Stunning weather in Strathclyde provided a very memorable backdrop to a fierce ITU Sprint Qualifier for Duncan and Colette.

Duncan reports: ‘Perhaps it was the weather that put the pack in a feisty mood? Perhaps it was the desperation of 2nd round/one shot qualifiers? Perhaps I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, for the WHOLE swim! An all AG wave of 97 around a tight course made for a brutally physical 11.22 swim and a very dazed and disorientated charge for transition.

Onto the bike, the Strathclyde course was a treat, a 4 lap course with continuous elevation change. A group of 9 quickly formed and I worked hard off the front to chase down the 2nd pack 15-20 seconds ahead; making sure I stayed out of trouble leading into the turn points and first off the pack into transition. Two AG rivals were in my pack who I failed to shake off, so it was now all down to a quick transition and turning on my run.

Oh how my legs protested at taking that bike effort into the run. I couldn’t bring myself to look back, the psychological pain of knowing being passed could mean the difference between a Q1-4 and no Q at all. I just had to keep it under control and push.

With an out and back 2 lap course though it meant I would have to face reality 3 times. I was passing others but none had the crucial ‘G’ AG marked on their right leg to give me a reprieve on my placing. At the first turn ‘Wall’ was right there. What did he have in the tank? My brain scrabbling to remember his past run form from Google. My legs were starting to feel good, I’d push on for a break straight away, and turn 2 revealed ‘Wall’ had dropped back. The 3rd and final turn was a huge relief, there had been no fight back; with 1250m to go and still feeling strong, I had a Q in the bag. A wave of elation hit me, the realisation of a hard winter’s work and having the opportunity to race in a GB suit again at the ITU World Finals felt fantastic, mentally I backed off the pace but Garmin data suggests my legs didn’t get the message!

In summary a super weekend. The new draft legal racing adding some real excitement and great tactical racing, the crowds loved it, the organisation was faultless. Oh and if you haven’t seen any pictures that perfect blue sky made it all just even sweeter!

Collette recounts: ‘The ladies wave was very small but having checked the entry list several times I recognized a few names that I knew I would be/or potentially be racing in Cozumel come September so it was game on.

I knew that my swim was going to be slower than my competition so just stayed focused on my stroke and pushed as hard as I could, the tactic clearly worked as it was a decent pace for me so it’s a shame I messed it up getting stuck in my wet suit again.

Out on the bike and ready for 4 laps of a beautiful, but challenging course, at no point was there any flat!  Luckily I exited T1 with one other so we worked together on the ride, this was mentally and physically hard, she was stronger on the climbs than me so I really had to dig deep to keep with her and take my turn on the front. There were a few times when I thought “I’ll just let her go and I’ll ride on my own” but then I had a serious word with myself and pushed on. I’m really pleased I did as we closed down the leader in my age group at the start of the 4th lap. By the end of the last lap our little pack of 2 had grown to 5 as we closed on 2 and was caught by 1  other, I sat at the back of the group as we came in to T2 and let me legs recover for a few seconds and prepared myself for the run.

I had been disappointed with my run at Dorney so set off determined not to make the same mistakes this time. I had ridden hard and my legs were feeling it but kept pushing my legs to turn rather than let them come in at their in their own time, I could see that I was gaining on those ahead of me so I kept focused on picking people off, 1k in to the run I knew I was in the lead for my age-group so now it was all about my time. With the mantra of “high heals” and “elbows back” going through my head as I pushed on home.

After Dorney I was not sure I liked the new drafting rules but I am loving how it forces you to communicate in the race and work out strategies. I am so much more aware of my competitors and how they are racing it is adding a great new dimension and forming new relationships within the triathlon community.

What can I say, it was an amazing weekend, great race, great crowd, age group win, a wooden medal and a bit of Scottish sunburn. Cant wait till Llandudno.’

As raced and reported by Duncan and Colette