Not all races go to plan…

On a high from my second 2:06 finish in as many Olympic distance triathlons I headed to Rutland Water in Leicestershire for the Dambuster triathlon which doubled as the final International Triathlon Union qualifier (aka world champs), full of confidence. I knew that I would face stiff competition as this was a competition with far more at stake. The world champs are to be held in Mexico at the beginning of September and I was hoping to compete well and do enough to finish in an automatic qualification position (top 3 in age group).

The Dambuster was held on a Saturday so after a short change after work, team mate John Griffin and I hit the road to our Airbnb a few miles away from the start in Oakham. In the week leading up to the event I had had numerous punctures in both my road bike and commuter bike tyres, mainly I believe because of the debris deposited on the road by the increased rainfall. Nevertheless I had used my tyre levers many times and in my haste to beat the Friday evening rush hour I forgot to pack them for the event. This error played on my mind constantly as I lay awake hearing the rain hammer down in the hours before the race, and I had a horrible feeling I’d puncture on the course and be stranded for hours.

As we got ready to leave I located a small teaspoon which I thought would be good enough to lever the tyres off in a puncture situation and joined John in removing the wheels from the bikes to get them in the car for the drive to the start. All the time we were stuck in the traffic entering the parking area my heart was pounding and my mind racing. I normally feel calm and prepared for a race but this was a new frantic feel, as I over analysed everything that could go wrong. As time ticked by we parked and reassembled the bikes. I had made a plan to tape my pump and the spoon to inside of my tri-bars and hope they stayed attached during the ride.

A shouty marshal cleared the transition area far too early leaving me little time to secure my kit as I’d have liked or lubricate my neck correctly to prevent wetsuit chafing. This was becoming a nightmare. As I struggled into my wetsuit at the race brief I completely missed the swim instructions. The only bit I seemed to catch related to the application of penalties, and it seemed everything you could be done for they were picking people up on – including littering which was an instant DQ!

A quick swim acclimatisation to realise my Blackwitch fix on my wetsuit hole hadn’t worked and to remind me that I had forgotten to lubricate my neck, and we were ready for the off. I remember feeling very cold as we waited for the start, as cold as the Cotswolds Olympic distance race and I hadn’t done well then either. The horn went and the first wave charged into the water. Instantly I felt the repetitive rubbing on my neck every time I turned to breathe. This was going to be an uncomfortable swim. As I tried to push through the pain in my neck I realised I had little idea of where I was going and I felt incredibly disorientated – most likely started by the whack I took to the head early on.

After a diabolical swim by my standards I was out and Oh My God my feet were numb. Running up the ramp hurt, I wanted to throw in the towel knowing how much time I had given away to the leaders. Out on to the bike and I fumbled with getting my feet into my bike shoes. A few bumps later and I realised my pump/spoon securing strategy was not going to hold. In a snap decision I removed the spoon and shoved it in my trisuit (a decision which would come back to haunt me), and found an elastic band to hold the pump in place. I did not want to be out of the race for something as trivial as dropping an item.

The bike course was cold, windy and hilly. I found my legs just never warmed up and I struggled around the 42km course. Many of the down sections were accompanied by strong cross winds which caught my front wheel causing me to back off through fear of coming off. I closed a few others down towards the end of the course but the cold had taken its toll, I felt wiped out. Up to the dismount point and as I touched my left foot down I realised just how cold my feet still were. My foot pretty much gave way under me and I fell bike and all towards the barrier. I don’t remember much more about the incident other than a woman gasping as fell over, clearly she thought it far more dramatic than I remember it being.

Knee cut, but now completely woken up by the shock of the incident I passed through T2 in a breeze. Only slowed by the continual pain of the cold from my feet, I was driven on by my favourite saying to overcome pain ‘it’ll be over quicker the faster you go’.

The run was an uneventful out and back along the dam where my feet began to thaw with the constant pavement pounding. The spoon had now made its way downwards and only my number belt prevented it from falling further. As I came back along the dam I managed to readjust the spoon and prevent it digging in, but one pain was replaced by another – my big toe on my right foot was rubbing the next toe along and the blister had broken. I passed a few athletes hoping they were in my age group, and knowing automatic qualification had gone I concentrated on making my time as fast as possible to minimise my percentage time (used to allocate roll down places), all the time with the pain in my foot getting more intense.

I crossed the line more grateful to have finished than any other event I had done this year. I had done my best but so many small errors and unfortunate circumstances had left me wanting. I had come 13th in my age group and 38th overall, in 2:13, not up to my high standards.

A small amount of frantic post-race analysis gave me an outside hope of qualification through a roll down spot. Numerous competitors in my age group had chosen not to race to qualify and this bumped me up a few rankings. As it stands I am 8th in the roll down positions, with only 6 roll down spots available. Fingers crossed 2 people pull out.

Looking back on the event I can only take positives and lessons which will make me a better athlete. As always I will focus on what could have been, but I know that my triathlon journey is not a short one and there will be plenty more opportunities.

Overall 2:13:13

Swim 21.48

Bike 1.11.33

Run 37.34