On Sunday I took part in the Windsor Triathlon. This was an Olympic distance triathlon based in Windsor and the surrounding area.
The registration and bike racking took part on Saturday in Alexandra Gardens in Windsor. The forecast was wet for overnight, so I covered the tribars and seat with plastic carrier bags. In the morning I found that they where slightly wet but soon dried off on the bike section.
Being in the last age group start (wave 26!!) I had a more sensible start time of 8am but they had waves of starts from 6am onwards. There was an hour’s gap until the elite athletes start times.
The 1500m swim was in the River Thames. It started on the Windsor bank of the river near the Windsor footbridge. You had to swim down about 800m until the relief road bridge and then about 700m to the swim exit. As my wave start time approached I was setting on the bank edge with my feet in the water to get used to the cold temperature while getting my swimming cap and goggles on. With about 1 minute to my start time I pushed myself off the edge of the bank and into the water. I was expecting to be able to stand while I caught my breath fro the cold water. However it was a couple of meters deep, so when I made it back to the surface trying to catch my breath from the sudden cold water I heard the starter say 30 seconds to the start!!!
Some rapid deep breaths I managed to get my breath back just in time for the start, luckily I had a few extra seconds as I started in the back of the wave of 80 swimmers. From here we swam over to the Eton bank of the river staying close to the bank to avoid the strongest current to swim against. You had to avoid some of the parked boats, overhanging trees and swans. There was also a bend in the river which you had to turn where their was also a railway bridge, I did not think I zig-zagged that much for a change along this section. By the time we got to the turnaround point at the relief road bridge we where fairly well spaced out. I then headed towards the Windsor bank to swim back near to the parked boats. I have since learnt that I should have been in the middle of the river to get most of the benefits from the river’s current. As I was swimming along I heard someone on a megaphone shout turn right. I nearly overshoot the swim exit which was set back from the main river. There was also a big step which required the helpers to give you some extra lift to get you out.
There was then about a 200m run to the transition area while, undoing the top part of your wetsuit and removing your goggles and swimming caps. I then had a further 100m to reach my bike which was made easier to spot out of the 2,400 bikes by being near a section of red flowers in the park that the transition area was in. After spending only about 5 minutes in transition (T1) getting the wetsuit completely off and stuff on for the bike I was off on the cycle section.
After mounting the bike outside of the transition area you headed out of Windsor past the racecourse towards the M4 junction 8/9 for the 42km (26 miles) cycle leg. The first few miles I had electronics issue on my bike. After a few miles I managed to get my cycle computer working by reseating it. However my cadence sensor on my GPS device was not returning any values, so after a few miles trying to sought it out I turned that functionality off. Just before reaching the M4 junction we turned left towards Windsor Park however before reaching that section we turned left down a country lane to extra out and back section to get the distance up. There were a few undulations up to this point of which none of them where that steep or long. Through the park heading back to Windsor there was some downhill sections which you where able to get your speed up. Then once you got to Windsor there was about 1 mile through the town which was marshalled and police but their was still traffic on the roads to avoid until 100m from the end where it was traffic free. I did not push to hard on the bike due to run course still to come, I did overtake a number of people on the bike with only a couple of people overtaking me.
After about only 2 minutes in transition (T2) I was off on the final leg the run section. This was helped by being closer to the bike in and run out area of transition compared to the swim in entrance.
The run was a 10km made up of 3 laps. From the transition area you followed the road to Windsor Castle and up and down the hill and then turned right for out and back section and then over a bridge to Eton college and back over the bridge and to the transition area. This was then repeat two more times and their was water available just before the hill at th castle and at Eton college. I was giving the run a bit more effort and was overtaking people on the way round but at this point you did not know what lap they where on compared to you. I carried to gels on the run from transition and had one of them on each of the first laps at the last water station on the lap. This helped as their was only water available and it was starting to warm up by this point. The last 200m I even managed a bit of a sprint and overtook somebody half way down the finishing straight.
I enjoyed the day especially when I found out my times.
Swim = 35:53
Cycle = 1:29:46
Run = 48:35
Race Time = 2:54:15
The swim time was one of my quickest times for this distance. The cycle time did include both transition times but I still managed over 17.5 mph (28 kmph). The run had 3 hills up to the castle yet I still managed a good time just 5 minutes outside my running PB. I was also the 3rd person out 6 from my local tri club that took part in this race.
The registration and bike racking took part on Saturday in Alexandra Gardens in Windsor. The forecast was wet for overnight, so I covered the tribars and seat with plastic carrier bags. In the morning I found that they where slightly wet but soon dried off on the bike section.
Being in the last age group start (wave 26!!) I had a more sensible start time of 8am but they had waves of starts from 6am onwards. There was an hour’s gap until the elite athletes start times.
The 1500m swim was in the River Thames. It started on the Windsor bank of the river near the Windsor footbridge. You had to swim down about 800m until the relief road bridge and then about 700m to the swim exit. As my wave start time approached I was setting on the bank edge with my feet in the water to get used to the cold temperature while getting my swimming cap and goggles on. With about 1 minute to my start time I pushed myself off the edge of the bank and into the water. I was expecting to be able to stand while I caught my breath fro the cold water. However it was a couple of meters deep, so when I made it back to the surface trying to catch my breath from the sudden cold water I heard the starter say 30 seconds to the start!!!
Some rapid deep breaths I managed to get my breath back just in time for the start, luckily I had a few extra seconds as I started in the back of the wave of 80 swimmers. From here we swam over to the Eton bank of the river staying close to the bank to avoid the strongest current to swim against. You had to avoid some of the parked boats, overhanging trees and swans. There was also a bend in the river which you had to turn where their was also a railway bridge, I did not think I zig-zagged that much for a change along this section. By the time we got to the turnaround point at the relief road bridge we where fairly well spaced out. I then headed towards the Windsor bank to swim back near to the parked boats. I have since learnt that I should have been in the middle of the river to get most of the benefits from the river’s current. As I was swimming along I heard someone on a megaphone shout turn right. I nearly overshoot the swim exit which was set back from the main river. There was also a big step which required the helpers to give you some extra lift to get you out.
There was then about a 200m run to the transition area while, undoing the top part of your wetsuit and removing your goggles and swimming caps. I then had a further 100m to reach my bike which was made easier to spot out of the 2,400 bikes by being near a section of red flowers in the park that the transition area was in. After spending only about 5 minutes in transition (T1) getting the wetsuit completely off and stuff on for the bike I was off on the cycle section.
After mounting the bike outside of the transition area you headed out of Windsor past the racecourse towards the M4 junction 8/9 for the 42km (26 miles) cycle leg. The first few miles I had electronics issue on my bike. After a few miles I managed to get my cycle computer working by reseating it. However my cadence sensor on my GPS device was not returning any values, so after a few miles trying to sought it out I turned that functionality off. Just before reaching the M4 junction we turned left towards Windsor Park however before reaching that section we turned left down a country lane to extra out and back section to get the distance up. There were a few undulations up to this point of which none of them where that steep or long. Through the park heading back to Windsor there was some downhill sections which you where able to get your speed up. Then once you got to Windsor there was about 1 mile through the town which was marshalled and police but their was still traffic on the roads to avoid until 100m from the end where it was traffic free. I did not push to hard on the bike due to run course still to come, I did overtake a number of people on the bike with only a couple of people overtaking me.
After about only 2 minutes in transition (T2) I was off on the final leg the run section. This was helped by being closer to the bike in and run out area of transition compared to the swim in entrance.
The run was a 10km made up of 3 laps. From the transition area you followed the road to Windsor Castle and up and down the hill and then turned right for out and back section and then over a bridge to Eton college and back over the bridge and to the transition area. This was then repeat two more times and their was water available just before the hill at th castle and at Eton college. I was giving the run a bit more effort and was overtaking people on the way round but at this point you did not know what lap they where on compared to you. I carried to gels on the run from transition and had one of them on each of the first laps at the last water station on the lap. This helped as their was only water available and it was starting to warm up by this point. The last 200m I even managed a bit of a sprint and overtook somebody half way down the finishing straight.
I enjoyed the day especially when I found out my times.
Swim = 35:53
Cycle = 1:29:46
Run = 48:35
Race Time = 2:54:15
The swim time was one of my quickest times for this distance. The cycle time did include both transition times but I still managed over 17.5 mph (28 kmph). The run had 3 hills up to the castle yet I still managed a good time just 5 minutes outside my running PB. I was also the 3rd person out 6 from my local tri club that took part in this race.
