The first race of the season in Melbourne kicked off on the weekend with Race 1 of the 2XU Triathlon Series at Elwood. I was super excited as it wasn’t just the first race on the calendar, but also the first race of athletes racing for CPC. So I wonder if it was for that reason that I turned up to StKilda instead of Elwood! 😉 I’m clearly still learning that no matter how many years of racing, ALWAYS look up details of your race – especially the location!  (can I blame baby brain for that one!) 😉 Another great lesson to take away – always allow plenty of time before your race for unexpected things to happen!
Despite the detour, all athletes arrived on time and prepped and ready for their race. Rain over night always makes the swim leg doubtful, but good news in the morning that the swim was on and race 1 of the series was set and ready to go! So conditions were pretty good for racing – the bay surprisingly clear and flat, the bike fast as usual despite a little bit of breeze and the run warm and humid but great for spectating. A light sprinkle of rain during the race didn’t phase athletes and was actually welcomed in the warm conditions.
We had a small group taking on the race including Brett Sands – returning to defend his series podium finish last year against always tough competition in the 45-49 age group. Mal McLeod – off the back of the Half Ironman World Championships and Melbourne Marathon! And new mums Dayna Wilkie and Coach Sarah teamed up as a team for their first races post babies.
Well done to so many of our friends racing also – the triathlon community is a fantastic one, and it doesn’t matter who you are, who you train with or how long you have been in the sport, the support for one another is fantastic and it’s always fun cheering on your fellow competitors on the sidelines and from within. So well done everyone, and thanks to the supporters who came down and cheered!
RESULTS:
Brett Sands – 2nd M45-49
Swim 8:34 Bike 30:54 Run 19:17 Overall 1:02.21
“Going in to today’s race I thought I was well underdone, as I had missed some key sessions of late. I made sure Sarah knew this at the time. Sarah made some adjustments to my program and she nailed it. 2nd on the day and I thought I was way off this result going in. Goes to show my coach knows me better than I do! Thanks Sarah, there is no way I could have got this right without your input.” ~Brett
After a review from last years races, one of the key focus’s for Brett for this race was to have slick transitions, and Brett nailed it with 6th fastest in T1 and fastest out of T2. The little things always count! Well done Brett on your execution on a great race!
Team Dayna & Sarah – 2nd Teams
Swim 9:29 (Dayna)Â Bike 36:45 (Dayna) Run 21:40(Sarah) Overall 1:12.09
“Going into this race with zero expectations meant that, for the first time in my life, I wasn’t nervous at the start line. I went out pretty hard on the swim, trying to keep up with the others in my wave, until I had to force myself to back off, knowing that I was never going to be able to keep going at that effort level. Eventually the others must have realised the same as I slowly started catching and passing many of them. The run from the water to the bike felt like a marathon for someone that hasn’t been allowed to do any run training! I finally got on my bike. It has been a long time since I last raced, so it took a little longer than usual to get my shoes done up, but once they were on it was go time. I felt good on the bike… not my fittest “good” but still good… and overall I was happy with my time splits for my current fitness level. Once back into transition it was onto Sarah for the run…” ~Dayna
It was so good to team up with Dayna so she could get back onto the racing scene 9 months post baby. Dayna hasn’t been able to return to running yet, but has been committed to getting back her fitness in the swim and ride, and her work has paid off, nailing her fastest swim AND bike times over the sprint distance! (she failed to mention that!) Who said having a baby slows you down!
Mal McLeod – 9th Clydesdale
Swim 12:38 Bike 34:13 Run 29:02 Overall 1:19.58
Mal is starting his build back after a big year of training and racing including the resent Half Ironman World Championships followed closely by the Melbourne Marathon. A consistent race all round and we look forward to working closely together to continue his triathlon and health journey.
Official Photos here
More photos here
Race Results here
TREX CROSS TRIATHLON
On Saturday north of Melbourne in Bendigo Goldfields, we had two athletes take on an off road triathlon. For those who haven’t raced off road before – they are TOUGH! The physical ability racing off road is harder as well as the mental concentration required to navigate rocks, turns, climbs, tree roots, other competitors means you have to be ‘on’ the whole race. But at the same time they are super fun and very rewarding so if you haven’t done one before, have a think about including one into your races this season! Well done to both our athletes out there over the weekend.
Ollie McNulty – 4th M40-49
Sprint 400/10/5 01:26:4097
Margaret Wilcock – 2ndÂ
Teaser 200/5/1 50:03.38
Margaret wasn’t going to let injury and recent illness stopping her from lining up for her first off-road race as part of her journey to her ultimate goal!
Read about Margarets experience here.
Race Results here