ENERGADE TRIATHLON NOVEMBER 2005.

ENERGADE TRIATHLON. 6th NOVEMBER 2005.

Tim & I had entered on-line during October and so on Saturday afternoon we went down to the Summerstrand Lifesaving Club to register and collect the Chip, a T-shirt and water bottle. There were a number of Achilleans and Crusaders there as can be seen by the results below. Tim & I had run a ten-kay race on Saturday morning in a time that I was quite satisfied with, as it was under 5 mins a kay. Then I looked at some of last year’s times and saw that we had been about 5 mins quicker over the same distance. Ally had swum in a Gala on the Friday and Saturday and had, to our great delight, won two bronze medals.

The Energade event is a 600m swim, 20kay cycle and 5 Kay run. Normally it has started from the Hobie beach but this year had been the Hobie 16 championships at Hobie and I assumed that this was why it was being held at Summerstrand this year. I packed my gear the night before and on Sunday morning cycled down to the start. I thought that I was reasonably early but when I got to Summerstrand there were crowds of people. It seems that the number of entries was almost double that of the previous year. I put this down to Ironman fever in Port Elizabeth. It had rained on Saturday evening and rain was predicted again for this morning. The water had been measured at 17degrees Centigrade and so Wetsuits were permitted. I do not own a wetsuit but was not worried as a short swim like this is invigorating and it is not long enough to chill the body.

I had forgotten my goggles at home and was a little worried as there had been a light Easterly blowing and this had made the sea choppy with large swells. But to my surprise and delight, just before the race was due to start, my daughters, Cathy & Ally presented me with goggles. They had realised that I had left them at home and had walked down the beach to find me. We stood at the start in the light drizzle as nervous runners normally do just before the start of any event. We tried to position ourselves as far to the East as possible as we realised that the swell would carry us back towards the beach. The race started at 09.00 for the ladies individuals and ten minutes later for the men. The teams were to start five minutes after the men had left. The organisers placed the start on the East side of the lifesaving club and this meant that only the swim out to the first Buoy was going to be tough as we would have to swim through the waves, then it would be a matter of following the swell. I battled to get past the huge waves and swells and I think that this contributed to a much slower time than last year. It could also be due to extreme lack of training in the sea. I was one of the last swimmers to pass the first buoy and soon after that the team swimmers came charging past me. As I had thought, once past the first buoy the swell carried us in the general direction of the beach. Overall I had a good if slow swim and was soon out on the beach again and ran past Barbara, Suzanne and my other cheering fans.

I take a little stool to sit on to change into the cycle shoes and so washed my feet, put on socks and the cycling shoes. I had obtained a new bike from my niece, Tracy whose husband; Mark is a good cyclist. I think that Tracy had though that she would join him but after a cycle of about 50 kays decided that this was not for her and abandoned the bike. They have now emigrated to Canada and left the bike in our care to pay for if and when we can. So I felt good as I mounted the bike and started the ride out to Noordhoek. I enjoy having the gear levers on the handlebars as it makes changing gears a lot smoother. Overall the bike was a lot classier than the old one that has served me so faithfully.

Most Triathlons do not allow drafting but in the Energade series this is allowed and I took full advantage as I followed one person after another to the turn. The route back from Noordhoek would be mainly against the breeze and I was able to hook up with a few other chaps as we took turns in the lead. By now there was a bit of rain but nothing would upset me as I was having fun this morning. The only problem that we experienced was the traffic as the cyclists were going in both directions and motorists were becoming visibly agitated.

Back to the transition and on with the takkies. The run was to McArthur Baths and back. I always find that the first few Kays of any run are tough as the legs loosen up. After the cycle this is particularly noticeable and it was only after the half way turn that I settled into a good stride. I had seen many fellow runners heading home as I plodded on the way outward. Now there were only a few people still on the path and I realised that I would be one of the last runners home. On the way towards Hobie beach the cameraman on the motor Bike had filmed and chatted to me. By then I was feeling great and was really enjoying the mornings exercise.

I got back to the transition area just in time before most of the spectators headed home, as the rain was becoming stronger and they must have been getting quite wet and miserable. I am not sure of my time but it must have been slower than last year. I looked in the records to see that Tim & I had done a 1.24 (Position 235 out of 313 competitors and 39 out of 53 Vet Males) last year and today had about a 1.35. In Triathlons you become a Vet at the age of 40. I think that they really never expected people older than that to take on the sport. I think that the choppy seas may have had an influence on the times of today. But I had a terrific morning and felt great about the event.

Just one point that I would have like to make to the organisers: is that the road between the Summerstrand Inn and Noordhoek should be closed to motor vehicles. There were so many cyclists going in both directions that an accident is almost inevitable if stricter control is not enforced.

Some of the Results of people who we know:
Garreth Jacobson last year 1.02 & this year 1.12
George Scott last year 1.29 & this year 1.35
Tim Gendall Last Year 1.24 & this year 1.22
Peter Giddy Last Year 1.24 & this year 1.34
Davera Magson Last year 1.21 this year 1.18
Chris Gedye this year 1.14
Sharon Wilson last year 1.44 & Jill Dunlop Last year 1.20
Roger Oakley this year 1.09
Baron Naude this year 1.17
Jonti Daniel this year 1.17
Paula Wilson this year 1.18
Tracey Brink this year 1.21
Mike Kinston this year 1.21
Pat Thomson this year 1.24
Cathy Thomas this year 1.26
Dion Millson this year 1.29
Roger Vogel this year 1.31
Bobby Bulock This year 1.39
Trevor Hawkins This Year 1.49
This year 377 Finishers in the individual, while last year there were 313 finishers in the individual event. This year 109 Teams finished and last year they had 84 team finishers.

Peter Giddy
6th November 2005.