Sligo Triathlon Club

Well done to all who competed, and thanks to all who helped out -keep an eye on the forum (left of this post) for lost and found gear.

Results are up on the website. Full report to follow; if anyone has photos post a link on the forum or mail them to pro@sligotriathlon.ie, so everyone can get a look.

2010 Men:
1. Neil Walton 1:09:55
2. Marc O'Duffy 1:11:19
3. Reidy Johnston 1:12:12

2010 Women:
1. Trudy Brown 1:17:35
2. Lynn Algar 1:19:17
3. Caoimhe NiMhuruchu 1:23:51

2010 Local Men:
1. Neil Walton 1:09:55
2. Gary Higgins 1:15:22
3. Eamonn McAndrew 1:15:22

2010 Local Women:
1. Caoimhe NiMhuruchu 1:23:51
2. Martha VanDerMulen 1:25:46
3. Ruth Kilcawley 1:29:22

The build up is well underway to the big swim accross the bay, there's a website dedicated to it with lots of useful info relating to the course and tips and other advice.

Club members not taking part are encouraged to come along to support the swimmers and come along to the post swim bbq in the Dunes.

Good luck to all swimmers in their preparations, there's been a lot of members doing an "over and back" 3km swim in Rosses Point recently with this swim in mind

http://www.wix.com/warriorofthesea/warrior-of-the-sea

Club Member Mary Kehoe is heading to volunteer in Ghana in September to help build a school for the locals.

She is holding a table quiz tomorrow night Thurs 29th July in the Harp Bar starting at 8:30pm in aid of this.
Its €10 per person wiith a max of 4 per table.

A raffle will also be held on the night wiith prizes including 3 months membership for Avena Leisure Centre in Ballisodare, dinner for 2 in the Crozon, voucher for Life hair & Beauty, Oasis Hair design etc.

It's a great cause and for one of our own so please support!

Thanks to Ronan McNamara for putting together two articles on the build up to this weekends race (posted on the race homepage), good luck with the last few days training.

Thanks to Damien McSharry (right, pic. courtesy of PhotoSligo) for this report on Sunday's Humbert Challenge half Ironman event held in Swinford; he managed a top ten finish on his first attempt at the distance. The club was well represented in the event, with Colm Casey posting a top twenty finish and one of the relay teams taking third spot in that category. The event is very well run and one to aim for next year if you are feeling ambitious -results are available here.

Everyone loves a Challenge!?

‘What am I doing here’ is all that ran through my head as I looked out over the swim section of the ‘Swinford Humbert Challenge’. I don’t really like swimming but you can’t do a triathlon without getting wet! I signed up for this ‘Challenge’ back in April allowing plenty of time to prepare mentally and physically. My last, and only, half-ironman was back in ’91, and I still remember the pain. But as someone once said "Pain is temporary, Pride is forever!" Anyway down to the race…
The lake swim was perfect; calm water and well marked. It was always going to be the ‘easiest’ part of the day so I just relaxed and let the dolphins belt ahead. Took me 39 minutes, but who’s counting!
After my usual slow transition it was time to play catch up (a benefit of poor swimming in that you spend the rest of the event chasing after and catching people). The cycle was a good course but a tough ‘Ladies Bray’ type climb after 20 miles saw it live up to the challenge title. I passed some people walking their bikes on it, but I’m told that Humbert never cycled up it either! After this point it was a lonely cycle to the finish as the field was well spread out. The cycle took me 2:42.
The run section was also a challenge. After drinking 1.5 litres of Hi 5 on the bike my first challenge was finding a pit stop. After about 1km there was a tough hill in the way (it’s supposed to be scenic but who ever notices during a race), and from there on the course was undulating. At some point pain kicks in but you just play a mental game, take it 1km at a time, or try to pick people off. The last 5km was very tough especially the last km which was uphill and longer than 1km! The run took me 1:32.
Overall this event was very well organized and ran, with plenty of fuel stops on the run section; and praise goes to the Swinford club for a good event. It would be worth considering as a club event/challenge for next year. There are no results up yet so I don’t know how the Sligo club relay teams did but mention must go to Colm Casey who, despite his recent bike fall, completed the race and finished well up the field.
I finish with a favourite quote and one that may motivate you for the next race/challenge:

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer or deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat (Theodore Roosevelt).
http://www.redtagtiming.com/results/Humbert_Challenge_Results2010.xls

Are YOU a WARRIOR OF THE SEA?

The challenge is set in stone. A Sligo Triathlon Club Training event to test your muscle.

Complete a 5.6 km Open Water Marathon through channels, over beaches, rocks and waves.

This is not for the feint hearted with as much mental resolve required as fitness. This has never been done before so the swimmers will be making history in Sligo swimming.

If you have what it takes, email Scot Reid at reidscot@gmail.com to enter.
If you'd like to help out in the organisation (you don't need to be able to provide a boat there's lots of other jobs) please contact Scot.
You must register and pay the fee before the event. There will under no circumstances be entries accepted on the day so get in early before the event fills.

Saturday 7th August 2010

Swim Starts 09:30am Sharp (late comers don't even bother you will not be allowed into the water!)

Compulsary Briefing and check in at car park beside yacht club at 8:30am on the morning of the event. You must have registered in advance.

Info:

You must be a current member of Triathlon Ireland and present your photo ID on the day of the race.
NO ID NO RACE NO EXCEPTIONS
You must be a member of Sligo Triathlon Club to Enter (Non members €35 entry & includes associate membership of Sligo Triathlon).

You must be at least 18 years of age on the day of the race.
Wearing of wetsuits is compulsary.

You must be a very competent swimmer and be able to prove it in a qualifying swim.

Briefing and check in at 08:30am sharp, compulsary.

Those who complete the race will be honoured with a 'Warrior of the Sea" medal.

Times will be taken at the landing point of Strandhill Beach.

Entry fee is €25 for club members, €35 non club members

Drinks & Snacks included during prize giving at Strandhill.

Five club members took part in the annual Rossnowlagh 5km sea swim on Saturday 24th July.
Conditions were perfect for swimming with virtually no wind and the smallest of swells giving flat, fast conditions. Unfortuately there were huge numbers of jelly fish along the way with everyone doing their best to avoid them but no one escaped banging into a few during the swim. The very good visibility (up to 20ft) made them easier to spot and avoid.

Scot Reid was first swimmer home followed by Shane O'Doherty in second. Matt McGarrigle, Rory O'Connor and Molua Donaghue followed closely behind, with the Sligo Tri Club swimmers all putting in an impressive showing in the field of approximately 40 swimmers.

The event was very well organised and raised funds to buy equipment for the Donegal Life Saving team. Everyone that took part enjoyed the race especially those who did this distance for the first time as the more experienced swimmers and locals were enthusiastic and helpful. Would be recommended for anyone interested in a longer swim next summer. The bundoran bay swim which is slightly shorter will be running in August details of which will be posted on the blog once available.

The course ran from Creevy's pier and passed a number of headlands in deep water and was a different experience to typical triathlon swimming. Finding your rhythm early was vital and perserverence important to help swim through the mindway slump that typically happens.

The race was perfect training and preparation for the Warrior of the Sea Swim from Rosses Point to Strandhill taking place in August.

Congradulations to Steven and Edel on the birth of their son.

The Official club hoodies have finally arrived. Feedback has been good with everybody happy with the finished product. There are recommended washing instructions so take a look to save yourself any grief!!

Sizes will be available on a first come first served basis so dont delay in gettin your kit!!

All members can pick up their club hoody at Fridays swim session.

The purchase cost was heavily subsidised by our main club sponsors VOYA and GARYS CYCLES and thanks goes to them.

The cost for members is 10euro if you didnt avail of the Trisuit offer earlier in the year.

Thanks to Ronan Brennan for this report from last Saturdays Muckno Triathlon;

"Last Saturday July 17th saw the second staging of the Muckno Mania Triathlon in Castleblayney Co. Monaghan, hosted by the newly formed
Muckno Tri Club. It's a sprint distance event and attracted over 250 competitors from all over the country. It's a two hour spin from Sligo.
The event is staged around the beautiful Lough Muckno . The swim was a 750 m circuit in the lake. Quite a change from the visibility levels of swimming at Rosses Point, but I had got in a few times in the weeks before so was accustomed to the conditions.Weather conditions were nice on the day, some sun but a nice wind blew up on the bike course.
Bizarrely there was only one wave for the swim but I managed to avoid much of the scrum early on so exited the water with all my teeth and limbs in order. The run to T1 was150 mtrs up a steep hill to the Hope Castle to collect the bike. Bike route was a circuit of the lake (18km exactly) with a nice flat start . There were a couple of nice hills at the 10km mark ,but very scenic views of the lake spurred us on. The wind proved to be a real menace however. The run then was a 5km circuit of the forest. A lovely trail with only one hill to climb ( the last 200metres),taking us through the forest and around the lake. The winner came in in 52:55( holy cow), results can be found on chipit.ie. I was delighted with my time of 1:11:01.
So overall an excellent race , really well organised ( 2 waves next year?) generally and loads of lovely food afterwards.There is festival on in the town for the weekend so there was a great buzz around."

Thanks to Cecilia for this race report from last weekends Galway triathlon (for anyone wanting a tough course it is the race for you). In fairness to the Galway club events conspired against them on the day to turn the swim into a serious challenge and the route will change next year (see explanation & forum discussion). It is definitely a testing event –some of the more experienced competitors described it as the toughest Olympic distance event in the country. Most of us were the guts of an hour in the water where shifting bouys, choppy water and changing tides gave the event the feeling of a US Navy SEAL exercise; as opposed to a recreational swim. Mention has to go to Neil Dwyer who picked this as his introduction to the Olympic distance and managed to finish well up in the field…

"Nothing could quite prepare the intrepid Sligo Triathletes who made the journey into the depths of Conemara last weekend for this year’s Carna Triathlon. The rain held off for the event and the conditions were very favourable, the swim conditions were not however! The distance for the Olympic distance swim is 1,500m but last Saturday it was closer to 2,200m with many competitors feeling like they were swimming in circles!!! The song title by Talking Heads springs to mind ‘we’re on the road to nowhere’ in relation to the swim on Saturday. The buoys were very difficult to sight and according to the Galway Tri club report the reason for the lengthy swim was due to the fact that the buoys were not anchored properly so as swimmers were swimming out to them, they kept moving with the current. I think the poor organisation of this swim highlights how well our club swim series was organised (well done Shane).

The cycle route was quite hilly and very exposed as the wind was very difficult to negotiate! The run again was also up and down many a lonesome Conemara hill but the scenery was undoubtedly spectacular and proved to be an added distraction.

All in all despite the arduous course, club members performed well. A special mention must go to both Caoimhe Ni Mhurchu and Brian Sexton who each came third in their age categories. Colm Casey had a very strong swim and cycle and was set to finish well but unfortunately he had to retire early in his run due to injury. Well done to Sean Flannery who won a cycle pump in the spot prizes. I’m sure he will put it to good use and there is no doubt about it that you can never have enough pumps!

Well done to everyone who made the journey and endured the event and lived to tell the tale! A memorable event for all the wrong reasons!"

Results are available on the Redtag website.

A chara

At the last meeting it was proposed to host a 2 series Aquathlon training event in Rosses Point. The proposal was to host the training race on a Friday evening at around 7pm. The first one being on the 7th and if that is well attended to organise a further one for the following week. These events will consist of a 750 swim followed by a 5km run. We are looking for a couple of volunteers who might be interest in dipping their toes in a bit of event management. All we will need is a couple of paddle board marshals and a timekeeper and we can complete the run on the beech. Nothing to serious just a internal club training session. These will be ideal for club members who are aiming for events such as Lough Key, Lough Rea or Blacksod in September.

So if your a newbie or an oldie who has not got involved before please give a helping hand. Forward you details to either myself (Colm) or Cecilia. Come on dont be shy !!!!!!!

Thanks

Colm

The race which had to be called off at the weekend due to adverse weather conditions has been rescheduled. The race will take place at 8am on Sat 24th July. Swimmers will meet at the lifeguard station beside the hotel at 7:30am and make their way to the pier from there.

It's a great lead in event for anyone considering doing the proposed sligo bay swim

We are meeting at Calry Church for the timetrial/ Hill Climb on Tuesday (20th) . There is a decent spin out to the climb so please be on time. Registration is closing at 6.30pm. Please remember you have to complete a minimum of one hill climb to score maxcimum points. Marshals and timekeepers are required. If you participated in the last hill climb and have not marshaled to date please volunteer.

Thanks

Colm

The swim has unfortunately been postponed due to expected adverse marine conditions.
Will post rescheduled date and time once available.

The bike route and run route (see maps) to this years Rosses Point triathlo

n have been changed -full race details can be found at the race homepage.

The current Chain Driven Cycles bike time trial league (as of race 6 -thanks to Colm for keeping tabs) table can be downloaded here...

Finally -congradulations to all the medal winners in the club at last weekends Ballina Salmon Leap triathlon...

Sean Flannery 3^rd in 25 – 29 age group

Jason Mc Morrow 3^rd in 35 – 39 age group

Damien McSharry 3^rd in 40 – 44 age group

Neil Walton 1^st in 35 – 39 age group.

Hey just a reminder of one of the important safety points we've covered before about swimming at Rosses Point. There are dangerous currrents due to the channel to the left of the swimming pool as you look at it from the car park.

It's sign posted and a known hazard so be careful around this area particularly during big tides. There's no need to swim to the pool unless you're very familiar with it, just as good to swing a left at the middle of the first beach, just go further down the beach to make the difference in distance. Don't ever swim alone and let someone at home know your plans.

If you ever get stuck in a rip/current don't fight it and swim against it, swim at right angles to the direction of flow and you'll quickly be out of it. If you need assistance the international signal for help is a straight raised arm with a closed fist, not waving.
Safe swimming

Tonights 28k time trials were cancelled due to a monsoon in Rosses Point.

Most people crazy enough to turn up for it took the opportunity to join the weekly

swim session in the ocean. The next time trial is set for Moragh hill next Tuesday 20th

July.

Round Seven 27k (2 laps)- Wednesday the 14th of July @ 7pm - Meet -6.15pm

We had a smaller turnout for round six and with the good wind conditions fast times were set and some crucial points were collected with the absence of the big guns. Round seven promises to be a cracker with Micheal Devins away maximum points are again up for grabs in the senior male section. Rumor has it that Alex Cary (Eire Og), Neill Walton, Paul Keohe (Innisfree Wheelers) and Colm Casey will make a return to action to try and challenge Sean Flanery for top spot.

In the intermediate section Tommy Shiredan looked unstoppable but Declan Byrne has him within his sights. If Paul Burns makes a return he could challnge for top honours. With the immanent arrival of a new baby Stephen Carty better get a few more tests done or we might miss him for the rest of the summer.

An interesting battle is brewing in the rookies section with Neill Dwyer on top being closely followed by MSC tri Ciaran Clancy and Ronan Brennan. Cecilia looks like she has the ladies section wrapped up. She must of scared the competition away as there has being a poor showing from our lady members.

With four time trials left all is to play for in the league. Just to remind anyone who is not participating in the league the door is open if you want to get in some race pace efforts before Sligo triathlon at the end of the month and the time trials ideal for some race pace training.

Male seniors - Six Prizes

1 st Micheal Devins 60
2nd Brian Sexton 51
3rd Alex 'juan' Carey 46
4th Sean Flanery 44
5th Colm Casey 38
6th Jason Mc Morrow 37

Male intermediate - 4 Prizes

1st Tommy Shierdan 65
2nd Declan Byrne 50
3rd Paul Burns 43
4th Stephen Carty 43

Rookies and Novices - 3 Prizes

1st Neill Dwyer 59
2nd Ciaran Clancy 54
3rd Ronan Brennan 51

Females - 2 Prizes

1st Cecilia Mc Guniness 69
2nd Kate Hawney 24
3rd Mairin Laffey 17

Well done to all who took part in yesterdays Ballina triathlon under what could be described as horrendous conditions; the spectators endured as much of a test of endurance as the athletes to stay watching in an hour long deluge. The Sligo contingent was made up of Stephen Carty, Czarke Kelly, Jason McMorrow, Neil Walton, Sandra Deery, Pauric Deery, Brian Sexton, Ronan McNamara, Sean Flannery, Damien McSharry and Saoirse O'Donoghue (apologies if I missed anyone -mail any corrections/ additions to pro@sligotriathlon.ie). The swim leg involved tasting the accumulated dirt of several dry weeks as it flowed into the river, adding an additional test of intestinal fortitude to the race. Flash flooding and poor visibility made the bike course difficult while the run took place over an out and back woodland trail, with the race finishing with a lap of Ballina athletic track. Don't be put off competing in the event by this description; yesterdays conditions were exceptional and the event is very well run and makes great preperation for the Rosses Point race.

Neil Walton took fourth place, just over a minute behind the winner Mark Horan from the Pulse club while Jason McMorrow produced the fastest run of the day by a serious margin to take 13th place. Saoirse O'Donoghue finished well up in the ladies section, in what was her first triathlon, followed closley by Sandra Deery. Sean Flannery, Brian Sexton, Ronan McNamara and Damien McSharry also finished towards the front of the pack while Stephen Carty, Czarke Kelly and Pauric Deery finished strongly in what were very testing conditions.

This years event took more than a little effort to stick out the testing conditions to the credit of all who finished. Overall the race was well worth doing, it can be difficult to secure a place as it sells out faster than an AC/DC gig, but hopefully there will be an even bigger Sligo contingent next year. Full details are available on the Ballina club website. Thanks to Mick Walton for capturing the rain soaked action on camera, photos to be posted shortly...

The local sprint tri is fast approaching...

We have now got a firm 320 entries with a possible further 15. the final final closing date for late entries is today! -we'll only be accepting transfers upto the 16th July and then no further changes.

Everyone needs to have a licence and must bring photo ID with them if they are using the one day licence system as advised by TI. TI will issue us with a list for our race of one day Licences so we can double check. It is one licence per relay team.

Check the race homepage for updated run and bike routes which will be posted shortly...

ATTENTION CLUB MEMBERS: It is important to bring one (or more) marshalls to help out on the day -hopefully ye will all have friends/ family members out cheering ye on during the race; now would be a good time to persuade them to pitch in as marshalls. Usually a local race is marshalled by club members who alternate between marshalling and racing each year -the club is slightly unusual (and fortunate) to have a large number of new members who will (almost) all be participating so the assistance of outside help is needed to make sure the event goes smoothly, so start buying the pints/ bribes needed to get someone to give a dig out.

Good luck with the final training, and to anyone racing tomorrow in Ballina.

The Donegal Surf Lifesaving/Donegal Water safety club are organizing a sponsored swim from Creevy Pier to Rossnowlagh beach to raise a bit of cash for buying equipment. It’s meant to be about 5km but is more like a 4km swim.

It was raised at a club meeting at the weekend that there are a number of people not involved in the club including a few from Mullaghmore Tri club interested in doing the swim. It was decided that any one interested would be allowed to do it if they collected a bit of sponsorship or just throw a min €20 onto the sponsorship card.

It might be of interest to anyone who was considering doing the Rosses point to Strandhill swim. This won’t be as hard a swim as your swimming with the tide towards the beach. It’s currently planned to have the swim on Sunday morning the 18th July at 8am. This will be subject to sea conditions.

Contact Details can be found on the Donegal Surf Lifesaving Facebook page.

Thanks to Catriona Fallon for this report on last weekends action in Athlone; she managed to place 62nd in her category after a strong run to finish -more info is on the race website, the Elite race should be available to watch on the net shortly...

"I completed my first sprint triathlon in my home town of Athlone last weekend. Registration took place on friday evening and the crowds were pretty impressive. It was a very well organised event with entrants divided into their appropriate age and gender categories. It began as a wet and blustery day but the swim up and down river was comfortable enough. I held back at the take off so I had no issue with people invading my space along the swim which others found very off putting and so if you are new to triathlons, holding back for those few seconds at the beginning is well worth it!

Meanwhile what should have been an easy enough cycle ended up being a bit of a nightmare as I struggled against the strong wind on an open road. I lost alot of time here but c'est la vie. The run was pretty tough as we had to circuit the same town route two and a half times. People were getting very confused along the way as with such a big event no pre race briefing took place. But my family and neighbours were along the way to spur me on. It actually ended up being a five and a half km run with alot of unneccesary twists and turns along the way. As there were so many waves you had no idea how you were doing against others and you were never competing in isolation which was something. My time is not worth printing however, I did beat Kathryn Thomas so while she may have been the hottest female entrant she wasn't the fastest!! There's hope for me yet!

I'm not sure if I would recommend this event to beginners as the crowds may be overwhelming for some however, on the other hand being an unknown entity competing against all sorts of capabilities might be just what you need as there is no pressure. A good event if you are interested in making a weekend of it as the elites are worth watching."

There's a massive swell hitting the coast along with high winds.
Red flag in place at Rosses Point today meaning it's not safe to swim, water moving all over the place.

One of our volunteers from the swim series, Sinead Carrigy, is doing some fundraising
for the Niall Mellon Township Trust charity to build houses in South Africa for impoverished families.
There is a draw on Fri night in the Glasshouse for this, top prize €1000.
Wanted to mention this in thanks for her help at our event. Some details below:

http://www.mycharity.ie/event/sinead_carrigys_event/

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=138831096133485

Round Six Time Trial Results - Fast Times and PB All the hard work is begining to pay off with some PB's over the shorter distance posted by quite a few on last Thursday night.

Results
1st- Sean Flannery 20:29
2nd- Ronan Mc Namara 20.41
3rd- Brian Sexton 20.44
4th- Eamon Mc Andrew 20.51
5th- Damien Mc Sharry 20:52
6th- Stephen Mullane 20:54
7th- Jason Mc Morrow 21:19
8th- Tommy Sheirdan 21:46
9th- John Walsh 21:55
10th- Enda Scanlon 22:02
11th- Stephen Carty 22:03
12th- Brian Gill 22:36
13th- Neill Dwyer 23:15
14th- Alan Waters 23:53
15th- Czarke Kelly 23:54
16th- Ronan Breannan 24.33
17th- Cecillia Mc Guiness 25:15
18th- Matthew Mc Garrigle 25:24

Next round is on Wednesday 14th and not Thurday the 15th. This is to accomadate the club members who are traveling to Carna for the Olympic on the following Saturday. The distance is 26k and is an ideal warm up for the Carna Traithlon

Thanks to Stewart McKenna for this top notch insight into what Ironman is all about -it makes for interesting reading to anyone curious about this ultra-endurance aspect of the sport (apologies for not flagging the two new club records earlier; impressive stuff):

Ironman Nice 2010

It all started as a joke Scott made after the Sligo Triathlon last year – my first ever race.

I never really believed I would do an Ironman but a year later; there I was at the starting line for Ironman Nice, commonly thought to be the hardest Ironman course in the world.

Training:

9 months of training, starting from 8 hours a week, working up to 20 during the final few months. I used http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/ironman-workouts/ as a guide and I would recommend it to anyone approaching their first Ironman. I didn’t stick to it religiously but as a rough plan it was fine. Generally – 3 swims a week (which I did in sports complex Mon/Wed/Fri mornings before work) 3 runs a week (which built up to a Warrior’s run, a half marathon, and a 10km mostly done in the mornings before work) and 3-4 cycles (done in the evenings and a long ride on the weekend).

Training gets much easier and more fun as the longer days and warmer weather of the spring approach but there will certainly be many cold, dark, wet, windy mornings when it takes a lot of dedication to force yourself to go outside at 7am to train. But it’s absolutely worth it; every day was better after getting outside, although it may have been difficult at the time, the rest of the day was great, I felt awake, I felt I had already accomplished something and the day had only begun. Psychologically the difference exercising makes is vast. Everything gets easier when you have your body in order. I was sleeping better, eating better, losing weight and generally feeling much healthier. This is why Ironman is so addictive; it’s the natural high you get from the exercise.

It’s not cheap though. I estimate that since signing up for the Ironman I have spent nearly 10 thousand Euro – including the entry fee, flights, accommodation, new bike, and all the other races I’ve signed up for in the build up for Nice. This is fine for me as I’m not married nor do I have any kids, but it’s something to be aware of.

Race Day:

Nice itself is a gorgeous city with loads of cafes, restaurants, art galleries and a popular beach, all of which are ample to keep family members and yourself busy for the few days either side of the race. Accommodation was pricey but if you look around enough you’ll find something affordable.

Swim:

Nothing can prepare you for the start of the Ironman in Nice. It’s an emotional place. There are 3000 competitors gathered onto a stony beach with thousands more spectators watching as the sun is rising over a sea - like glass, as helicopters fly around and people nervously discuss the swim route, picking out lines and clambering to be front of the queue.

The gun fires and you pile in the water on top of everyone else and people behind pile on top of you. The first 50 metres don’t feel like you’re swimming at all as you’re just being pushed forward by the crowds. In Ireland these mass starts always dissipate within a few minutes but in Nice, it never stops. For the sake of my sanity – and my face, as Niall discovered, I swam to the far outside of the group, taking a very wide berth around the first few buoys. This may have added a lot of distance to my swim but I would make the same decision if I were to do it again. The swim is 2 loops, one 2.4Km long which brings you back to the beach for a very short run and followed by a shorter 1.4Km loop in the other direction. The water conditions are perfect, temperature is a lovely 17 degrees, very flat and with great visibility.

The swim then leads to T1 where you pick your bag from the rack and with the help of a steward change in separate male/female tents. Then run approx 400m through the bike park and head out onto the roads of the Cote d’Azur.

Cycle:

Everyone who has done Ironman Nice will tell you repeatedly about how difficult the climbs in the cycle are and how they have been the breaking of many a good triathlete – but they really aren’t that bad. The climb is about 2km in altitude most of it within a 40Km section near the beginning of the race. It’s true that we don’t have climbs like this in Ireland, but because the road quality is so perfect, I found it much easier than say – the ‘Wicklow 200’ or even our own ‘An Post 150Km’. The views are spectacular, there are aid stops every 20Km with every manner of food/drink you could need. Each of the small towns you cycle through is prettier than the last and the spectators will shout for you as loud as they can if you simply say “Bon Jour tout le monde”. This made it so much fun, as did the descents. These roads are cycled in the Tour de France and in great condition, they are closed to traffic for the day, so on the descents you can really go for it. Imagine James Bond driving the winding mountain coast roads in his sports-car at high speeds, this is better! It’s as exhilarating as anything I’ve done (including skydiving and bungee-jumping) and was definitely the highlight of the race for me. The long decent also gives the legs a chance to rest before moving onto the run.

Run:

Last year the temperature was 38degrees, apparently we got lucky with 31degrees this year – but you wouldn’t have known it. It was hot, really really hot. From the start of the run I was tired. My family and friends were in the crowd to support me throughout the course and that’s what got me through. The run is a soul destroying 4 laps of the seafront promenade. It’s completely flat with water/food station every 2km and showers you can run through to cool down, but there’s nothing easy about grinding out the miles in the scorching heat. It was exhausting both physically and psychologically. I distracted myself by thinking about how much effort I had put into getting this far, both on the day and over the last few months, I thought about how I had brought my family all this way and couldn’t disappoint on the final stage and I thought about how good it would feel to cross the finish line. I had also developed a few private competitions with random other competitors who I had passed, and been passed by, during the race, damn Alexandro he got me in the end! The atmosphere was electric throughout and the support from the masses never waned. The 3^rd lap was the hardest for me, but once I got onto the last 10km my pace picked up knowing that the end was so close.

The finish:

After 11hrs 15mins I sprinted up the ramp to the sound of raucous cheering, I’ve never been so happy and so relieved in all my life. It was easily the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and easily the most rewarding. The sense of achievement is massive. I am an Ironman. Those words ring in your head for a while as you lie on the floor!

After the race some people were getting medical attention, IV lines and the like. I just got a massage and went for a few drinks with “my support team”. It was a really great finale to a tough, sometimes gruelling, but always rewarding year of training.

My final splits were 1.01 / 5.49 / 4.15 leaving me around 400^th overall, about 50^th in my division and 2^nd of the Irish competitors. All of these things are added bonuses but the real glory was in finishing at all.

I would recommend Nice as an Ironman race due to the exemplary organisation, great road quality and lovely swimming conditions, but I don’t think it’s a great idea to start your Ironman career with the most difficult one there is, and the heat is just not something we Paddys are built for! I certainly won’t be doing Nice again anytime soon.

The future:

I had previously said I would only ever do one Ironman, and then be done with it. But the lifestyle (and it is a lifestyle) is completely addictive. I prefer my life since starting training and I can’t see any reason to quit just yet. It is a huge commitment, and I wouldn’t dream of playing it down in any way – but I think it just forces you to organise your time better. You can still train, have a job and a career and an active social life, it just takes organisation. It means you have to cut out all the “in between time”. No sitting around watching TV. Every moment has to count. I think it’s an incredibly fulfilling way to be and I’m enjoying every single day.

I’ve already signed up for Ironman Frankfurt for next summer – a much easier race.

Maybe I’ll see some of you there

Congradulations to both Stewart and Niall who both finished last weekends Niece Ironman. Stewart record a time of 11:15:29 for his first attemp at the distance! (1:01:40 swim/ 5:49:04 bike/ 4:15:58 run) with Niall (pictured) coming home in an equally impressive time of 12:24:07 (1:12:09 swim/ 6:02:32 bike/ 4:57:05 run). Fair play to both for completing probably the most ultra endurance distance there is.

Thanks to Mark Capilitan for this report on last Saturdays Fermanagh Lakeland Triathlon, where he finished tenth out of a competitive field of racers.

"Good event for a first run event - would recommend it for next year if it's on. 1 hour up the road (when we eventually found the place!). Good swim, a bit shot due to winds moving the bouys around and a strong wind pushing us along, but decent lake water, nice temperature. Great bike course, an out an back, but with a killer hill coming out of transition, similar to about half the Glen hill out in Strandhill! Turn around could have been better, but they're never great anyway. Run was great, a 3 lap off road nice run. Decent transition area. Around 120 entrants, so not massive and well suited to newbies."

Mark has posted a brief video of the event on his website.

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