Raced my first 70.3 (half Ironman) in Antwerp on Sunday and had an absolute blast. The race itself is organised by Marc Herremans, a former Belgian triathlete who was paralysed in a bike accident, and it doesn’t take long to realise the race is run by athletes for athletes. Everything about it was spot on and if you’re ever looking for a 70.3 to do, this one is definitely it. As I’d only ever raced Olympic or sprint distance before and hadn’t really altered my training much ahead of Antwerp, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to being a little anxious come Saturday. Add to the mix that I also had a pro slot and it made for one slightly nervous EK. Once the gun goes, though, the adrenaline and nervous excitement has far better uses and I got on with the job in hand. The swim was a bit more chaotic than I’d anticipated, what with the pro men and women starting together, but things soon evened out and I enjoyed drafting Belinda Granger around the majority of the 1900m swim course.

Unsurprisingly she was like a rocket through T1 and, although we made it out onto the bike course at about the same time, I didn’t see her again! She’s an awesome triathlete and I was dead chuffed to see her go on to take the win. We trained with Belinda and Justin Granger last year while in Noosa and they’re great characters.

Before the race, I had feared the run course would be the place where I really felt the difference in distance, but it was actually out on the bike where this happened. The Chrono and I are a well-bonded pair now and I enjoyed the different challenges 70.3 presents - nutrition, for example, plays a crucial part, but I think before my next one I’ll do more near-race intensity work at longer distances. To add to the physical and mental challenge of the race, just as I was starting to feel fatigued on the bike, a huge storm broke out - a great test if ever there was one!

Once back into T2, it was strange having to put on socks and pick up more than one gel, but once out on the run course I was absolutely loving the race. I just kept feeling stronger and stronger and was very pleased to clock 1:26.30 for the half marathon. The support from the crowd was great and it was brilliant hearing people shout “Come on Wiggle!” after recognising the Wiggle logo on my tri suit.

My boyfriend Ozzer was also racing and there had been a lot of pre-race hype about who would beat who. I knew if he was going to take me down it would be on the run course, so I was primed and ready if he zoomed past…But as it happened I did 4:22, beating him by 15 minutes!

There’s no time for gloating, though, as I’ll soon be racing again - this time on Sunday at the Mazda London Tri. I love the London race, it was the third triathlon I ever did in 2005 and I always enjoy the atmosphere and the buzz of so many people coming together for swim, bike, run - whether they’re seasoned veterans or fresh-faced newcomers. Last year I won the women’s sub-2:30 race, but this year I’m racing elite, so it’ll be interesting to see how that unfolds…I’ll let you know next week…
Good luck to anyone racing @ London this weekend.

Cheers
EK

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 7th, 2008 at 1:45 pm and is filed under Emma-Kate Lidbury, Athlete Diaries. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.