Our Zone3 Local Hero for 2016 is Andrew Diplock, has updated us on his first middle distance triathlon.
Andrew in his Zone3 Vision 2016 wetsuit - Nice Tri ITU Standard Qualifier at Grafham Water
Following on from my last update, June was a relatively quiet month for me! I didn’t have any races apart from a stag weekend, which consisted of a Insane Terrain event. It was just as tough as a triathlon!
The 3 July did however see my inaugural middle distance triathlon, at Holkham Hall in Norfolk. The race was an Outlaw branded event, organised by One Step Beyond (OSB). I originally picked Outlaw Holkham as my first middle distance race because of its close proximity to Cambridge. Holkham Hall also offers a spectacular backdrop for the race and I was really looking forward to racing in such immaculate grounds.
The race start time was 6.30am, so we camped over in the grounds meaning we could roll out of our sleeping bags at 5.30am, with our bikes already racked in transition from the night before.
The race started with a 1.2 mile swim in the lake outside Holkham Hall. The swim wasn’t a conventional out and back course, as you had to swim around an island at halfway. Approaching the island, sighting was really difficult due to the sun’s glare. I ended up slowing down and swimming behind someone else as I couldn’t see a thing, in the hope that they knew where they were going! Luckily they did, and I made it back to T1 at the front of pack 2.
The bike leg was a 56 mile loop of the Norfolk countryside. I was expecting the course to be fast and flat, but it was actually quite undulating. The lovely scenery made up for the unexpected hills, and the marshalling was the best I’ve ever experienced. Nobody came past me on the bike apart from someone doing the relay, which made it quite solitary. I tried to go with him and hung on for a few miles, but then I let him go as I knew I had a long way to go. I arrived back into T2 with nobody in sight, I wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing! I found my racking point quickly and went on my way for the run.
The half marathon course was a 3 lap loop through the grounds. As I started the run out of T2 I felt really good, and immediately thought I would be going for a fast run split. However, I immediately regressed on these thoughts when I started running uphill! My legs felt tired and I was slowing down, fast. I could feel someone chasing me down and there was nothing I could do about it! As he came past, I managed to latch on to his shoulder and increased my speed to stay with him. I was really lucky that he came past me when he did, as it gave me the mental push that I needed to get myself back on track. After 1.5 laps I reclaimed my place from him and made a push for the finish. I gave it everything I had and was really suffering towards the end of the run. Racing a middle distance was a lot harder than I’d imagined. It has cemented the respect that I have for my friends who race middle and full distance races on a regular basis.
The race itself and organisation by OSB Events was excellent. You get a post-race massage and a meal when you finish - an added touch which I wasn’t expecting. Every part of my body was hurting and I really appreciated the massage. The food was also really good, and it was nice that competitors had somewhere to sit down to eat, offering each other post-race reflections, congratulations and consolations!
Well done Andrew on completing your first middle distance triathlon! We look forward to more updates.
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