Big Half Trentham Triathlon, 29th July 2007

Report by David Waterhouse

It was the second time that I had participated in the Big Half triathlon at Trentham Gardens near Stoke-on-Trent. The event was quite different to my first attempt in 2004 due to work being carried out at the venue.

The swim had changed from a two lap to a four lap course which made it a bit slower and more technical, but more spectator friendly as you swim past a small crowd on each lap. I found that psychologically the swim went faster with this format, the only downside being that faster swimmers lapped me and knocked me off my stroke! The water temperature was very warm - probably the warmest I have ever been in open water - partly due to the shallowness of the lake. However, on the edge of the lake visibility was pretty much non-existent, ie. black with silt, but this improved as you swam out into the lake. Unlucky for the shorter course competitors, as their whole race took place at the edge of lake!

After avoiding being last out of the swim I exited the water to applause from the shorter course competitors which was a nice encouragement. Part of the new course arrangement was that there was a shoe transition at the edge of the lake because we had to run about 500 metres to the transition proper along a gravel track.

The cycle course was a three lap affair, mostly on main road with a detour up a country lane. During the first half of the lap it was sometimes difficult to distinguish between who was in which race because the shorter course competitors were mixed in with the longer race. As I reached the third lap, only Big Half competitors were left and I made a bit of a spurt to transition.

The run course was 4 laps along the lakeside and back. It wasn't a fast course because it included a gravel trap, a few inclines and pedestrians. As the run wore on there were more and more dog walkers and Sunday strollers to dodge and during the final lap it got a bit ridiculous. This should improve once the Trentham improvements are complete and the race returns to it's original location. I found the run very sociable and enjoyed a chat with a few of the competitors.

All in all, good preparation for the Ironman and a good time by Dean.

Results

Name	Swim	Bike	Run	Total
Dean Frost	0:53:03	2:33:23	1:42:50	5:09:16
David Waterhouse	1:03:49	3:21:52	2:09:40	6:35:21

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