‘WOW what can I say. I’ve never raced in heat like that.
Did the USN Bedford Olympic tri last year and thought I’d head back for more fun on the run. It was 24 degrees at 8am!! And I was sweating like a pig in my Helix and the pre race briefing when on for an age. Knew it was going to be a tough day with the heat, but with Charlie Pennington – semi pro / Freespeed racing I knew that this racing snake was here to go fast.
We swam side by side and exited the water together – only for myself to get stuck in the mud getting out – mad me laugh but lost the fastest swim split in the process – low 20s and it felt easy. I exited T1 still in first place – these 70.3 guys are pants at transitions. I went hard hoping to get out of side but at 5km Charlie slowly by. We exchanged the lead over the first 25km before I slipped a chain on a hill. Charlie hit the hammer and got out of sight. I came into t2 a minute down. By now it was touching 30degrees and a XC run is not what I want in the heat. Went hard and did a 19min first lap then BOOM – died a death of a thousand monkeys and did the ironman shuffle to get home. I dropped from 2nd to 7th but over the final 1km picked off two to come home 5th and with a shocking run time (2nd fastest on the swim though).’
