Hervey Bay 100

I've not done this event before mainly because it always clashes with some other event late in the year. But I've heard good things about it. With Ironman Busselton cancelled, I was looking forward to another long course event before the year ends. The event sold out on the same day entries were opened, I got myself onto the waitlist and fortunately scored a slot. I was probably among the last few, as soon as I registered, the race organizer started sending out emails on race packet pick ups etc.

Hervey Bay is about 4+ hours drive from home, it's a nice spot and I've been there a couple of times for work. So I thought it would be good to bring the family along this time. The traffic was pretty good on Saturday and Sebastian didn't make a fuss at all (thanks to pre downloaded Netflix videos)! We had an early lunch break in Gympie and arrived in Hervey Bay just after midday, to be greeted by strong winds and the scorching sun! I was bracing myself for some tough racing conditions the next day. I met up with the South Bank tri clubbies at the race pack pick up while Li-Ann and Sebastian played at the beach. We had takeaway pizza and Japanese for dinner and soon it was time for bed.

Race morning, 4.30am alarm goes off but I was already awake for over 30 minutes before. Our accommodation was conveniently close, about 200m from transition. I racked my bike and then went back to the room for breakfast and final toilet visit. The swim was a point to point swim and I was in the second last wave at 6.47am. I still had plenty of time and sat at the beach for about 15 minutes before going in for a quick warm up swim. Even then, I probably did it a bit too early and was shivering in the wind while waiting for my wave start. 

Swim 2km (supposedly)

The event prides itself with a unique whale tail shaped swim course. However, due to high waves, the swim was shortened and it was shaped more like a trapezium. The wind was coming from the north so the first outbound swim was tough. But once we turned right, though it was still very choppy, I felt that there was a bit of current assistance. There were only about 30 or so people in my wave start, so it was difficult to draft or to sight, made even more challenging by the choppy waters. But I didn't waste too much time finding my bearings. Overtaking different coloured caps from the earlier starts always gives a bit of a confident boost. The swim back after the final turn didn't seem much easier as I felt as I was being pushed away instead of doing a diagonal swim back to the beach. I hit the lap button as soon as I got onto the beach, to give me an accurate reading of the distance and pace. Garmin recorded 27 minutes on the dot for 1,543m. Average pace of 1:45 which is pretty much an aerobic pace in the pool for me. Given that the pros were swimming just over 20 minutes, I'm pretty happy with how I swam comparatively. The first timing mat was another couple of hundred meters away and official results had me clocking 27:53 and 7th in age group at this stage.

Photo credit Nicci

Transition 1

I was disappointed to see that there weren't many bikes left on the rack and then I realised that most of those who were on the same rack as I were from earlier wave starts. I spent the extra couple of seconds wiping the sand off my feet and put the socks on. Only to realise that I haven't taken off my swimskin, not going to make that mistake again! Mounting the bike at the mount line was a bit scary as we were very close to the actual bike course. I looked back to make sure no cyclist was zooming towards me before I got on my bike. Time taken 1:14.

Bike 80km

Pretty straightforward bike course. Four laps out and back. I was expecting a fast and flat course. The winds were not as bad as the day before but it was still strong. The outbound journey had some deceptive inclines and there were a few roundabouts and plenty of corners that I had to get off my aerobars so that I could steer better. There were a few speed bumps at the start and concaved surfaces at the other end to look out for as well. My Garmin Edge 500 cycle computer went totally flat despite having fully charged it before. Probably time for a change as it is about 7 years old. So I relied on looking at my wrist every now and then to get some data feedback. It didn't help that it was on auto scroll! But I kept to a pretty consistent effort for each lap. It just over 17 minutes on the way out and just over 16 minutes on the way back. And that included a the infamous short steep climb on Gatakers Hill on the way back. I initially planned on just cycling in the big chainring but the climb came so suddenly that switched into the small chainring each time, praying that the chain doesn't drop! Interestingly there was one other cyclist from Redcliffe tri club who would always pass me on the return lap but I would overtake him again towards the end of the outbound lap. We never rode near to each other but this went on for all four laps. 

Photo credit https://www.dsaimages.com.au/

I finally got back to transition with a bike split of 2:14:50, averaging 35.5kph and 185 watts. Probably a bit conservative. Clocking closer to 36kph and shaving a couple of minutes off would be better. Distance was pretty spot on at 79.8km. Official results included transition time at 2:16:00 and I gained a spot to 6th in my age group.

Photo credit https://www.dsaimages.com.au/

Transition 2

After racking my bike and removing my helmet, for some reason I froze a bit. My helmet visor was broken before from getting knocked off my bike. So I took that extra care to place it gently on the tarmac and ensured that it wasn't in anyone's way. Then back into game mode, shoes on and grabbed everything else - sunglasses, race belt and run visor putting them on the go. Time taken 1:04

Run 18km

3 lap course on the foot paths, starting from transition in the middle. Mostly shaded and thankfully it had been overcast skies mostly throughout the day, except towards the final run lap or so where the sun started peeking out. But it was certainly warm and humid. I have been struggling a bit with my long runs lately, been breaking it into smaller distances as I haven't been able to execute them in one go. And it showed on race day. I started off at around 4:30 per km pace, which is usually what I do in training but couldn't sustain it and dropped it to just under the 5 minute mark. We were told to ensure that our cups made to the bin and there was one section in the middle of the first lap, I was so focused on looking out for the bin until I missed the intersection and almost ran back into the transition area, I even crossed that timing mat again! Quickly turn around and went back out on course, could have been disqualified if officials were being strict.

Photo credit https://www.dsaimages.com.au/

Seeing Li-Ann and Sebastian cheering from the playground did lift my spirits. And so were the cheers from the South Bank tri club tent and Greg and Cathy from my former Logan tri club at the run turnaround. But there is only so much my tired body could do. At one stage I dropped even further to 5:30 per km pace. I was surviving on the (warm) coke from each station. The final lap came and I found a bit of a second wind and started clawing back to the low 5 minutes pace.

Photo credit Nicci

Finally crossed the line a run split of 1:30:02, official split of 1:31:04 including transition. Garmin recorded 18.3km with an average pace of 4:55. Overall finish time was 4:14:58, falling short of my sub 4:10 target which I had plenty of time after the bike but it all came apart after that. Surprisingly, I gained another spot and placed 5th in my age group. Fourth place was a fair bit away and it was unlikely for me to beat even at my best.

While I am somewhat disappointed with the results, especially since I felt I under performed at Sunshine Coast 70.3 two months ago and was eager to redeem myself, I truly enjoyed the experience. The race organizers put on a good show and it's hard to believe that this is an event organized by the local tri club. The family enjoyed the trip and if the race calendar permits, would definitely have another go at this race again!

Sunshine Coast 70.3 2020

Just like racing, it seemed like it's been a while since I've posted a race report. I can't reiterate enough how fortunate and privileged we are to be racing. Massive kudos and appreciation to everyone involved - race organizers, local council, health authorities, sanctioning bodies and volunteers to getting this event up and running whilst still keeping us safe. 

I came into this race with big expectations given the solid training I had leading up to it. Depending on the conditions, I was aiming for a PB, the time to beat was 4:36:38 also in the same event in 2018. The weather forecast was 50/50 with strong wind and showers meant to clear on race day. Following advice from the surf lifesavers, the swim course was revised to a more protected section of the open water, which added about a 900m run into transition. So, these little things add up and definitely makes it difficult when you are looking for marginal gains. But it is a level playing field and everyone goes through the same course in the end of the day.

There were some subtle changes to the athlete check in and bike racking process. We had to pre book our times and sanitize our hands upon entry. There were also many stop and wait at the different points to allow the previous person to go through the process. All done in the interest of keeping us COVID safe. This year's transition was held at the Wharf, which provided much more space. I chose to rack my bike in the final slot of 4pm at the skies were looking pretty dark. It was nice to be racked second row from the front, one of the perks of being an AWA athlete. Dinner was takeaway pizza and pasta from Cala Luna in Maroochydore but we ate them at Macca's as Sebastian had a McHappy Meal.

Race morning, alarm went off at 4am. But I was woken up by rain about 45 minutes earlier. Had breakfast and second toilet sit down and it was time to go, but not before kissing Li-Ann goodbye, who was also up already with all the noise I've been making. The motel was a short 5 minute walk from transition. I wiped down my bike from the rain, but it was a futile effort as it continued to showered intermittently. I probably didn't take into the account the walk to the swim start and was still waiting for the portaloos for one final go. Zipped up my wetsuit, dropped off my gear bag, bumped into Mark from South Bank tri club and walked together to the swim start. Only to notice that the pros were already starting while we were still a couple of hundred meters away from the starting area. Oh well, it's a rolling start for the age groupers anyway.

Swim 1.9km

I weave through the waiting crowd as close as I can to the starting queue. There was more stagger to the starts to give everyone more space and my watch showed 6.14am when it was my turn, about 9 minutes after the first few age groupers started. There was a bit of sweep from the waves into the beach but it wasn't extremely choppy. Definitely not calm waters but I've swam in much worse. Swim course was in anti-clockwise direction. Swim out, turn left three times and final right turn to finish somewhere midway at the beach. Throughout the swim, I didn't get to find any feet and was mostly overtaking other athletes. Guess I should have started earlier. Apart from a couple of moments where I had to stop to check my bearings as I couldn't sight properly with the waves, I kept mostly on course. The timing mat was placed immediately as we got onto the beach, which is handy. Clocked 31:48 for 1,876m according to my Garmin. An average pace of 1:41 per 100m. Only 21 seconds slower compared to last year when it was in calm waters. But I know I can do better and should be coming closer to the 30 minute mark. Just need to get more used to swimming in a wetsuit as these times are too similar to my non wetsuit times. 

Transition 1

With the long run along the beach and into transition, it became a foot race. But it gave me time to unhinge the back of my wetsuit as the zipper can get tricky sometimes. Wetsuit came off without too much issues. Slipped on some very soggy socks. Helmet on and off we go. The bike mount area was very crowded and I pushed my bike a bit further in front for a bit of space before I mounted it. Official results had me clocking 3:03 but I had it over 5 minutes on my Garmin. I'm guessing the time must have been taken from a mat somewhere during our run into transition.

Bike 90km

Had to be really careful on the first few hundred meters of the bike. It goes along the esplanade, it was narrow and there were plenty of speed bumps. Plus the road surface was still wet from the rain. And then after there were a few climbs before we hit the Sunshine Motorway. So it wasn't until about 10 minutes into the ride where we could get some decent speed. And we sure did. A two lap course, traditionally tailwind on the way out and headwind on the return. This year was no different. Clocking close to 45kph but knowing it would slow down exponentially on the return, this was the time to patiently build up the speed and a buffer, if there is a targeted overall average speed you are after. It continued to shower intermittently but thankfully there were no huge puddles on the roads that we have to avoid. I reached an average of 37kph at the first turnaround but braced myself for the headwind to consume me on the way back. But surprisingly, I held it together, the average speed steadily decreased to 36kph and naturally with the few turns and climbs as we got back into town, it dropped a bit further to the low 35s. 

Okay, 2nd lap, time to put my foot down on the pedals if I want to achieve a sub 2:30 bike split. Knowing the descents and corners the second time round always helps and I could just put my head down and go full aero. The tailwind fun came and went. On the last return lap, one athlete passed me but I kept close. And we pretty much swapped turns for most of the way back. We did our best to keep to a legal distance but no doubt there were some moments where it was definitely questionable. In general, despite not much of a presence from the draft marshalls, I didn't see too any trains out there. I guess we were all experts in social distancing now! 

Bike split on the Garmin was 2:29:53 for 89.84km, average speed 36.0kph, average power 192 watts. Consumed three Endura gels and about three quarters of 750ml of Powerbar electrolyte, split between two bottles to keep them balanced. Official results had me doing 2:32:25, I guessed that's where the 2 minutes difference from T1 comes in.

Transition 2

Bike on, helmet off. Shoes were soaked despite covering them with a towel. Put on race belt, sunglasses and visor on the go. Time taken 1:52. Li-Ann and Sebastian were cheering me as I ran out of transition.

Run 21km

The run is usually where I look forward to making up most ground but my leg turnover felt slow. Plus I could feel some twitching in my quads and I thought I better not push it in case they turn into full blown cramps. We did the first climb and just after the 2km mark, knowing that I was no contention of breaking my PB, I decided to take a break at the portaloo. Those 45 seconds were well worth it and I felt much better after that. No doubt still keeping it steady at around the 4:30ish per km pace. It was motivating to get cheers from the South Bank tri club crew and friends from Reddog and Logan Tri Club as well. Also, getting shout outs from friends who are competing at the same time. Unfortunately, I could only respond with a smile or a thumbs up as I was hurting a bit. 

The run course changed slightly from last year and this year, another small climb was added just before the turnaround for the second lap/finish. Big kudos to the very enthusiastic volunteer directing us to that detour. The rain stopped during the run but this meant it felt a bit sticky. Volunteers were not allowed to hand out cups anymore, but the cups were well spaced and each table were labelled clearly. I did not stop at any of them and grabbed the cups as I ran. Had no issues apart from knocking off a couple of other cups at one of the stations. 

Final few kms become a survival, I was creeping close to 5 minutes per km pace. Eventually reached the finish line with a run split of 1:36:53, spot on 21km on the Garmin. Overall time was 4:46:01, surprisingly 10th place in M35-39 and 98th overall. State border closures for a Queenslander only race may have helped with that. A somewhat different experience after the finish line, where we pick up our finisher medal and towel in a bag, as opposed to having them put around us by a volunteer. 

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed with my race results but I can't count my blessings enough that we had this luxury of even racing at all. I was meant to do Ironman Western Australia later in the year but that has been cancelled, so I have deferred to next year. With no major races for the rest of the year, I'm a bit at a loss now but I'm sure I'll find my next goal soon enough!

Tweed Coast Enduro 2020

This is my 5th year in a row doing this race. A half iron distance, about 90 minutes drive (in good traffic) from home, a couple of months into the year - just nice to have a good crack as a lead up race to bigger races at the end of the season. Always held on a Saturday, I took the Friday afternoon off work to drive down to Pottsville, just across the QLD NSW border. We picked our son from daycare after lunch, the journey was a bit of a crawl with the pre weekend traffic, took us nearly 2.5 hours. We stayed in the Pottsville Beach Hotel, which is only a few hundred meters from the race site. So I was able to rack my bike overnight. The past few years we stayed a bit further and I rode down on race morning. I volunteered to bring the South Bank tri club tent down and had Daz, a fellow club member help me set it up. Then it was time for dinner, we did the the usual - pizza from the Cabarita Bakehouse. It rained a bit that night and I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would be the end of the rain and it would stay dry the next day.

Alarm went off at 5.15am (NSW daylight savings time). Took my time having my breakfast and two visits to the toilet in the comfort of my hotel room. A short walk to transition but I just had enough time to get my bike and gear set up before the marshalls were shooing us out as the sprint wave was about to start. Had a bit of banter with the people from my former Logan tri club, whose tent was conveniently located next to South Bank's. And then a relaxing 15 minute stroll to the start, as it was a point-to-point swim.

1.9km swim

Prior to the race, there was talk about the swim being shortened or cancelled altogether, due to debris from fires and flooding. Which would have been real pity as this race prides itself with the downhill swim being tide assisted, flowing from the creek out into the ocean. The swim was shortened in the end but only by a fraction. We used to do a short u-turn before swimming down the creek. This year, we just head straight out without doing that turn. I had a pretty average start, I always get beaten up a bit with the crowd. It was a wave start and there were about 30 participants in the Males 35-39. But once I settled into a rhythm, I had started overtaking many in front. I passed Philippe, about halfway through and I swam harder to grow the gap a bit. I managed to latch on a good pair of feet and stuck all the way until the finish. Overtaking some of the earlier waves later on gave a further boost. As always, held my breath a bit as we went under the bridge, don't know why but it creeps me a little. And then it was the final couple of hundred meters to the beach. I hit the lap button the moment I pass the first set of flags, clocking 27:31 for 1,815m according to my Garmin, averaging 1:31 per 100m thanks to the tide. The first timing mat was about another 200m run further ahead and gave me swim split of 28:23, in 11th position in my age group at this stage.

Transition 1

Stripped off my swim skin - yes, I didn't forget! I probably took a bit longer than I should wiping my feet and putting socks on. Helmet on and had a second look as to which direction I should go. It's always a bit confusing, for me anyway, in these smaller races. There were a few others at the mount line, so I was a bit cautious getting on the bike but glad that I could pedal off without any dramas. Time taken 3:25.

90km bike

4 lap bike course in an L shape. A couple of short climbs just before the southern turnaround. Garmin recorded a total elevation of 250m for the whole ride, so mostly flat. Road conditions were average, with a few potholes and I noticed many dropped bottles and other stuff on the course. But I actually thought the roads were better this year, either I'm imagining things or I've just gotten used to it. It was forecasted to rain but it didn't. However, it did get very windy and at some sections, the cross winds were borderline dangerous in some sections. Generally, it was headwind on the way out, cross wind in the middle, then tailwind on the way back. Philippe passed me early on the bike, which was expected. But I did not expect to pass him again. This off and on overtaking with him was something very new to me and he clearly wasn't himself at the race. This occurred with some other cyclists as well and there were a few whom I was able to drop later in the ride. Hey, perhaps I'm a pretty decent cyclist after all! Philippe finally put the gap on me just before the last lap. But I was able to come into transition just a few seconds after him. My Garmin recorded bike split of 2:29:59 (yay sub 2:30!) at bang on 89.9km, average speed 36.0kph and power output of AP 188/NP 198. Official bike split was 2:34:07 which included both transitions. My 2nd best bike time here, pretty happy given the conditions. I was 8th place in my age group, after the bike. Gaining 3 positions, again who would have thought!

Transition 2

Li-Ann and Sebastian were cheering from the other side of the fence. Philippe and I gave each other encouragement as I ran through the bike racks. But I can't help myself rushing to get my shoes on so I can leave transition earlier. And I did! Time taken 1:47.

Run 21.1km

Run course is 3 laps, shaped like a T, about 2km out, short left detour and another longer detour just after 3km. A mix of road, grass but mostly on footpaths with a couple of short, sharp climbs as we go around the park. There was a section on the path where it was flooded from the overnight rain and people were running up the incline on the grass next to it to avoid getting submerged in the puddle. There was quite a bit of cloud cover but it did feel warm and humid. I started my run in the 4:20 to 4:30 per km pace and I knew it wasn't going to be a fast run that day. But I kept it steady and I was still overtaking those ahead, one by one so I must be running well in comparison. I was also growing my gap from Philippe and I guess it was the only time I could finish ahead was when he wasn't at his best. The 3 laps course has it's pros with more frequent crowd support from the tri club tents at the end of each lap. But it also has it's cons, I felt that I mentally surrendered more and more and slowed the pace by 15s per km after each lap. True enough I averaged 4:30 then 4:45 and finally 5:00. Giving my total run time of 1:39:44, an overall average pace of 4:42. Overall finish time 4:42:15, my best time on this course by a small margin, making it 3 out of 5 times of finishing in 4:42:xx. I ran myself to 5th position in my age group, an improvement from last year's 14th. Gave Philippe a man hug as he crossed the line shortly after, well done in toughing it out despite not being at his best, looking forward to the next battle!

Lunch with the family, can't thank Li-Ann and Sebastian enough for putting up with my obsession. Pack the tent up, thanks to Logan tri club crew for giving us a hand. And then the drive back home, thankfully traffic was good. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the race result. I'd like to go faster but given the conditions, I can't complain that I was able to maintain the same time and even a small improvement. On to the next race - Desaru Coast 70.3!

QTS Robina Olympic Triathlon 2020

First race of the 2020 year, held in Clear Island Waters in the Gold Coast and the 5th round of the Queensland Tri Series. Robina is the only one that has the Olympic distance with the other one held in September last year. With a busy racing schedule, this was the only event of the series that I have signed up for. It's a good community event with the kids, enticer and sprint distances happening on the same day.

An impromptu decision by the family to head down to beach on Saturday meant that I was able to pick up my race pack and rack my bike early. Usually I would do all of that on race morning. The bike racks are not specifically numbered to each athlete, so it was nice to rack close to the exit for a change - I was the 4th spot from the exit. However, the drive home wasn't so pleasant, the Pacific Motorway was closed off in both directions due to a major accident and it took us 2 hours to get back.

Race morning, having done my pre race check in the day before meant I got some extra sleep in. Still got up at 4am to make sure I had enough time to set up my gear and visit the portaloos. It rained a bit overnight but it wasn't too soggy at the race site. Met up with fellow Southbank Tri Club members and my former Logan Tri Club for a bit of a chat and soon it was time to head to the swim start.

1.5km swim

Swim course is two lap triangles in fresh water with a comfortable temperature, no wetsuit. Visibility is decent and you can definitely find some feet in front of you to draft off. Which was what I did for most of the swim. There was one moment where I was forced the go on the left side, rather than the right side of the buoy. And it got a bit busy on the second lap when we converged with the later waves. But other than that, I had a pretty good swim. I hit the first timing mat in 22:14 which was shortly after we came up the boat ramp. Garmin recorded 1,341m and an average pace of 1:40 per 100m, which is close to what I my 100m intervals in the pool. I would have been around 24 minutes if it was 1,500m.

Transition 1

It was nice knowing that my bike is close to the exit so I just to run all the way to the front. I opted to wear my ITU racing suit sans the swimskin so chance of me forgetting to strip the swimskin off this time. I hesitated a bit more than what I would have liked putting on my gear, I guess I was just a bit rusty. It started pouring as I mounted the bike and I was a bit slow pushing off but better to be safe than sorry. Time taken 2:07.

40km bike

5 lap bike course shaped like a T, starting in the middle. For each lap, there were 3 u-turns, 2 left turns at 90 degrees and one roundabout at the start. Combine this with wet roads and my sub par bike handling skills, you bet I was cycling very cautiously. Thankfully the rain on the first lap didn't last long but there were plenty of puddles to watch out for. As expected, my mate Philippe passed me shortly after the first left turn. And another mate Ryan passed me somewhere on the 4th lap. If anything, I take consolation that I outswam them as we usually have similar swim times. I tried my best to bring up my speed but with a bit of wind, it was difficult. The course was mostly flat apart from some gentle inclines up and down a bridge. Strava had it as 250m elevation for the entire course. I had a bike split of  1:05:47, average speed of 34.9kph which was lower than last year but I had higher power output at 204 watts. Either it was windier this year or my bike is overdue for a service. The course is typically short and it's the same this year with Garmin clocking 38.3km. Official results had me doing 1:08:38 with both transitions.

Transition 2

Again, just run all the way to the front. Again, a bit of hesitation getting the helmet off and putting the shoes on. Grabbed everything else and put them on the go. I hit the button after I racked my bike and hit it again a bit early as I came out of the run exit. Time taken 20 seconds.

10km run

A 3 lap run just out and back, shaped like an L. The overcast conditions with light drizzle is a nice change from previous years when it was typically scorching hot. I was able to reel Ryan in shortly after I left transition but Philippe was too far ahead, and he was running well too. My legs felt alright, turnover was good but somehow I felt I didn't have that extra gear. Maybe it was still early in the season. I clocked just under 4:10 per km averages with the tailwind and closer to 4:15 with the headwind. Running past the tri club tents at the end of each lap was uplifting. Gave the final km an extra push to see if I can break 2:12 overall but alas, I crossed the line in 2:12:06. Still it was a minute PB on this course and I came in 4th in my Male 35-39 age group. Philippe was 3rd and he was 4 minutes ahead. My run split was 41:13 with an average pace of 4:10 per km, my fastest run here by a small margin. Garmin recorded 9.9km so was pretty close.

Post race, had nice chats at both South Bank and Logan tri club tents. Not a bad way to spend Sunday morning and to kick off the 2020 racing season. Looking forward to the season ahead!