It was always my intention to make a late decision as to
whether I’d do the Waikaremoana Classic this year. I really wasn’t sure if I’d
recovered enough after an intense couple of months racing ending
mid-October. When push came to shove I
decided ‘d give it a nudge anyway and use it as a training race. If it all went
sour and things got really tough I’d still walk away with valuable race
experience and a couple more hairs on my chest…….not that I need any. I was
also intrigued about the new course changes and I love the atmosphere at
Waikaremoana. There’s no place quite like it.
The first challenge with Waikaremoana is getting there.
Theres no avoiding a long journey complete with windy roads but with a good
road crew it can be fun travel too. Thanks to Dan Busch and his family complete
with plenty of car cricket the trip went relatively quickly.
Day 1: 28km mountain
bike, 18km kayak, 20km run, 5km bike
I figured I’d figure out pretty quickly as to how my body is
faring up today. Correct. Unfortunately it wasn’t great news. As expected I was
still in the depths of recovery. The initial ride involved a 2km steep 4wd
section out of Tuai village joining the Waikaremoana road near the lake.
Several minutes into the race the pace became too much, lactic acid became king
and I was forced to push the bike for a while. I never really recovered from the
start concluding that I simply aren’t ready for this kind of intensity. Once on
the main road the course followed the Lake round to Mokau bay and the start of
the paddle. With Rich starting later due to issues with Elina’s front tyre I
managed to sit on his wheel for a while but I was in no form to keep the pace
and I was soon solo riding. Into transition and I had lost 6 minutes to Dougal
who lead off the bike.
Getting excited about feeling better in the boat I
transitioned quickly and got to work. No joy. The arms were leaden. If this was
a tempo paddle I’d be happy but for a race I was well off my game. That said I
did manage to claw my way back from 5th to third and again was
getting excited about a change in discipline. The past 2 years had seen me do
really well on this run, fingers crossed for a repeat.
Dan Busch who had just finished his section in the teams
helped me transition smoothly and soon I was off on the track. Conditions were
cool and wet underfoot normally my cup of tea. No rhythm was forthcoming, no
power crept into my legs. Even small rises slowed me to a power walk. It
quickly became apparent that I was in no state to race at this level. I would
have no problems finishing but it was slow and painful. The key to this type of
fatigue is rest. Sure thing…..but not until the day after tomorrow.
Dougal had completed a great day leading from start to
finish taking a couple of minutes lead into day 2. He was now 17 minutes ahead
of me. 12 of those minutes came from the run, my strong point!
Day 2: 15km mountain
bike, 11km kayak, 23km run, 15km mountain bike
Yesterday was a reality check. It confirmed what I’ve known
for weeks but wasn’t prepared to admit. I’m tired and off my game.
So my expectations changed a little. I still aimed to give
day 2 a good go, I just wouldn’t contest from the start. Instead my plan was to
do my own thing initially and see where it left me. As a result I didn’t
contest Dougal or Rich and had a much more positive day. I rode on my own for a
while and was gradually caught by Karen Hanlen and another unknown rider.
Together we rode consistently coming into transition a couple of minutes behind
Dougal and Rich.
The paddle was cold. Luckily my crew (thanks Mum and Dad)
forced me into a sharkskin top (very warm paddling top) because shortly after I
fell off my ski. Bibs can be annoying things and with my drinking pipes tangled
under my bib I stopped to get them out. All too quickly I was in the lake. Too
cool for comfort I jumped back on and got back to work. It had cost me a minute
and ad me a little worried I’d lose third spot to Luke Osbourne if he ran well.
Rest assured short of a miracle I would not.
In transition I was only 30 secs behind Luke and thought if
I could run with him 3rd would be safe. But he disappeared off up
the road out of sight. Slightly concerned I set my mind back on my race rather
than those around me. Up hills clearly weren’t going well so instead I focussed
on smooth efficient running on the flats and downs. Shock horror I even started
enjoying things there for a while! 15km through the run I caught and passed
Luke who was struggling a bit and by the time I hit transition I was 30 seconds
behind Rich who was also struggling as a result of a hectic race calendar.
In transition Rich had figured both of us were both locked
in our respective positions and had no hope of chasing Dougal. So in a strange
finale Rich waited for me, we biked the final 15km together sparing the bodies
any further punishment. Thanks Rich, it would have been a lonely ride
otherwise!
So final thoughts….didn’t enjoy it, glad I did it, can’t
wait for my upcoming holiday!
A big congrats must go to Dougal for a consistenltly awesome
race. A long apprenticeship makes a victory all the more worth it. Good stuff
mate.
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