Weymouth 70.3
September 10th 2023
My First foray into the half-iron distance was a lesson in perseverance and accepting the circumstances. The atmosphere was palpable from the moment my brother and I got into Weymouth! The way the whole town came out to help create the event in the form of volunteers was amazing and as someone who had never been part of a big sporting event, it was somewhat surreal. Jack and I went to the sign-in tent and got my number and backpack among other things including numbers to stick on my bike and my body. We went back to the car which was parked at the other end of the town and put my bike together and double-checked that I had everything I needed. Going into the transition area I started to put my plan together and only got more excited for the day to come.
Once we got back to where we were staying (with my Godmother) it was time to relax and enjoy good food and TV. The weather report was looking pretty nasty so anything to take my mind off of it was a blessing. At around 9 pm, my Dad surprised me by driving 4 hours down to the coast to come and watch me race. A lovely way to end the day and go to sleep knowing I had even more supporters for the events to come.
THE RACE -
Waking up at 5 am to the bright flash of thunder and lightning wasn’t exactly how I had pictured the weather but thanks to the support from Jack I had made peace with it and knew that I couldn’t change it so the only thing to do was to race! After a lightish breakfast, we drove on down to the seaside and parked up, I pulled up my wetsuit and we set off down the beach to the start. It was getting fairly close to 7 am but made it in time for the unfortunate announcement that the swim portion of the race had been cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions. To say I was upset and outraged would be a lie as the swim was and still is my weakest element but there was a sadness that I wouldn’t be able to prove to myself I could do it.
The race started on the bike and we set off three at a time. The rain had stopped for now and being free to put some power down and warm up was a great feeling. Cycling on closed roads for the first time was awesome and encouraging the people going past me was fun. My first experience with an aid station almost ended in disaster when I took a bottle of Gatorade and nearly crashed into the volunteer handing it to me. I had a fairly easy time up to the one main climb where I slowed down and sadly started to feel the raindrops falling again. They came in a biblical deluge that enabled you only to see 30ft ahead of you which isn’t quite enough when the road is wet and you’re not familiar with the area. the final sixteen miles of the bike were done in this rain and my only feeling when dismounting was gratitude. Once into the transition tent I thanked my past self for fresh socks and took my time gathering myself and trying to warm up again.
Running out of transition Jack was there to give me a cheer and the race organisers had put plenty of aid stations out including one right outside of transition. I’ve never felt cooler than when I grabbed a little white cup of water from the volunteer and carried on on my quest to finish. The first couple of miles were a battle but slowly the crowd and food got to my system and I settled into a rhythm. Prerace I had planned to hold a pace and I did so diligently knowing I may have more to give but not wanting to do damage too early. Other than one hill the run course is flat and meanders beautifully around the seafront giving spectators the chance to cheer on their friends and loved ones. The atmosphere was amazing and having strangers cheer for you does give you a boost that comes from deep within. While the weather was bleak the mood certainly wasn’t and it’s the one reason I would do Weymouth again. Between miles 10 and 11 I really could have used a boost but sadly there was a distinct lack of supporters so morale dropped a little. Once I hit mile 11 though I just said Fuck It, I knew there was more in the tank and just decided to push as hard as I could to the line.
Crossing the finish was amazing, turning the corner ignoring the next lap arrow and heading along the red carpet was a dream come true. Whilst it wasn’t perfect and things didn’t go my way it was every bit as special and enjoyable as I had hoped. My dad, brother and Godmother met me at the line and I couldn’t have been happier to have been there. We drove back to the house and I had a well-deserved bath and some food then we headed back north.
