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Big Woody
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Registration is 2-9pm on Friday. Might be nice to meet some fellow competitors before the race. What time are you thinking of going J ?
i am planning on arriving around lunchtime and setting up the campervan......i will then register early and will be at the briefing....
I will be in the dirty white transit van which has a pirate sticker in the back...come over and say hi..
hubby will come over to join me after work in time to get our fish and chips
apparently weather for Saturday is nice - although 21 may be a but too hot for my liking.
Hope to meet some of you there, not sure what time I'll be registering but will be at the briefing - nerves are starting to kick in now though
briefing is at 6
need to work out if i want fish and chips before the briefing or after....
that's a nice dilemma to have, I've got to worry how I'm going to wake up at 4.30 without waking the other half - she wont be happy, at least shes going to arrive to see the wheels come off on the run
I reckon I shall be there around 6 then. I'm staying in Brecon. How far away is that? Thanks Paul for the response by the way. sorry for so many questions but I'm not a local by any means.
I'll probably get there for the briefing, then register and rack after that.
I'm not local either, although my girlfriend lives in the area so I know the area to an extent.
I have no idea how far away Brecon is I've only been there a couple of times myself (sorry).
I'm probably going to register about 3 then rack up then head back at 6 for the briefing as I have a couple of errands to run late afternoon
brecon is quite a journey away Phil....
50 miles each way...could be busy at peak time...
Plus , the Heads of the Valley road is ballsed up with the roadworks.
Phil.
I live closer than that and I wouldnt consider staying at home for this.I like to sleep near to the start on a big day
Anyone got a space in a tent for a few hours
You can sleep in our awning
Really? That would be great.
Would offer my place but it is likely to be in the back of a van
Phil... my sons have slept out in it with a sleeping bag and a roll mat.... You are welcome if you want it and I can do tea or coffee for breakfast with bacon sarnies..
You are too kind Vince. Worst case I will sleep in the car. Look forward to meeting everybody
If its in the same place as last year? its about 20 miles in to the bike leg
This was a low key event....with only registered for the full....I knew it was going to be a long day.....I had fitness from all the ultra running this year but would that be nough for the swim and the bike on just 2 weeks of training.........
I tapered all this week and only thing I did was a 4 mile run Tuesday with the beginers group..
so i arrived as fresh as I could be on the friday and set up the van and awning....
was great to meet Philpmena Cnuk and discover he wasnt a weird axe murder which is handy when you are sharing your tent with a stranger of the internet
Had a good chat... and then it was race briefing which was breif and then I declined the free pasta and got my usual fish and chips which i had with bread and butter and a can of lager,...... off to bed ready for an early start
5 am alarm... no faffing... bacon sandwiches made and eaten ... milkshake drank.....pepsi max drank and it was a 6 mile drive to the dive centre......set up the bike and the bags... into the wetsuit and did the long walk down to the start... ready for the 6:30 kickoff.
beautiful place for a swim venue....old quarry.....More fun to zipwire over than swim though as it was a long 1km loop and we had to do 4 loops......
start was delayed while buoys were set up and must have been around 6:50 we were off.....
No biffing and beautiful clean water.....I found a lovely pair of feet and followed them.....they were swimming straight and as a pace I felt i could cope with....
worked really well for the first lap....into teh second lap and my gogles had a slight leak but I could cope,......Then for the first time ever i lost my swim cap.....I wasnt going to go looking for it so stuck to the feet.....the goggles were leaking more and my hair was getting in my face and mouth but I stuck to the feet......then i got cramp.( only seem to get this when wearing calf guards in the swim........I had to wiggle and bend my feet and i lost my place and the feet swam away....i then struggled and zigzagged to the end of lap 2....I was very miserable at this stage.....
but nothing to do but just keep going so just tried to slow down and relax and enjoy the settings and swim........it worked and apart from my head getting icecream head during the last lap I managed to get to the finish ladder......desperate for my 8th pee and stood on the bottom of the ladder and relaxed.........the guys must have thought I was feeling dizzy and scared of climbing the ladder but I had to finish before getting out
just lost the bike write up which is good as this second attempt will be shorter.....
There is a long walk out of the quarry up to T1.. my usual slow transistion and i was off
basically the bike is shorter than ironman distance but it is the hilliest route i have done.....a number of tough climbs and when its not hilly its undulating....the first lap I saw a few riders overtaking me and then a few from the half that I overtook who were struggling.......no marshalls but the arrows were all in place and i made it through the first lap.......but my knees were in agony
I had a lovely surprise when Duda drove past and shouted support.....I though it was a driver pulling up to have a go at me
back to HQ and had a minute off the bike to eat my chicken slice, drink my pepsi max and have a pee on the grass... encouragement from Duda again and I was pleased to think that I had a friend i could phone for help if i got a mechanical
second lap was tougher and would have been lonely if it wasnt for my own personal motorbike friend..he went past me and stopped a few miles down the road..I would shout hi to him as i went passed him sunning himself and then he would pass me again......broke up the lap playing where will i meet the motorbike again..
this happened all the way back and he also blocked off a little lane at a difficult junction so i could left turn without having to unclip
arrived at HQ and over the dimount line to hand over the bike and receive my run bag.( last one left )
hubby was sleeping in the van but heard my name being called and managed to jump out to receive my run instructions.....
quicker t2 and I was off on the run..........all the little woody and whittle woody competitors had all finished....I had a quick hug from TC who had completed 5 of the 6 laps.....
i was off running,... the first half a mile or so is flat and then you start climbing up a hill and then through a track in the woods to turnaround point...........again the run is shorter than ironman but there is a fair bit of climbing.....
a lovely course as there are places to run and places to walk......around the turnaround point a a lovely downhill back with some stunning views of the severn estuary.
not many people out but nice to say hello when we passed on this out and back route... back to the HQ and gave instructions for hubby to shop for milkshake, oranges and ready salted crisps...
Had an offer from Vince to run the second lap with me which was very welcome and the company really helped the second lap fly...
back to base for my milkshake and orange quarter and out again for my 3rd lap....a few competitors including TC who won it had finished but still a few more out....
slowing down slightly but was still running a lot of the loop..........back to base and out on my 4th lap.......I was earlier than planned and had arranged to have some support runners from 8 pm....as the instructions had said you could from 8 when it got dark....
on this lap I said goodbye to the last two competitors who were running back for their finish and by the time I reached the turnaround I realised i was the only runner out on course and I still had 2 and a half laps.......
still tried to keep upbeat and run where I could.....was heading back and was overjoyed to see Goon in pirate kit cheering me on......we ran back to HQ and my other support runner was there having checked with the organiser that they could run earlier we me ......the three of us were off for the last 2 laps....
this made such a difference.....we run for 3 different running clubs and compete againgst each other in our league races.......But they have both got into triathlon so understood the job.
so we ran the last 2 laps chatting constantly the sun went down and the torches went on... the chatting must have scared all the wild boar in the woods as they didnt make an appearance.......
it would have been so lonely out there for those last 2 laps and so I am ever grateful for them making it fun...
No idea yet on time but I believe it was just over 14 hours total...
an incredibly tough race and i think it was only my stubborn nature that got me through the swim and bike....
medal won and a hand crafted egg cup and butter dish for first lady.. ( HQ was at a craft centre)...
so tired and knackered I am so glad i did it as I have wanted to do it for years but couldnt fit it in.........and as the medal says the Last woody i think this is the end of one of the oldest running long distance triathlons in the UK..
I was the final finisher in the final race....
So my usual long report......( the shortened version)
well done seren, great write-up and sounds like it was a tough one.