TriAthy Olympic Race Report

By Dazguy (aka Darren)

In October 2011, while starting to train for my first Marathon, I tore cartilage in my knee and had to have knee surgery. Part of my recovery involved swimming and biking, and sure while I was doing that, I thought I might as well try out triathlon. I’ve always been into sports and the psyche of triathlon appealed to me, although I never realised just how crazy some triathletes are (You know who you are….. 10 howth hill repeats!!). With that, in January, I decided I would do two triathlons in 2012, TriAthy and the London Active Tri, both Olympic distance. Little did I realise just how quickly the time would pass , and so there I was still trying to figure out whether I’d wear socks or not, what to do with my number bib, whether my cheap Tri Bars were legally allowed (thanks John), where to put body glide, how hard to go on the swim etc etc, all with TriAthy the next day!!.

On the morning of TriAthy, I made sure I got there nice and early so I had loads of time to set up my transition area. Thanks to my new Piranha Tri top and shorts, (thanks Conor, Judy and Gra) a few fellow Piranha’s came over and said hello (Brendan, John and a few others), which was great and made the day less daunting. I had a few comments along the line of “so you’re dazguy, the guy who posts loads on the website”, which in fairness, is completely true. The guys around my transition spot were also very sound and answered the wide range of questions I had. Next thing I knew Jenson Button strolled in and racked up opposite me which I have to say was prity cool. His bike was AMAZING!! (Specialized McLaren).

At the swim entrance, Coach Tadhg came over to give some last words of advice which was much appreciated and then it was time. After SwimAthy I had a bit more confidence in my swim and pushed my way up to just behind the front line. I decided to try this “drafting” lark out and then realised the person I was going to draft off was Jenson!! In fairness to the guy he was quite funny and talked to everyone in the wave. The horn went and unsurprisingly that was the last time I saw him, so no drafting for me!

The swim was uneventful, I just tried to stay in a rhythm and go as straight as possible, which was not as easy as I first thought. I finished on 26.02 which was 50sec faster than the week before without overdoing it. My transition felt quick but I messed up getting my feet into my shoes after getting on the bike, which cost me time. I actually ended up on the path!

The bike was tough for the first 5km, my legs felt strange and my heart rate was skyhigh (over 170). I generally try ride at a 90 cadence but struggled to get to it initially until 10-15mins into the ride, when I finally got my heart rate down and settled in for the ride. Every time I saw a fellow Piranha member I shouted “Come on Piranha”. Not sure if that’s the done thing, but it felt right. Getting passed by the more advanced riders with their Aero helmets and bikes was another new experience, which sounded more like being passed by an Imperial Fighter from Star Wars than another bike. One of them passed me just before a sharp turn and ended up in the bush, which was kinda funny, but he quickly caught up and passed me. I played cat and mouse with a few riders of my own ability (mostly members of Pulse) during the ride and tried to keep my cadence up. During my ride my Garmin 910 turned off 3 times which was really annoying and I’ll be sending it back for one that actually works once I get a chance.

The second I got off the bike I was very wobbly and hobbled to the bike rack. Transition was initially fast but as I got to the exit I was reminded I still had my helmet on and had to run back and take it off. Really stupid!! In the first 2km of the run I got passed a few times and then settled into a 4:45 pace which is where I expected to be at. I found a runner at the same pace and tucked in behind him and just followed his feet. Every so often, a runner would pass by at a blisteringly fast pace and then disappear into the distance. Damn!, I hated those people, as it looked effortless (mental note, I need to do more running!). I had done all my training on the road, and I found the terrain very difficult which I felt definitely affected my pace. That said I was happy to get to the finish line with a 47:50.

With that I went straight to the river pontoon and soaked my feet for ten minutes in the cold water waiting for my mate to come in.
Placing % My Time Average
SWIM 113 20% 00:26:02 00:30:10
T1 71 13% 00:01:16 00:02:15
Cycle 252 45% 01:14:39 01:16:11
T2 228 40% 00:01:32 00:01:45
Run 196 35% 00:47:50 00:50:51
Total 197 35% 02:31:21 02:41:26

I later compared my results to the rest of the Olympic competitors to see where I was weakest, which was the main thing I wanted out of the day. My swim was in the top 20%, bike 45% and run 35%. There were some great races put in by Piranha’s including Brendan O’Brien in 21st and John Wallnutt in 47th. 

All in all, I was very happy with how the day went and had an amazing time. I loved the attitude everyone had, and enjoyed pushing my body as far as it could go. I’ve lots to work on but at least I’ve started and I know where to work.

Darren Guy (aka Dazguy)
Triathlete