I raced again last weekend, two weeks in a row, well – it was actually three races in seven days; TriAthlone, and duathlon in the Phoenix Park which I used as a bit of a speed session before I raced in the ITU World Cup in Holten last Saturday. The duathlon was a great little hit out, very enjoyable. It’s very nice to race over the same ground that you train on. I did miss the start of the race (this has happened before) and i’ll point the finger at Mark Foran and blame him this time. He is great man to talk to, really holds you captive in conversation.
I flew out to Holland the next morning to Holten, which was the venue for the European Championships last year. It was nice to go back there, I like Holland and the Dutch. I was invited out by the kind people at the ITU development team. They run a program for athletes from small nations. I guess its like a big brother program. They bring us out and take care of us with a manager, bike mechanic etc. So for this race on the men’s team we had an Irish man, a Serb and a Moroccan. The guys are all friends of mine so it was nice to be sharing a house with them.
Getting on to the race – I finished in 26th place. Not what I was after, I had the 9th quickest run of the day but lost time in the swim, which ultimately cost me 20 places at the finish. That’s racing, and that’s salvaging a result from a race. Until I get out of the water with a pack, that’s what will happen. My swim wasn’t helped by some bad positioning from me and an American triathlete. The races keep coming though and I’m off to Germany in the morning for the biggest race of my little triathlon career this weekend. Next stop Hamburg World Series. I only found out this afternoon that I got into the race. I can’t wait.
Somethings in Holland just seem wrong, Like mini golf
