For many of us this was the first full event of the year and WHAT a turnout! There were Trilogy Tops everywhere you looked. The other clubs did not have the presence that we did.
Myself, Liam Byrne and Jonathan Robinson arrived early and coasted through registration, picked up our numbers, timing chips and oh yeah a big lump of cheese. Now I don't have great expectations of goodie bags. They are usually stacked with a forest full of sponsors leaflets which will end up in my recycle bin. There is usually a nutrigrain bar which is cool. But my goodie bag had hair gel, tubes of some beauty product and a big lump of cheese. However top marks on the T Shirt which was very nice.
So off we went to set up in transition. It was not busy but it was the lull before the storm. Myself and Liam set up side by side and laid out our gear. So professional was our set up in fact, that Elena Maslova set up beside us.
 It did not take long before transition was heaving with bodies, bikes, talc and the usual drooling. One sneaky sod was marking his bike position with a ton of talc. This was not so cleverly disguised by a clumsy attempt to calc his running shoes. I resisted the impulse to empty his water bottle over the powder but there was so much talc in his runners that there must have been a cloud behind him on the run.
After drooling over Stephens new war machine we decided to get some sustenance. There was a good crew in the Canteen building up the energy but none better than Liam. Not satisfied with the full irish breakfast, Liam murdered a bowl of porridge and some yoghurt. I was expecting a 20 ounce steak to top it all off.
Having had the last supper we all decided to head out and cheer the early starters who were hitting the bike. Jonathan was recording everything for posterity. Rob Grant, Eimear Matthews, Sinead Wearen, Noel O'Reilly, Dave Slattery, Susan Wall and Roy Atkinson and many others which I am ashamed to say I don't all know by name soon tore past us on the bikes.
One of the drawbacks with pool swims is that there is a big gap between the waves and a lot of waiting around but there was a great atmosphere in the pool with a big crowd in attendance. UL is a pretty decent place to stage an event. Plenty of space to park, plenty of space to watch and loads of lockers to store your bits and bobs while you are racing. Of course some lads nearly missed the boat and having jammed my bag into a locker Murt and Dave Murphy found there were no lockers left. I'm glad none of the staff were present to see myself and Murt jamming two bags into a locker and praying that the door would not burst open. Having spent 5 minutes battering the bags into submission and eventually getting the door closed Murt realised that his timing chip was still in his bag. Round 2 with the locker was fun too.
So there we were, watching the fast wave, hoping we had not forgotten anything, and eyeing up the big long pool. The pool was like a feeding frenzy. Arms and heads popping up all over the place. Time to start a few stretches and keep an eye on our guys and gals in the fast wave. Our guys were going well. Niall and Simon were flying.
Not being the strongest of swimmers I had a very simple plan. Find a big guy who could swim faster than me and tailgate him all the way to the finish. I knew Trish was in my lane and would be doing a good pace. If I could stay within touching distance then I would be doing well. We organized ourselves in the lane and I opted to bring up the rear. But for me the swim did not go well. Lapped three times by everyone else I was not going well but not before long I had the lane to myself for three long lonely laps. I should have had the sausages!! I could not see anyone in the adjoining lanes and thought to myself that I must be paddy last. Calves cramping I eventually hopped out of lake placid and hobbled out of the pool to some modest applause.
The beauty about being out of the swim last is that transition has already emptied making the bike easy to find. To say that I was a bit thick at this stage would have been putting it mild. I think I left a streak of rubber on the ground for the first kilometre as I started hauling in those in front. Helen, Murt, Liam and Brian were hard at it. I passed Roy in his Jeep and got plenty of encouragement. It was cold on the bike and the field was very stretched out. Nobody was going to be worried about drafting today. I met Willie with Stephen hot on his heels on the inward leg and my spirits rose. Then I spotted Trish who had a decent lead. Dave Murphy passed me and I returned the favour and kicked on. As always the marshalls gave great encouragement which I always find helpful. Coming towards the end of the cycle leg I spotted a small group of cyclists and hunted them down. The sprint past them out of the saddle was not wise. Both calves started protesting and there was talk of industrial action.
I hit the dismount line running and tore through a very packed looking transition area. On with the runners and off I went for the run. The first k was tough as the blood tried to get down into the lower legs. Noel and Rob cheered me on. All I was thinking was did I get much of a head start on Liam as I knew he was not too far behind. Still no sign of Trish. She was flying. Thankfully there were some grass verges to run on to keep my calves at bay. I eventually caught up with Trish and rounded the turn point only to see Liam was making serious inroads. There was a nice little slope back up to the finish line and people were dying off left right and centre. There was lady breathing down my neck which helped me keep pushing. Thank god for the brick session in the Heath. It stood to me. So off I went for the second 5k ever watchful for Liam "Fleet of Foot" Byrne who was relentlessly pursuing me. The second k was easier. The end was in sight. I was picking people off quite nicely at this stage but did not look behind. Arriving at the turn around there was still no sign of Liam. Had he pulled up? Was he in bother? No chance I didn't get too far before I spotted him coming like an express train but I had a reasonable lead and kept plugging away. Back up the hill. End in sight and a group of six ahead of me. And all I saw was loads of Trilogy bods at the finish line. Time for the sprint finish so off I went just in case Liam was there. God I love the finish line.
It was great to see so many people at the finish line particularly for Helen Rothwell who completed her first standard triathlon. Well done to Willie who managed to hold off Stephen. Some great times were posted . Fair play to Mick Farrell and Jonathan Robinson for marshalling.
Boy did I enjoy my shower after. Then it was off to see Wexford beat Clare in Thurles in the hurling to secure promotion to Division 1 next season. We even invaded the pitch for the presentation. What a day. Bring on the next one.
By the way the big lump of cheese was not bad. |
Joey Hannon Memorial Olympic / Try Triathlon
