Brecon Triathlon 10th June 2006

Report by Alex Ilyat

It was hard to think that barely a month before everyone was sheltering from the biting wind and driving rain at Llanelli north dock. Today, the sun was shining and the wind felt like you were standing inside a fan oven.

Due to the limited pool space, the 800m swim works on a continual rotation which meant a leisurely start to the morning, although the disadvantage is that you have no idea who you are racing against. It was interesting to watch the various techniques of other athletes in both the swim and in T1. The changing rooms were available for changing between the swim and the bike for those who like to wash the chlorine out of their hair after a hard swim.  We did learn a good tip – it’s probably best to use a 2in1 shampoo and conditioner instead of taking two bottles into the shower - every second counts!

The bike was a 33km, circular route that had a few long climbs and some tight, gravely corners. The wind was whistling along the bypass section of the course, so much so that it was hard to pedal downhill at points. Combined with the blazing sun the 33k was hard and energy sapping. Val, despite putting in a storming bike time wasn’t sure whether she preferred racing in this weather or the pouring rain in Llanelli. The bike did take its toll, unfortunately Ellie made the hard decision to call it quits due to a combination of events, including loosing her entry card, having to stop 3 times at road junctions and probably most importantly worrying about the walking powder puff (Fifi / Hattie) which was left in Ian’s ‘care’.

The run was a long 8.5km, tracing the bike route along the bypass. I had seen a few people walking whilst I was on the bike and so I shouted the usual encouragements. Now I was in their shoes I realised why they were walking. It was hot and the bike had sapped everybody’s energy. Give me driving rain any day.

Despite the heat, Dave put in a great effort to win in a time of 1:43:12 just 11 seconds ahead of second place. Steve also put in a very good time of 1:55:18 to finish 19th. Val came in second in the female vet category despite not enjoying the race. For the third year in a row the club won the team prize (one of the only times I leave before the presentation and I end up being part of the winning team) although I was on a mission for meat and beer (essential post race nutrition).

After the resounding success of last year's after-race party/camp Dave, Ellie, Ian and I (and Fifi) kept the new tradition alive. The campsite was really nice and had a freezing cold pool, just what was needed after the heat of the day. We eventually tracked down bags of ice in the Co-op to chill the beer and bubbly and then set about trying to recreate the BBQ expertise of Pete. We tried hard but we couldn’t produce anything quite as blackened although Hattie gave it a good go as she walked over a candle and set fire to her ample rear.

Name	Swim	Rank	Bike	Rank	Run	Rank	Total	Pos	Cat Pos
Dave Astins	0:13.05	2	0:55.14	8	0:34.53	2	1:43.12	1	1
Steve Matchett	0:15.34	25	1:00.09	31	0:39.48	17	1:55.31	19	15
Alex Ilyat	0:17.54	62	1:00.13	32	00:44.22	41	2:02.29	39	28
Val Brown	0:21.59	117	1:02.13	44	0:45.47	52	2:09.59	63	2

To view full results, please click here.