This was Leg 1 of the Half Ironman Tour of the UK that Reg Swallow and I had decided to do in 2008. Set against a truly glorious backdrop of Lake Bala and the hills and mountains of North Wales the course was a tough one. Due to road subsidence on the latter part of the bike leg, the course was changed for this year; you would ride the first 25.1 miles and then turn around and go back the way you came. Sounds straightforward enough but the first 25 miles include a rather large mountain so this year you would get the pleasure of going over it twice.
I arrived early the day before and had an opportunity to drive the bike course before setting up my tent at the excellent Glanllyn Caravan and Camping Park (
http://www.glanllyn.com/) that was recommended to me by Russ Watson. This is some 5 miles from the race start and Bala town centre. After setting up, getting my kit sorted and going for an easy 20 minute jog I headed into Bala for dinner with a couple of TriTalk colleagues; the town was full of triathletes and many of the pubs and restaurants were serving “Triathlon Special” meals. I had an excellent chicken and pasta meal but felt that the £11.50 price tag was a little excessive. I then headed back to my tent to wait for Reg to arrive; he had to work so was flying into Birmingham and was going to be somewhat late. I’m afraid to say that I fell into a deep sleep and failed to hear my phone when Reg rang to ask “I’m at the campsite, where’s your tent?” Consequently Reg guessed (he knew my car) and fortunately he got it right!
Next morning we were up bright and early and after breakfast we headed to the start area to get everything ready. Reg had to build his bike and I’m glad to report that he actually managed to bring a complete bike with him! We were set up in good time and had an opportunity to soak up the atmosphere as the sun rose and it started to get warm. Very warm.
Reg was in Wave 1 and at 0930 the hooter went to get the race underway. I was in Wave 2 and 10 minutes later we were off. Starting at my usual position towards the rear of the pack I quickly found clear water. It seemed that the pack split and either went towards the bank or towards the buoys leaving plenty of space in the middle that I took full advantage of. I got into a nice rhythm but noticed water was finding its way into my goggles. They were new but I had used them twice in the pool without any problem; I can only assume that adding a swim hat must alter the way they sit on my face and allow water in. This proved to be a problem throughout the swim and I had to stop on 4 occasions to empty them out – a small amount of water wouldn’t normally be a problem but as a contact lens wearer I couldn’t risk losing a lens.
Out of the water in 39 minutes and into a leisurely T1. Wetsuit came off easily (a first!) and I kitted myself out and off onto the bike. I really wish I had some suncream. The first hill out of Bala is steep but it then flattens down a bit and you can get into a good rhythm spinning away. There were a few descents in the first few miles but these were fairly short and the general thrust was uphill. It was quite warm now and I was getting the first thoughts that the TT bike with a disk wheel was perhaps not the wisest choice of weapon. The first major descent launches you down a 10% hill, something that training in Cambridgeshire just cannot prepare you for! I approached it cautiously and hit 55kmh but others were going much faster, however, there were several other opportunities to practice fast descents and my confidence grew and I was soon descending quicker than most of those around me and the Dolan proved a super stable companion at the 60-65kmh speeds that we were regularly experiencing. 7 miles from the turnaround point you turn left and the route is then very fast, mainly downhill, from this point to the turnaround and I was tucked on the tribars for most of this, making up a number of places. The downside to this speed, though, is that you then turn around and have to go back up! And it was about this point that my bike leg started to come apart. The 7 miles of almost continuous uphill was sucking the life out of my legs, and I knew I still had that 10% monster to come. The next hour was spent going uphill with only the occasional downhill to provide temporary relief. The 10% bit saw me crawling up at about 8 – 9 kmh and being passed my loads of people – I was REALLY struggling. And in the back of my mind were those little words “Should have rode the Litespeed!” Amazingly I made it to the top without stopping (looking back, if I had stopped I would never have got going again) and the downhill sections that followed allowed some sort of recovery. I ate and drank and mentally prepared myself for the run. Amazingly, within a short period of times my legs felt good and I really gave it some stick back into Bala – I really enjoyed that (apart from one or 2 short and nasty uphill sections).
Into T2 and it was now baking hot. I slipped into my trainers and put my hat on and headed off at a very easy pace, stopping at the first feed station to grab some water and High-5. I reached the 2 mile point in 16 minutes and was feeling OK; 4 miles passed in 33 minutes but then my heart sank. Round a corner and the road headed for the heavens and it would be like that all the way to the turnaround point! Oh poo! I gritted my teeth and with a combination of shuffling and power walking headed skywards. I saw Reg coming down, he looked tired but seemed to be moving OK – with hindsight I now know that gravity was providing Reg with all his momentum and that the wheels were about to well and truly fall off his race wagon. I reached the turnaround point and enjoyed the run down, stretching my legs and taking loads of time out of people who were just shuffling down, seeming to hold themselves back. To be honest I didn’t have the energy to try and control it and just let myself go. At the bottom the route seemed a lot bumpier than on the way out and I was really struggling – my tired legs and the heat were combining to make this a really hard race. With a mile or so to go I thought I caught a glimpse of an RAF trisuit ahead – surely not Reg? I thought I was hallucinating but round the next corner there was Reg, going VERY slowly. I caught him easily with just half a mile to go and did the decent thing and ran with him to the end – he was really spent, looked awful (sorry mate, but you did) and commented that he felt like he was going to feint. Turns out that Reg had his bike nutrition in T1 to load into his pockets after the swim but forgot to pick it up. Consequently he only had something like 2 gels on the bike and, surprise, surprise, bonked on the run. As we approached the finish line Reg’s family was waiting and giving him a massive cheer and urging him on to a sprint finish. Poor fellow could barely put one foot in front of the other let alone sprint!
I finished in 5:24:21 and Reg was exactly 10 mins down in 5:34:21. Neither of us had covered ourselves in glory but we had both finished, unlike many who found the conditions on the day to be just too much. We went and dangled our legs in the Lake for a bit and then treated ourselves to an ice cream before heading home.
Splits:
Swim + T1 Bike + T2 Run Total Position Position
Overall Age Group
Mick 40:13 2:48:25 1:55:43 5:24:21 160 26
Reg 43:07 2:41:03 2:10:11 5:34:21 195 46
That was the toughest race I have ever done and Bala 2008 now heads my list of hardest races I have completed. But I also learned a few things along the way. The Dolan is a damn quick bike, very stable at speed, but completely unsuited for hilly courses and I need to do some small changes to the set up to make it more suited for longer courses. The Trek bars were easy to eat on the bike but I couldn’t face anything other than gels on the run. Oh yes, and lose the extra half stone I’m still carrying around. We had a photo opportunity before the start and Reg looked at the image and said “You really should hold your stomach in on photos”. Cheers mate.
The next leg of the HIM UK tour sees Reg and I racing in England; Reg at the Trentham Big Half on 27 July and me at the CowMan on 6 July. The CowMan course should suit the Dolan better and so I’m hoping to crack 5 hours for that one. I suppose I should do a bit of run training as well?
