The Triathlon thread - Ironman, 70.3, Olympic, Sprint

[HughG]

el stovey said:

Thanks for your volunteering, I was there competing and it's guys like you that make it a great event. If you were one of the guys on the bike course, I tried to wave and say thanks.

Cheers. I was initially down to be on the bike route but was moved to car parking unfortunately.

[DBSV8]

looking forward to heading back to UK next week.

bloody difficult training on an excercise bike , and its snowing here at work !
on the plus side, ive ordered a garmin 500 and tri bars for the bike and have a few Marine friends who are going training with me in Poole harbour

[drgav2005]

HughG said:

Greg66 said:

Hells bells! >3000m of climbing isn't my idea of a drag strip!

I'm not sure what Garmin Drgav is using, but my 310xt regularly adds 50% to the climb figures from mapmyride route plans. I'm also not sure where the error lies, but given there are times when I'm definitely going up hill and it says a minus gradient I'm inclined to think it's probably the Garmin!

I am using the 910XT

The 3154m is the corrected elevation figure, the measured value (based on pressure) was 2123m… either way, still not desperately flat, but good fun going down the hills though!!!

[Stylus]

DBSV8 said:

excellent which course are you doing

Signed up for Bolton!

[Cos18]

Nice 23 mile cycle today up to Dartmoor, followed by a 3k race in the park.

My swimming is going well too. We did tumble turns in lesson yesterday. First one I nailed absolutely perfectly, then I couldn't do it after that!

[graeme4130]

Cos18 said:

Nice 23 mile cycle today up to Dartmoor, followed by a 3k race in the park.

My swimming is going well too. We did tumble turns in lesson yesterday. First one I nailed absolutely perfectly, then I couldn't do it after that!

Don't get too caught up in the 'I must tumble turn' thing, as although it's a quick form of turning, you also lose a breath in and a big gulp on an 'open turn' which, if your swim fitness isn't great, will soon catch up with you as oxygen deficit..

The amount of swimmers I've seen tumble badly just to be tumbling is huge, when an open turn can be only fractions slower if done properly

[drgav2005]

graeme4130 said:

Cos18 said:

Nice 23 mile cycle today up to Dartmoor, followed by a 3k race in the park.

My swimming is going well too. We did tumble turns in lesson yesterday. First one I nailed absolutely perfectly, then I couldn't do it after that!

Don't get too caught up in the 'I must tumble turn' thing, as although it's a quick form of turning, you also lose a breath in and a big gulp on an 'open turn' which, if your swim fitness isn't great, will soon catch up with you as oxygen deficit..

The amount of swimmers I've seen tumble badly just to be tumbling is huge, when an open turn can be only fractions slower if done properly

Totally agree with Graeme,

Additionally,

Unless you are doing pool base triathlons you'll find it hard to tumble turn in the open water

[944fan]

Apols for the fail link

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-24530...

So Gordon Ramsay, potty mouthed cook, gets to compete at Kona having never actually completed in any full Ironman distance previously.

I assume that's just because he famous? Aright for some.

[Cos18]

drgav2005 said:

Totally agree with Graeme,

Additionally,

Unless you are doing pool base triathlons you'll find it hard to tumble turn in the open water

Yeah but it looks cool

[aspender]

944fan said:

Apols for the fail link

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-24530...

So Gordon Ramsay, potty mouthed cook, gets to compete at Kona having never actually completed in any full Ironman distance previously.

I assume that's just because he famous? Aright for some.

There are lottery places for Kona each year, but I agree it is a bit of a shame that he can seemingly get into both the 70.3 and IM world champs races through status.

[944fan]

Yes it would be an incredible coincidence if he got one of the, what is it, 100 global lottery places?

I don't mean him any ill will, and given his marathon track record (don't get me started how he got a VLM place every year for 8 years) I am sure he will give it a good shot.

[grumbledoak]

Was anyone 'bumped' to make room for him? I would imagine all these events hold back some 'tickets' for good PR purposes.

[graeme4130]

WTC hold a load of 'golden ticket' slots every year at Kona
It's these tickets that bring in the TV Coverage, and hence the ability to sell advertising space
No one gets bumped as allocated slots are allocated slots at the various other IM races
There's 2200 or so starters tomorrow, so half a dozen 'interest story' slots barely scratches the surface
More if concern is the people that quality through either the lottery program or obscure age groups at under subscribed races / super slow roll down qualifiers

Either way, should be a good race between Jacobs, Raelert and James Cunnama if he can find form

Edited by graeme4130 on Saturday 12th October 00:02

[944fan]

Well GR did it in 14:04, pretty poor run by the looks of it.

[anonymous-user]

944fan said:

Well GR did it in 14:04, pretty poor run by the looks of it.

If you check his splits, it looks like he blew big time around the last 20 miles of the bike. Everyone's last two bike splits are slow at Kona because of the course, but his fell off a cliff. It looks like he walked the marathon, save perhaps the first and last few km.

Whilst not impressive, a part of me thinks there's no such thing as a poor IM time. It's unfortunate that he chose to debut at Kona alongside some very, very fast triathletes, but that was his choice.

[944fan]

I know what you mean. Just being able to do it it impressive enough. He is 13 years older than me and I couldn't do it. Yet!

[anonymous-user]

For anyone interested, there is a good triathlon podcast as part of the Radio 5 live sports specials series. Not much new for the learned but some interesting insights from the elites.

[whatleytom]

Just updated my blog with some post Ironman action.

http://thomaswhatley.blogspot.co.uk/

[944fan]

So thinking about races for the next year. Definitely going to do an Oly distance and considering a half-ironman. Need to build a good running base over the winter as I haven't done much due to injury

I am also very tempted by a full ironman - maybe not next year though. I thought people who did these were mental, but then I thought that about Triathlon in general before I got into it massively! Want to do a Ironman (TM) proper race so which is better Bolton or Wales? Swim looks good in Wales and I have family down that way so could make it a holiday. Not keen on hills on the bike though (I am tall and heavy). Is Bolton flatter?

[anonymous-user]

944fan said:

So thinking about races for the next year. Definitely going to do an Oly distance and considering a half-ironman. Need to build a good running base over the winter as I haven't done much due to injury

I am also very tempted by a full ironman - maybe not next year though. I thought people who did these were mental, but then I thought that about Triathlon in general before I got into it massively! Want to do a Ironman (TM) proper race so which is better Bolton or Wales? Swim looks good in Wales and I have family down that way so could make it a holiday. Not keen on hills on the bike though (I am tall and heavy). Is Bolton flatter?

Almost everywhere is flatter than IM Wales (Lanzarote and France are similarly bumpy).

Flattest I can think of is Florida. But it has humidity. And TBH, 5 hours flat out on the flat is probably at least as knackering as 5 hours on a hilly course. Downhills = recovery time, unles syou're chasing a Kona spot, I suppose.

Have a look at some of the northern European ones, or perhaps Barcelona. The bike profiles are generally on the IM website somewhere.