rosses Point Sprint race; all competitors need a Triathlon Ireland race licence to compete. If you don't have a licence make sure you have taken out a day licence before the event. Individual entry is now full; 3 relay team places are left.

National Cycling Champs

The national cycling champs are being hosted in Sligo from the 24th of June - 27th of June.

The time trial champs for juniors, vets, ladies, tandem and men are being hosted on the Thursday evening on the dual carriageway from Colloney. Starting at 6.30pm until 9pm. Eire og cycling club are hosting the champs and I am tasked with organising marshals for the evening. We will need a team of 20 marshals for the Thursday evening as you know the dual carriageway can be quite busy. The marshals will be positioned mainly on the slipways and roundabouts. You will have a view of the riders so if you want to see the standard of elite testers on our roads and see some phenomenal times it would be worth a look. I am hoping that club members might forfeit the club spin on the Thursday evening and give a hand marshaling. Training will be provided. If you are available will you please text me your details so I can make accurate lists for the evening.

Thanks Colm 0876811197

The ladies and veterans champs will be taking place on the Saturday on the Ballymote circuit. Eire og will be entering a team including Basil Freeman, Michaeal Devins, Alex Carey and Daire Mooney (if he can admit he is old). Hopefully they will be in with a good chance. Anyone who is available and might have an interest to give a hand we would appreciate the help on the Saturday. Ideally if people could pair up one could marshal the ladies event and one could marshal the vets event.

The eliete seniors and Juniors will be on the Sunday. Hopefully all will come out to support. Ideal time to see some pros on the roads including Nicholas Roche, Phlip Deignan, Dan Martin and the sean kelly cycling squad.

More information check the link below


http://www.irishcyclingchamps.com/

2010 Blackrock Tri Race report

Thanks to Ronan Brennan for this report from the Blackrock triathlon held last Saturday; another first open water triathlon, finishing well within the top half of the field:

"On Saturday I headed up to Blackrock in Louth for the Setanta Tri Club annual triathlon. This was its seventh year and proved to be a popular one as just shy of 200 competitors took part, ranging in abilities from seasoned veterans to first timers. Weather was beautiful which helped greatly to create a ' festival feel'. It was billed as a sprint distance on the Triathlon Ireland website but in truth the swim was 600 metres, 16km bike and a 6 km run.

The swim started with all competitors starting off together on a triangular route. This led to a lot of frenzied posturing as we alltried to get into a suitable position (I had my goggles kicked off inthe melee - good training I suppose!!) Later on at the buoys for turnaround it led to a lot of congestion too. I personally would have preferred if there were at least two waves to avoid this.At least 200 metres of the swim was in shallow water, I actually swam past a few who were walking/ running which was strange. Very strange. For beginners or those less confident this would be ideal however for those experienced and trying to make up time it would be frustrating I guess. A 150 metre run then to transition which was actually quite narrow and invariably led to an unnecessary slow exit onto the bike.

The bike route was lovely, flat all the way (small hill excepted), an out and back along a main road. Lots of time trial bikes in evidence. It was my first time trying out my tri bars too so had good craic here! Back to transition again which wasn't as congested as before thankfully and out for the run. At this stage the sun was pumping. Class. The run was a loop of the village and was definitely a full 6km. The start included a nice testing hill which claimed a few casualties early on but soon flattened out for the remaining 5 km. My time was 1:07:54 which I was delighted with and still left plenty of scope for improvement. I wasn't delighted with my sunburn however!! In my eagerness to unveil the Sligo tri club tri suit to the North East masses I forgot to put on sun cream pre race. Hence long jumpersthis week!! Also need to get a race belt too to avoid damaging the suit. Spot the beginner triathlete!!

A nice touch by Chipit timing systems too whereby at end of race you just typed in your race number and you got a printed result of your race. Ideal for the family album! So yeah, a nice race overall, swim unnecessarily congested, nice bike and good testing run. So as all the great writers would say: 'A good day was had by all!! Boom boom."

Full results and photos are up on the Setanta tri club website.

Metalman Swim Series Results - Wk 3

Last race Saturday 26th June registration from 4-4:30pm. BBQ and Prize giving in Harry's Bar Rosses Point afterwards.

Results from Yesterday's third race.
Note that Scot, Shane, Matt and Stuart all went off on 10mins not 11mins as announced at briefing with outrights adjusted accordingly.

Race report to follow......








Time Handicapped Results Week 3

Name Time Points
Catriona Fallon 00:18:23 100
Scott Reid 00:19:43 99
Matt McGarrigle 00:19:49 98
Stephen Carty 00:20:03 97
Adrian O'Connor 00:20:23 96
Brian Sexton 00:20:34 95
Fintan Ewing 00:20:35 94
Jason McMorrow 00:20:36 93
Martha VDM 00:20:36 92
Wayne Mc Nulty 00:20:38 91
Gary Higgins 00:20:39 90
Stuart McKenna 00:20:45 89
Una Mannion 00:20:46 88
Deirdre Healy 00:20:47 87
Sean Flannery 00:20:48 86
Ray McMorrow 00:20:49 85
Gwen Hunter 00:20:50 84
C Ni Mhuruchu 00:20:51 83
Neil Dwyer 00:20:56 82
Melua Donaghue 00:20:57 81
Roy Kelly 00:20:58 80
C McGlinchey 00:20:59 79
Brian Gill 00:21:00 78
Jana Dresse 00:21:00 77
K Cunningham 00:21:02 76
Gavin Patton 00:21:03 75
Kev O'Donnell 00:21:04 74
Sandra Deery 00:21:06 73
Shane O'Doherty 00:21:08 72
Conal Sexton 00:21:10 71
John Heneghan 00:21:11 70
Noel Keavney 00:21:13 69
C McGuinness 00:21:16 68
Darren Duncan 00:21:26 67
Czerke Kelly 00:21:28 66
Brian O'hara 00:21:47 65
A Gaughran 00:21:57 64
Lynsey Dunne 00:22:04 63
Eamon McAndrew 00:22:14 62
Mary Eglington 00:22:21 61
Maureen Laffey 00:23:00 60

Outright Results Week 3

Time Name Points
00:09:43 Scott Reid 100
00:09:49 Matt McGarrigle 99
00:10:45 Stuart McKenna 98
00:11:08 Shane O'Doherty 97
00:11:36 Jason McMorrow 96
00:11:39 Gary Higgins 95
00:11:47 Deirdre Healy 94
00:11:51 C Ni Mhuruchu 93
00:11:57 Melua Donaghue 92
00:12:04 Kev O'Donnell 91
00:12:08 Wayne Mc Nulty 90
00:12:16 C McGuinness 89
00:12:34 Brian Sexton 88
00:12:35 Fintan Ewing 87
00:12:56 Neil Dwyer 86
00:13:26 Darren Duncan 85
00:13:36 Martha VDM 84
00:13:40 Conal Sexton 83
00:13:44 Eamon McAndrew 82
00:13:46 Una Mannion 81
00:13:48 Sean Flannery 80
00:14:04 Lynsey Dunne 79
00:14:23 Adrian O'Connor 78
00:14:30 Brian Gill 77
00:14:50 Gwen Hunter 76
00:15:00 Jana Dresse 75
00:15:03 Gavin Patton 74
00:15:13 Noel Keavney 73
00:15:17 Brian O'hara 72
00:15:32 K Cunningham 71
00:15:33 Stephen Carty 70
00:15:36 Sandra Deery 69
00:16:28 Roy Kelly 68
00:16:49 Ray McMorrow 67
00:16:59 C McGlinchey 66
00:18:23 Catriona Fallon 65
00:19:11 John Heneghan 64
00:21:28 Czerke Kelly 63
00:21:57 A Gaughran 62
00:22:21 Mary Eglington 61
00:23:00 Maureen Laffey 60

Ladies Outright Results Wk 3

Time Name Points
00:11:47 Deirdre Healy 20
00:11:51 C Ni Mhuruchu 19
00:12:16 C McGuinness 18
00:13:36 Martha VDM 17
00:13:46 Una Mannion 16
00:14:04 Lynsey Dunne 15
00:14:50 Gwen Hunter 14
00:15:00 Jana Dresse 13
00:15:36 Sandra Deery 12
00:16:59 C McGlinchey 11
00:18:23 Catriona Fallon 10
00:21:57 A Gaughran 9
00:22:21 Mary Eglington 8
00:23:00 Maureen Laffey 7

Time Handicapped Table Wk 3

Posn Name Points
1 Roy Kelly 269
2 Ray McMorrow 267
3 Brian Sexton 265
4 Stephen Carty 264
5 Fintan Ewing 263
6 Eamon McAndrew 258
7 Wayne Mc Nulty 257
8 K Cunningham 251
9 Noel Keavney 247
10 Neil Dwyer 240
11 Sean Flannery 239
12 Una Mannion 239
13 Kev O'Donnell 237
14 Jason McMorrow 237
15 Martha VDM 236
16 Melua Donaghue 233
17 Sandra Deery 228
18 C McGuinness 222
19 C McGlinchey 211
20 Mary Eglington 191
21 Maureen Laffey 189
22 Jana Dresse 176
23 Scott Reid 173
24 Tommy Sheridan 171
25 Pat Bishop 169
26 Gavin Patton 169
27 Deirdre Healy 168
28 Joe Waters 165
29 L Fitzgerald 165
30 Alan Shaw 164
31 Alan Waters 162
32 Patrick Stewart 161
33 Conal Sexton 161
34 John Heneghan 160
35 Padraig Hanly 155
36 Darren Duncan 149
37 Brian Gill 147
38 Lynsey Dunne 136
39 A Gaughran 134
40 Brian O'Hara 131
41 Ronan Brennan 100
42 Catriona Fallon 100
43 David Downes 96
44 John Elliot 95
45 Paul Burns 92
46 Tom Ford 91
47 Gary Higgins 90
48 Kate Hawney 89
49 Gwen Hunter 84
50 C Ni Mhuruchu 83
51 Jenny Murray 81
52 Niall Melvin 70
53 Darren Duncan 67
54 Czerke Kelly 66
55 Aidan Carty 60

Wk 3 Table Outright

Posn Name Points
1 Stuart McKenna 297
2 Matt McGarrigle 296
3 Shane O'Doherty 292
4 Jason McMorrow 289
5 Melua Donaghue 279
6 Kevin O'Donnell 278
7 C McGuinness 272
8 Wayne Mc Nulty 265
9 Fintan Ewing 264
10 Brian Sexton 262
11 Martha VDM 257
12 Neil Dwyer 254
13 Una Mannion 246
14 Eamon McAndrew 240
15 Sean Flannery 240
16 Noel Keavney 218
17 Sandra Deery 216
18 K Cunningham 212
19 Stephen Carty 210
20 Ray McMorrow 202
21 C McGlinchey 200
22 Roy Kelly 200
23 Scott Reid 200
24 Deirdre Healy 190
25 Liam Fitzgerald 188
26 Alan Shaw 184
27 Mary Eglington 183
28 Maureen Laffey 182
29 Padraig Hanly 170
30 Daren Duncan 168
31 Tommy Sheridan 166
32 Conal Sexton 164
33 Brian Gill 156
34 Patrick Stewart 155
35 Lynsey Dunne 153
36 Gavin Patton 152
37 Jana Dresse 151
38 Pat Bishop 151
39 Brian O'Hara 149
40 Joe Waters 143
41 Alan Waters 132
42 John Heneghan 128
43 A Gaughran 124
44 Gary Higgins 95
45 C Ni Mhuruchu 93
46 Niall Melvin 90
47 David Downes 83
48 Jennifer Murray 82
49 John Elliot 79
50 Adrian O'Connor 78
51 Gwen Hunter 76
52 Ronan Brennan 69
53 Catriona Fallon 65

Ladies Outright Table Wk 3

Posn Name Points
1 C McGuinness 56
2 Martha VDM 55
3 Una Mannion 51
4 Sandra Deery 43
5 Deirdre Healy 40
6 C McGlinchey 39
7 Mary Eglington 31
8 Maureen Laffey 30
9 Lynsey Dunne 30
10 Jana Dresse 29
11 A Gaughran 22
12 Jenny Murray 17
13 Kate Hawney 13

Club Race Photos

With the race season in full swing some members are packing the camera and getting good photos of the action. It'd be a nice idea if these could be shared among club members; this can be done by loading them onto a filesharing site (Eg. "flickr") and posting the link on the forum -or just mailing them to pro@sligotriathlon.ie where we can stick them on the website. If you would prefer to keep them private, note it with the mail so as Cecilia can send the link to members only in the weekly mail update. Either way it'd be good to have a photo record of the races ...shame no-one had a camera handy for Wayne and Roys eyeballs out lunge for the line last month!

2010 TryAthy report

Thanks go to Cathriona Fallon for this report on last Saturdays TRY Athy. She was one of three club members (Jenny Murray and Clare Murphy made up the rest of the team) who completed the course; finishing the event in just over one hour.

“The tri Athy event was completed by three Sligo Tri club members on Saturday the 5th of June. It consisted of a 400m swim downriver, a 16km cycle and a 3.6km run. It was completed with ease and would be a great confidence booster for the beginner triathlete. It was a well organized event and it would be a great option for those of you who are nervous in the water. This element was very easy and you could in fact stand in the water at all times if you needed to!!! The cycle was a bit awkward in that you circled the same route twice which I found very monotonous, it was not without effort but the weather was perfect so there was none of those west of Ireland gales to contend with! The run was lovely if on a bit of a rough surface. The last 2km were completed along the banks of the river. You got a free dinner afterwards and a cool dri-fit t-shirt. The only disadvantage with this event is that you register in the early afternoon but the event did not begin until 5pm which means a long wait around. However, I get the feeling that this is the way with these events anyway. One strong piece of advice I would give though is to try if possible to experience river/lake swimming at least once before a real event as some were panicking and uncomfortable with the blackness and cold of the water. It is that bit different to sea swimming so only for my abled assistant Cecilia brought us out beforehand I probably would have been unnerved aswell!. A recommended category for those of you that want to get started on the triathlon circuit!!”

Full details and race results are available form the TriAthy homepage.

Another international half-ironman completed...

Thanks to John Hanly for the following race report from last weekends Switzerland half -ironman event. John completed the course in searing heat in a time of 5:52 (swim 43min, cycle 2:59, run 2:00). This was the his first continental race and the second for the club this year...

"I had been watching the weather forecast for the week leading up to the race, about a week out they were forecasting over night sleet with day time temperatures about 8-10oC with showers – yes in June!. Just what a blue Irish boy was used too!

I arrived to the small lake side town of Rapperswil-Jona in Switzerland on the Friday before the race (on Sunday) so I had plenty of time to acclimatise. As it turned out the weather was the polar opposite from what I expected - 27oC without a cloud in the Sky. I was able to check my bike in on the Saturday afternoon, the organisation was exceptional with little or no queues and everyone was very helpful. One of the locals who had completed the race several times gave me an excellent insight to the course, especially the bike section.

On race morning there were 8 wave starts and ours was second last starting at 10:40, having checked my bike in on the Sat meant that I didn’t have to get up too early, so I left the hotel at 9:00am having stuffed my face full of food and wobbled the 10 mins to the transition area. Its amazing how many 40-50 age groupers seem hell bent on proving themselves – it appears the mid life crisis hits our European counter-parts just as hard!

Getting on my wet suit with a mixture of sweat and factor 50 took a matter of seconds. People were very gingerly entering the water and complaining it was only 17 oC, they managed 2 or 3 minutes and most got out again, it was the first time in two days that I felt normal! So much so that I didn’t get out again and stayed the 10mins till the race started, much to the amazement of some of the other competitors who were freezing.

The swim was a complete night mare at the start, I placed myself in the middle and for the first 900m there was absolutely no space to swim in, at the turn around point I managed to get to the edge and finally started to make some head way and would have easily managed to swim the second leg much quicker than the first (Colm and Shane would be proud of me – pace yourself). Taking off the wet suit was as easy as putting it on – I slipped out of the thing like a well lubricated banana. It was a fairly long run through transition but the surface was excellent and carpeted throughout. Bikes were well spaces with ample room for equipment and belongings. I had enough time to gather myself, slap on another bit of factor 50 on the backs of the legs and neck – forgot the backs of my arms and paid for that later!

In the briefing we had been given a fair idea of what to expect on the bike course and they were very proud of the fact that this was one of the toughest bike courses on the 70.3 circuit, the first 10km was flat and fast 43kph average, then boom – witches hill 6kph, by the time we hit the second hill (the beast) guys with €6k TT bikes were walking (Love dat!). All the local witches and warlocks turned out to shout encouragement and ring their cow bells, the same guys were there for laps one and two of the 45km circuit. Boy did we need encouragement, 22km of hills each lap with very little rest in between, in all there was 976m of climbing according to my Garmin. At the top of the “hill” 740m above sea level we started the decent, at one stage I was travelling at 62kph and braking, while being passed on every side by guys peddling flat out at what must have been 70kph+, anyone who knows me, knows I don’t mind speed but this was crazy stuff, If I had hair it would have stood on end! By the time I had completed the two laps of the course, my legs were like jelly, but managed to keep a fairly steady pace to the end in preparation of the small matter of a 21km run – oh goodie I love a challenge!

In the 160km Tour of Sligo I drank 1.5ltrs and went to the toilet 3 times, in Rapperswil-Jona I had taken on board a total of 6 ltrs and produced not a drop.
In T2 my legs felt fairly tired and the prospect of a 21km run in 28-30oC just didn’t appeal to me, it was a matter of applying the “baby steps” approach - get to the 5km, then the 10km have a gel, get to the 15km have a gel and then I’d be on the home stretch.

The run was a two lap course and was as flat as a pancake apart from the “64 steps to heaven” in the middle of the run. There were plenty of water stations, sponge stations, intermediate water stations manned by enthusiastic kids and cold showers dotted here and there, so you couldn’t have asked for more help than was offered. The atmosphere in the old town was exceptional with everyone shouting your name (it was on my bib!) and offering words of encouragement – Hopp John, Hopp!.

All in all the swimming conditions were excellent – especially for a blue skinned Irish boy, the bike course was challenging but very exciting on excellent surfaces and was very well marshalled and generally safe. The run was very flat if not a tad hot on the day. I’d have no problems in recommending this race as an exceptional overall experience, in retrospect maybe not as a first half Ironman but certainly as a second. A beautiful location with plenty to do for the kids in the town and surrounding areas if your travelling as a family– there was a zoo right next to the transition area. I didn’t get a chance to sample the beer after the event as I had to be up at 5:00am the next morning but it seemed to have plenty of potential with plenty of nice bars and posh restaurants – a great way of introducing your new girl friend to Ironman!"

Club Sprint Champioships and BBQ

The annual club sprint championship for 2010 is Mullagmore.

Therefore on top of members racing for age groups and overall prizes we will have the additional competition of overall club sprint champion. Although the prizes will not be massive the bragging rights for the following year will carry as much kudos.

Rumor has it that Neill Walton is currently using a oxygen tent at the back of the baths in Strandhill to mimic altitude training in preparation for keeping big improver's Brian Sexton, Mc Andrew, Higgins, Mc Morrow, Casey and Flannery of his heels. In the ladies section Cecilia Mc Guiness cant stop winning in 2010 but is sure to be pushed hard by the rising tide of female talent within the club ranks. There will also be a few prizes for first year triathletes and age groups.

The prize giving BBQ ceremony will take place in Mc Hughs Bar gratten street on Saturday Evening 19th of June. The BBQ will be starting at 7pm and our social officer Jason mc Morrow will be providing the evenings entertainment with his new band. The chef will be providing fine fair for a hour. So dont be landing at 9pm or you will have missed the boat. The club is organising a BBQ for club members as a bit of a get together to let the hair down.

In order to inform the management of approximate numbers attending the BBQ and prize giving ceremony can you please email our club Secretary Cecilia Mc Guiness or Wayne know if you are attending. Also and if you are bringing the other half. The club will endeavour to cover the cost of the BBQ so we will need a general idea of numbers ASAP

Thanks

Club Chairman

Donegal 3 day cycle race

With plenty of training and only 50 miles of bike racing since Easter I decided the Donegal 3 day would be the ideal place to get a good arse kicking and a good dose of how bad my biking is at the moment. My main reason for racing was to get some quality training miles into the legs and nothing like a 3 day bike race to overload the system. We are all told to work on our weaknesses and my main weakness on the bike is climbing hills and as the ladies would say OMG the hills never ended.

Stage one -35 mile stage on the Friday evening with one category 3 climb about one mile long. There had been a traffic accident out the road so they had a rolling start that was neutralized. The speed they went out the road was far from neutral and by the end of stage one 60 riders had been dropped from the front group. The Sligo riders had a reasonable start. Desi Foley managed to be in the top twenty. Mick Devins also made the front group. Mooney lost contact on a downhill section and was about 2 minutes of the leaders with me and Bas loosing contact towards the top of the climb and finishing a further minute behind Mooneys group.

Stage 2 - 6k Time Trial. The night before had been filled with no sleep as I was completely wired with the previous nights stage. The time trail was 3.5miles with a bitch of a hill right at the beginning. The type of hill that has you in oxygen debt right from the start. Again Desi was the leading Sligo rider with a reasonable time and a top thirty finish. Next was Devins then myself, Daire and Basil

Stage 3 Saturday afternoon was a 55 mile road race with 3 categorised climbs. A quick shower after the time trail was followed by a hopeful hour in the bed. There was a category 3 climb after about ten miles and I just about managed to stay in the bunch. The rest of the day was sheer torture. Anyone who knows the roads around Ardara, Glenties, Nairn will know they are far from flat. Every climb felt like a categorized climb. I was swinging at the back of the bunch all day and I blew the head gasket after 35 miles at the top of the 2nd climb of the day. It’s a long way home when you are in no mans land and I slowly limped back to the finish losing about 12 minutes over the last 20 miles. Desi after riding very aggressively all day challenging for the king of the mountain jersey also blew on the last Category 2 climb and lost 10 minutes over the last 6 miles. Daire was the first of the Sligo lads across the finish line in the 2nd group about 20 secs off the stage winner with Micheal Devins and Basil in the next group a further minute behind.

Stage 4 -Sunday afternoon 55 miles with 3 categorised climbs and the one of the steepest and hardest climbs in the country the famous Glengesh pass. After a good night sleep I felt much better on Sunday morning. The first 30 miles was fast and furious with the relentless ups and downs trying to sap the legs before the big climb of the day. Foley attacked at the foot of the climb and went like a bullet and was first to the top of the accent and claiming the king of the mountains jersey. I decided as I was been dropped on every big climb trying to stay with the bunch and blowing up I would ride this one at threshold. At one stage it was so steep I am thinking that I might have to get off and walk but I managed to swing my way over the top. The main fact being the massive support on the mountain or was it the embarrassment of walking. I was actually shocked with the size of the crowds all over the course something we don’t regularly see on the cycling circuit. I was last of the Eire Og lads over the climb but all was not lost as I could see red jersey’s not to far ahead. Daire had a good climb scaling it with the second group. Micheal and Basil were a couple of minutes behind. What goes up must come down and the decent was very fast. I clocked a max speed of 49 mph not bad for a push bike and had caught the group that Basil was with by the bottom of the decent. The last 15 miles included one category 2 climb and I was a happy man to get over the last climb and back to Killybegs. Desi and a small group of riders stayed clear and Foley was beaten in the sprint finish claiming 4th spot in the stage and the king of the mountains jersey. Daire was next Sligo man home about 3 minutes behind Desi’s group, Micheal Devins was in the next group and further 3 minutes behind and my group was next about 2 minutes after Devins group.

Overall Daire was first of the Sligo lads home just pippin Devins on GC. Desi won the king of the mountains jersey.

What’s next on the agenda for Eire og. There are a number of races taking place in Connacht over the next couple of weeks.

Friday 11th of June - Ballinrobe – Handicapped (Perfect for beginners)

Connacht League – June 22nd, 29th, July 13th,27th and September 19th

Mullingar 2 day – 10th &11th of July – A4 race

Enniskillen 2 day – 24th and 25th of July – A4, ladies and club riders

Anyone who is riding with the fast or intermediate group on Thursdays nights are well capable of competing in the above events. The Connacht league races are handicapped events and you will be set of with similar standard groups. If you are interested in cycle racing you should try and target some of these events. If your interested plase contact Colm 0876811197

Eire og are going to enter a team in the Enniskillen 2 day event. Anyone interested in participating plase contact colm ASAP.

If you want to participate you will be better of taking out a club license for a tenner and a one day licenses on the day of the vent.

Metalman Swim Series Article 3

Here's the third article for the swim series from club Secretary Cecilia McGuinness. Cecilia is an accomplished swimmer, swim teacher and lifeguard having represented sligo many times at national level in competition. Cecilia is also the co-leader of the ladies division so well worth reading her great advice. She picks up from where Scott left off in the previous article.

In case there's any confusion the last swim series race is on Sat June 26th in the evening with exact time to be confirmed.

"So your swim leg is now underway and you need to know how to navigate successfully (taking the shortest route).

At this stage it’s hugely important to make your sighting/ pick your buoy/point of destination and stick with this. In Mullaghmore, it will be initially a buoy and then the ramp at the yacht club that will be your sighting. At Rosses Point, it’s the roof of the yacht club. Try not to follow others, stick with your own sightings as others can be very wrong and can steer you way off course!!


While you are swimming, it is very important to establish your swimming space. It can feel weird to have so many bodies swimming into and around you. Ladies, it can be especially intimidating to have to have so many large male bodies to navigate your way around! It can also be a strange experience when others swim closely to you and hit your legs, it can feel as though you are being pulled. It is very important not to panic at this stage, to breathe slowly and mentally be able to swim your way through it. The more practice you have swimming in the open sea water, the more confident you will feel about all of these factors.

If you are a weaker swimmer, just hang back, take your time and let the other swimmers plough on ahead of you. You will get there, just swim in a manner that suits your ability. The last thing you want to do is be put off by a bad experience.

It’s the initial entry that’s the hardest. Once you establish your space and start swimming you will be fine. Just work on your breathing, initially it may be every 2 strokes but as you relax into your swim, you will be able to establish a rhythm and breathe on every 3 to 4 strokes. Again, it’s up to you to establish what breathing style you are most comfortable with.

PACING
Try to stay focussed and not be put off by people swimming ahead of you. Remember to reserve you energy for the bike and run ahead if you’re participating in a triathlon event. Establish your own tempo and try not to expend too much energy in the initial stages of the swim. Swimming in a wet suit is tiring in itself so be careful to pace yourself correctly and to be oblivious of others where possible.

BUOYS
Please remember to swim fully around the buoy, don’t take any shortcuts as this may disqualify you from an event. You don’t want all of your hard swimming to be in vain!!!! Be sure to find out the direction of how to swim around the buoy before the event. Usually there will a kayak etc that will oversee the buoy and will assist but don’t always rely on this. Also, other competitors will help to steer you around the buoy in the correct direction. Awareness and common sense again should prevail and see you through in the correct manner.

LEAVING THE WATER
It is crucial that you swim as far as you can into the shore. Do not make the mistake of standing up too early and wading your way through the water. This is an exhausting experience and is very annoying as others will pass you that continue to swim! You easily make it quicker to shore whilst continuing to swim in as far as is possible.

MAKING YOUR WAY TO THE TRANSITION
Momentum, onlookers and adrenaline will help you to make your way to the transition area. Try to run as fast as possible. This isn’t always easy if you are tired after an exhausting swim especially if the conditions have been rough and unfavourable. It is of utmost importance that you start to undo your wetsuit en route to the transition area. This is where the tri-suit is invaluable as all you have to worry about putting on your footwear and helmet and making your way out of the transition area. Try to cope without the socks, you won’t really need them. Hydrate and get some sustenance into you whilst on the bike.

Enjoy the cycle ahead…… "
Cecilia McGuinness

Metalman Swim Series League Tables - Week 2

We're two weeks in with two remaining, remember it's your best 3 from 4 swims.

Time Handicapped Division

Posn Name Points
1 Eamon McAndrew 196
2 Roy Kelly 189
3 Ray McMorrow 182
4 Noel Keavney 178
5 Keiran Cunningham 175
6 Matt McGarrigle 172
7 Stuart McKenna 172
8 Tommy Sheridan 171
9 Brian Sexton 170
10 Fintan Ewing 169
11 Pat Bishop 169
12 Stephen Carty 167
13 Wayne Mc Nulty 166
14 Joe Waters 165
15 Liam Fitzgerald 165
16 Alan Shaw 164
17 Kevin O'Donnell 163
18 Alan Waters 162
19 Patrick Stewart 161
20 Neil Dwyer 158
21 Padraig Hanly 155
22 Sandra Deery 155
23 Ceclia McGuinness 154
24 Sean Flannery 153
25 Melua Donaghue 152
26 Una Mannion 151
27 Jason McMorrow 144
28 Martha VDM 144
29 Catherine McGlinchey 132
30 Mary Eglington 130
31 Maureen Laffey 129
32 Ronan Brennan 100
33 Jana Dresse 99
34 David Downes 96
35 John Elliot 95
36 Gavin Patton 94
37 Paul Burns 92
38 Tom Ford 91
39 Conal Sexton 90
40 John Heneghan 90
41 Kate Hawney 89
42 Darren Duncan 82
43 Deirdre Healy 81
44 Jenny Murray 81
45 Scott Reid 74
46 Lynsey Dunne 73
47 Aisling Gaughran 70
48 Niall Melvin 70
49 Brian Gill 69
50 Brian O'Hara 66
51 Aidan Carty 60

Outright Division

Posn Name Points
1 Stuart McKenna 199
2 Matt McGarrigle 197
3 Shane O'Doherty 195
4 Jason McMorrow 193
5 Liam Fitzgerald 188
6 Kevin O'Donnell 187
7 Melua Donaghue 187
8 Alan Shaw 184
9 Ceclia McGuinness 183
10 Fintan Ewing 177
11 Wayne Mc Nulty 175
12 Brian Sexton 174
13 Martha VDM 173
14 Padraig Hanly 170
15 Neil Dwyer 168
16 Tommy Sheridan 166
17 Una Mannion 165
18 Sean Flannery 160
19 Eamon McAndrew 158
20 Patrick Stewart 155
21 Pat Bishop 151
22 Sandra Deery 147
23 Noel Keavney 145
24 Joe Waters 143
25 Keiran Cunningham 141
26 Stephen Carty 140
27 Ray McMorrow 135
28 Catherine McGlinchey 134
29 Alan Waters 132
30 Roy Kelly 132
31 Mary Eglington 122
32 Maureen Laffey 122
33 Scott Reid 100
34 Deirdre Healy 96
35 Niall Melvin 90
36 Daren Duncan 83
37 David Downes 83
38 Jennifer Murray 82
39 Conal Sexton 81
40 Brian Gill 79
41 John Elliot 79
42 Gavin Patton 78
43 Brian O'Hara 77
44 Jana Dresse 76
45 Lynsey Dunne 74
46 Ronan Brennan 69
47 John Heneghan 64
48 Paul Burns 64
49 Kate Hawney 63
50 Tom Ford 63
51 Aisling Gaughran 62
52 Aidan Carty 59


Ladies Division

Posn Name Points
1 Ceclia McGuinness 38
2 Martha VDM 38
3 Una Mannion 35
4 Sandra Deery 31
5 Catherine McGlinchey 28
6 Mary Eglington 23
7 Maureen Laffey 23
8 Deirdre Healy 20
9 Jenny Murray 17
10 Jana Dresse 16
11 Lynsey Dunne 15
12 Aisling Gaughran 13
13 Kate Hawney 13

Metalman Swim Series Wk 2 Results

The 2nd round of the Metalman Swim Series, sponsored by Harry's Bar Rosses Point, took place on Sunday 6th June at Rosses Point Sligo in glorious sunshine once again. We had a great turn out of swimmers and loads of marshalling support. Swimmers and marshals are pictured to the right.

Thanks to everyone who helped out from the tri club, kayak club, civil defence lifeboat and lifeguards.

The course was 750m with the McMorrow brothers lining up the marker buoys inch perfectly, conditions were somewhat choppy with a moderate on shore wind making it a good challenge in particular for our newer swimmers.

The race went very well with a new finishing set up to accomodate the increased number of competitors. All competitors completed the course with some completing their first 750m race.

Congratulations to Ronan Brennan who took first place on the day in the Time Handicap and to Stuart McKenna who took the honours in the outright division and Deirdre Healy who took top spot in the ladies division.

Special mention to Aidan "Scoop" Carty for perservering and not giving up to complete the course with an intense winters training paying off, aided by some encouraging words from Ronan McNamara on paddle board duty.

Next race is this coming Sunday 13th June with race day sign on from 10:30 - 11am, the race will get underway at 11:30.

Would be great to see the same high level of marshal support from non competing club members again. Anyone taking part is asked to bring someone along to help out with marshalling.


Time Handicapped Division

Posn Name Handicapped Time Points
1 Ronan Brennan 00:17:42 100
2 Jana Dresse 00:19:46 99
3 Eamon McAndrew 00:19:59 98
4 Ray McMorrow 00:20:06 97
5 Roy Kelly 00:20:09 96
6 Wayne Mc Nulty 00:20:16 95
7 Stuart McKenna 00:20:17 94
8 Alan Waters 00:20:18 93
9 Matt McGarrigle 00:20:19 92
10 Tom Ford 00:20:23 91
11 John Heneghan 00:20:36 90
12 K Cunningham 00:20:37 89
13 Brian Sexton 00:20:41 88
14 Kevin O'Donnell 00:20:42 87
15 Liam Fitzgerald 00:20:43 86
16 CMcGuinness 00:20:45 85
17 Tommy Sheridan 00:20:50 84
18 Padraig Hanly 00:21:01 83
19 Darren Duncan 00:21:05 82
20 Deirdre Healy 00:21:06 81
21 Alan Shaw 00:21:10 80
22 Noel Keavney 00:21:10 79
23 Patrick Stewart 00:21:13 78
24 Melua Donaghue 00:21:16 77
25 Stephen Carty 00:21:24 76
26 Fintan Ewing 00:21:35 75
27 Una Mannion 00:21:37 74
28 Sean Flannery 00:21:38 73
29 Pat Bishop 00:21:39 72
30 Neil Dwyer 00:21:40 71
31 Aisling Gaughran 00:21:54 70
32 Brian Gill 00:21:55 69
33 Jason McMorrow 00:22:00 68
34 Sandra Deery 00:22:11 67
35 Brian O'Hara 00:22:13 66
36 Joe Waters 00:22:26 65
37 C McGlinchey 00:22:30 64
38 Martha VDM 00:22:33 63
39 Maureen Laffey 00:23:10 62
40 Mary Eglington 00:26:09 61
41 Aidan Carty 00:30:35 60

Outright Division

Posn Outright Time Name Points
1 00:11:17 Stuart McKenna 100
2 00:11:19 Matt McGarrigle 99
3 00:12:10 Shane O'Doherty 98
4 00:13:00 Jason McMorrow 97
5 00:13:06 Deirdre Healy 96
6 00:13:12 K O'Donnell 95
7 00:13:13 L Fitzgerald 94
8 00:13:15 C McGuinness 93
9 00:13:16 Melua Donaghue 92
10 00:13:40 Alan Shaw 91
11 00:13:46 Wayne Mc Nulty 90
12 00:14:05 Fintan Ewing 89
13 00:14:10 Neil Dwyer 88
14 00:14:11 Brian Sexton 87
15 00:14:20 Tommy Sheridan 86
16 00:14:29 Eamon McAndrew 85
17 00:14:31 Padraig Hanly 84
18 00:14:35 Darren Duncan 83
19 00:15:03 Martha VDM 82
20 00:15:07 Una Mannion 81
21 00:15:08 Sean Flannery 80
22 00:15:25 Brian Gill 79
23 00:15:43 Patrick Stewart 78
24 00:15:43 Brian O'Hara 77
25 00:15:46 Jana Dresse 76
26 00:16:09 Pat Bishop 75
27 00:16:10 Noel Keavney 74
28 00:16:37 K Cunningham 73
29 00:16:41 Sandra Deery 72
30 00:16:56 Joe Waters 71
31 00:17:24 Stephen Carty 70
32 00:17:42 Ronan Brennan 69
33 00:18:06 Ray McMorrow 68
34 00:18:09 Roy Kelly 67
35 00:18:18 Alan Waters 66
36 00:18:30 C McGlinchey 65
37 00:19:36 John Heneghan 64
38 00:20:23 Tom Ford 63
39 00:21:54 AGaughran 62
40 00:23:10 Maureen Laffey 61
41 00:26:09 Mary Eglington 60
42 00:30:35 Aidan Carty 59


Ladies Outright Division

Posn Time Name Points
1 0:13:06 Deirdre Healy 20
2 0:13:15 C McGuinness 19
3 0:15:03 Martha VDM 18
4 0:15:07 Una Mannion 17
5 0:15:46 Jana Dresse 16
6 0:16:41 Sandra Deery 15
7 0:18:30 C McGlinchey 14
8 0:21:54 Aisling Gaughran 13
9 0:23:10 Maureen Laffey 12
10 0:26:09 Mary Eglington 11

Swim and Run training for Mullaghmore

For anyone competing in the Mullaghmore triathlon a group is meeting next Friday (11th June) at Mullaghmeore beach for a swim and run session following the course route; meet at 6:15 and start at 6:30 -the club Rosses Point swim continues as usual on that date.

Article on Post Race Recovery

We've recevied a great article on Post Race Recovery from club member and vice chairman Neil Walton.

Neil is without doubt Sligo's prominent Triathlete and has represented Ireland at Junior and Senior level in Triathlon and won senior state divisions while living in Australia.

Neil is also a lifeguard and swim coach and has coached under Olympic standard coaches.

Voya are friends and sponsors of the club and triathlon in the county since it was set up in the nineties and have an offer of 20% off for members of the club. Neil is the managing director of Voya www.voya.ie
Vouchers will be available at club meet ups.


"Triathlon post race recovery falls between cycling and running. While some people prefer to use miles logged in the race as the measuring stick, I prefer to use my race time as an indicator.

Recovery time does depend on many factors. A starting point to estimate your recovery time is:

Bicycle Races: 1 to 3 days per hour of racing
Triathlon Races: 3 to 5 days per hour of racing
Running Races: 4 to 6 days per hour of racing

In the list above, I am referring to full recovery or the next time you can do a difficult or key workout without that workout being compromised in any way by fatigue. You might feel good enough to do a moderate workout in half the time listed above, but you won’t be ready to do a hard session or another race.

How fast an athlete recovers from an event depends on several factors before, during and after the race. These factors are “modifiers” and are relative to each sport and the individual athlete. I have used the below table of modifiers in the past to help direct triathletes recovery when I was coaching.

Ranking Value of Factors Affecting Post-Race Recovery.
The More Number 3 Rankings, The Slower The Recovery Rate.

Ranking Value	1	2	3
Before the Race
Age	<>	40-60	60
Level of conditioning	High	Medium	Low
Nutritional status	Great	Average	Poor
Taper and rest	Great	Average	Poor
Athletic experience in the sport	>10 years	5-10 years	<5>
Life stress (family/job/personal/travel)	Low	Medium	High
The Race
Sport	Cycling	Triathlon	Running
Distance of the event (also related to athlete ability)	Short	Medium	Long
Racing intensity (relative to that particular race distance)	Using it as a training day	Medium intensity	All-out, highest average speed
Nutritional practice (fueling/hydration)	Great	Average	Poor
Course	Easy	Moderate	Difficult
Weather conditions (temperature/humidity)	Perfect	Okay	Bad
After the Race
Nutritional practice (fueling/hydration)	Great	Average	Poor
Life stress (family/job/personal/travel)	Low	Medium	High
Type of workouts done in the days following the event (intensity/duration)	Easy/Short	Moderate	Fast and/or Long

To use an extreme example, an athlete completing a two-hour triathlon, with all factors in the number 1 column will likely recover in about six days. If that same athlete has all factors in the number 3 column, full recovery from the race may take as much as 10 days – assuming no injury or illness. Add illness or injury and recovery time is extended.

When heading into the next race, if you make a good effort to control some of the factors listed on the chart, you can expect a faster recovery.

I personally try and have at least one seaweed bath a week, and if can fit in a full or half body massage to the legs, especially after a race. Remember recovery is part of training, try and avoid the highs after comps, and remember to look after yourself post.

If anybody has any training related questions please feel free to e-mail me at neil.watlon@voyaseaweedbaths.com

Look forward to seeing you all at Mullaghmore Triathlon, make sure you also rest up for the event, get your rest / sleep and give the event your best shot. – Cheers Neil."
Neil Walton.

Metalman Swim Series - Article 2: Race Preparation and Swim Start

Thanks to club member Scot Reid who's written this article which covers race day preparation and some tips for the start of the swim leg. Scot is the winner of last year's Metalman Swim Series pictured on his way to victory last year. Scot is a qualified lifeguard and swim teacher so his advice is well worth reading.

Next Swim Series race is this Sunday, sign on is from 10:30am in Rosses Point Car Park. Everyone needs to sign on before 11am after which the safety briefing will take place. Distance for Sunday is 750m again. Competitors need to bring a marshal as we were almost stuck last time.

"Race Day Preparation

It is your first race and the day is looming nearer, nerves are heightened and the butterflies in your stomach have just built a nest and are in for the long haul... The great news is that this feeling NEVER goes away. It’s one of the reasons we race. It focuses the senses and helps your body prepare for the exertion ahead. Combine these feelings with good race preparation and you are sure to have a great event, be it your first or your fiftieth. Here we will cover general race day prep and preparing yourself for the Mass Swim Start.

No. 1 - Have a list made in advance of all the equipment, support and dietary requirements you will need on race day. Have all this gear packed and ticked off a few days in advance of the race incase there is something missing or broken which you have to replace. This will help relax you, knowing you are ready.

No. 2 - Try and register the night before the event if possible. This frees up time on race day so that you are not rushed.

No. 3 - Get to the competitors area early and set up your bike and running gear for a smooth transition (this will be covered in later articles).

No. 4 - Ensure you are at the race briefing. There may be important changes and instructions for the race. The real buzz and excitement starts here.

We will assume at this point that you have gone through your cycle and run prep and are now ready for the swim and the start of the race.

No. 5 - The Swim - When getting into your wetsuit ensure your ankles and wrists are fitted properly. You dont want water pooling in your forearms or calves during the swim. This will increase drag. Most importantly, ensure you secure your neck velcro properly so you do not get chaffed during the swim. There is nothing worse than starting your race off badly and going through the rest of it with a stinging neck.

Take note of the following things before the race starts.

1. Weather conditions including wind speed, strength and direction. Is it gusty or steady? The direction and strength of the wind will determine your breathing pattern for the swim (you want to breath away from the wind and chop).

NOTE: If you cannot breath on both sides, teach yourself to do so. Contrary to popular belief, everybody can LEARN to breath both sides, it takes a bit of practice to get into the habit and stop it feeling ‘weird’. Two weeks of forcing yourself to breath every three strokes and you should crack it.

Familiarize yourself with the course layout. Which direction are you swimming in? Do you swim to the right or left of the buoys? Is it a loop, a square, a triangular or a rectangular course?

Picture the course in your head and mentally swim it, thinking of all the turns, how many there are and also the possible obstacles during the swim, like collisions with swimmers. It cannot not be stressed enough how important it is to be mentally prepared before a race.

Take note of how large the start crowd is and the start pattern. Is it a mass start or a staggered start? Is it a water start or a run start? Where is the first buoy? What distance is the first buoy from the start?

Depending on your ability and confidence you will want to start in different locations.

1. Excellent swimmers will be pushing to the front and sprinting to the first buoy.

2. Some good and excellent swimmers will push to the front and edges of the pack to give themselves clear water and a good sighting of the buoy.

3. The bulk of swimmers in a triathlon would be classified as Good Swimmers and are confident in the water but may not have the initial push to get themselves clear at the start. That is why in general the start of a ‘mass start’ swim can be mayhem.

Make no mistake, all swimmers in a triathlon will at some time be:

Kicked, scratched, pulled, punched, swum over, climbed over, half drowned, have their hat and goggles forcibly removed or swallow copious amounts of water. You will probably be battered by your best friend and club mate. But don’t take it seriously, they probably don’t even know they are doing it.

If you are aware that these things may happen, you can take steps in preventing them, like:

Moving off to the side to get clear water (this is not always an option though),

Wearing two hats.. Put on the first hat, then put on your goggles, then put on the second hat. This will prevent your goggles disappearing if you get kicked in the face.

Swimming the first 50m with your head up (water polo style). This allows you to see any potential collisions and more importantly lets you look for patches of clear water to swim in.

Tucking in close behind a swimmer already into their stroke pace or who has clear water in front of them. Staying in the bubbles directly behind someone not only gives you some protection from other.

Head down to the start line early and get into the water and do a few minutes of swimming. If possible, swim to the first buoy slowly and get yourself accustomed to the water and the first marker buoy. This will prepare your body for the exercise ahead and help you relax mentally before the start and you can check the sighting from the first buoy to subsequent ones.

As you approach the start line, try and relax and remember where you want to be at the gun. Hang back and let all the swimmers take their positions (there is no point in jostling around for 20 minutes). Moments before the start gun, quickly jump to your favored location, this will limit the time that others have to push you out of your intended start position. The best locations for a ‘mass start’ are: at the front (if you have the confidence), at the sides or at the back (if you choose to hang back and let the mayhem proceed ahead of you).

More often than not (unless you are at the front) you will not have to do much sighting to the first buoy. Just following the mass of people in front of you, with an occasional glance, will get you to the first buoy. Try and get into your swim stride as soon as possible.

If, after all your preparation, you still find yourself stuck in the middle of a free-for-all, remember to relax. At most the mayhem will last around 15 seconds. Keep your head up and look for free water. If your goggles have been knocked off, do not stop and put them on, you will just be hit by a swimmer behind you. Continue to swim until you have space. Change to breaststroke if you need time to compose yourself. Steady yourself, take three deep breaths, replace your goggles and go for it. Don’t let other swimmers put you off your race. Chances are they are getting battered as much as you are. Just smile and enjoy the race.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS, BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF THOSE AROUND YOU AND YOU WILL HAVE ALL THE SPACE YOU NEED......... (just kidding).

At first this is a lot of information to assimilate, but as you get more swims and tri races under your belt this process will become automatic and you will process all the required information without any hassle."