World Standard Distance Triathlon Championships, 19 Oct 2024
I sometimes think everyone who gets to the race location in one piece with their bike intact deserves a medal. Taking three trains across London with the biggest bike box I've ever seen (the extra-large triathlon one) would not have been possible on my own so I'm incredibly grateful that my parents were there for me. Thankfully we all made it in one piece, and my bike even turned up as it should!
On race morning I arrived extra early to rack my bike (delayed from the day before due to high winds) and set up the transition area. The bikes completely filled the beach side carpark, roughly the size of two tennis courts so I noted my spot next to a funny-looking palm tree. The water temperature was 19 degrees - amusingly very similar to temperatures in a UK summer - so I took the opportunity to have a swim warm up as the sun rose. After a long-ish wait in my now soaking wetsuit, my wave was called to the start line on the beach. Assuming the current would carry us to the right, I put myself on the far left edge to get the best line to the first buoy. It was disconcerting not to swim with the main pack who all veered off right, so I was glad when a few more joined our little group after the first turn. Despite nerves over seasickness, the rougher water in the rest of the swim didn't pose too much of a problem, except that it felt like hard work and I have a sneaking suspicion that the buoys might have been pushed out by the wind and waves to lengthen our course.
Transition 1 involved running over a bridge to cross the run course, then despite very cold toes I successfully manouvered my bike through some tight corners out of transition and got going with a flying mount. The bike course included some twisty streets and long dual carriageway stretches (with speed bumps!) and a dead turn after a very fast downhill. Normally bike courses are relatively flat but this one had ~350m of elevation which I'd say counts as "gently rolling", though when going as fast as possible each incline felt like a mountain. All age group competitors pretty much ended up on the course together, so I had to put in some big pushes to make a double (or sometimes triple) overtake to avoid falling foul of the no-drafting rule. One bottle and two gels later, it was time for another flying dismount and onto the run.
Beautiful sunshine took the temperature up to around 28 degrees and I was wishing for some British drizzle before too long. Truthfully, I'd probably pushed myself too hard to hit my targets on the bike and the ambitious be-brave kind of targets set for the run were never in reach. It was an incredible feeling to be cheered on so joyfully by so many people I care about but at times I just wanted to disappear and not let them see how much I was struggling. Thankfully, I kept my face vaguely neutral despite the feeling in my legs warranting a more dramatic grimace. My heart rate got higher and I got slower every single kilometer and it was a relief to cross the finish line.
In the end I came 21st out of 54 which is something I am proud of after all - despite a run that didn't go my way and an underwhelming cycle, I'm proud of this result, especially since it's only my 4th standard distance race. Immediately after getting back to the UK, I caught a cold and tweaked my back and the spectre of the stress fracture is always in the back of my mind, so this end of season break has come not a moment too soon. Would you believe it - spending a lot of time curled up on the sofa is rather enjoyable.
Lizzie Fox