As promised, here is a race recap.
Swim: We all jumped off the back of the boat into the water in order to get to the official swim start. The surf was massive and we all got throw around quite a bit. Swimming into shore, towards transition, I caught a glimpse of a few jelly fish (portuguese man of war) below me. I guess I wasn't swimming fast enough since I had time to notice the sea life below me. For a while I was swimming with a group of the women, but because of the rough swells I had a hard time maintaining my direction. I exited the water as the 5th female pro. Although, I thought I was sixth at the time.
Bike: The bike course was quite difficult. The island is anything but flat and so the course undulated accordingly. There were also quite a few very technical sections. I tried to find a rhythm early because I know the first 4k is always the toughest part for me. With some of the other women in my sights ahead, I tried to focus on them and on bridging the gap to them. I became frustrated towards the end as I had not been able to bring back the female competitor I believed was ahead of me. Turns out she was never there to begin with.
Run: After flogging myself on the bike, the run, which promised to be difficult with its many hills, became even more difficult. As temperatures and fatigue levels rose I had to force myself onward. One of the hills on the course was so steep that I actually had a very difficult time running up it. The course description, saying that there were 2 hills on the course, was not exactly accurate, the whole course was either up or down.
I ended up finishing in 6th place. I will definitely return to the race next year, but maybe I will return a bit better prepared by running and cycling a few more hills.
(with Thomo after the race)
All in all, the experience was fantastic. It was hard to leave, but it is time to get back to work for the Treasure Island race in November which will likely be my last for the year.
Jenna
