Dale 2017 - Half Marathon & 10k

Pembrokeshire Triathlon Club

4 days ago

Swansea Sprint Triathlon 20 May 2018 – Race Report by Karl Davies

Triathlon. The ability to Swim, Bike and Run or in the case of this newbie to the Tri scene, the ability to not drown, fall off and to put one foot in front of the other without tripping over. These were all the apprehensions spinning around in my grid when I finally took the plunge and joined Pembrokeshire Tri Club in November 2017.
After the warmest of welcomes and a couple of training sessions, I was buzzing to get stuck in and get signed up to some events. After much deliberation (asking the Mrs permission!!) I signed up for Harlech and Swansea. One pool based and the other open water. Preparation is the key apparently!?
Race day finally arrived and I have to say I thought I would never get out of the toilet, I have trained for brick sessions but this was not what I was expecting!! As this was an afternoon race it meant I could take a nice leisurely drive up to Swansea, grab some grub, wander around the course and then wait for transition to open. (Cue Mrs D heading to the shops!)
At this point I bumped into Liz Green who was also making her Tri debut and we had a walk and talk through the course and just generally trying to put our nerves to one side.

My set up in transition ran smoothly and I felt confident heading towards the Swim start, knowing my homing beacon would at least get me back to my bike (providing I hadn’t sunk during the swim!). Disappointed not to be in the elite starters, I was assigned to wave 2 and after a thoroughly enjoyable race briefing, we were in the water and the hooter went off. Cue mass mayhem! Head down, arms swinging and legs kicking I started my Tri journey and I was loving it. The water was refreshing in temperature although visibility was poor, still loving it though. 17 Minutes later I emerged (didn’t drown – bonus!) and headed the 400m to transition to get my trusty stead and head out on to the streets of Swansea. Transition ran smoothly and I was pleased with the 4mins it took me to get out!
The bike course was flat, fast, closed roads and consisted of three laps that could have up to 600+ athletes on at any one time. Cue more mayhem! I have to admit at this stage I had settled down nicely, legs were feeling good and was enjoying every single minute of this event. I was even barking at people to get out of my way, I felt like one of the Brownlee’s on a power trip! I finished the bike section in 38 Minutes and headed for T2 feeling good and looking forward to the run.
I exited T2 in 1 minute and set off and at a leisurely pace to get the blood flowing in to the legs. Once settled in my rhythm I then started picking off people in the distance, not intentionally I just found a tidy pace to run at and felt very relaxed. The run consisted of an out and back 5k loop which takes you back in to the city centre and the finish. As I got in to the centre, I kicked for home (as I knew McDonalds was just up the road) and the wall of noise just hit me like a steam train. What a reception and what a finish. Fantastic. I finished the run in 23 Minutes giving me a total finish time of 1hr 24 minutes, something I am extremely chuffed to have done.
Overall this is a fantastic event and certainly one for the beginner or the seasoned pro alike. The course is friendly, fast and full of enthusiastic supporters. If like me you are toying with the idea, just go for it. What’s the worst that could happen!? Finally, I would like to end this report by thanking everyone at Pembrokeshire Triathlon Club who give up their time to support and encourage all of its members in their pursuit of global Triathlon domination and for giving me the warmest of welcomes when I joined. Thank you. ... See MoreSee Less