Royal Windsor Triathlon 2022
30th Anniversary Race Presentation
It is pretty certain the first time my husband Steve and I competed in the Windsor Olympic distance Triathlon was the first year it appeared which was 1991. It was my second year as a triathlete and my very first event had also been and event presented by Human Race Events then under the directorship of John Lunt.
So, to clarify this, my first multi discipline event was the Damp Dash at Kingston-upon Thames which was pool based Swim-Run, 800mtr swim and 10km run. I was fifty. It was winter, early February, I think. My husband had been teaching me front crawl so that I could take up the sport that he first enjoyed a year before. A few months before that I was still a breast-stroke, back-stroke swimmer since my childhood. I got on quite quickly with the new stroke mainly due to the fact that breathing into the water was not a problem for me. I had always loved the water.
Steve and I did lots of the Human Race events and when Windsor came on the scene, we quickly signed up for it and it became my favourite race from the start.
The only missed one in those thirty years was because I had a broken wrist after falling off my bike.
The Windsor triathlon has developed over the years, a little change at a time, until it has grown into the spectacular event it now is.
Steve and I had looked forward to it enormously and were happy that the weather would be much better than it was the previous time in 2019 when it rained buckets almost every moment from beginning to end and in all my race photo’s I am wearing my best bright red Gore-text coat.
Steve is a serious control freak and so I don’t have to think my way through the preparations, I am happy to be lazy and let him do all the checking as we both register and rack our bikes. Mine first and then his. This is repeated the next morning when he goes over everything again even to making sure I have put my jelly babies in the bike bag and coffee in my drinker.
My swim wave was No. 11 at 6.45 a.m. and his was wave 18, 35 minutes after mine. A Lady who had not made it through on her swim the previous time, found me and asked me for advice for this second attempt at the race, having suffered an asthma attack in the swim in 2019 and not completing the swim. I hope my advice helped, I think it did, she seemed to be happier after we had talked, and slipped into the water calmly. I thoroughly enjoyed the swim this year having had a good head-chopper clonk on the back of the head the in the 2019 event. This time was a pleasure and not even cold.
At the swim exit I saw the race director who ran off and turned up just ahead of me, dangerously running backwards on the wet path where swimmers had dripped Thames water all over the path from the wetsuits, he trying to take photos on his phone as I ran toward transition.
This was one of the longest transitions I can remember doing. I think they are fashionable now, it breaks the field up nicely after the swim I suppose, but in fact there was a very long run from the swim exit, a barefoot run at that, on a quite uncomfortable surface covering the entire length of the race venue, the registration and expo area was passed by and then all the way on the full length of Victoria Park , past the huge transition area itself, having to run right to the far end before entering T1 and turning to run all the way back again until you found your bike, helmet, shoes etc, that at least was grassy.
Having made our kit changes there was still 300 metres run holding your bike and wearing bike shoes that made it harder, I banded my leg on a peddle a couple of times. In my case, all told, it was over nine minutes between swim and bike mount and I had run.
Showing the sport has grown exponentially in popularity, there was a huge field of triathletes even though there were other races on the same day elsewhere.
There were changes on the bike course, so one had to keep one’s eyes peeled, several riders missed turns here and there. It was noticeable that the military services find triathlon useful in physical training and there was quite an aggressive road race going on.
Accidents happen and at one point there were possibly a hundred cyclists held up as an ambulance, an official car and several motorbikes loaded to injured man for his journey to hospital. Making no allowance for the fact that there was an accident and a race in progress, a large horsebox, none the less shouldered its way through, in the opposite direction.
Apart from the one holdup, surprisingly maybe, I was feeling fine and had a very good bike leg, for an old bird. Toward the end of the bike, there is a long whistle straight descent by Windsor Great Park, returning to Windsor centre.
I frightened myself to death on that section and had to talk my way through it aloud, saying, ‘Don’t brake… don’t brake… stay calm… relax… relax.. it rises again further on the road, and I will slow then’.
The runs section has been marvellously packed tightly into three laps. Mainly the main street around one side of the castle and into the Great Park with a section on The Long Walk, in the park.
I had finished my first lap when I found Steve half way round on his first lap. He had a bad back-ache. He suffers a lot with his back unfortunately. He stayed with me until I got to the turn for his last lap, where I went straight on to the finish. He walked back from that point and met me there.
During the run, a light moment occurred when a young man, who it turned out was an Instagram friend, shouted as he and his partner passed. It was confusing for a few seconds as he shouted encouragement, as well as his name, so that I got the message as to how he knew me and how I knew him. Social media has its benefits for sure. I checked up on them both later and notice that they are qualified for GBR team championship races this year and 2023 as am I. Thanks Triathlouu and tilly_tri, nice to meet you guys, see you somewhere else soon I hope, wearing our colours.
Windsor tri is a challenging event; with a swim in the river Thames for a start and now the run simply has three laps of long uphill sections and most enjoyable downhills too.
We had a great day again and will God Willing, be there for more punishment in 2023.
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