Sprint: 1:15:18 (42nd, 5th in my age-group)
- Swim: 14:48 (79th)
- Bike: 36:16 (17th, includes T1 and T2)
- Run: 24:14 (114th)
Before the start of the race, the temperature was already 36 degrees and the sun was burning down on the transition area from a clear blue sky. Because of the heat, the organizer decided to cut the race in half (from Olympic Distance to Sprint) and to start at 9:50 instead of 10:15...... Sudden rush to be at the start in time, no warm-up (was hot enough anyway).
Swim: Out and back swim in a lake. Water was lukewarm, but wetsuits were allowed (actually mandated). My full Helix suit was way to hot and I overheated in the swim, my legs baking on the surface of the water. I should have opted for my speedsuit instead. Valuable lesson learned!
Bike: After running for a few hundred meters over burning tarmac, I was happy to be able to stand on my wet wetsuit before heading out on the bike. Bike went quite ok after I started to cool down from the swim, didn't push it too hard and forced myself to finish my aerodrink. Overtook many and was overtaken by 2 athletes.
Run: Good transition into run, but heat was quite overwhelming. The run was only 5K so should have pushed it harder (again). Was forced to make a sanitary stop in the first kilometer, must have been drinking too much on the bike.
After the finish..... more glaring sun and heat before heading back in the air-conditioned train to Tokyo.
Interesting race, and a PB for sprint distance (was my first one!). Some good learnings:
- Need more swim training
- If hot, use speedsuit instead of wetsuit
- Do more short brick training: I want to be able to run at 4:00 pace after the bike
