Scarab Tri

Race Reports

Harlech Triathlon, April 19th 2009 – Julie Abbott
Wilmslow Triathlon, May 10th 2009 – Julie Abbott
Northwich Xtramile Triathlon, 7th June 2009 – Jo Ellison
Liverpool Triathlon, Sunday 21st June 2009 – Jane Hughes
Chester Triathlon, 21st June 2009 – Andy Preece
Eton SteelMan, 5th July 2009 – Hamish Shaw

Harlech Triathlon, April 19th 2009 – Julie Abbott 

The day dawned bright and sunny and a group of us were in Harlech to take part in one of Simon's favourite Triathlons.  Hilly, sandy and hilly again – what fun!   

The swim is in Harlech's closure-threatened public swimming pool.  I'd had a practice in the pool a day or so earlier – as you turn on your side to breathe, you can see Harlech castle out of the huge glass swimming pool windows.  It was breathtaking.  Come the race I never saw the castle at all. I was far too busy trying to re-overtake the idiot who pushed off, thrashed past me doing windmill-like front crawl and then switched to breaststroke after 2 lengths… 

Bumped into Paul Sanders in T1.  He was trying to get his numbers pinned on.  A helpful fellow competitor gave him a hand.  Get a number belt, Paul! Only £5 from Tri Central and shaves vital seconds off your transition! 

The bike ride was a there-and back along the cost road to Barmouth.  On the outward leg I saw Jane and Colin Hughes who were coming back on the return leg.  It's a lovely ride, especially on that day when the sky was bright and the sea was just beautiful.  I was pleased with my time, but not with having to push the bike up 2 of the hills – more hill practice needed for me (or one of those "granny cogs" on my back wheel!). 

I didn't see anyone else on the run, though I was very aware of Simon, Ralph and Karen behind me.  Although I had a pretty good start I did not want to be overtaken by them, and my legs were like logs, so I started to think they might catch me.  The beach run and the final uphill to the castle were exhausting, but the downhill to the finish was very welcome.  What a race! 

I met up with my family after the run, and we joined the "Save Harlech Pool" march and protest, so I did not see any other Scarabs finish, but the results were great – Karen was 5th fastest woman, Ralph was 51st overall.  Well done, guys! 

I kept my place as the slowest Scarab, but Colin was only 14 seconds faster – if I'd known that, I could have squeezed a bit more out of my legs! 

The latest on Harlech Pool is that it is due to close on 17th July, but I hope they will find a way to save it as the race is fun, the local marshals and spectators are lovely, and I'd definitely do it again in 2010. 

Harlech, Sunday 19th April 2009 – Jane Hughes

Harlech was wonderful again, despite the hills (a good challenge). Wonderful scenery, wonderful people, including Uncle Pete at the wayside. Good gifts – slate medal, nice bag and free bacon butty and tea at the end.

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Wilmslow Triathlon, May 10th 2009 – Julie Abbott

Swim 400m / Bike 23.8k / Run 6.7k 

There were only a few Scarabs competing in the race this year, as most of the team were out on the course, marshalling.  On arrival Ralph and Karen were organising the car park and at registration Andy was writing numbers on every athlete’s arms and legs (all 4 limbs – what a palaver!).  

Into the pool, where the pre-race briefing was done very effectively by Simon, and then we were off. The swim seemed slow.  I think I need 10 lengths to warm up, so the first 10 lengths always feel rubbish, and I only had to do 16.  I struggled out of the pool after my standard 9:30 or so, and totally missed Jane at the poolside, who cheered me on. 

I rushed into T1 and out again pushing my bike to the cycle start, cheered on by my 3 kids, who had arrived at this point.  I then found that my chain had come off... various imprecations were uttered as the few people I’d beaten out of the pool rode off and left me at the start line, getting very oily putting the chain back on. 

The bike ride felt slow too; it was going to be one of those days.  It was a pretty unmemorable course, except for Anthony at one of the first junctions and John and Mark at the first roundabout – it was like a “Spot the Scarab” competition!  Funny how when writing the Harlech report I could remember the entire route, but Wilmslow has gone from my head totally.  I was not too happy with the time, as it was similar to my ride in Nantwich last September, an hour – I had been expecting a bigger improvement after training over the winter. Then on to the run. 

The run course was rather odd, and felt like it was put together by the method of measuring the distance to scale on a piece of string and then wrapping the string around roads and lanes until it was all used up!  There were hills, there were housing estates, there were bits of bypass.  I didn’t enjoy it much; I was spoilt after Harlech, and needed better views!   

It was also hot, and I was tired, thinking that I was doing a 5k.  Again I was disappointed with my time.  In fact, I only cheered up when I got home and opened up my race T-shirt to find that the bike ride was 20% longer and the run 34% longer than Nantwich.  That explained why my time was slower than I expected. Under 2 hours, though - if I’d been over 2 hours I would have chucked triathlons on the spot! 

My oldest son and I stayed to cheer on all the finishers, and it was great to see Hamish come steaming in.  He finished 20th, which was a good result – there were some very good triathletes in the race.  

The event was well run, and had chip timing, which was a first for me.  Security was burly and alert, so I had no worries about anyone nicking my trusty bike.  Seeing so many other Scarabs there was great, too.  

Lessons learned: check your chain when you rack your bike! 

Would I do it again?  Probably not.  I think I’ll maybe do Macclesfield instead next year, so if Scarab Tri are marshalling Wilmslow again I’ll volunteer instead.  It’s a long day marshalling and the Scarab team worked really hard, but they were a big part of why the race ran so smoothly.

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Northwich Xtramile Triathlon, 7th June 2009 – Jo Ellison

I was feeling a little, in fact a little more than a little, nervous as we (Hamish and I) drove to Northwich for only my 2nd triathlon as a competitor.  The morning was cloudy, but dry, if somewhat cool by my standards. 

On arrival there was a friendly atmosphere and the usual buzz of conversations about all things 'tri' so I was duly marked up and prepared myself for the event. Fortunately poolside was warm as there was a 30 minute delay to the start but that did mean we were all more than eager to set off.  The pool was one of those 'easy to climb out' ones, and the swim went well for me apart from a guy in my lane who twice didn't like the idea of a gal passing him - still I did some lane over taking and managed to climb out in front of him.  

Now 'T1' as it is called. Well, I excelled here and certainly gained a first in the race.  It took me nearly a full 5 minutes to wriggle into sufficient clothing to keep me warm on the bike leg! And no, I didn't bother brushing my hair either!  Some lessons to be learned I think - maybe use those elastic lace things? 

So eventually out on the bike and a cracking start as I overtook another cyclist on the wee hill heading out on the course. I must have been the last out on the bike from my wave and didn't see another cyclist until the next wave all started to overtake me. Oh well, I was warm and enjoying myself - I was even lucky enough to be able to stop at 3 of the 4 sets of traffic lights on the course to have a breather.  The course was well marked and reasonably flat- it couldn't have been too hilly as I didn't need to get off and push.  

My next transition was much quicker as I already had my run shoes on and just discarded my light windproof before adjusting the legs to the change of discipline. (It really is worth some training involving bike to run).  I enjoyed the run, two laps mainly on grass and encouragement from spectators now and then.   

So I happily finished my 2nd tri and didn't collapse in a heap. I was quite pleased with my swim time (10 mins) and run (just under 30 mins) so that leaves my bike and T1 to try work on!!!!  However, I am realistic about improvement as I edge nearer and nearer the next age category. One advantage of being in the more mature age bands however is that there tends to be fewer competitors, so by default (i.e. no other entrants in my band) I was first (and last).   

I will definitely (hopefully) enter another race next season and in the meantime try to keep up the training and enjoy supporting and hearing about all the Scarab tales. As for seeing famous people - does Hamish count?!!!! 

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Liverpool Triathlon, Sunday 21st June 2009 – Jane Hughes

First time for this new event but have done a few Olympic distances before. Not looking forward to this beforehand as I had really not done that much training but did not manage to get to do an open water practice beforehand. 

An early start (nothing new) but good journey, parking and registration was good. Transition was a little chaotic and a bit of a walk from the end etc.  

A bit cold and grey at the beginning which made sighting in the swim quite difficult, I found the swim quite tough due to the conditions and the "brine" water in the dock, but once on the bike felt better. 

Bike was 4 laps with a couple of tight turns and narrow bits, but as there were always plenty of others on the course never really felt at the back or anything. Lots of support on the bike and run course as it is right in the city centre. 

Run was 2 loops which felt quite short to start with but had a cheeky bit round the back of the arena make the 10K. I managed a good time though for the run for me, so has good potential for PB. 

Overall quite well organised city tri, but for around £60 quite expensive and no goody bag, another medal though. 

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Chester Triathlon, 21 June 2009 – Andy Preece

Swim Open 1.5k / Bike 40k / Run 10k 

The day dawned (it usually does – but I don’t usually see it at 5.30am!)  It was dry and there didn’t appear to be much wind so the God of Triathlon was looking after us all again.   As Liverpool had arranged a separate event on the same day the Chester entry appeared to be lower than previous years which was a shame but always ones to support local club events Hamish, Simon, Christian and Me complete with entourage of loyal supporters including Paul and his family trooped down the M56 for what turned out to be a great day for all Scarab Tri competitors. 

Having thought that we had left enough time when we got to registration we found that there wasn’t a timing chip for Christian and a considerable delay ensued whilst an alternative number was found. Thereafter preparations became somewhat hectic.  A quick hello to Simon after racking my bike then a sprint to the start to make sure that Christian got his replacement timing chip.   Hamish and Christian were in the first wave.  The river Dee was virtually tropical (not) it was cold, very cold – so cold that one of the lady competitors swam wearing a pair of socks (although she should have been disqualified for that.)   

The starter at Chester always gets the competitors to do a Mexican wave when they are in the water waiting to start.  There is an ongoing dispute in our house about which age group did this the best.  When the swim eventually got going; Hamish swam well recording the 2nd fastest swim time for the day 20.23 and Christian was a couple of minutes behind in sixth place after the swim.  They both went out onto the bike course that the organisers describe as "mainly flat". Hmmm.  Unfortunately Hamish had a technical problem with his bike saddle sliding backwards and forwards but showed John Wayne, what "True Grit" is all about and pedalled the last 10k to T2 standing up!  Not surprisingly he lost a lot of time and energy in the process that had an impact on his overall result.  Christian meanwhile had ridden well and set out onto the run and eventually clocked the 3rd fastest run for the day 35.22 finishing 1st in his age group and 6th overall, in a time of 2:06:45. Hamish disappointed but remarkably cheerful, given the circumstances, finished 3rd in his age group and 41st overall in 2:17:58 which is still a great result. 

The organisers realised that the "more experienced" athletes needed to give the youngsters a head start.  Wave three did the best obligatory Mexican wave and then set off, some 30 minutes or so after Hamish and Christian who had by now exited T1 and were on their bikes - we had some work to do to catch them up. Just over 30 minutes later I entered T1, overjoyed that I hadn’t had to resort to breast stroke this year.  As I exited T2 after the bike, Christian was just finishing, so at this point I thought the organisers might have given them just a bit too much of a head start!  A run remained and it was all over in 2:31:23, 23rd in age group and 121st overall but a 17 minute improvement on last year – Verdict: relieved with swim, a bit more effort required on the bike. 

The "very experienced" athletes gave the youngsters even more of a head start.  In the process of showing the more mature Triathlon males how to swim in open water, Simon was rammed several times by one competitor who was zig-zagging his way along the course.  Being rammed is not normally considered to be particularly conducive to a fast swim time but despite this Simon still beat last year’s time by nearly 2 minutes.  Another 2-minute improvement on last year’s bike ride and a massive 6-minute improvement on the run was a tremendous effort and resulted in a finish time of 2:51:29 and 16th in age group.   

Chester is a great standard distance triathlon for novices and experienced athletes and is really well organised.  There are stalls for spectators to look at (providing they like bikes and Tri suits) and plenty of seating, there’s even a bouncy castle for "the little kids", the big kids get their fun during the race and rummaging through their goody bags which this year included a great technical tee shirt.   Roll on 2010!

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Eton SteelMan, 5th July 2009 – Hamish Shaw

I was quite concerned as to how hot it was going to be today as it had been over 30 degrees the previous week; fortunately with a 10:00 start I would hopefully avoid the worst of the heat whilst racing. Also, I received an email from the race organisers, Human Race, a few days before stating that wetsuits would be banned as the rowing lake which we would be doing the 1500m swim in was over 22 degrees which results in a wetsuit ban. It was a warm morning with a bit of cloud cover and a gusty crosswind across the lake. 

I arrived with plenty of time to set up, have a look round the course, familiarise myself with transition and warm up before the race start at 10am. I was racing in the 35-39 age category as we needed to make a quick getaway back up north (mum and I). I was confident going into the race hoping to do a quick time after my seat came loose at Chester, having said that I was ill the week before this race so wasn't sure how I would get on. 

I waded into the rowing lake with 5 minutes to go before the start. The lake was not cold, it was around 24 degrees. Wetsuits were definitely not needed and I felt that this would be to my advantage being a stronger swimmer than anything else. The swim started and I did a fast first 200m to get a bit of free water.  I noticed that one other swimmer came across behind me to slipstream off me and I was hoping that I could pull away from him, as he would have had a nice easy 1500m following me! By 500m I was out on my own pulling away from the rest of the field. I continued to swim hard and was glad that the lake was refreshing and clean. I came out of the swim in a time of 22:55, slightly slower than I would have liked but without the extra buoyancy of a wetsuit still a good time. The next swimmer out was a good 3-4 minutes behind me. 

The transition area was very large so I was glad that I had walked through whilst racking up to see where to go in the race. I had a quick T1 with the absence of having to take a wetsuit off I was through and out onto the bike in a time of 42 seconds.  

So out on to the bike in 1st position in my wave, how long could I keep it that way I didn't know as I knew there would be some very good cyclists in the wave I was racing in. Fortunately, I had a big lead from the swim so I managed to sustain my lead until the 4th lap. The cycle course was 8 laps of 5.1k around the rowing lake. Three competitors came past me on the bike course with the wind picking up as the race went on each lap was harder than the next (not just because of getting fatigued!) and I finished the 41k in 1 hour 8 minutes and 49 seconds. 

Running my bike into second transition I noticed the lack of bikes from my wave in the transition area. Once again a fast transition in 42 seconds, the same as T1! The run route was an out and back 2.5k loop alongside the lake, which was to be completed four times to make the 10k!  

As the run route was dead straight it was difficult to remain focused on the task in hand but I had a bit of an adrenaline boost when I realised that I was the only person on the run course! Out first onto the run! As for the competitors that passed me on the bike, I must have already done a lap before they had got out of the swim!  At the first turn-around (1.25k) I noticed that I was no longer alone; there were two competitors closing me down quickly and they overtook me at the start of the second lap. I didn't try to stay with them as I was running my own race and would have swiftly cramped up to exhaustion if I had! I continued at a steady pace until 7.5k, a couple more competitors came past me and I wasn't sure what lap of the run they were on so I decided to pick up the pace. Sprinting to the line in a total time of 2 hours 14 minutes and 17 seconds I was 5th across the line in my wave. 

Overall I was 17th out of 600 competitors, with the 4th fastest swim split, 17th fastest bike and 17th fastest run split. The quote of the day was heard by my Mum (Jo). She went to get my splits whilst I went for a cool down run and stretch. When she typed my number into the system and my splits came up, one of the other racers nearby said, "Look at that swim split! He must have had a propeller attached to him!"  

All in all it was a good race and I was pleased with my time considering illness in the week prior, wetsuit ban, wind on the bike course and the heat on the run. I ended up with some painful sunburn lines from my trisuit but it was a very enjoyable race and I will be doing it again in future years!  

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