Eton Dorney Sprint Triathlon - Quick summary

I recounted the Eton Dorney Sprint Triathlon in full in a previous post. If you want to just get the top line on how it went, here is my finish line summary of how it went for me.

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Another weekend another triathlon - Eton Dorney

I can't believe I signed myself up for another triathlon. It's like buses. I don't do one for 10 years and then I do two in 10 weeks. I seem to have gotten a bug.

It's not that I have become a triathlete again; it's just part of my overall plan to stay fit in my 6th decade of life.

I had a phase around 20 years ago when I raced triathlons and duathlons regularly and was even part of different clubs. That feels like a different life. I trained regularly and intensely, planning my daily schedule around it, and even planning life around "the season". Everyone I socialised with was a triathlete and conversations, whether it was during training sessions, racing, or at the pub were "what races are you doing? Are you doing the Nationals? How was your bike splt? How long were you in transition? Did you use a Polar heart rate monitor or another one?"

There was so much triathlon talk, and without realising it I began to lose interest in it as I wasn't enjoying that feeling of being trapped in a triathlon bubble. Sure, I was probably a lot fitter than I am now, but life felt one-dimensional, and even when racing I dreaded it so much because I began to worry about not performing to my potential, what others would think if I was slower than expected, or if so and so beat me! I had to make sure I wasn't the slowest in the club. Many times I was though, and then I would feel a little bit embarrassed because I took 35 minutes to swim 1500m, or because I did 30 minutes for my 5km run. 

Then I got into cycle racing, which seemed to have more "balanced" people who largely had a healthy relationship with their sport. It has to be said that back then triathlon was a bit of a niche sport, with only hardy obsessives doing it. 

I gradually phased myself out of triathlon and didn't actually miss doing it. I had done it and got lots of T-shirts, literally! So it was time to move on.

Finishing the swim at Eton 
Photo: Maggie Easton

In recent times I have started doing a multi-sport discipline called SwimRun. It involves, you've guessed it, swimming and running. Unlike say, an aquathlon, SwimRun, which originated in Sweden, is about repeatedly swimming, then running, then swimming, then running, usually across a large lake with islands or promontories, or even crossing different bodies of water, rather like an archipelago around Stockholm. You do the whole thing wearing the same gear, so you end up running in your wetsuit and swimming with your running shoes on. 

I have done a few of these events and enjoyed them, especially the laid back atmosphere. I think the fact that there's no proper federation or national championships etc may be a reason why a lot 9f competitors aren't hard core. 

When training for this in my local area I get funny looks from people as they see me running around Brockwell Park in South London, with my wetsuit, swimming hat and goggles on my head. London is generally an "anything goes" kind of place. But even here, there are limits between stylish and ridiculous! But I just smile and enjoy myself.

So nowadays a triathlon takes a very back seat, and on those occasional forays into swim/bike/run it is pretty much for fun, with only one objective, to get to the finish line still smiling.

It is with this frame of mind that I entered the Eton Dorney Sprint triathlon - less than a week before the event, and after I'd seen that the weather forecast that day would be fair. 

On my arrival at the venue the scene for the 2012 Olympics rowing competitions, 30 minutes beforey start time, lots of athletes were already in transition or doing warm-up strides ready for the 7.45am whistle. I calmly cycled across the field to the registration desk, already in my wetsuit and then roughly arranged my gear in transition. 

Eton Dorney bike leg
Photo: Mark Easton

Within minutes I had attended a lakeside race briefing and was swimming along with around 100 other athletes in my wave. The water was a pleasant temperature - around 19°C, and was very clear. Sighting was not an issue, as I could just follow people's legs in the water. For me, it was just about staying relaxed in the water and saving energy for the bike and the run.

It seems I was a bit too relaxed as my 750m swim took almost 25 minutes, and I was one of the last out of the water. I was then the last out of transition, as I took my time towelling myself down, putting on my shorts and cycling top, and making sure everything on the bike was wear I wanted it. I was in no rush!

My bike leg was a matter of pacing myself on the flat 4-lap course. The outward bike ride was straight into a headwind, while the return was a wind-assisted blast back towards the crowds. I past various riders at this point, including others on road bikes. Some of them were a lap ahead of me though, so unless they were weak runners they'd finish ahead of me.

So the 5km run leg, like that of the Paris triathlon, was an out and back along a dead straight, flat path beside a body of water. Where previously I was going along the Ourcq Canal, this time it was Dorney Lake. Similarly, it was all about focusing and not feeling demoralised or demotivated. One woman I passed had not been able to avoid those feelings. "Are you okay?" I asked, as I passed her. "I'm fine," she replied. "I'm just bored and don't want to run anymore!" Trying to motivate her, I said, "Keep it steady, you've nearly finished." I don't know if that was much help.

I overtook a few people along the way, which helped with my motivation. On the return, I picked up my pace a little, and managed to cross the line still smiling, even as a young girl shot past me in the last 50 metres. 

It had been a fun event in the early Sunday morning sunshine, and I savoured my medal. I must say, at my age you always celebrate finishing a race without feeling any pain or injury! So it was a bonus to see that I had done 27 minutes for my run - quicker than my Park Run times, which don't involve swimming and cycling beforehand.

I don't know when next I will do a triathlon, but if I don't do another one this year, I can say that I have had a good season.

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Sport after a life-changing injury

Recently two elite athletes were badly injured in cycling accidents. The circumstances of the incidents were slightly different, but the outcomes will have been equally traumatic.

Edo Maas

On 6 October 19-year old Edo Maas was hit by a car that strayed onto the course while he was competing in the Mini Tour of Lombardy (Il Piccolo Lombardia) Under-23 cycle race.

As he was coming down from the Madonna del Ghisallo climb between Asso and Canzo a car whose driver had ignored the "stop" signs that there was a race, drove onto the course.

Edo, who was travelling at 70kph (38mph) per hour had nowhere to go and couldn't brake in time collided with the vehicle and crashed to the ground leaving him unconscious with a broken back and neck, plus lesions to his face.

A prompt emergency response saw the Dutch youngster air-lifted and operated on at Niguarda Hospital in Milan and doctors were able to save his life. However, the doctors were unable to repair the damage to key nerves in his back, and they said that it is unlikely that Edo will ever regain the use of his legs.

The woman driving the car is now being investigated for causing serious injuries by dangerous driving.

Team Sunweb, the team that Edo races for made the emotional announcement two weeks ago, and they, along with the Maas family have urged the UCI to give higher priority to rider safety during cycle races.

Last week, we then learned of the news that Claire Danson, a European Triathlon Champion at the 30-34 Age group championships, and sister of Team GB Hockey player Alex Danson has been permanently paralysed.

Claire Danson

In a post she wrote on her Instagram account Claire revealed that on 28 August she suffered multiple fractures and punctured lungs following a collision with a tractor while riding her bike.

Claire's injuries are healing, except for the injury to her spinal cord at the T9 vertebra, which has left her paralysed from the waist down.

These incidences occurred just over a year after the German World Keirin Track Cycling Champion Kristina Vogel lost the use of her legs after a high-speed collision with another rider while training at the Cottbus Velodrome near Berlin in June 2018. The then 27-year old severed her spinal cord a the T7 vertebra leaving her permanently confined to a wheelchair.

I feel so sorry to hear these pieces of news. All of these athletes were in their prime, at the top of their game, and sport was a central part in their lives. Then to suddenly suffer these traumatic injuries must be so heart-breaking.

Kristina Vogel

Kristina gave a heart-rendering interview to the BBC last year a few weeks after her injury.

Naturally, Kristina had cried a lot and had to come to terms with her new situation but the quote that stood out for me was when she said: "I still love my life. So nothing changed, really. Just how I move. I'm going to do a lot of things in my wheelchair. It's different, but it's still my life, so why not be happy."

I, and many people were so impressed and inspired by her strength, courage, and positive attitude in the wake of this life-changing injury.

This takes me back to when another athlete who suffered paralysis after an accident. In 2001 in the days when I did triathlon, Paula Craig, an age-group triathlete was the woman to beat in my age-group. The detective sergeant who was part of the Metropolitan Police triathlon team, was doing one of her last bike rides the week before doing the Bournemouth Triathlon World Age Group Championships qualifier race when she was hit by a car on a country road. The car, travelling at 60 miles per hour was driven by an 84-year old man who admitted he was not wearing his glasses.

From one moment to the next Paula went from being a triathlete to a para-triathlete when she was confined to a wheelchair.

Paula Craig MBE (with Dame Cressida Dick,
Metropolitan Police Commissioner)

This was quite shocking for all of us in what was quite a close-knit community. Paula spent five months in hospital, and during that time she bought herself a handcycle and slowly began to do light exercises as part of her recovery.

A year after her accident Paula competed in the wheelchair race at the London Marathon and is the first person to have competed as an athlete and a para-athlete in that event. (As an able-bodied athlete she had done 2h 57 in the London marathon.) She also competed in the World Para-Triathlon Championships and won that.

As well as keeping her job at the Metropolitan Police which saw her promoted to Detective Inspector at the Homicide Squad and the Terrorism Squad, Paula became a motivational speaker, and in 2005 she was awarded an MBE for services to the police.

Paula's story goes to show how she has made something positive out of a life-changing situation and I feel inspired by her. I hope that I can have the same attitude as she does in very difficult life-changing circumstances. I also wish Kristina, Claire, and Edo all the best.

52 Cycling Voices - 13: Peggy Crome

I met Peggy Crome about 15 years ago, when I was a keen triathlete. We were on a Robin Brew swimming course in Devon. I didn't know how old she was, but I knew she was a vet (!) and I had a lot of admiration for her, as even then she had quite a lot of triathlons under her belt - more than I could imagine doing!

All those years later she has gone on and taken part in even more racing, representing Great Britain at the age-group worlds, and also doing Ironman triathlons. She may be coming to a triathlon near you!


Peggy Crome, aged 74

From: Chulmleigh, Devon

Lives: Bideford, Devon

Occupation: Retired maths and physical education teacher

I only got into cycling because it was a triathlon discipline. I had cycled as a kid, though we had very old rickety-rackety bikes at home on the farm.  Those bikes had no brakes and we used to put our feet up on to the back wheel to stop!! Riding around was okay in my childhood as there was hardly any traffic where we lived. Then I left cycling behind till I was about 40 years old when I started triathlons.

I rate cycling second out of the three disciplines, as I came into triathlon from running and that’s what I do best at.

 I do love the speed you can get with cycling around though. It’s far more physical than standing around waiting for buses and trains!

My first experience of being on a road bike was when I borrowed a bike from one of my sons. I found it quite scary.  Then I had a bit of a nasty experience, with an impatient lorry driver behind me.  I thought I had stopped to let him go by, but I hadn't quite stopped.  

I found myself looking up under the lorry - lucky for me I JUST escaped, and the lorry carried on without stopping. My heart was racing! 

Thankfully nothing like that has happened since.

I have my own bike now, a Specialized Shiv, and it’s quite good. As I have got older, I have had more money to spend, and we old folks need every bit of help we can get from technology to go faster!

Since 2003, I have qualified for 23 age group multisport championships, and have had 19 podium finishes, including nine wins. My golds were at the European Triathlon Championships in Kitzbuhel, Austria (2014), Athlone, Ireland, (2010); at the World Championships in London - Aquathlon (2013), Eilat, Israel - Triathlon (2012), Gold Coast, Australia (Aquathlon and Triathlon) (2009), Vancouver, Canada -Triathlon (2008), Queenstown, New Zealand - Triathlon (2003). I also won gold in the Powerman Long Distance Duathlon (10k-60k 10k run) in Copenhagen, Denmark last year, and bronze at the 70.3 Ironman in Zel am See, Austria, in 2015. 

As I get older I find I have to work harder to stay fitter and free from illness!  I think the worst thing about getting older is that you have to accept slower times and that you are not going to do any more all-time PBs [personal bests]. I get around this problem by setting new targets on January 1st each year. My goal this year is to compete in the World Age-Group champioinships in Rotterdam in September. I doubt that I will do really well there, because I will be the oldest in my age group. But I hope to do well enough to qualify for next year's championships in Australia.

When it comes to bike courses I say the hillier the better! Although I hate hills, Devon is quite hilly and I find that I have an advantage over those who don’t have hills near where they live.

During the bike leg I never get tempted to draft, as I am rubbish at drafting. I like to see where I am going and can never trust the rider in front not to stop suddenly.

When doing the 112-bike ride during an Ironman I make use of the three positions you can get into with tri-bars - hands on the bars, on the hubs and on the drops.  I keep changing hand position and shuffling my bottom around to keep comfortable.  If the course is flat, I change up a gear and stand on the pedals - this helps to stretch the legs out.

I train a fair bit on the bike but I don’t do a lot of cycling outside of training. However, right now my campervan is in the garage for major repairs, so it is good that I can still travel around on my old bike.

I do take part in local 10-mile and 25-mile time trials as I find cycling in races with the 'purists' helps to keep me focused, and stops me thinking about putting the rubbish out or what I am going to have for tea!

Last year I did cycle from John O'Groats to Land's End with my granddaughter.  I was 73 years old, and she was 13! That was quite a fun trip.

When I go out riding I never go out without my helmet. It’s the most important thing for me. I also take a stopwatch – no Garmin as I’m not a tecky person!

I use a turbo trainer for when the weather is really bad - like icy, though I try to do as much outdoor cycling as possible. It is good to experience different weather conditions on the bike because you never know what the heavens are going to throw at you on race day.

I find that in my age group, although the number of people racing is fewer, the people that take part are very, very serious, especially the Americans. Also, because they are, mostly, retired they have more time to follow their schedules and most importantly, more time to rest and recover.

I mainly do Ironman 70.3 races [1.2-mile swim; 56-mile bike; 21.1-mile run) rather full Ironman races [2.4-mile swim; 112-mile bike; 26.2-mile run]. My family used to be amazed at what I was doing, but now they are used to it and I can no longer 'wow' them. Friends, however, often say, "I want to be like Peggy when I grow up!"...even though they are in their 40s, 50s and 60s!

I have had a few tricky situations to deal with in triathlons. Once, I had a bad crash on the bike leg during a race in Cleveland, America.  However I was able to recover and straighten the handlebars of my bike and after checking my major bones I found the adrenaline kept me going. The day after I discovered I had 14 major bruises on my body and a broken wrist bone!

My toughest race was The World Ironman 70.3 finals at Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria. I like hilly bike courses but this was mad!! There was a 10-mile climb followed by a one-and-a-half-mile 20% gradient at the top of the mountain. My reward was third prize at the end when a couple of others in my age group didn't make the cut off times.

My favourite race in the UK has to be the Ellesmere triathlon in Shropshire – at least once I’ve waded through the duck and goose poo that squelches up between your toes at the start of the lake swim! The rest of the course is good!

The most interesting person I’ve met in triathlon is Tim Don. He has always been very helpful to us age groupers. I remember him advising us how to push a bike up a steep cobbled road once, and telling us how to take advantage of leaning on the bike as well as pushing it. I had the privilege of sharing a taxi with him from Munich airport to Zell am See. I also find Chrissie Wellington a very interesting person. She came down to meet the North Devon Triathlon Club and did a Park Run in Barnstaple with us, then followed us up to Woolacombe Bay for a sea swim.  She was really helpful with the triathletes who were apprehensive about sea swimming.

Triathlon has led me to do a lot of travelling. I have been to New Zealand twice, Australia twice, Beijing, Honolulu, America and lots of other places. I always travel with NIRVANA UK. Although it might work out a little more expensive than travelling independently, it is well worth the extra. All I have to do is put most of my stuff in a bike box and case and get to the nearest airport.

For all the travelling I do, my favourite place to ride is along the Tarka Trail, in North Devon, which I would ride more if I wasn’t racing or training.

My advice to older people who may wish to do endurance sports is to just have a go. Train to cover the distance. Only ever compete against yourself and your own times. It’s best to do an event for your favourite charity first, then the only pressure is to finish the event. The next step is to do it again...quicker!

For me, cycling means three things – freedom; speed; friendship.

Twitter: @keenor43

Other Cycling Voices

Gema Fernandez Hernando

Giorgia Bronzini

Tracy Moseley

Geraldine Glowinski

Emily Chappell

Michelle Webster

Grace and Lucy Garner

Hannah Bussey

Carolyn Hewett-Maessen

Caroline Martinez

Niusha Doyom

Maria David

One day one photo - 20

Monday 29th September

Summer officially ended almost two weeks ago, but given the number of warm sunny days we have had it is hard to believe this is supposed to be autumn. Here is Higg after enjoying a swim session in the lake. I could have shown a photo of both standing together in our wetsuits "his and hers" style but it would've looked a bit twee! Our foray into open water swimming is one of the things that has been a key characteristic of my summer this year. This is an activity I used to do a few years ago when I was competing in triathlons. Back then, open water swimming was something I simply endured. It was that initial long pin-prick that you get at the start of a race before you settle into your stride and engage in the proper competition of cycling and running. Maybe I would have enjoyed this first leg of a triathlon more if there had been places to practice. It was possible to go on bike rides or running sessions as training in between races. But in the late 90s and early 2000s when I was doing these races, opportunities to do open water swimming training sessions were few and far between in London.

 

Fast forward to 2014, and it seems that open water swimming has really enjoyed a surge in popularity as people submerge themselves in this new fad. Wanting to try something new, I decided to renew my relationship with swimming. I was able to hire a wetsuit for the season at a reasonable cost, and even better, I found that there were lots of areas to do open water swimming sessions nearby. In the Northwest there are sessions at Salford Quays, other sessions in front of Media City, and also at Boundary Water Park, near Jodrell Bank (where Higg is pictured). In London there are various places - in the Serpentine lake in central London, in places near Richmond Park, and the place where we went to - Heron Lake, near Staines. 

 

Although I am not a great swimmer, I have really enjoyed my trips to the different open water swim venues. I particularly enjoyed the USwim sessions at MediaCity. It seemed like every triathlete and keen swimmer in Manchester would turn up with their wetsuits on a Saturday morning or Wednesday early evening, pay a nominal fee, squeeze into a wetsuit and jump into the water, all to the sound of a playlist of retro funk and soul music. There's a choice of 400m laps or 750m laps of Dock 9, and sighting is very easy thanks to various landmarks like the quayside flats, the trams, the BBC building or The Lowry. Some people do breast stroke, most do front crawl, and a few do backstroke. Folks swim at various speeds and there are lifeguards nearby in case you get into difficulty. When not swimming there are areas to get refreshments and chat to others. For an activity that used to give me a lot of anxiety, I must say I quite enjoy open water swimming now.  So having to return my wetsuit, and seeing the various venues ending their sessions until next spring is the real sign that summer has ended. I will miss open water swimming. Mind you, I'm not sure I would want to swim in any of those places in November or December either!