Tear Jerker Triathlon - Light Reading

Another early start got Darren, IanH, Paul, SteveW and myself onto the Elvedon Estate in plenty of time and the front of queue. I looked upon my seasoned colleagues for advice,  applying stickers to everything, chip to your leg and then off we wobbled carrying all our gear, had I got enough gear to see me through? Really I could not carry any more, so put my mind at rest that anything forgotten was a bonus.
As we arrived and started to set up our gear, the nerves started, for me there was so much unknown and so much to get or go wrong. Once it was pointed out how I had set it up all incorrectly and the quickly regretted look at the rather intimidating reservoir, it was straight to briefing. The waiting was finally over, well apart from the hour I had to wait til my start. DP, IH and SW were in second wave, so we got to enjoy their faces as they slipped into the 12 degrees, briefly forgetting what was in store for me. We saw grown men whimpering as their tackle retreated and worse for mine and Paul's confidence we watched as the weaker swimmers were way behind and even a retirement after about 50M. Paul was in and gone with maybe a little too much complaining for a hard man, leaving me on my own, with just my thoughts and my months of Dr Coutts swim school. At three minutes to go I took all my bravery and entered the water, then at 1 minute I did it again but stayed in. After the gun, like the others I allowed a few seconds for the crowd splash away so I could choose my pace from behind. Almost immediately I climbed up someone's legs then onto someone's back, but soon I found my space and pace then worked through some of the field. The first buoy felt a long, long way but once cleared and with a little canoe guidance I was soon on target to complete the one that I thought would get me.  Swim times for 750M.
Ian
Hopgood
00:19:22
David
Hopkins
00:20:06
Steve
Whittaker
00:22:17
Darren
Payne
00:22:37
Paul
Brant
00:28:27
As I run down the bank I had to beat away female admirers trying to help me with my now firmly jammed zip, this is something I have become accustomed to dealing with, but in this situation it is just against the rules. Eventually when I reached the bike I calmed and simply pulled the zip down. 30 minutes earlier Steve had experienced the same issues but calmed himself down by having a nice long chat with Darren. My 2 minute practises were edged into 3 minutes, slow out of a wetsuit strange for a surfer group – Sloppy. Paul pulled back nearly a minute with his hasty neoprene exit and we all headed out in the same order. Cycling should have been the safest result, but you know how things happen.
All seem to start well for all of us, Steve went off at a pace he could not sustain but had to as he knew Darren was only 1 minute behind and Darren did exactly the same finishing the same minute behind over an hour later. Paul set a blistering pace knocking a full five minutes off, bringing all three together (in time). Now here's the issue, you all may have read in the press that I won the Tri-Athlon, well that is not exactly true. My times are correct for what I did; I just did not do as much as nearly everyone else.  Initially all seemed well, managed to get my gloves on as I cycled and the pace seemed fine, keeping up with most on the open tarmac parts, overtaking a few especially on the off road sections and overtaken by a few "Ninjas". All felt good the kilometres were racing by and I did feel good. On one of the longer straight stretches I could see rider's stretching out ahead of me, so I leant forward on my bars and tucked my head down. Big mistake, as I prepared to hang left, the rider in front came back the other way and it dawned on me that I had followed someone who was lost. He must have thought it strange that I only seemed to know one word. After raising my voice and repeating it several more times, he pointed at some riders not 100 meters  away and we quickly re-joined behind them. Had we lost a few meters or gained, well as I pulled into a T2, the gain became very apparent and it was more than a few metres, no really I could now be in the lead! Paul rolled in as I was leaving and his pained face from his blistering pace twisted into what the ….  are you doing here, when he knew he should be 20 mins ahead of me at this point. I used the same word again as started off on the run. Ian also had an unusual cycle time, I can't remember if he asked to mention or not mention the nice old lady who he accidentally destroyed in T1 by checking she was in the earlier start, soon over took him, not long after, on her shopper bike, with a pannier.

First Name
Last Name
Swim Time
T1 Rnk
T1 Time
Bike Rnk
Bike Time
David
Hopkins
00:20:06
125
00:03:11
33
00:56:18
Steve
Whittaker
00:22:17
144
00:03:37
108
01:08:12
Darren
Payne
00:22:37
149
00:03:48
117
01:09:49
Paul
Brant
00:28:27
165
00:03:05
113
01:04:16
Ian
Hopgood
00:19:22
?
00:02:08
?
01:05:00





Steve secured his place at the front, with a good swim, a very good cycle and an awesome 35second  T2 time, I don't know what Darren and I were thinking during T2  but Paul had time for a power nap before his run. 
The run was a difficult mix of terrain, rutted and harsh under foot throughout. Some open field, some sand, some soft ground hills, a bomb hole  and along a freshly cut trail through the woods (with the stumps left in) The sun had some real warmth and although only 5.5km, it was very tough. My heart was not fully behind me and I needed to stop, but as I slogged through the sand, I decided that I had already stopped for lunch in the Sunrise so my two genuine times should count today (it makes sense to me). I had to ask permission (on the understanding that I had not won) from my fellow competitors, to not have to retire. It just seem wrong to throw all the effort away.
So here are the results

Pos
First Name
Last Name
Swim Time
T1 Rnk
T1 Time
Bike Rnk
Bike Time
T2 Rnk
T2 Time
Run Rnk
Run Time
Total Time
44
David
Hopkins
00:20:06
125
00:03:11
33
00:56:18
34
00:02:16
44
00:29:47
1:51:38
93
Steve
Whittaker
00:22:17
144
00:03:37
108
01:08:12
107
00:00:35
93
00:26:52
2:01:33
110
Darren
Payne
00:22:37
149
00:03:48
117
01:09:49
116
00:01:29
110
00:28:13
2:05:56
129
Paul
Brant
00:28:27
165
00:03:05
113
01:04:16
121
00:03:28
129
00:36:33
2:15:49

Ian
Hopgood
00:19:22
?
00:02:08
?
01:05:00
?





The swim was daunting for all, big, deep and very cold. "I have turned into a girl" Paul bellowed as the water passed his waist, brought a very quick smile to face. The feeling that you were not going to make it past the first discipline was very strong and for me being the last to go did not help. Climbing out was very rewarding. The ride was fantastic, complete mix of surface through the beautiful Elvedon estate and every corner was a test with 50PSI. And the run did not disappoint, but allowed Steve to stretch his lead.
The corrected results.
Pos
First Name
Swim Time
T1 Rnk
T1 Time
Bike Rnk
Bike Time
T2 Rnk
T2 Time
Run Rnk
Run Time
Total Time












93
          SteveW
00:22:17
144
00:03:37
108
01:08:12
107
00:00:35
93
00:26:52
2:01:33
110
          Darren
00:22:37
149
00:03:48
117
01:09:49
116
00:01:29
110
00:28:13
2:05:56
129
           PaulB
00:28:27
165
00:03:05
113
01:04:16
121
00:03:28
129
00:36:33
2:15:49
          David
00:20:06
125
00:03:11
33
Twat
34
00:02:16
44
00:29:47

           IanH
00:19:22
?
00:02:08
?
01:05:00
?
















A winner for the Gauntlet? Well only 3 competed in the chosen events and only 2 completed. However Paul swapped 10k for 30 miles, so I am sure this does not exclude him or indeed an average 10k do him justice, but given his Sunrise time who was ever going to catch him anyway? And there was a guy who suggested the challenge was a good idea and then pulled out of all of them just because he jumped on a girl, surely he could be the winner? If it were to come down to the two, none could respect the accolade if it was handed out to a shandy drinker. So what it comes down to is this. We were never racing each other, just encouraging, although the competition helped, we were just racing ourselves and we all now have something to beat. I never thought I could manage a Tri, let alone an extreme Tri, so that is enough for me and I will be back here next year, faster and looking up more.  The 3 Fingered Gauntlet was picked up and held high by 5 true athletes and I bestow upon you that a decision must be made and declared at the party that never finishes at 9. A decision of who will carry the 3FG into 2014 and defend it in the chosen events.
E&OE