So my blog is quickly becoming a running blog! Hope you don’t mind 🙂 In my latest sporting endeavor, I ventured into the world of Triathlons. Those involve a swim, a cycle and a run. The one I participated in is called the MercuryMan. It is a “Half-Ironman” format that involves the following:
– A 1.2 mile swim (1.9km)
– A 56-mile cycle (90km)
– A 13.1mile run (21.1km – a half Marathon)
Needless to see, a lot of exercise. I did not do all 3, I was in a team where each team member did 1 of the 3 events. I did the run. Some courageous souls do all 3. Impressive.
There is only one problem with doing the run, one that I foolishly did not foresee: The run is last … which by the time you start running, its REALLY hot even in the Cayman winter.
Ok, so here goes. (note: some of these pics are not mine. Thanks to my friend Claire, one of the organizers)
A lovely morning for a race. The race started/ended at the Reef Resort in the East End. I love that area of the island and it was definitely an extra incentive for me to sign up.
Here the swimmers are getting ready to start the event. Start time was just after sunrise at 7:15am.
Once the swimmers are done, they either jump onto their bike or pass the “chip” (timing device) to a teammate who does the second part. There were definitely some very serious athletes. Look at this guy with his fancy helmet & all.
Meanwhile, while my teammate was out doing the 90km cycle, I was getting ready to do my part. Since it was by my estimates 33 degrees (+-91) with zero cloud cover by the time I got to run, I was glad I had a white hat & shirt. Not that it helped all that much. Truth be told, it was the most difficult run I have ever done, but still was a lot of fun. Once I was 1/2 through the run, I slowed down at every second water stop and took the time to completely drink the cup of water or Gatorade; I needed it. Also, they had sponges with cold water so that was nice. The volunteers at the water stops were great and cheered us on.
Here is my buddy Craig finishing his 21.1km run … looks like it was tough out there Craig! 😉
The run route is as below. We did 3x that loop. So +-7km, 3 times. Mentally I divided the race up into 6 which I think helped me.
With my teammates Davison (Cycle – center) & Tim (Swim – right). Good job guys. We did well, had fun and no one got hurt. We finished 1st corporate team. We were the only corporate team … but who cares right?
Considering the heat, the medal we got was completely relevant!
So I loved my 1st Triathlon experience. I honestly have no intention of doing the other 2 activities though. I’d have to buy a bike first and also learn how to swim fast ; diving does not require that! Very well organized activity, at the lovely East End. Cant go wrong.