PETER GIDDY.: Ironman April 2019. Peter Giddy Guided tours and fun events.

Ironman 6th and 7th April 2019. Peter Giddy Guided tours and fun events.

Ironman 2019
This year I have 5 x Swedish Guests. Hakan who stayed with me last year for the international half Ironman event. Per and Minna; Petter and Bjorn. They are a great group of people and we really enjoyed having them stay with us.

Thursday 4th.....Barbara and I have a few chores to do and during the afternoon we go to the Boardwalk to register for the Corp Tri. I get the race stuff and a red band on my wrist.
I meet them at the airport. They off load their stuff and walk to Arkenstone for a pizza supper.
Friday 5th... I have a tour so do not see them for the day. But they make their way to the Beach Boardwalk area and have a bike ride and do the registration.

Saturday 6th. Corporate Triathlon Challenge. CTC... I have done this event on a number of occasions. I missed 2018 as Barbara and I were in Spain walking the Camino from Porto to Santiago de Compestella.

This morning is a perfect day... There is an Easterly breeze.. Not too strong but this makes the water reasonably warm.
I have a sore left knee after the MTB event of last weekend. But I have decided that a slow race today is better than not taking part at all.

The waiting in the morning is probably the toughest part of the whole day. I leave home at 6.30am. The bike check in closes at 7.30 so I have plenty of time. I meet up with Simon Clark and rack my bike next to him. I think that Simon used to be an EP Triathlete.

I wear my race vest to swim. I am never sure if I will be stopped but asked a few officials and they did not seem to mind. First of all there is the Race briefing. Paul Kay stands on the top with his microphone. The competitors on the beach. All chatting. So we really cannot hear a word he says.
I ask others what he said -- No one has a cooking clue!

We line up on the promenade. All squashed together. Finally the first (red cap) wave of relay swimmers get into the water. It seems an age but then the next group of (green cap) relay swimmers go off. At last it is our turn -- We are the Red Cap individual competitors. In our Group is Reynard Tissink. I dont tell him that I am competing as I dont want to add to his pressure. Later I hear he swam the 380m in just 3 minutes.
The water is quite choppy as a result of the east wind. But nice an warm (About 17 degrees I hear). Swim out to the end of the pier where the first buoy is and then left turn to the next Buoy. within a minute we are rounding the last buoy and I see the Ladies Individual (Green Cap) go off. A couple of strokes and a wave and I am able to wade in. I prefer to swim and take a wave before putting my feed down.

With Simon and Kevin.

I love my bike... It does me so well for the cycling that I do.
Run into transition. Say hello to John Durant who is a regular supporter on this event. And run to my bike.... I see that Simon has already left. Put shoes and helmet on and push my bike to the start line with a number of Girls passing me even before I get on the bike... And they started 5 minutes after us.

Once on the bike I test my knee. I feel a few twinges and so start reasonably slowly to warm it up. The Out Leg is so easy with the wind behind us. Many of the relay competitors are not cyclists at all and it is these people who I pass. The we reach the turn at 9km. This part always worries me as I battle to make the sharp U turn. But no trouble and I now have the wind to contend with. So when a group of ladies comes past me I try to jump onto the bus.
It becomes a bit disjointed and we dont really form a group. So I take the lead and it ends up just myself and another lady who I later learn is Janine. A Teacher at Herbert Hurd and Priory.

The bike is riding so well and I feel confident on it. Janine and I ride in almost together except at the end she goes ahead. Transition.... Change shoes. Remember to remove my goggles which have been around my neck for the cycle. Take of the helmet. Grab a drink of water and start the run.

One of the things I love about this event is the support from friends and from people who I dont even know. On the run.. Down the Beach Road towards Kings Beach. Around the parking area. Reminds me of the loop that Chris and I do when we cycle to the Lighthouse and back. Then along the promenade where Janine greets me again. I press on. See Elaine Verreyne. And finally run hard to the finish area.

Happy to have done this event today.

Janine; Jeanette and myself at the finish.
I have loved the morning (Except for the waiting at the start). Find Alan Campbell and Bernd at the end. Catherine took part. Am so happy that I made the effort to get to the start.

Megan was in a team with her Property Company and did the swim and run. Here she strides into the finish area.

Ronel and Viv put together a Team for Remax. Seems that they had a blast.
I meet up with Simon and Kevin at the start. And then many other PE People who are taking part this morning. Peter and his daughter O'Kennedy; Megan Holmes who will swim and run for her company; Tracey and Daryl Meistre who I used to know at Nippers; Alan Campbell; Bernt and Catherine; Jacques who is Megan's friend.

Saturday at the CTC was a huge success.
This afternoon Hakan and his group go down to the beach for a swim and bike check in.

This year there were 355 finishers. 175 men and 180 Ladies. There were also 393 teams which finished. Looking at results ... A few DNF and many did not start.

Results of the 2019 CTC 355 finishers. 175 men and 180 ladies.
Raynard Tissink 49 min
Anche Shubart 58 min 23rd overall and 6th female.
Alan Campbell 1.02
Peter OKennedy 1.06
Natalie Tissink 1.08
Simon Clark 1.09
Janette Crusius 1.10
Janine v Rooyen 1.12
Shaun Lloyd 1.13
Catherine Sweetnam 1.16
Peter Giddy 1.17 Swim 6min. T1 4 min; Cycle 42... T2 2 min. Run 21 min. Pos 152 (91 of 175 men.)
Sandy Stock 1.22
Gillian Mcainsh 1.24
Chantelle OKennedy 1.25
Brett Holmes 1.26
Judith Campbell 1.29
Eliane Verreyne 1.35
Eusentha Pillay (Charlo) 1.36
Jacques Bekker 1.42

2017 results. Positions and overall individual Results
1      Keegan Cooke   .46
5     Jarryd Cooke     .50
8      Michael Kingston   .51
68    Rodney Dold Chapman 1.06
122 Simon Clark 1.10     (Last Year 1.10)
111 Warren Collier 1.10
137 Allan Verreyne 1.11   (Last year 1.07)
179 Peter Giddy   1.15   Swim 8.24. Cycle 43.0 Transition 2min. Run 21min. (Last year 1.10)
284 Kevin Campbell 1.25   (Last year 1.23)
333 Imraan Moosagie 1.29
403 Bilue Moolman   1.40
Total number of individuals 448

Ladies results (Position in the ladies)
4      Liza Kingston 56
34    Kathleen Flanagan 1.12
66    Andrea Dyer 1.17 (Last Year 1.16) (2015 Shara and Andrea 1.38)
75    Shara Cape   1.20
103 Kelly Mortimer 1.25
116  Elaine Verrynne 1.27 (Last year 1.27)
138 Lee Kemp 1.32
134 Sharon Wilson   1.34 (Last year 1.29)
148 Sandy Stock   1.36   (Last year 1.32)
190 Elsabe Boschoff   1.58

Our Swedish Guests... Bjorn; Petter; Minna; Per and Hakan. All come to PE for this years Ironman.
Sunday morning 7th April 2019.
Its Ironman day in Port Elizabeth.
Hakan and his group left at 4.45 to be at the start area at 5am.
I followed about 6.15 and was in time to see the start of the Pro Men and Ladies at 6.30am... Sunrise.

The swim start at 6.30am

The bike started early due to a shortened swim. The leaders probably swam the 1.6km in under 20 minutes.
A big crowd gathered to watch the swim start and then the Bike Start. The swim was shortened to 1.6km as the sea was choppy due to the continuous easterly blowing. At the start I see Shoaib; Sheena; Andrew Jonas and Tracey Cockroft also Lynne Roach when I go to buy myself a Coffee. Herman and his Grand daughter; Simone are there to cheer on the athletes.
I am able to shout for Bjorn; Petter and Minna. I dont see Hakan and Per but it is so easy to miss them in the cycle group.

We hear that two swimmers got into difficulty and died. One of Convulsions and another of a Heart Attack..... So very sad when everything around you is this positive vibe.