Age Group Celebration Cup Aquathlon, 26 Sep 2021

My last race of the season was the Age Group Celebration Cup, where I competed in the aquathlon, consisting of a 1000m swim and 5k run. As it was my last before returning to uni, I decided to make the most of it and backpacked all the way from Devon. In total I caught three buses, a train, and a taxi to get there, and then camped overnight, which was very exciting. It was also great being so close to the race start as it meant I didn’t have to wake up super early the next day. 

The swim was a wetsuit swim and consisted of a shorter lap, followed by a longer lap of the lake. As there were not a large number of competitors, the men and women went off together and like the start of any open water swimming race, it was chaotic. Upon starting, I was immediately being pushed on both sides by competitors and found it really tough swimming up to the first buoy. Eventually it settled down and I was able to swim in my own space. After that, I quickly made my way up the field and was about 6th or 7th after the first lap. I then maintained that position during the second lap and into transition. 

It was quite a long run into transition, but as I was chasing a lady, who had exited the water just ahead of me, I didn’t really notice. I had a very speedy transition and managed to pass that lady, who was in fact in second place, as I headed onto the four-lap run course.

I pushed quite hard from the start, knowing I wanted to catch the lead woman. I was feeling good and by the second lap I had passed her! Now I had to hold on. I knew someone was close behind as it was announced by the commentator. Then, on the third lap my legs started to hurt, and I couldn’t keep up the pace. It was my slowest lap, and I was passed. I finished in second place, but I had given my best effort, so I was content. 

On reflection, I have had a good racing season, making lots of progress and feeling generally stronger. I am now ready to relax a bit before starting winter training. I also look forward to the 2022 race season, where hopefully I can build on my progress with the help of Catenary Coaching.

Fiona German