Weymouth Classic Triathlon

Race Date: 19 August 2018

I decided to have a go at triathlons because I wanted a new challenge. I wasn’t sure if was going to like it but wanted to try it out and see what I was capable of. Being a gymnast I was used to training hard but hadn’t done any endurance training, apart from the occasional jog… With the help of Sam, my Podium Addict coach, I successfully completed a sprint triathlon after about a month’s training, and, guess what…I enjoyed it! So next one up was this Weymouth Classic, to attempt a slightly longer race (1500m swim / 40k cycle / 10k run). I frequently missed my training due to a busy work schedule but strived to do my 6 hours per week training whenever I could.

Fast forward to race day – I was feeling nervous but pretty excited. Also there was an added bonus that my mother was visiting me all the way from Japan, and I had decided to take her with me for support! Weymouth is a nice place so it was going to be a nice mini-trip for her, too. One thing I hadn’t anticipated when starting triathlons was the super early mornings! Registration was 5.30 am so we woke up accordingly and had some breakfast (believe it or not, the bed & breakfast provided us with breakfast at 4.30am, on advanced request – exceptional service!).

The weather wasn’t particularly great that morning – cloudy, windy, choppy sea. I had placed myself at the back of the group for the start of the swim, as I was a bit scared of the mass start. 7 am – race begins! My heart was beating very fast from the excitement/nerves but after a while managed to get into a steady swim. I felt I was doing pretty well at maintaining my swim in that choppy sea, thanks to the open water swim training I occasionally went to, run by the local surf life saving club.

Finishing the swim, I made my way to T1. I reminded myself, helmet first! I didn’t own any cycling shoes so just put on my running shoes, and off I went. The cycle route was a nice one, not too many huge hills – except for the last hill before the finish which was a killer! Almost wanting to get off my bike, I stayed strong and managed to go over the peak – rest was downhill to T2. My T2 was super quick with no need to change shoes, and no need for visor/sunglasses because it was so cloudy!

“Now just the run, and that’s it!” I told myself. The run was pretty flat and I managed to maintain a steady pace. I thought my legs were doing alright until I got to that killer hill at the end, same as the cycle. I must have been going slower up that hill than a person walking! After that it was downhill again to finish line and I surprised myself by still being able to sprint. I shot past the finish line, came to a stop, and was handed a very nice looking medal… It was the greatest feeling and I had a huge smile on my face. My mother came up to me looking very proud.

My finish time was 3:08:05, 118 /159 overall, 25 / 45 female, 8 / 12 in age group. Not bad?! The important thing is that I had fun, and now I’m up for an even bigger challenge…half ironman!

I will be back in Weymouth in a month to do the Weymouth 70.3. Let’s see what I think of that!