This was due to be a 400m swim, 15km ride, 5km run course involving open water swimming but after my open water assessment on Saturday, I must admit I was glad that they replaced the swimming component with a 2.5km due to blue/green algae in the lake.
I was reasonably confident that it would go alright. The run sections are well within my normal routine but i knew the bike would be challenging as 1) I don't really ride, and 2) I was using a mountain bike rather than a road bike.
Still, the run up to the race was really good and gave me some time to spend with my brother, who is really into his triathlons and so quick on the bike it's scary, so that I could relax before uni starts on the 14th.
The morning began to heat up quickly which was a blessing really as I wasn't looking forward to a cold 8am start and would hopefully mean that it would be a nice day to get out in the open after the race.
The initial run portion went as planned with finishing in roughly 12th position. I was a bit dehydrated due to a slightly unwise drinking session the night before, but I was going strong.
The bike stage was harder than I imagined. I had underestimated how fast these guys ride and also how difficult it would be on a mountain bike. I eventually finished the 15k in about 40 minutes, which is still a fast time, but had lost about 30 places in doing so.
I went through the final transition in a bit of a daze as by now I was truly thirsty and the drinks stand was a blessing! I started off quickly on the 2 lap run course with the hope of regaining some lost ground and managed to move up by about half a dozen places to finish 53rd or so overall.
The experience was definitely an enjoyable one and my brother and I have already signed up for the Blenheim palace sprint race next June. All I need to do now is get a road bike!
