I am looking for my bike, it is a

- black aluminum Specialized S-Works Transition, medium size
- Dura-Ace Shimano groupset
- Look KEO pedals
- Mavic training wheels
- Powertap (with wires)
- Oval A900 handlebars
- step is adjustable (up/down)

This is a very particular setup as stem and Oval I think are not available in Europe, and most people have wireless Powertaps.

If you notice any of these parts or the whole bike please email me at nikolatosic@gmail.com or call me at 0791890999. There is a reward. Thank you.

I slept in this morning and did not meet anybody for a cycle – quite difficult to get motivated without a goal. Perhaps I have post training depression seeing as I did not even get to do the race. After sleeping in I had some errands to run. I was taken in by a terrible sight in Milnerton – the road had been cordoned off and there were ambulances surrounding a body covered in a blanket.

I immediately did a U-turn and arrived at the scene of the accident to see if it was a friend – It was nobody that I knew – but a friend none the less – as a cyclist/triathlete I feel we are part of a community where we all share a common love. My condolences go out to the friends and family of Colin Van Schalkwyk. I am sorry that on a day of love such a loss should occur and that this day of love and happiness shall forever mark the tragic loss of Colin to his wife and those that were close to him.

I think there is also the real fear that that could be any of us, or that the friends standing alongside the road could also be us - or perhaps even the person in the car. It was a tragic accident and nobody was to “blame” – I am sure there may have been error in action that caused the fatal accident but no intent to harm.

As Cyclists we get confident and we sometimes ride two to three abreast and get angry with cars that get annoyed. Many motorists alike are angered by cyclists. However no matter who you are I guess the cyclist never wins. I have never heard a story of a car being taken out by a hit and run cyclist or any cyclist for that matter. Cyclists, please be alert – these cars are bigger than us, yes we have our rights too but by being on the roads with bigger, heavier vehicles going at speed, every cycling session is a risk and we need to practice caution.

A lesson in life to never take anybody or anything for granted including your gift of life – Love deeply and live for your dreams…. Spread the love… let those close to you know how important they are and never leave angry always kiss and make up or accept your differences and part on good terms.

On returning home I did a face book search to see if I recognized Colin – it felt quite eerie that I could go onto his profile picture and see his gentle smile and his lovely comment on his passion for cycling. What I did recognize was the beautiful view of him with friends in his profile pics on Chappies Peak and the bike that I saw alongside the road….R.I.P.

After writing this post I saw Dan Hugo only to find that he too had been knocked off his bike by a truck - lucky for all of our our friend Dan was lucky to have got away!

Woke up at 4:00 am and joined Dan Hugo on his drive to his third Totalsports Challenge race. Past two he won but this one was not so sure for him because there was an Australian adventure race champion.

Dan did not paddle much lately but he still managed to stay close to his rival, passed him in the first half the swim and maintained the dominance and winning by more than 20 mins at the end of a very long day. I think he won with a time of around 6 hours 9 minutes.

He says this was his toughest race so far as he had to push all the way from start to finish. I will let him tell his story at dghugo.com.

Conrad Stoltz also participated but in a relay which consisted of superstars of each of the disciplines. I could not remember all the names as I am not into paddling and swimming but I do know Cristoph Sauser who rode the bike for the team. The team of course won with Conrad doing the last run on the beach. Again you can check Conrad’s story on his conradstoltz.com.

My photos are as always at flickr.com:

I apologize for not knowing the names of Dan’s rival and other Conrad’s team members but I do not have the results yet. Hopefully you can get more information on Dan’s and Conrad’s website.

Thanks…

It had been a hard winter in Cape Town and many sacrifices were made along the way to fulfil this dream of mine that has been there since I first learnt about triathlon. Indeed, my highschool physical education teacher had raced there, and seeing the potential I had from running and swimming, he coaxed me into triathlon at the end of my matric year. He handed me my first Triathlete Magazine and inside, was the race report from the 1997 race. It grabbed me and swallowed me and here we are, 11 years later, and I am at the airport in Kona, and yes, my bike is not on the flight. I am told this is normal. Mom, Dad and Marilu all have their stuff though. Of course they do.

Our apartment/condo is incredible and we are on the waters edge. A quick dip reveals schools of tropical fish right there, where you walk in. Its green, its hot and yes, its humid. We shop, we eat, we drink, and quick quick the trip is over.

Oh wait, lets go back a little. All the way to April, where I qualified for a race in Kona on October 11th, 2008. some would call it a date with destiny, some would call it the race of truth. For me, it was the cherry on a great year. My first year of focussing on Ironman and I was in Hawaii, to race the World Ironman Champs, a race I have wanted to race since I was 18 years old.

You cannot believe this place during raceweek. 1800 athletes, their families, spectators and pro’s from all around the world descend on Kona for 10 days. It’s a real festival of athletic prowess and its very scary as well. Everywhere you go, there are bikes, there are guys swimming, biking and running. They are going fast. They all have pimped out bikes. They look the part. they must be – they made it to World Champs. Suddenly, your peer group got a reality check. This is real and you better get your rest in for raceday.

Amazingly, people do the complete opposite. They chase the pro’s up and down Alii drive all week. Its quite scary to watch a 12 hour age grouper chase Craig Alexander up the hill at mile 2 on the run route. You can see the fear in his eyes, because he has no idea who’s ahead of him. He just wants to beat everyone out there.

Lets cut a little forwards, to…… lets say 6:15am on Saturday the 11th. I am sitting on the pool deck at the King Kam Hotel. Belinda Granger pointed out this spot to us earlier in the week as a calm place to chill before the race. Chrissie Wellington is here and let me tell you something you don’t know about her. She has freakishly long toes. There, I said it. Miss Wellington’s hidden secret to her running prowess is that she has Shaquille O’Neill’s toes.

Moving on and its 6:50am. I am sandwhiched between a guy and a girl, treading water. We are packed so close at the front of the start that I can see the follicles on the girls skin. The air is electric and the banter is light, but edgy. Ze Germans try push in everywhere, they must all be sub 50min swimmers. I got an inside tip that when the orange flag goes up, its 10 seconds to go, and I apologise for my actions beforehand, making a smidgen of space to kick off.

BANG! And the gun goes off. Its rough out there and the kicking and arms are everywhere and I feel like there are 50 Roland Schoemans in the water around me there is so much wake. I’m trying to spot a gap and see one just right of me so I dip under the water and under the guy to my right and swim underwater for a few seconds and pop up in clean water! I hang on the right of the group for a while and as the guys slow I find I’m naturally moving up the pecking order. Eventually im swimming near the front of the pack and there is this annoying dude who’s not just touching my feet, but my calves he’s that far up the leg. We get halfway and I see Greg Welch and he has a beer in his hands. I adjust my cap and let the annoying dude pass and settle in the middle to back of the pack and cruise back. The trip back felt faster and just before we hit the ramp we swim over the cameramen and its quite a sight seeing six guys in scuba gear out there.

55:31 and im over the mat and getting my transition bag. Not bad, but not super. I am having a rocker of a time and get on the bike with a big smile and head out of T1 to see the 3 best supporters in the world with a big banner just for me. A tear wells up in my eye and then I remember : Time to wikkel boytjie! I settle into a great rhythm in the first 5km and am amazed at how fast some of the guys head out of T1, only to see them come back 10km up the road. I am settled nicely in the front pack of AG guys (from what I can see but im sure there are guys up the road) and the heart rate is perfect, I feel amazing and we are moving on so nicely. My second gel goes down with lots of hassle and I just don’t feel like solids. I have felt quite full since yesterday and seems American food has me a little “plugged” up inside. Oh well. Im sure it’ll come right. I hear its 42 degrees celcius today. Luckily the road isn’t made of black lava. Right…

The first energy bar goes halfway and comes back up. Oh no! The next gel cant get past my mouth and I realise I’m in trouble. I want to finish with a smile, and run the marathon. I’m in this awesome place riding along at a great speed at the right intensity, but I know that if I continue at this pace, I will run out of calories sooner than later. Whilst in the first draft-legal pack I’ve every ridden in, during an Ironman, in my life, I back off the pace 10 beats a minute to see if my appetite comes back. It also happens to coincide with the 18 mile climb to Hawi and to back the pace sufficiently, I have to go pretty slow. I am now on a weak mix of coke and water and have made quite a bit of peace about the situation. I could be in a lot worse places in my life, and yes, its important to me to finish this running, with a smile.

As I’m pondering this a guy gets blown off his bike just ahead of me. We are coming down the hill and the legendary winds on the Queen K are in full force. 60km/h gusts of wind, side on. He goes down hard and I get to him as another lady is running to him as well, she called the ambulance and they are on their way. I calm him down as much as you can calm a guy who’s dream race has just gone up in tatters. It’s a realisation that indeed, there are people out there having worse issues than not being able to eat. I get on the bike and head back to town, which is still 80km away. I get into a decent rhythm but I’m riding aid station to aid station, i.e. coke bottle to coke bottle. I keep trying to get solids in but this is to no avail.

I feel thankful for T2 when it comes and I’m a little bummed about my ride time, I lost 30 minutes in the last 120km and that’s the race done, but I realise I still have to run a marathon on an empty stomach. This itself is a massive challenge in itself, so I try head to the porta potty for some relief but….. nothing. I head out onto Alii drive and its electric. I cruise along a little below what I would normally be running but I don’t care. I stop the watch and realise I’m plodding aid station to aid station for the rest of the run. I try get people to run with me but nobody seems to be running at this slower speed of mine. Its 9km out to the turn at the church and I high five the volunteers out there, the sugar highs are settling into delirium now. Awesome. On the return to town I try get in the toilet again, but all that gives is a 15 second burst of air. A hear the next athlete waiting outside give a chuckle. He doesn’t realise its like a sauna inside and I chuckle back at his future…

As I make the turn for Palani Hill Craig Alexander comes around the same corner and I put my hand up for a high five, and I get a high five from the leader of the race. Thankfully, I have 24km to go at this point. I walk Palani Hill and head out to the Queen K with a smile on my dial.

The volunteers are awesome and I stop to boogie at 1 of the aid stations for a few seconds with them. Orange Slices are a new source of liquid which seem to be staying in and the are the best relief of sweet coke this side of mothers milk. I run with a new buddy, Stewart Phillis, for a while. He provides some much needed company and I am sad to see him walking at the next aid station. I make the turn into the Energy Lab and the board reads 36 degrees celcius. Woo Hoo! Its cooling down. The Lab gives me a little energy and I am excited to be running in a place which has given the sport such great definitive moments.

The trip back on the highway is not really memorable and its just to get back to Palani. I cruise down the hill and I have 1.5km to run and its all over. The usual rush of emotion comes over me and I shed a tear of joy, that I am still running and that I have no idea of my time, that the experience of the race has been so amazing. That I am in Hawaii and about to see my folks and my girlfriend again. That I am blessed to live this incredible life and that I have a God given talent which I am using. It passes with a wave of euphoria and I look up to the sky and put my hands in the air and let out a shout of ecstacy. As I run under the hanging tree and the Ironman banner I just stop and start to walk. There is only 400m to go and I want to enjoy it all. I see my dad and give him a hug. He has a South African flag for me and I am proud to represent my country here.

I walk down the finish chute with my flag loving this place. I will never forget it. This moment is a good one. I let a fellow athlete through at the finish so I can get a better photo on the line and I put my hands up and BAM! Its over.

Scoot ahead a few hours and it’s the after party. I am hanging out doing shooters with Rudger Beke and Rebekah Keat, chatting away with Crowie and listening to the banter of athletes having a big party for the first time in ages. I realise there is a balance here, and that the emotional release I am witnessing is worth the headache in the morning.

If you get the chance to get to this race – go. Its worth selling you other bike, your spare sunglasses and your spare race wheels. I did all those things to get there and I will never regret it. As I was doing yoga this week images of the race were flashing through my head and I was content that indeed, a deep impact is there, that I can draw back on the experience of this race whenever I want.

That indeed, gives me a deep sense of calm. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me. I also would like to give a shout out to those partners of mine who made this trip possible, or easier through providing me with the best quality equipment an athlete could ask for.

Kleinhoekkloof Wines, Whaspgel, Puma, Orca, Suunto, Rockets Compression Gear.

Then a last thank you to my amazing family and my gorgeous girlfriend for making the trip with me, it was amazing having you all there.

Wow, I feel like I have awoken from a dream. Just over two months ago I and now amazing friend Vivienne Fenton decided we would take part in The Cape Odyssey. Since the introduction of this race last year this has been a dream of mine. A very big thank you to Vincent Fenton – Viv’s father who helped me realise my dream by sponsoring myself and Viv to take part in this race. In return I suggested to Viv that we introduce a charity drive involving kids that she works with and we launched project Wishbone – we would try and raise a pair of shoes for every kilometer that we ran 206 km/206 pairs of shoes and have running clubs set up in 5 schools/5days running. We stuck with the twinning theme as that is the name of the charity that Viv works for “Amawele” – translation - twins – by chance Viv and I were born within a few days of one another and bear a strong resemblance.

We had done very opposite training – I had been doing short fast races concentrating on standard distance triathlon – I last did a marathon in 2006. Viv had recently made the cross over to long distance and had taken part in 2 Oceans and Knysna marathon. We also discovered in our training that Viv was stronger on the climb; I was more comfortable on the descent. Viv also raced in 1^st gear and I raced in 5^th! She was very comfortable to attack early whereas I would settle into a pace and then get stronger. She also ate a 3 course breakfast before racing whereas my stomach was quite sensitive to large portions of food.

Day 1 Hermanus to Kleinmond 28km

This is a race that you start not with the attitude how fast are we going to finish. Instead you are thinking I hope we get through this thing! They mention at the pre-race briefing that not everybody will finish and you are aware that anything can happen that can suddenly end your race. You start this race with a lot of respect! You feel like you are going into a battle zone and dodging bullets.

We started at an easy pace in the middle of the crowd. Viv started getting a little competitive at the feeding station challenging me to a burping competition after gulping down her juice. We then set foot on the beach towards our man made water crossing to get over the river mouth. We passed a ladies team just before the crossing and once we were running on the sand we passed another ladies team. As we were heading for the home run we were on the heels of another ladies team and I was aching to attack – I glanced at Viv hoping to get a nod of approval and she reminded me that it was the 1st day and to pace ourselves – it is so easy to get carried away!

Ladies results:

1.AK Sports3.02.40
2.Salomon Pros 3.06.35
3.Whippets 3.11.14
4. Scotty’s 3.14.49
5.Amawele 3.15.52 (34th overall)

Cut off: 5hrs
149 teams finished
(23 ladies teams)

Day 2 – Kleinmond – Paul Kluver 57km due to rain 52km

This was my worst day – I was stung/bitten within the 1st 5km. Viv was strong. I was not feeling well and being cautious as I have a bee allergy and they had warned us of bee’s en-route. My leg was stinging and I did not want to take antihistamine in case it made me drowsy. Spoke to Doctor who said to take medication – this upset my tummy and had Viv waiting for me a couple of times. I felt terrible holding her up but the circumstances were out of my control. She was very patient. It was a long day – not as scenic or interesting as day 1. We were surprised that we had still managed a reasonably competitive finish. My feet were blistered and I learnt the art of threading cotton through blisters to drain them. We camped for the 1st time and temperatures dropped to -2deg that evening!

Ladies Results:

1 Salomon pros 5.14.01
2 Whippets 5.16.14
3 Scotty’s 5.19.04
4 AK Sports Girls 5.22.13
5 Amawele 5.35.51 (overall 36th)

Cut off 9.30hrs
Teams finished 142
Ladies 23

Day 3 Paul Kluver-Grabouw 42km

Day three the temperature got warmer. We also felt a little more confident as to what worked and what did not work. We packed less for the journey. I think we both came to the realization that this was not a just run, it was a race. We spent less time at water stations and introduced a couple of tactics. The route was more interesting – we chatted to other runners and it was a much more enjoyable day. The route suited both of us – starting uphill and ending downhill. I felt very comfortable in the mountains of Grabouw having run Xterra on some of this route. We passed both the Scotty’s and later the AK sports girls. I do not think they really saw us as a threat so it was great being the dark horses of the day! We finished 3rd at the lovely setting in Grabouw where we got to soak our aching legs in the dam. That evening we relished in having our 1st podium finish. We were also awarded a spot prize for being the team “most pleasing on the eye” what an amazing eve.

Ladies Results:

1 Salomon pros 4.37.25
2 Whippets 4.38.00
3 Amawele 4.47.09 (22nd overall)
4 Scotty’s 4.50
5 AK Sports 4.51.33

Cut off 8.30
Teams finished 137
Ladies 23

Day 4 Grabouw – Franshoek 44km

Day 4 was incredibly hot and it seems so were my and Viv’s tempers. It started with my changing my socks as I was boiling and Viv having to wait for me – quite a while. She was annoyed and I got all stubborn and challenged her to a sprint to make up time (we look back and laugh at this) - after a short lived confrontation the endorphins settled in and we were back to our happy selves. We had a lovely run – it was tough and we encouraged each other through the challenging bits. We passed the Scotty’s early in the race. We then passed the AK sports team as the route got more technical – they almost took a wrong turn but Viv indicated the way to them. It was probably one of the toughest stages to run technically (I even broke a nail!!!) I think having trained in the mountains was a definite advantage. We arrived in Franchoek where we were treated by Viv’s Steve to lovely lunch that he had made for us. Viv stayed out at a BnB that eve and I was left in my tent wondering what to do the next day. The pressure was on – we were 12minutes behind finishing on the podium for the overall race.

Ladies Results:

1 Salomon pros 5.12.21
2 Whippets 5.15.02
3 Amawele 5.45.40 (29th overall)
4 AK Sports Girls 5.53.51
5 Linx 5.55.56

Cut off 8.30hrs
Teams finished 124
Ladies 22

Odyssey Day 5

The last day of the race was quite relaxing as we were able to start an hour late to ensure that supporters doing the fun run at the finish would be able to see us after their race. We decided to just go out and enjoy the day and the experience and try and race a little when we settled into our pace. I was relieved that were not going to put ourselves under pressure for a podium – It would have been an amazing way to end the race but could not be our focus. The gap was 12minutes and it was a short distance. I also had a slight ITB strain and was worried that upping the pace would aggravate it … it did…

Viv was an angel – she offered to carry my bag – we then took on the three legged hobble where we linked arms and she kind of lifted the side of my body up and we managed to grimace through my injury – yup Siamese Amawele. It eased off and I ran a bit through sections I found running backwards and skipping sideways seemed to help too. We had about 5kms left so I kept visualizing my local run to the light house and back from the pool and breaking it up mentally.

We started making some ground and towards the end passed a few of the teams that had taken us. We got to the railway track and we could smell home and the lovely hearty voice of commentator Paul Valstar in the distance was music to our ears. We picked up the pace and sprinted holding hands passed the cheers and the outstretched palms of all the supporters – it was amazing.

First people we saw at the finish was Triathlon team-mate Martha Koekemoer and next was Eckhard AKA Poh Shu – our body guard who had done most of our off-road training with us , my coach a very proud Evan Jones with wife Monica and son, my core –instructor Chris, then my oldest friend from School Joanne and later my mom and step dad – my amazing friend Sara who introduced me to running, Viv’s Steve and Gert that had loaned us sleeping bags… wow – I have never had so many friends support me at a finish line!!! It was amazing! Thank You for making my day special! Thanks to all that shared in our celebrations! Also a very big congratulations to friends that shared the journey and training – well done Team Mojo – John and Moyra on an awesome 2nd place and to Tallulah and Klaus, also a very big thanks to Mark Copson and Gratton Rippon who were also very generous in offering us New Balance shoes at discounted prices for project wishbone.

Not to mention all of our kind donors: We managed to more than raise sponsorship for the 206 pairs of shoes – we had a little left over so Viv and I are going shopping in Thailand – just joking – the surplus is going toward setting up running clubs for the schools. We hope to keep you updated on this.

Ladies Results:

1 Salomon pros 2.28
2 Whippets 2.36
3 AK Sports Girls 2.37
4 Linx 2.45
5 Amawele 2.50 (37th overall)

Overall results – all stages

1 Salomon 20.38
2 The Whippets 20.56
3 AK Sports Girls 21.50
4 Amawele 22.15 (28th overall)
5 Linx 22.50.15

List of South African Amawele wishbone warriors who helped make the dream come Shoe we received 109 shoes:

David Johnson, Steve Atwell, Gert Wilkins. Guy Vesey, Andrew Brayteseth, Rachel Ramsden Sara Thomas, Carla Burdzik, Nic Visser, John Morison, Jack Thonissen, Natalie Becker, Klaus Kassel, Marc Stavrakis, Bertus Bresler, Andrew Espin, Parkin Emslie, Dusan Radmanovic, Mel and Jared Mahaffey,Mark Stavrakis, Vivienne and Jeff Immermann, Derek John, Heidi Koch, Adrian Odell, Joanne Moolman, Ebbe Spaarwater, David Smith, Garth Roberts, Kevin Joffee, Bron Villet, Bulelwa Jaxa, Julia Willand, Kevin Jackson, Rupert Barnard, Eckhard Scholtz, Thilo Schmiedeknecht, Andreas Schaal, Anna Tina Schaal, Sandra Baetsen, Martha Koekemoer, Sean Cardinal.

Businesses/clubs:
Nashua, PEP, BMC, Atlantic Triathlon Club members, Varsity Old Boys members, Pinelands Hockey Club, Pembroke Hockey Club Ireland. Atlantic Athletics club, CRAG running club, NEW BALANCE

We also managed to raise 5000 euros from our generous donors in Ireland – unfortunately we cannot thank everybody individually as it was through a fund raising night at the Laughter Lounge in Dublin. However you know who you and our schools are extremely grateful.

However we would like to say a special thanks to Celine Dee, Tom Scanlon, and Valerie Fenton for helping organize the fundraising night in Ireland. Also a big thanks to Anne O Brien, Grainne Edwards, Nessa Cronin for there continued support of the charity work of Amawele.

If we have missed anybody our biggest apologies, it is tough reconciling info from so many generous people – we are very appreciative!!!

The race will be screened on the following dates:

October 200ner could have asked for and much more besides.

CAPESTORM is delighted to bring you an evening of recollections, memories, advice for 2009 and some tips on what not to do! Runners from this year ’s race including both women’s and masters’s teams, one half of the overall winning team Jacques van Rensberg and his partner JAG founder Elana Meyer.

With literally 1000’s of stunning images from world class photographers we will take you through the stages day by day and relieve the agony and the ecstasy with those who took part, including double women’s winners Linda Doke and Karoline Hanks, sports scientist Kathy Mc Quaide and age grouper world champion triathlete and now Odyssey winner Viv Williams.

If you want to relive the race with friends, are interesting in running in 2009 or just want to see what all the fuss was about join us for an evening of celebration. Event sponsors Salomon will be on hand to offer advice as well as having many special offers on the evening. CAPESTORM will also have a 10% discount on all apparel and 5% discount on non CAPESTORM gear (excl Polar, Suunto and Leatherman).

Complimentary snacks and a subsidized cash bar will be available. There will be a R20 entrance fee all of which will go directly to the two charities associated with this year’s Odyssey; The Big Tree Foundation and JAG.

FREE LIMITED ADDITION TRAIL SERIES WATER BOTTLES TO FIRST 200 ARRIVALS ON THE NIGHT.

Date: Wednesday 19 November 2008, Time: 19h00 for 19h30 (cash bar and snacks will be available).

As with previous events seats will be on a first come, first served basis. Please RSVP by emailing info@capestorm.co.za and specify the number of places required. Seats are limited.

Venue: CAPESTORM Wynberg Store, 45 Lester Road, Wynberg, Cape Town.

Hope to see you there!!!!

“Seconds out, round number threeee …” Yup, I am starting to feel a little punch drunk from racing repeatedly and on Sunday morning I was more like a boxer scared to come out of his corner than a triathlete about to start a race. I certainly have new found respect for those elite ITU athletes that travel the world racing week in and week out, it certainly isn’t glamorous or easy!

Roodeplaat Dam has a reputation for being a little green, as in algae green due to the water hyacinth but thanks to the good rains the last few days there was a flow of fresh water into the dam and everyone commented about how much better it was than previous years. I certainly raised a few eyebrows with my decision to dispense with my wetsuit in anticipation of next week’s 11Global event at Sun City and also to test my theory on my apparent swimming weakness but I am glad I did as the results proved interesting.

While there is no doubt that a wetsuit is faster and even over 600m the time gains far outweigh the time taken to remove it but there is certainly something refreshing about swimming without one. The theory I have, and one I share with Collin Allin is that we train in a pool 99% of the time. As a result we train ourselves to swim with a certain body position and in my case that is quite low in the water. Come race day, we don our wetsuits and not only does this have a constricting effect on the shoulders, it also alters your body position in the water which adversely affects your range of motion and power. The result is that you work in a slightly different range of motion and impact your muscles differently and in my case this produces slightly slower swim times than I know I am capable of.

Thanks to the genius of Orca, I think this problem may be a thing of the past as they have introduced the new RS1 Fullskin. Collin has tested it and feels that it addresses the problem and I will be doing the same as soon as mine arrives. This innovation will allow for a very low drag coefficient, some warmth without being excessive and just enough buoyancy to assist in those last few meters of an Olympic or 70.3 swim. Of course when it comes to Ironman racing it makes sense to use the Apex2 as the buoyancy becomes an asset in a 3.8km swim but for everything else I am planning to use the RS1.

So back to round 3 of the BSG\Energade Series and after an easy swim I came out just behind the main bunch of about 20 athletes. Not having to take a wetsuit off allowed me to get through T1 in mere seconds and I was out onto the bike and tantalising close to the swelling group in front of me. I had intended to bike in the bunch this week and do minimal work in order to run fast but it was just too tempting to try and catch them, so off I went. After 15km’s I was still 20 seconds behind despite having averaged well over 45km/h on my own. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valour, I sat up and waited for the group behind and rolled into T2 ready to run hard.

I know I have said it before but my Puma Roadracers are really awesome. I hadn’t been able to run without socks prior to discovering these and their relatively light weight and minimal support make them perfect for running fast. Out of T2 and onto a gravel section I was feeling strong but it was false hope as no one had pointed out to me that the run was basically up and down hill on poorly tarred roads and gravel. Now downhill are okay because my long legs allow me to stretch my stride and run quite fast but lugging my big frame uphill against the five foot something runners is hard work. Nevertheless I had a good run and I was happy with the result.

Overall my result was average but it is worth noting that I am getting faster each week so it’s a move in the right direction. Next week we take a break from the sprint racing for some Olympic distance at the South African leg of the 11 Global series. I am looking forward to the slightly longer distance and a chance to get back on the Time Trial bike. With the race being held on the Saturday it also means that I can take a little time out on the Sunday to enjoy myself with the family and all the facilities that Sun City has to offer. Here’s hoping the weather is good so that I can make the most of the Valley of Waves before returning home for round 4 at Germiston Lake.

Results for the first 3 rounds plus the overall series points table are available on the http://www.tricape.com/?p=887

How can something so small hurt so much? That was the question I asked myself before the deciding to do the BSG\Energade triathlon series this year. Perhaps my memory is fading with old age because back in my cycling days the hardest event was the 1000m time trial, perhaps even harder than the Tour de France, certainly in terms of training but anyway, I digress, where was I? I told you my memory was shot.

Oh yes, the Ironman wannabe has decided to have a little fun this season and to experience some of the other sides to the wonderful sport of triathlon. That means draft legal sprints and Olympic distance races feature regularly in my calendar and instead of a long slow build up to one Ironman race, I will be racing as many times as possible in my build up to SA70.3 in January next year. After that, who knows, IMNZ, IM Australia, Roth or something else, I will decide in the new year.

The first round of the BSG\Energade series was held at Midmar Dam and this being my second appearance for TEAM WHASP, I was keen to put in a decent performance. It was also my first ever sprint race and the first time I was competing in a draft legal event. Being draft legal it introduces an element of team tactics and finding myself on a proper team for the first time, I was expecting to do my bit on the bike leg to keep the racing close so as to allow our runners to challenge for the points on offer and bragging rights at the end of the series.

TEAM WHASP consists of a bunch of competent athletes all capable of producing great results on the day but we also know how to enjoy ourselves and are not necessarily in the sport to become professionals, with perhaps one exception and that being the hugely talented Wikus Webber. Having overnighted in the ‘palatial accommodation’ that Midmar Dam affords and having gotten little sleep as we tracked results from Kona, it was with some surprise that I managed to do as well as I did. Don’t get me wrong, I never worried the leaders but by my standards I had an awesome run and finished in a reasonable position given my novice status. All told it was a great day out and the best part was waking up on Monday morning and still being able to go train hard, unlike after an IM when going to the toilet is hard!

On to round two and I was confident that with all the racing I had done at Vaal Pukke (scene of the Prestige Ultra) I would be in good position to go one better. Unfortunately I had a rough week at work and this along with a ‘big’ training week left me with heavy legs on the start line. To make matter worse the swim was a disaster as we caught the ladies after 200m (they started 5 minutes ahead of us) and were faced with the moral dilemma of either swimming over them or around them. I couldn’t bring myself to do the former given the ‘fun\family’ nature of the event and basically resigned myself to a slow swim. As a result I missed the bike group I had ridden with the previous weekend but on the upside I did find my team mates Collin Allin and Terrence Lowe which made the bike a little more fun.

Entering T2 I knew that I was about to be blitzed by Terrence and probably a whole bunch of runners that had been hanging back so I rode hard into transition utilizing all my bike handling skills to open up a small gap. With my new found passion for running without socks in my Puma Road Racers, I was through T2 in less than 30 seconds and chasing a pack in front of me. As predicted Terrence passed me within the first kilometer but I was still running well, then KA-BLOO-WEE! That dead leg feeling was back and it was going to be a case of hanging on for grim death to the end.

As I was saying at the start of this, who thought that something so apparently easy could be so hard but this was the moment everyone had warned me about. I desperately foraged in my Orca 226 trisuit (see pic above, don’t I look sexy in a one piece?) hoping to find a green mamba (Crazy Kiwi Whasp Gel, 100mg caffeine) and what do you know, that wasn’t a fat roll but just what I needed to get to the end. Pity I hadn’t found it at kilometer one rather than three but it was better than nothing and I set about catching Samantha Ferreira who was involved in her own personal tussle with fellow team mate Michelle van Zyl.

The best part of the BSG\Energade series is the finish line atmosphere. Being so short you recover very quickly and this leads to a very festive and jovial scene, unlike the medical tent scenario that often follows an Ironman. All told a reasonable day. I took heart out of the fact that Terrence ran through the field to finish well and if I am consigned to domestique for the rest of the series that is just fine with me.

For those of you that are interested the results are available at Spectrum Sport

1 ) Craig Alexander 8:17:45
2 ) Eneko Llanos Burguera 8:20:50
3 ) Rutger Beke 8:21:23
4 ) Ronnie Schildknecht 8:24:46
5 ) Cameron Brown 8:26:17
6 ) Patrick Vernay 8:30:23
7 ) Andy Potts 8:33:50
8 ) Mathias Hecht 8:34:02
9 ) Michael Lovato 8:34:47
10 ) Eduardo Sturla 8:36:53
11 ) Al-Sultan, Faris 8:39:32
12 ) Stadler Normann 8:44:04
13 ) Juhanson Ain Alar 8:46:43
14 ) Twelsiek Maik 8:48:37
15 ) Marr Timothy 8:48:50
16 ) Amey Paul 8:48:58
17 ) Longree Maximilian 8:49:01
18 ) Bayliss Stephen 8:49:38
19 ) Brader Christian 8:50:08
20 ) Clemens Coenen 08:52:36
21 ) Bean Eric 8:52:52
22 ) Vanhoenacker Marino 8:53:14
23 ) Rhodes Bryan 8:53:35
24 ) Patrcevic Dejan 8:54:19
25 ) Matula Martin 8:56:09
26 ) Neill Mike 8:57:00
27 ) Lieto Chris 8:57:56
28 ) Liebetrau Steffen 8:59:05
29 ) Kawahara Hayato 9:01:06

Female

1 ) Chrissie Wellington 9:06:23
2 ) Yvonne Van Vlerken 9:21:20
3 ) Sandra Wallenhorst 9:22:52
4 ) Erika Csomor 9:24:49
5 ) Linsey Corbin 9:28:51
6 ) Virginia Berasategui 9:29:15
7 ) Bella Comerford 9:34:08
8 ) Gina Ferguson 9:36:53
9 ) Gina Kehr 9:37:06
10 ) Dede Griesbauer 9:39:53

I am super happy for Dejan Patrcevic and his 24th position. I was hoping he would get in top 20 but this is still great. Bravo Dejan!

I will write more in the afternoon…

Conrad Stoltz is uploading photos to his flickr.com account from Kona, Hawaii. His fiancée Amber Monforte (web.mac.com/AmberMonforte) will race Ironman World Championship tomorrow.

More info on Ironman World Champs will follow…

After much pre-race talk last night I compared Odyssey to entering a war zone…. You pretty much put yourself out there and just hope that you survive to the end. The war is not with the opponents it is with yourself – with your body, your mind and your heart… Today we won!

We started at the Old Hermanus Harbour at 12h00 it is a difficult time to start as you have had breakfast but are not quite ready for lunch. It was very exciting – I am sometimes even too excited to concentrate on all the pre-race small talk. It was great – we have come along way to get here and it was really exciting to finally be lining up with the other soldiers.

We started towards the middle of the crowd – I know what happens when I start in the front – I defend my position and try and keep up with those around me which is a big NO NO in a race like this… I did joke that if there were other girls ahead we could do the exact time and finish behind them… did I tell you we were not meant to be competitive today oops – it was tough holding back – running by our heart rates pulling the reigns in on one another from time to time.

We did this training run a while ago and I was lucky enough to get a piggy back on the water crossing – when we got to this part of the route I cheekily tried my luck and asked a fellow runner – who sweetly obliged – we arrived to the other sides with cheers and elderly ladies responding to what a gentleman he was – so that that runner who ever you are a very big thank you!!!

However the next river crossing I was not so lucky… They mentioned a river crossing as the mouth of the river had been opened due to recent rainfall. Just as we got closer I told Viv to hurry and get us a boat – we had just gained position on a ladies team and I did not want them to cross the river first (oops not meant to be competitive)Viv was laughing whilst I was trying to negotiate who would take the front of the croc – turned out they were all tied together and we had to put life jackets on and climb across about twenty… this was not easy holding running shoes in hand – however after a while I managed to put my running shoes on my hands and crawl quite quickly – note to self if the run gets tough can crawl quite well!!! Viv scraped her shin but is a real toughie and only cried for a few minutes – nah she never cried! She is tough as nails.

We then arrived to feeding zone where Viv challenged me to a burping competition after letting out a monster belch – she even threatened to do the next one over the microphone – the commentator found this quite amusing and so did our supporters!

The beach run goes on for hours so we decided to listen to music – we were probably shouting to one another by now – because as our fellow runners know – we do not shut up! We passed another ladies team – not that it matters as we were not being competitive after a while we had the next ladies team in our sights – this is where the battle started – instinctively you want to go for the kill – to hunt them down and end with a sprint finish and the glory of the day… but we were not racing instead we were warming up for four days of running afterwards. Viv was very good at checking my heart rate and slapping my wrists as I started charging a little too fast. We finished fresh and were surprised with a 5^th position and later were informed that the top 5 ladies team finished within the top 25 teams – well – we were very happy with day one.

We are being teased for having showered together at the end – there was only one cubicle and we were freezing!

Our friends Moira and John – Mojo also finished 5th mixed team. We have decided to go up a position everyday.

I am not sure when I will blog again but hope to find a computer at the campsite tomorrow… Bye everybody – we are about to face our biggest day – please think about us!!!! Viv is also being tracked by polar so you can check our speed and kilometers and her heart rate – please tell me if it goes higher than 160 cause that means she is lying to me!

Lastly a very big thank you to John Morison for allowing us as guests to his house and to Viv’s Steve for being an amazing second.