Strathclyde Standard Triathlon 2009 - Race Report

While we were standing on the sidelines in a windswept gazebo on Sunday selling soggy Tri gear, Alan was in the thick of it battling against the elements. Here is his race report........

Strathclyde Standard 2009
After my usual pre- race preparation of a sleepless night and a nervous stomach, I got up to see that unfortunately the weather forecast had been correct and that Gareth’s advice to just wear my wetsuit on the bike didn’t seem so extreme after all.
The atmosphere at registration was up-beat and well organised as usual by Glasgow Tri Club and it was nice to have proper changing facilities and lockers.
THE RACE
This was probably the best open water swim that I have done. Having avoided the “washing machine” by hanging back at the start I managed to settle into my rhythm pretty quickly. Colin and Genevieve’s advice about gliding more really seemed to work and I couldn’t believe it when I managed to overtake a few swimmers on the second lap. I came out of the water in under 30min feeling less drained and more relaxed than I had expected. T1 was much improved on last week’s disaster at Loch Ore and could have been quicker if I had been able to find the zip for my wetsuit.
The bike ride was pretty tough; a wee hill on one side of the loch and an ever strengthening headwind on the other side. The rain was also pouring down, making the already bumpy surface a bit slippy and creating a sloshing effect in my shoes. I pushed hard on the bike, knowing that I was unlikely to make up any ground on the run section. Managed to pass one or two and then got into a bit of a cat and mouse game as we repeatedly exchanged places over the last two laps.
T2 was also an improved on last week. I opted to not put socks on resulting in a saving of about 30 seconds and 3 blisters but I think it was worth it. The run was 4.75KM out and back which you then repeated; it was a bit disheartening to run towards the finish line only to have to turn around and head back out on lap 2. With 1KM to go I could feel my energy levels starting to drop, but one last effort got me over the finish with a time of 2.28.48.
Big thanks to Colin and Genevieve for their enthusiastic support and for looking after my umbrella. This was a great event despite the weather and Strathclyde Loch is more pleasant than people suggest. Hopefully more ATHelite Members will take part next year.