Photo by: SuperLeague Triathlon
Event
28/9/18
3.25 pm start Championship Elite Women
Start number
22
SLT Super Sprint distance-
TRIPLE MIX
1 lap 300m Marina chilly saltwater swim, 4 x 1km tight & technical bike laps, 2 x 1km lap run- windy & flat.
Weather
Mostly Sunny & surprisingly warm for September in the English Channel Islands! 17.5 degree water, Non wetsuit swim.
Result
10th
The SUPERLEAGUE TRIATHLON JERSEY TRIPLE MIX was brutal from the gun!
The Triple Mix consists of 3 Rounds of Races as follows;
Race 1: Mass start- 300m swim- 4km Bike- 2km Run
10 minute break
Race 2: Mass start- 2km run- 4km Bike- 300m swim- Sprint Run back to finish line
10 minute break
Race 3: Starting as a Pursuit CHASE! 4km Bike- 300m swim- 2km Run to determine the Triple Mix Winner= 1st person across the line!!
If that wasn’t hard enough to race but also remember, then they also add in the sneaky “90 second rule”
Where by if you fall more than 90 secs behind the race leader at any point past the dismount line each lap, then your’e eliminated!
This meant that by the end of Day 1 only 12 of us Women finished, the rest of the 18 falling victim to the cruel but carrot dangling 90 second rule, rewarding those racing hard off the front, my favourite style of racing!!
Another element to Superleague is the slot draw where by another athlete pulls out your name and picks your pontoon starting position, for me Katie Zaferes, 2018 reining Series Champion picked my and placed myself in slot 4, with herself in 5. Happy days with the inside line and not stuck in the middle carnage! I got off to a great early start in the race & exited the water on Swim Jersey, superfish Sophie Coldwell’s feet. We worked hard early to put the PRESSURE ON! With a small group of 6 of us getting a break and riding away, I was very pleased with my run to stick with these World Class Triathlon runners and finish with the leading ladies with no time deficit!
Race 2 kicked off with another 2km run, with a mass start, the Pace was RED HOT again! Keeping on the heels of top runners; Cassandra Beaugrand and Ash Gentle, pleased to only lose a few seconds coming into transition onto the bike. Clearly so pleased to be running how i know i could that i forgot to take my runners off when leaving transition with my bike and mounted only to realise I had my run race flats still on… It was a tactical 4km ride to just stay on the group from then, stay safe, not get dropped and don’t stack it getting out of the saddle with no locked in feet! Getting off the bike just off the back, i could use my strong swim to pull through the group and make up plenty of spaces to exit the water back in 4th, running onto the finish!
The final 10 minute break and many of the girls had fallen victim to the 90 second rule and were knocked out! For those of us remaining it was a pursuit send off to start, chasing down the leaders, starting 29 seconds back a great transition saw we lose the 2 girls that started just ahead of my but it meant i rode solo before getting in for the last swim, again working it to my strength to make up time and ground on the leaders to enter the final run leg in 6th, some heavy legs and serious fatigue saw me suffering here and i dropped back a few spots to the great runners chasing behind, able to hand on from Current World Champ Vicky Holland to finish in 10th for day 1!! A very pleasing result in a true world class field!
Straight into recovery, before we had to start getting prepped to GO again tomorrow, this time with NO breaks!!!
Photo by: Superleague Triathlon