Slateman Sprint Triathlon race report - Tom Nesham
Junior triathlete Tom Nesham raced the Always Aim High Slateman Sprint Triathlon on Saturday, let's hear how his race went.
I felt good in the week leading up to the race, had a relatively easy week, especially towards the start and had the Friday off! We travelled up on the Friday which is always good as it gives you a chance to stretch out before and check out the course (we drove the course). Lasagne was the pre-race meal of choice the night before, which is nice and easy to eat and relatively safe.
The following morning (race day) I had porridge before the race and also fruit loaf and I made sure I kept hydrated. The weather was pretty rubbish, so I was keen to keep warm and dry (thanks PedalCover for the use of their tent!) before stretching and going for a short warm up jog to get the blood flowing.
Swim: The water was extremely cold so I didn’t do much of a swim warm up, just a short sharp effort from the edge of the lake to the start line. I felt relaxed and fresh in the water and was ready to go! It was a very quick start and I was surrounded by a couple of very quick boys who also pushed the pace throughout the whole swim, I sat on the feet of the lead athlete and felt strong throughout the swim; my shoulders felt flexible and comfortable throughout and I put in a pretty quick swim time. I had a quick smooth exit from the water which gave me a short lead over the second place competitor (Ironman pro Paul Hawkins) and gave me room for a quick and smooth T1.
Bike: As I got out onto the bike I only had a short lead and knew it wasn’t going to be easy to hold, my legs felt good but I wasn’t sure how they were going to last over the very hilly 20km bike ride. Over the first 3km 2nd place was gaining on me (he was on a TT bike, I was on my Giant Propel) and over a short distance took the lead; however I felt strong and determined going up and over the first major climb and pulled a good lead on the second climb. I now had a gap on 2nd and increased my lead and pulled away over the last 10km coming into T2 with a 30 second lead.
Run: T2 was quick and smooth with no problems and I was out on the run 30 seconds ahead of Paul (still in 2nd place). At this point my legs felt a bit wobbly and tired, I was not feeling overly confident going into the run however I gritted my teeth and pushed on and as I stretched out the legs I began to feel light on my feet and was able to pick up the pace! Towards the end I felt very quick over the ground and really started to push myself.
Crossing the finish line with a minute and a half lead felt absolutely amazing! I’ve had a few ‘off’ seasons and this win reminded me why I do it! I’m now I’m very excited to get back into training and racing properly and really see what I can achieve!!
