Eton Super Sprints, Sunday 13th May 2006.

Report by Darren Roberts

It was here, my 1st ever triathlon - I'd been training for 6 months for Ironman UK and it was time to do the business in a race and see how I fared. I picked Eton as they were supposed to be a well run, fast race using the lake at the national rowing centre.

Amy and I drove down the night before and stayed at a B&B in Windsor - I had a generous start time of 10.50am which meant no rushing or getting up at a stupid time.

When we got to the B&B after a tedious 5 hr drive from Manchester we unpacked and I made my final kit check - it was also at this stage I realised I hadn't put my wetsuit on since I bought it or practiced getting in and out of it! I duly poured myself into my wetsuit and jumped in the shower for some impromptu transition training - how could I have forgotten this? Idiot! Fortunately I managed to get out of it in less than 5 secs so I was happy enough.

Race day - registered, helmet checked and bike racked with plenty of time to relax - except I couldn't. It was cold and a stiff wind was blowing across the course, the good weather forecast was no-where top be seen and it was the total opposite to the sunny clear day before. We had time to watch the start of the waves before mine. It was a 'deep water' start meaning everyone was already in the water - a horn sounded and the relatively peaceful lake was turned into a white water melee. After around a 100m there were at least 3 people clinging to each of the 3 rescue canoes - why? I was about to find out...

With 20mins to go and after 30 visits to the toilet (including an unfortunate episode of anal devastation - with no toilet paper) I put my wetsuit on and headed to the swim start with the rest of my age group wave. Everyone started to jump in and I followed suit - I then came rocketing back out like a trident missile launched from a nuclear submarine. I had absolutely no open water swimming experience whatsoever - I didn't think it was important and how hard could it be anyway? Surely having to stop and turn every 25m in a pool was more of an arse than being able to swim free for the whole distance? What an idiot.

Once I'd stopped hyperventilating - I tried to listen to the swim brief in the middle of the swim pack when all of a sudden the start klaxon sounded. All the stories of the swim start were true and from here on the swim start shall be known as 'aqua-ruck'. It was like a bar fight - apart from you weren't in a bar, it wasn't precluded with drink and merriment, you're wearing a wetsuit and had to swim in a lake. I was punched, kicked my right goggle immediately filled up with water and my wetsuit was trying to strangle me. I nearly panicked and after 100m was having serious doubts about finishing the swim - jesus! 400m should take me no more than 7 1/2 mins and here I was going so slowly that the wind was blowing me along! All thoughts of not finishing had to be put aside, not because I was a double tough stormtrooper but because the cold water was beginning to grip my arms and legs meaning I had to thrash them to stay afloat. A quick look around and I could see the rescue canoes were busy with several people clinging onto them - always the charitable type I used there misfortune to spur me on, there's always someone worse off than you.

I eventually go to the end of the swim and was helped out of the water with plenty of spectators watching - I felt a complete tit in my 'ironman' wetsuit. Yeah nice one geek, a piece of litter could've floated round quicker than I did. I sprinted through transition taking my wetsuit off as I ran, trying to regain some element of respectability and pride. A quick look down at the old HRM as I jumped on the bike showed 11mins on the clock - what a disaster.

On the bike and it was time to get a move on - my woefully slow swim meant I was at least fresh for the bike and I began to hammer it. It was a four lap affair around the lake and was a closed road which meant no myopic car drivers to worry about. This type of 'lap' arrangement suits me as I can attack each lap as a one off. Here the varied nature of multisport at this level and it's competitors showed - whilst being overtaken by an 'elite' on a trick carbon bike I was simultaneously overtaking a fat bloke on a shopping bike complete with mirrors, tassels on the handlebars and baby seat on the back - I half expected him to give me a tinkle on his bell as I passed.

The biting wind wasn't biting anymore after the cold of the lake but was more or less directly in your face on the 'out' leg of the bike. This didn't bother me too much and rather than try to make time in a head wind I simply tried to maintain pace, using the return leg to go for it with the wind behind me. The bike flashed by and I blasted towards the dismount area, I'd already slipped my feet out of my shoes unlike the guy in front who came to a complete stop still clipped in and keeled over. Running through transition trying to find my spot was a nightmare - my selection of a white towel was perhaps not the most individual choice in amongst all the other towels, which were white.

I chucked my bike onto the rack patting myself on the back for my quick transitions. Trainers on and off I sprinted through transition to the run start, before sprinting back to get my number belt. As I ran onto the run start a quick glance at the HRM showed 39mins on the clock.

The run was a two lap job - in a straight line which could've been demoralising but with plenty of people to over take I didn't have time to think about it. Keeping my HR around the 160bpm mark I hammered it out best I could, passing all sorts of people who were all shapes and sizes. I felt ok and beasted it out - a look at the old HRM as I finished was 1hr 13m 31secs. I'd done my 1 st triathlon - now all I had to do was a 45 min 'cool down' run.

Results (400m/20km/5km)

Name	Swim	Bike	Run	Overall	Pos		Cat Pos
Darren Roberts	00:11:12	00:39:46	00:23:24	01:13:31	296	84

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