NZ National Triathlon Race 3

Today we got up at 5am and got ready for me to enter my first National Triathlon. I had entered into the Tri My Sport section which is run first. It has a 350m swim, 15 km bike and 4 km run.

I must admit to being daunted by the sea swim. Even though I can swim well enough and can swim double that distance in a pool there is some thing scary about doing it in the sea.

At 7.30 our race started. We all put on our very attractive swimming caps and struggled into wetsuits and at the horn raced off for the start of the swim leg. By half way I was totalled exhausted. I had swollowed more than enough sea water - yes I have seen that email going round with the big sperm whale....... There was another lady who was not a very good swimmer too so we stayed together. I was 2nd last out of the water and run up the beach to get on my bike.........running while trying to wriggle out of a wet sticky wet suit is an art I have yet to master but at least I didnt fall on my face. haha

I managed to get my suit off and pull on my shorts and top. I didnt bother with socks and just rammed my feet into my shoes and was off. The TV crew were filming in the transition area and it felt rather odd to be half way through dressing to look up and find a camera 12 inchs from your face haha

The cycle leg is my favorite and I made up some time in that passing 6 people.

Here is me on the second leg of the run section. I was really worried about this as I am a walker not a runner. I really didnt think my knee would hold out for the whole 4 km but I surprised my self by running 90% of the race, a huge effort on my half.

My finishing time was 1 hour 16min. My final results were 15th in the Tri My Sport Womens section. In total there were 20 women and 14 guys so with 34 in the seriers its a good turn out. I am thrilled with my progress and now have a goal to train towards. I intend to do this again next year and better my time plus enter the chch race too.

Marlborough Womens Triathlon

Sunday 3 Dec 2006. Its the event I have been training for. I entered the very first event when I was 14 years old so I was keen to enter the 25th annual event.

We turned up at 7.30 am and it was a picture perfect blenheim day. Even the pool felt warm.......hmmmm silly me to even think that one .

498 women entered on the day - 159 were walkers. I had entered in the Walkers as I am still to heavy to run. The event was a 5.5km walk/run, 13 km bike ride and 100m swim.

All shapes and sizes enter this event. Its a fantastic starter for any fitness and it feels awesome just to finish.



The race started at 10am with runners on one side of the track and walkers on the other. After a count down we were off. To my surprize the runners were holding me up and with in 100m there were no walkers any where near me. I was out in front and off like a rocket.

The walk took me 38.47 mins


I jumped on my bike and headed off for the 13 km ride up redwood street, down wither road and up taylors pass road. I have a computer on my bike that tells me my speed etc. While coming down whither road I got up to 60km....lucky no police were around with radar or I could have got a ticket ...hehehe....
I finished the bike leg in 28.26 min

I raced my bike to the rack, tore my helmet off and then ran off to the pool.

Thinking to myself, yay only 2 lengths and its all over, a nice swim... easy as. What I forgot was that the surface of the pool may have been warm earlier in the day but after 200 women have stirred up the water it would be freezing. I jumped into the pool and wow, it was like being punched in the chest. I couldnt breathe or move. It was soooo cold it literally took my breath away. So instead of swimming freestyle, I flicked over and did back stroke just so I could breathe. At last it was over. I had finished the whole race in 1 hour 10 min. A fantastic effort.

Sadly there was a major muck up with the times as I was also entered into a business team, my time didnt come over to the individual walkers. I had a feeling that I had done really well but they didnt call my name for the top three places I was rather mystified. I rang the next day and there were all ready on to it.

It turns out that I won the walkers section. How cool is that. I win the trophy and they are bringing it over to me this week.

My next event is in two weeks at Rabbit Island. Tri my sport - 350 mt swim, 15km bike and 3.5 km run. There is no walk optioin in this one so I will try to run and walk most of it.