RACE 27 - TOSHIBA WINDSOR TRIATHLON - 12 June

The Windsor Triathlon (another in the British Super Series) has an almost unparalleled location; with a swim in the Thames, part of the cycle going through Windsor Great Park, and the run up to Windsor Castle.  Needless to say its a very popular tourist destination as the castle is one of the royal residences and is also near Ascot. See http://www.windsor.gov.uk/  for information and  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor,_Berkshire for a pretty comprehensive history of the town. Continuing the theme of place names, Windsor originates from old English Windles-ore, or 'winch by the riverside'. More interesting trivia is that the Duke of Windsor gave his name to the 'Windsor Knot' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windsor_knot  

The one disadvantage of the event is that you have to register on the Saturday, taking your bike and helmet to leave overnight in transition.  It does mean that a lot of the competitors decide to make a weekend of it and stay over.  However I'm near enough not to bother though it does mean two trips. 

During the previous week I had taken part in a 5k run as part of the 5K Your Way programme (http://www.5kyourway.co.uk/ ) which is trying to encourage local authority employees to become fitter (some of you might think that's not before time!)  Anyway, over 1500 people walked, jogged and ran 5K in Regent’s Park on Wednesday 8th June and raised nearly £10,000 for local charities.  Particularly poignant for Southwark employees as we were supporting the Southwark's Mayor's Charity - Macmillan, (http://www.macmillan.org.uk/Home.aspx) who had recently died.  Most London parks now host a free 5k run programme (see -   http://www.parkrun.com/home).  I'd managed to finish for the first time after four years of trying with a sub-20 minute time.  Well chuffed!


Saturday turned out to be a beautiful day - warm and sunny, in contrast to the forecast.  Got to the registration in good time in the morning and received a branded towel instead of a t-shirt, which makes a nice change.  Also got an orange numbered wrist band that we needed to keep on in order to access the transition area.  It did mean that I would have to wear it that afternoon and over night so regardless of the warm weather means wearing long sleeves as it's not a great look!

Had a quick look around the course in the centre of town and the exhibitors and triathlon suppliers in the expo.  The race headquarters, expo, and transition were all based in Alexander Gardens which are an old fashioned pleasure gardens which runs parallel to the waterfront for much of the riverfront area, established in Victorian times.  It has the expected formal flower beds but at the western end of the park is a mini funfair for the kids and a small skateboard park, something call sphere world (big blow up spheres that you get inside and act like dodgem cars), they are constructing a lavish crazy golf course,  a kiosk that rents out cycles also selling with candy floss, hot dogs etc. There are plenty of ice cream and other food outlets in the vicinity as well as public toilets.  The park is used to accommodate a big wheel during the summer. This is a slightly smaller version of the London Eye. The wheel is sited at the end of the park nearest Windsor Castle with the transition sited around it.  Not many triathlons could boast of having a big wheel in the transition!  As competitors we could have a free go on it but unfortunately I didn't have time as I had to get back to Dulwich to play in a hockey match.  It also meant that I didn't take any photos - which subsequently I regretted as the weather changed and I could have looked down on the whole site from the wheel - a viewpoint that would have been unique.  


After hockey (we won 6-2) decided I'd better finish off the Blenheim update.  During this, the heavens opened with heavy rain.  That would mean all the bikes and helmets would be soaked in the morning.  Some competitors had been a little better organised, covering their kit with bags. 

From the organisers website - "Getting up at the crack of dawn came with its benefits as the majority of the 2,500 age-group triathletes competing in the 2011 Toshiba Windsor Triathlon were greeted with sunny conditions perfect for racing. It was a totally different story by the time a highly competitive elite field came to contest the British Championships however as conditions steadily began to worsen as the morning went on.  The low levels of rainfall over the last few months meant the notorious currents of the river swim in the Thames were not as strong as in previous years ......."   

Well it certainly was the crack of dawn, another 3am alarm call (same time as the Mini-Marshman, race 20) as the race actually started at 6am.  The weather was however perfect.  Driving through south London at 3:30 in the morning, I was still surprised at how people were still around.  However traffic was mercifully light which meant I got through to the M4 quickly.  Either side of the motorway there was low-lying mist on the fields.

The walk from the car park (school fields) to the transition took us along the River Thames which also had low lying mist clinging to it's surface.  There numerous swans, geese and ducks drifted serenely with the almost imperceptible current. Sorting out the remainder of my kit, drying what I could of the bike and helmet, got into my wetsuit.  Chatting with my fellow competitors gave what little advice I could to a triathlon 'newbie' who was quite nervous having never done an open water swim before.  


The walk to the swim start was painful.  The path was exposed aggregate concrete - it felt like walking on a pebble beach - one that had sharp pebbles!  Oh well, we'd soon loose the feeling in our feet once we got into the river and it did enable the "gallows" humour to come to the fore.  Also there was a bit of a scramble for the only bench adjacent to the start - that's what makes taking part in a wave of us "older" folk more fun.


The drop down into the Thames was about three foot as the water level was quite low.  Some of the moored boats had a distinct list.  Once in we had the race briefing.  Quite why we had it while treading water I don't know?  Trying to keep afloat while being told what was going to happen on the cycle and run parts of the race didn't exactly result in the undivided attention.  Cue for more gallows humour!  As you can see from the picture of the Thames you can't actually see the return buoy which only added to the sense that it was going to be long swim.  Some 750m's seem longer for some reason and this was one of the longest.


On the off it was mayhem as we all tried to get to the opposite shore as the current in shallow water is slower than that in midstream (due to frictional losses of the bank and the river bed or some such physics).  people were swimming over/under others and even because the shallows were well - 'shallow' - actually wading! The latter was a real nuisance as swimming around them was annoying.        


Within about 100m of the turn buoy which was under the railway bridge (a big orange floaty thing you couldn't really miss once you'd gone around a bend in the river) we disturbed a family of ducks - parents plus ducklings.  In fact we had pretty much disturbed all the wildfowl along the length of the river but what was noticeable about this particular group of ducks was that the ducklings actually were curious about the hoards of orange hatted swimmers and the parents were having problems shepherding them away from the thrashing mass.  It was also approximately at this time that a red swim hat went past.  Oh dear, the red hats were in the wave after us - albeit setting off only four minutes behind.  It did mean though that even more swimmers were added into the mix.

However once around the orange floaty thing it was into the middle of the river to catch the current downstream (stronger here because of the lack of frictional losses as the water is deeper and there is no bank - again some physics type stuff involved).  Nearing the turn into a inlet, I was overtaken by a green swim hat.  Now this was someone who'd started eight minutes behind!  Going into my fastest breast stroke I finally made it to the platform out.  Most triathlons have a gentle ramp to ease your return to dry land.  This one didn't.  Just a large step made out of scaffolding which made getting out of a swimming pool seem comparatively a doddle! 


Then a 200m run down steps, through the crowd, over muddy grass and onto the bike.  At least it wasn't like Blenheim, being flat.  The bike section is longer than most sprint triathlons being 29km rather than the more normal 20km.  Being more of a cyclist than anything, this is the bit I like the most especially as it gives me a chance to ride my time trial bike.  


However the whole ride nearly came to grief early on as two of us down on our tri-bars (meaning we didn't have easy access to our brakes) were overtaken by a bus who swerved in front of us to stop at a bus stop.  I mean you expect that kind of thing in central London when you cycle in to work (well to be honest at pretty much any time) but in Windsor at 6:30 in the morning in what was obviously a race?  The driver was obviously a total *****!! (a word that wouldn't get past the blog/Facebook police).  Having locked up in I must admit a bit of a panic and gone into a rather elegant if a little uncontrolled skid, I exchanged an opinion of the drivers' parentage with my fellow competitor.  Then it was head down, into the tuck position and begin to crank up the speed.  


By the way, there is a really amazing new gizmo that allows you track your progress over the period of the race.  If you compare me with say the race leader or the top person in my age group you can see how I did! Isn't technology amazing!   (http://www.tri247.com/triviewer/Windsor/WindsorSprint/GE.html# ) Anyway it confirms one thing I suspected, I overtook a lot of people on the bike!  Okay it also confirms that nearly everyone overtook me in the swim and a fair few on the run (though it's more difficult to tell here as it was a three lap run ..... that's my excuse anyway).


The bike course can be divided into three distinct sections.  There's the almost perfectly flat route westwards (i.e. into the wind which was mercifully light this early in the morning - it got up considerably later on) out towards and briefly over the M4 motorway.  I made up a lot of time on this section as even with a light headwind the aero position is more efficient.  Also I could take on my drink much easier than those who had them mounted on the frame rather than between the bars like I do.  One advantage of being a slow swimmer is that the vast majority of my wave are out in front so overtaking all these people is a huge physiological lift.  And I like having huge physiological lifts.  


The second third was more undulating, with no major climbs or anything just an apparent slow but continuous gain in height.  It was about halfway through this section I had a bit of a "flat spot" - legs just not going as fast as they should.  At this point I was overtaken by two other cyclists (the only two I'm pleased to say) who like me had time-trial bikes - though their's were more expensive, so obviously the reason they could overtake, as there can't have been any other reason?


At some point in this section we passed Legoland (I was oblivious) and skirted Windsor Great Park (again oblivious!)  One thing I do remember was overtaking someone just before a roundabout at some speed only to make an absolute hash of the bend - taking it really wide allowing him to overtake on the inside.  Catching and overtaking again, we exchanged some banter (which is technically against the BTF rules) along the lines that I may be good on the straights but I was cr*p on the corners!  I must admit this is one of the things that attracts me to triathlons is the sheer friendliness of the competitors, marshals, spectators - in fact everybody bar the prat of a Windsor bus driver!


The third section of the course was back down into Windsor through the great park.  Its a lovely ride with great views back towards the castle.  The riders had considerably thinned out by this stage so its more of a battle within yourself, unable to use other competitors for motivation.  Its not too bad on these short races but I image for the longer distance races psychological strength is almost, if not more important than physical because of the loneliness. 

Back into the outskirts of Windsor with the marshals do their stuff marshalling the light traffic.  At only one point did I have to really slow down and that was because the course crossed that of the outward bound cyclists.  Back into transition to change into trainers and this time a pair of socks.  Normally I don't bother with socks thereby saving valuable seconds! Also it makes me feel a little bit like an elite athlete as that is what they do.  However I'd done this at Blenheim last weekend and it resulted in an impressively sore array of blisters.  So socks it was.  Then past the big wheel and out onto the first of three laps.  The air cadets did the honours at the water station then it was the run up to the castle.  It's only a short uphill but its steep and to be repeated three times.  The crowd and a photographer (where else but at point of maximum suffering?) were here in force.  Round some cones - we didn't go up to "Her Maj's" front door - and straight back down again.  

Then a perfectly flat out and back section before the next turn round laps to the left the finish straight tantalisingly to the right.  Past the air cadets with the knowledge that the hill was next.  A really lovely lady obviously seeing the Prostate Cancer top encouraged me on and actually counted my laps for me.  On the final one she even shouted a well done and goodbye!  Finally was able to turn right down the fairly long finish straight.


The weather by this point was definitely taking a turn for the worse and it was getting quite chilly.  So it was off to the cafe for a cuppa and to watch some of the swimmers (hence the photos).  I noticed on the way to the finish of the swim course, clustered behind one of the small islands, were all the swans, geese and ducks - probably all the wildfowl from this section of the Thames.  Seemingly they'd had enough of the thrashing swimmers and decided to spend the rest of their Sunday morning undisturbed albeit somewhat crowded behind the island.


It began to drizzle so went off to have a look at the runners and take some photos of the runners going up the hill to the castle. The run is almost processional as you're not quite sure what lap everyone is on.  You do begin to pick out one or two runners in distinctive outfits but the course was certainly more congested than when i was running.


As it was beginning to get quite unpleasant and rather than hang around for 40 minutes to catch a glimpse of the elite racers, I decided to cut my losses, pack up and go.  On the (fairly long) walk back to the car got talking to another competitor going my way and found we live within half a mile of each other. The advantage of leaving early became apparent.  I swanned through the light London traffic, was showered, sprawled on the sofa with a cup of tea and the Sunday papers by 10:30 with the rest of a lazy Sunday morning to enjoy!


RESULT: 45th out of 324 in a time of 1:39:03 (5th in the old codgers category)