Mary Horgan (pictured right) writes in with the following race report from Kinsale and a surprisingly harsh indictment of the Corkonians (being from The People's Republic herself like).
Mary Horgan (pictured right) writes in with the following race report from Kinsale and a surprisingly harsh indictment of the Corkonians (being from The People's Republic herself like).
Swim: 2 waves, seemed shorter than 750m and it was, so if you did a good swim time, well you didn't really cos it was only 600m. Thick Corkonians - couldn't even get that right!
T1: As far as I am aware no-one this time did anything too amusing so that was all quite non eventful.
Bike: Good god - wet and windy and wet and windy. Not much more to say really. It's an out and back course with a gradual incline and a nice decline en route back. You'd a head wind coming back and thankfully it was then and not on the way out. Also meant one couldn't go down the hill as fast as one would have liked (this I didn't mind at all!).
Poor Frank who had just purchased a super dooper, expensive 'all frills' carbon fibre bike - well - it fell apart really and the poor fella had to actually thumb a lift back to Kinsale! He sneakily hid the bike (now an expensive broken banger) in the hedge and some kind gentleman took pity on this ejit in lyrca in the lashing rain and gave him a lift back. Not all the way mind you, so poor Frankie had to walk head bowed low in sad despair, to the finish.
T2: Again boring, no one did anything stupid!
Run: Lads - this must be the toughest run of any tri. There is a desparate hill out, you fly (dangerously fast) down, turn around and then have to go back up that hill. Understandably a lot walk it. Karen Bothwell was leading the girls with Elena a little further back. Too far, I assumed to actually beat Karen but this little determined Russian bullet passed Karen out and ended up winning the race. Good on ya girl! There is some new, super fast female (well I don't know her - Katherine Baldinger) from 3D around now who came in third, depriving me of a prize (well - I was way behind her so well done to you Katherine!)
And then end of race & sun shines for the whole evening! Overall people were pleased with how they got on. Times for many were slower than last year but the conditions on the bike were definitely tougher. Male winner Trevor told me though that really times should NOT have been slower as the swim was so short so not sure what that says about all of us!
Then the highlight - for me anyway, was after the race - sailing around Kinsale. Frank (of the broken banner) was staying on a friends yacht, two minutes from the race start and very kindly brought several of us sailing. Apologies to those who didn't get to go but it wasn't big enough for all the Piranhas. Frank - you need to get wealthier friends. We were all given different jobs throughout the sailing as it was rough enough and needed a lot of co-ordination, very technical sailing to get out of our mooring space (apologies for my complete lack of proper sailing lingo). When asked what my job was, Frank told me I had to be the 'boat babe'! Quite an onerous task - opening cans and fetching jackets and even if I say so myself, I think I did a great job!
Prizegiving: Well again I have to say it - Piranha girls did us proud - No. 1 slot and the team prize. Lads - ye were all great too! Tom just missed out on third place but did a super race.
Rest of night: Dinner in the White Lady in Kinsale - yum, yum, yum. Thanks Matt for organising - trust a Cork lad, eh! Bottle of champagane (girls team prize) opened on street in Kinsale while waiting for nightclub to open. Warm champagne - delicious. All wanted to make sure sufficiently hydrated! Some buggied the night away & strutted their stuff in the local nightclub, others headed to bed as they were facing the Kenmare half ironman cycle the following day.
I must say thanks to those who came to Kinsale and supported as opposed to competed. It was a much, much easier job actually competing as it was quite simply - miserable during it. Lads - you don't realise it but your support is always fantastic and we do appreciate it. And thanks to Mammy Horgan too for hanging around in the wet to see me finish. She thinks we're all crazy!! I wonder if she knows what an Ironman entails......
PS - To any Cork Tri who may stumble upon this - you know I am only joking about ye! Ye put on a great race each year and an even better one in Kenmare. Thanks a mill.
Related Links
Club Photos from Kinsale
Triathlon Ireland results from Kinsale
PiranhaTri
http://www.piranhatri.com/article.php/20060803225145931