Openwaterswimming aquathlon

Sun August 20 2006
Listed by Hollywoof!
Entrants (1) Club PB SB Pred Time WAVA
Hollywoof! OpenWaterSwimming at Datchet - not very widely publicised - except for the fliers put on all the cars at the London tri. A 750m out and back OW swim followed by 5km run - made up 3 laps including one of those horrid 180 degree turns - although this turn was at least a curve rather than a hairpin. Wasn't originally intending to enter this one but since Shiraz was racing... Have had a very lazy low mileage week and a cold but felt OK at 6 this morning... Met Spans and Zilla before the start. They were both going non-wetsuit for the swim so Shiraz immediately decided she was dumping the wettie too. No way was I dumping my buoyancy aid! Start was OK... got cut up by the guy next to me as he surged ahead trying to escape the weeds, ended up skimming the weeds myself... at the first marker (the water ski jump) I could see maybe 5 people in the 10m ahead of me - very glad to see that all of them were in wetties (meant Shiraz was behind me somewhere). Pushed the stroke rate up, took a long line to the turn, overtook each of the targets and got to the toes of the lead swimmer at the half way turn point. Briefly tucked in to draft him for a few metres but he seemed to be slowing... so went for the big overtake and push. Found myself pushed into the weeds (should have taken the inside lane!) but squeezed past him. Maybe 250m still to go... found it much harder in the lead but knew that Shiraz could be sprinting past at any second so pushed, pushed, pushed, ... Round the final turn then straight into the beach and transition. The spectators were quiet as I fumbled with my wetsuit but seemed to raise a cheer for the second place guy who was a whopping 10m behind me - guess the spectators were scared of pirates? Finally got the wettie off and fumbled with getting my shoes on... then headed off out of transition still in first place and still (I think) with no other swimmers out of the water. Now some around here are quite used to leading a race. I am *not* one of them. It was a very unusual feeling... my heart and lungs were heaving away cos of the swim but my legs were remarkably solid - definitely feeling the benefit of a low mileage week. I just went for it... I knew that at any second someone was going to catch me (mentally I focussed on Spans and Shiraz) but until that happened then I figured that the marshalls could see a big fat pirate in the lead... Made it to the first 180 turn and got to see how big my lead was... it seemed I had maybe one hundred metres? I said a very smiley Unaffiliated 32:55 45.62

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