I was a bit uncertain heading into Mandurah 70.3 this year.
Training had been going well, but the running was a bit underdone after
recovering from a groin strain and it felt like it had been a long time since I
had had a good race. In the week before the race I really started to have some
doubts. Turns out I should just have stopped thinking about it so hard.
Mandurah 70.3 is the first big race in the WA Tri season.
Now in its third year I think it is starting to finds its place. It is the Asia
Pacific Pro Champs and as a result it carries good money and good qualification
points, so it tends to draw some big names, Michael Raelert, Craig Alexander,
Tim Reed, Chris Kemp, Annabel Luxford, Caroline Steffen, Mel Hauschildt to name
a few. Combined with the fact that it is a super fast course means that it is
becoming a popular race. In previous years you could qualify for Kona at
Mandurah which you couldn’t this year. I thought that might have dampened
people’s enthusiasm for the race, particularly because it is so close to Busselton
Ironman, however, it didn’t seem to be the case with a field of around 1200
rocking up on the day.
I did Mandurah last year and it was a great race for me. I
was the fastest age grouper on the day and it was also a big PB for me. Last
year it was a race that showed me what was possible. Turns out it might be a
good race for that sort of thing.
I am not going to go into much detail describing Mandurah or
the course since I did that last year and you can read about it here.
Probably enough to say that the course this year was almost
exactly the same. The swim start was in a slightly different spot this year,
but that was the only difference.
The other thing that was the same as last year was the
weather. Hot, hot, hot. Race day in Mandurah got up to 35 degrees again, which
caught everybody off guard a bit since it was only forecast for around 30.
People expected it to be hot, just not quite that hot. There is nothing about
the climate in Perth in November that says it should always be hot in early
November, but it obviously can be, and certainly has been for the last two
years.
So if the course is the same, then how was my race? In
short, it was very good. Well actually it would be more accurate to say the
result was good, the race was just plain hard.
Race morning was a fairly relaxed affair. I got to bed
really early the night before, got a decent night sleep and got to transition
with plenty of time. Once the gear was all set up I spent the rest of the
morning hanging out with everyone at the BYL tent. By the time I got to the
start of the swim I was uncertain as to what the day would hold, but I was
relaxed.
After a bit of time floating around, getting a bit of a warm
up and trying not to drift too far downstream, the gun went off and we were
off.
In nearly every race I have done people have sprinted off
the line in the swim. I try not to get too caught up in this since I know that
pacing the start is an import part of swimming 1.9km fast. However, at the
start of the Mandurah swim leg, once I was going, I realised that the swimming
was feeling good so instead of holding back I went with the guys who were sprinting
off the line. Once I reached the first buoy I decided that I didn’t need to
slow down and so went for it.
I really enjoy the swim at Mandurah. The current means that
you are going fast. The course is easy, there are only about four buoys, all
you need to do is follow the canal, not hit a canal wall and not hit a boat.
This year my wave was the first one and so we even got to enjoy the luxury of
not having to swim around earlier waves. With clear, fast water, I had a ball.
When you swim alone it is easy to fall off the pace because you don’t have a
reference. With that in mind I tried to make sure I kept pushing through the
swim. I got to the end of the swim feeling good and having managed to get a
handy piece of space over the rest of the people in my wave. Swim time of 22:03,
second fastest age group swim of the day by one second as it turns out. The age
grouper who beat me in the swim was Olympic legend Neil Brooks, so I can live
that.
Into transition and I found my bike on the first pass for
once. I gave myself a little cheer and got on with the business of removing skin
tight neoprene.
I headed out on the bike and had that surreal moment that
happens in races sometimes where it feels like you are going for a training
ride on closed roads, there was absolutely nobody in sight. I have been riding
with a power meter for a while now and going into this race I had a good idea
of what I could hold. As I started I slotted into my planned power level and
got pedalling.
The first lap passed pretty uneventfully. I caught a couple
of the pro women and that was about it. In the days leading up to the race
there had been a lot of concern about wind, but on the first lap it didn’t seem
to be much of a factor. I turned at the end of the first lap, the power levels
where exactly where they were supposed to be and I was feeling good. The doves were singing and the
world was a happy place.
Heading out onto the second lap the course was a lot busier
and I was starting to feel the race in my legs. Heading out of Mandurah for the
second time I hit a real flat spot. I am not sure if it was the wind, or
the road surface or just my mental state, but I was starting to struggle. I was
still moving okay, but a lot slower. To me it felt like the wind had become a
bit more of a head wind for the outward leg. I am not sure if it really was a
headwind, but it certainly felt like it.
I struggled out to the turn and then, just when I needed it,
a speedy team rider came whizzing past on his first lap. “Right” I told
myself, “just stick to this guy, don’t let him out of your sight”. I dropped
myself back to 12m and then chased. It was just what I needed; chasing the team
rider pulled my mind back into the game. The final leg back into Mandurah was
some of my quickest riding in the race. I got back into Mandurah with a big PB
on the bike and a dream in my heart. The dream being that I would be able to run.
Bike time was 2:09.10, fastest age group ride of the day. Very happy to finally
get a ride in under 2 hours 10.
I got into T2, gave myself another little mental high five
for finding my shoes on the first go, got the shoes on and got on with my
version of running.
Once I was running, it was feeling good. For the first 5km
or so I suspected I was running too quick, but decided to push to give myself a
shot at a good run time. I knew I was likely to slow down, but I was hopeful
that the slowdown wouldn’t be too great. It seemed like a good plan up until the
around the 7km mark when the pace started to drop, and then drop some more. By
the time I was on the second lap the heat was in and so was the pain. I don’t
think I ever descended quite to survival mode, but I got close. I struggled
through to the end of the run but by the time I got to the line it was not pretty, I
was at the line though and so I no longer needed to care. Run time was 1.28.56,
nothing to brag about there.
Crossing the line I was blown away to see my time of
4:02.55. Coming into the race I had felt that a PB was possible, but I had no expectations
around that much of a PB. That time was enough for a win in the Age Group, 1st
Age Grouper and 11th male overall, which I was particularly happy
with.
All up it was a really good day. A tough, hot, painful, good
day.
As I said before, I feel that Mandurah 70.3 is a race that
if finding its feet. The town really gets behind it, the area around the expo
and finish line has a lot of people and great support, heaps of cheering out on
the course. Running through that finishing area picks you up every time.
From what I have seen over the last two years the organisers
have the best interest of the competitors in mind. Last year they added a water
station to the run and I have no doubt that they would have done it again this
year if the forecast the day before had been for 35 degrees. The race has a
nice fun feel to it, quite relaxed for a WTC event.
The course has its foibles. It is open, exposed to heat and
wind, scenic in some areas, dull in others, it is fast though. Despite this I
do enjoy this course and it certainly seems to agree with me. I wouldn’t
necessarily recommend travelling long distance to do the race, but if you lived
in Perth, or were there for some reason and it fitted with your schedule, then
I would consider it.
As I have said it was a good day. A large part of it being a
good day is due to the people around me. A big thanks to my wife and family,
putting up with the training and the racing and the expense and everything
else. Without them racing wouldn’t happen. Simple as that. Another big thank
you to Daryl. Getting me back from injury after Challenge Gold Coast, getting
me ready both physically and mentally, particularly in the week before the race
when I was freaking out a little bit. Thanks too to Paul and SwimSmooth, I am
always amazed that my swimming continues to improve. I have been swimming for a
few years now, but even in just the last 6 months I have seen more gains in
speed. Finally thanks to the BYL folks. A great club, great people to hang out
with before and after the race and really great cheering throughout the race. Having
that support is a bigger lift that people realise.
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