Tri the Bay – Enticer Race

Swim 300m / Bike 10km / Run 2km



Yesterday Mr BBB and I had a wedding to attend down the Coast. And, as luck would have it, the Tri the Bay Triathlon series was being held in Batemans Bay over the weekend.



I wasn’t able to stay for the longer events, but I was able to head up to Batemans Bay this morning for the shorter Enticer Race.

Although, after a rough ‘start’,  it was not quite the race I was expecting.

 

But more on that in a second ;)

With a 5.30am registration time, and 7am race start, I must admit was grateful for the extra hour sleep (owing to the end of daylight savings). I said goodbye to Mr BBB, then headed to the race compound to pick up my race pack and set up my transition area.

I was flying ‘solo’ this morning so I don’t have any actual race photos to share with you, but I do have some pre and post race photos!





It was dark when I arrived, although it wasn’t long before the sun started to peek above the horizon…



Revealing a wonderful beachside race location…



And perfect race conditions.



A slight chill in the air + warmer water = lovely.



So far so good….

Swim 300m

Just before the start, we all headed approximately 200m down the beach to get into position for the mass swim start.

  

I was in the 4th wave, comprising all 100+ female competitors.

The course was rather simple. A 50m swim straight out into the bay, and sharp right hand turn and a long straight 200m swim to a buoy, then another sharp right hand turn and a final 50m swim back to the beach.

Simple….right?

Until this happened…



Have a closer look….



Yes they would be my goggles, my broken goggles.

The ones that decided to snap in half, as I was putting them on, literally seconds before the gun went off. With no time to run and find some others, I was left with two choices – swim without them or pull out.
But you all know that I am not one to pull out.

So, swim without goggles it was.

Within seconds my eyes were stinging from the salt so I had no option but to swim with my head out of the water instead of under it. Which, as you would know, is not an effective way to swim.



I was so frustrated that my race had started so poorly, and I could feel that my breathing was starting to become quite rapid (panic? frustration? both). Although, around about the halfway point, I realised there was no turning back so I might as well accept this rather unconventional start. And you know what? I started laughing! Here I was, swimming freestyle with my head out of water, laughing to myself. Quite the sight I am sure lol

Not nearly soon enough, my feet touched the sand, and I headed up the beach into transition.



Bike 10km

With a tonne  of frustrated energy to burn, I ripped off my wetsuit, grabbed my bike, and hit the road – determined to make up the time I lost during the swim leg.

Within minutes I had passed quite a few people, and I felt my confidence growing.

It was a hilly course, with steep sharp ‘oxygen-zapping’ climbs, and several ‘barely-catch-your-breath’ descents. I wasn’t expecting such intense hills during the bike leg, but I think my body held up quite well and I was able to maintain a cadence that I was happy with. It seems that all the mountain biking I have done with Mr BBB lately has really paid off when it comes to climbing!

The kilometres rolled by quickly, and before I knew it, the 10km was done and it was time to head back into transition to change into sneakers for the run.

Run 2km

Now THIS was the part of the race I had been looking forward to. After a crazy swim, a hill-heavy bike course, it was absolutely wonderful to stretch out my legs along the flat sea side running course.



My aim for the run was to not get passed by anyone, and I was so pleased when I reached the 1km turn around point having achieved just that. With 1km to go, I tried to up the pace and managed to keep it steady all the way to the finish line.

Tri the Bay – Enticer Race….



Done!

**edited to add results

Results

I just downloaded my results and I was relieved to see they werent quite as bad as I was expecting.

The swim, rather unsuprisingly, was painfully slow - but I was pleasantly suprised to see my bike time considering the hills (the second fastest bike time of my age group!).

Overall

One reason I love racing ‘Enticer” events is the high proportion of newcomers. Today’s race, judging by the nerves at the start line and the big beaming accomplished smiles at the finish line, certainly had a lot of ‘first timers’ and it was great to get out there and race with them.

They say you learn something each time you race, and today that was certainly true. I not only learned the importance of checking your race gear prior to the race (and ideally more than 5 second before the gun goes off), but also how less enjoyable a race can be if you have an equipment malfunction.

Goggle-issues aside, this was a wonderfully organised race and one that I would love to come back and race again (hopefully with time to do a longer event next time). The volunteers and organisers were helpful, and the race was relaxed and fun. A win win all round.

What about you? Ever had an ‘equipment’ malfunction during a race?

Happy Baking :)