Race Report
Kilkee "Hell of the West" Triathlon
Swim1500m Cycle45km Run10km
24th June 2006

Friday

Friday afternoon arrived in Kilkee and spent the day chilling, from time to time saw triathletes on their bikes and running, decided rest was more adviseable than one last quick session.
Went to the Kilkee Bay Hotel where the Limerick Triathlon Club had an efficiently organised production line, disclaimer signed, details checked, race number and chip issued, t-shirt, socks and hat issued, almost military in it’s efficiency. A good model for the Pulse race.
After this a pasta dinner was had in Loaves and Fishes, delicious and cooked fresh even though not on the menu and an early night in the Ocean View Hotel.


Saturday

Breakfast of muesli and toast, noted other resident triathletes were ordering porridge, maybe next race.
Looked out and saw the mist swathing the hillside, there was also a bit of wind and the overcast sky looked ominous, the weather forecast was that it would not rain but that it would be overcast with sunny spells, for some reason I decided sun cream was not needed – a decision regretted from Mon to Wed.
Cycled down to transition and set-up, again everything was well run by Limerick Tri Club and everyone seemed very relaxed, probably because with the pre-allotted bike spaces the mental anguish of determining the best transition spot was eliminated and 10 people were not trying to squeeze into 4 spaces. Wandered about a bit, enjoying the atmosphere, sipping plenty of water and did 4 warm-up 100ms. Race briefing was at 10:45 and wetsuits donned, people assisting each other in zipping up, and before I knew it we were marching down the beach into the water.

The swim start was a pleasant surprise, there was a small warm up swim, and then in rapid succession we were off, none of the expected jostling and flailing arms that I had been warned about (maybe also because I was well to the back). The first buoy was passed, tried to remember to keep spotting but some course adjustments were necessary, and then outwards to the second buoy, at one point the false hope emerged that people were turning at the second buoy, this was not the case, there was another yellow target further out. Spotting became more automatic as the race progressed. After the race some comment was made about the yellow buoys and yellow hats causing confusion as both appeared to be the same, some wag referred to the Father Ted episode where Dougal is taught about perspective. The water temperature was not as cold as expected, and apart from my toes the wetsuit seemed to be keeping everything warm.
On the way back in it became apparent there were some people already emerging from the water (looking like an ant trail from where I was) and it took a mental gee-up to keep digging in and moving to the shore, managed to get a kick in the goggles from one guy who was swimming faster than me but in a zig-zag pattern (was actually happy there was someone out there with me).
Eventually the shore was reached and the dash up the beach, happy to be on land again, remembered to keep the legs moving to get the blood pumping round the system but did little good on T1, got the wetsuit off but with had to hold on to the rail to keep balance as blood rushed to the head, on with the helmet, shoes and away. The sense of Dave’s advice on the training day about having as few things to worry about as possible became clear.

The cycle was allegedly the comparatively easy part of the course, the sight of one competitor wheeling his bicycle disconsolately back into the town limits of Kilkee was a timely warning of the dangers of complacency. Into the saddle and settle into the tri-bars, the route to Kilrush required concentration, apart from the bumps, potholes and bends, (nearly inadvertently abandoned my water bottle – need to practice drinking on the move) , the narrowness of the road made overtaking difficult (not that I was have been whizzing past people anyway) for those passing. Into Kilrush and down the hill at speed, taking the corner carefully and up out of the saddle into a short climb. The next 30k was a matter of keeping the head down and trying to stay in contact with 2 people about 200m in front.
Saw a number of competitors fixing punctures, fair play to them, as they worked furiously, it motivated me to keep pushing the cadence on the road with few people round me. Up to the hill climb before re-entering Kilkee, out of the saddle seemed most effective at this stage (and the method being adopted by all of the people round me). Top of the hill, into a big wheel and tried to get the max speed out of the last 5k, I think the sun had fully emerged at this stage (the burn pattern on my shoulders/neck over the last 3 days suggests this).

The run in to T2 was smooth, fast and clear – thanks to the marshals - (apart from one sensible person who had decided to unclip his helmet before the timing mat and was then standing in the middle of the mat arguing with the marshal – just enough room for others to squeeze by with muttered suggestions about appropriate penalties). T2 appeared to go much smoother than T1, partially because my toes were numb and were delighted to get out of the cycling shoes and squeeze into the runners, helmet off and away.

Another mental kick needed to get the legs moving and ready to start into the hill, attached myself to the back of a runner with a red t-shirt who seemed to be moving at a fair pace and tried to keep in touch with him, the benefits of all the sessions in Sports world became clear, although by the 3k mark red t-shirt was 100m ahead. I was certain the views would have been spectacular if they hadn’t been dominated by the hill. Met some Pulsers who were already on their way back down, a grimace of acknowledgement here and there, apart from Julian (the master of reverse psychology) who suggested that efforts needed to be redoubled to preserve my dignity (paraphrasing his shortened exhortation). More leg pushing and climbing, determined not to let the red t-shirt get further away. The people dotting the route offered welcome encouragement and were much appreciated at this stage. Then the cone (with the enthusiastic marshal individually encouraging all the runners on the turn) and down-hill all the way, remembered some advice about leaning forward slightly to keep the momentum going forward and to prevent cramps, painful on the legs but seemed to work.
Along the shore and finish line were a group of Pulsers had already finished and were offering encouragement over the last 100.

All in all a great experience, very tough but highly enjoyable.

The wind-down took place that afternoon and evening, first in the Kilkee Bay for food and presentations and then on to the Loaves and Fishes for more food and wine.

Congratulations to all that participated, did not attempt to mention everyone individually, as I would have omitted someone, commiserations to Donal who was up near the front before his tyre got shredded in Kilrush.
These are all the official finishing times:

Eoin McDonald 02:23:07
David Adams 02:30:18
Julian Carew 02:33:59
Declan Byrne 02:35:47
Oran Murphy 02:39:49
Bill Rafferty 02:40:51
David Ritchie 02:41:04
Edward McEntee 02:49:24
Mark Kelly 02:53:14
John Woods 02:53:56
Alison Kane 02:56:05
Paula McFeeley 02:58:28
Barry Hammond 03:00:45
Jacqueline O'Hagan 03:05:07
Elizabeth O'Connor 03:05:49
Elaine Marsden 03:06:42
Helen Dixon 03:13:16
Roisin Kellett 03:13:58
Ferghal O'Connor 03:14:15
Kathy Grassick 03:36:28
Avril Shorten 03:40:50