Kevin Dargue Chats about the Dramatic ups and Downs of Qualification for Team GB
A quick comparison between the Qualifier times and my Sprint times from last year showed that with a mere 10% improvement across all three disciplines, and fairly major improvements on transition, Qualifying was achievable. With more than just a little nudge from Mark, zero investment in new kit and a new training Schedule 10% improvement surprisingly came and went very early on in the year.
I was only able to commit to two of the Qualifiers, St.Neots and Nottingham. Early morning and feeling sick with nerves (Am I selling this to you?) my support team deserted me at St.Neots in favour of a warm bed and a full, English Breakfast. It was therefore great to have a large Viceroy presence and a huge confidence boost to catch fleeting glimpses of Pink all the way around the course. St.Neots, which was not only a Qualifier event but also the British Sprint Championship, was definitely the hardest and coldest race I had done and “Never Show Weakness” was definitely spat out at several points, but mainly in the swim! My support team arrived with bacon sandwich in hand just as I crossed the finish line!
My finish time placed me 7th in AG and I was pretty gutted to be so close yet so far away from Qualifying. By the end of the day this had moved up to 6th as an athlete ahead of me had pre-Qualified from the previous year. A few days later it became 5th as another name disappeared. A few more days later and the magic “Q” appeared. Being 5th when only 4 places are allocated on each Qualifier had me convinced this was a typo for many weeks. Eventually an email from British Triathlon confirmed it all. As St.Neots had been the British Sprint Championships they had decided to award 5 Qualifying places instead of 4. Qualified at first attempt. Unbelievable! I’m not sure what was worse though, the race or the waiting. There was no pressure for Nottingham and it was used for additional confidence and technique building. I had been losing places during the cycle stages on earlier races but at Nottingham, for the first time, I moved up, despite having geese walking all over the course.
I was lucky to Qualify early in the year enabling me to concentrate on training. Since qualifying the regime has continued and the wonderful camaraderie and support from fellow Viceroys has seen my confidence grow, especially in group, close quarter swimming.
Chicago here we come. Race day is Thursday, 17 September. Shepperton OW Swim and Parkrun Bedfont Lakes, Saturday, World 2015 ITU World Triathlon AG Sprint Championships, Thursday. Can it get any better?
If anyone is thinking of giving it a go just DO IT. Hard work and a commitment to training will get you there. I had minimal kit, although I have treated myself since. My bike is an overweight 12Kg aluminium framed £299 B’Twin from Decathlon! A busy home and work schedule required a little juggling and strange training times. It is you, not the kit that makes the difference. Seriously, I have only been doing triathlon for 18 months so if I can do it so can you. If you have a good, solid Winter base achieving qualification in the first race of the year is definitely achievable and a big advantage.
Go TEAM GB. GO Team Viceroys.
