Steam racing
weekend
Noosa
2006
We had some great results at Noosa
this year.
|
Place |
Time |
Name |
Cat |
Swim |
|
Bike |
|
Run |
Category |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1000 |
2:31:50 |
John
Flynn |
2 |
0:27:00.0 |
|
1:12:30.0 |
|
0:52:20.0 |
M 60-
64 |
|
1127 |
2:34:31 |
Toby
Cadwallader |
124 |
0:26:37.0 |
|
1:13:25.0 |
|
0:54:29.0 |
M 25-
29 |
|
1720 |
2:49:47 |
Wayne
McCarthy |
14 |
0:30:04.0 |
|
1:20:13.0 |
|
0:59:30.0 |
M
60-64 |
|
1744 |
2:50:50 |
Rowan
Davies |
120 |
0:32:50.0 |
|
1:13:01.0 |
|
1:04:59.0 |
M 45-
49 |
|
1792 |
2:52:26 |
Jan
Davies |
10 |
0:28:18.0 |
|
1:22:36.0 |
|
1:01:32.0 |
F 50-
54 |
|
1881 |
2:55:58 |
Brenda
Hamill |
7 |
0:29:26.0 |
|
1:33:10.0 |
|
0:53:22.0 |
F
55-59 |
|
1935 |
3:00:43 |
Amy
Culbert |
87 |
0:33:16.0 |
|
1:22:47.0 |
|
1:04:40.0 |
F 25-
29 |
|
2020 |
3:11:28 |
Peter
Keeble |
1 |
0:34:25.0 |
|
1:22:45.0 |
|
1:14:18.0 |
M 70-
74 |
Huge well done to Flynnie – showing
the young fellas and chicks how it should be done. I think we might need
to drug test him after that fantastic result. Two top 3
placings for Flynnie and Pete Keeble (backing up well after
Rappo memorial
crit – Eastern Creek
Steam had an amazing contingent out
there – 2 in E grade, 7 in D grade, 2 in C grade and 3 in B grade – total 14
riders. D grade obviously had the best chance of winning, but the
best laid plans of mice and men ….. The race tactics were briefly
discussed but a lot of the boys (who were racing for the first time) couldn’t
help themselves (or have been watching the Tour de France too often) and
attacked off the front. The orange colours were predominant at the front
of the race and Gary Leahey amongst others had a huge amount of fun zigzagging
back and forth and putting into practice weeks of crit
training.
Congratulations to everyone who
raced for the first time and who had a good time. Unfortunately, we were
totally out foxed in the last half a lap and all our sprinters declined to make
a showing for the front, leaving Andrew Caie in a last ditch effort finishing
just outside the placing in 6th and myself hot on his heels (after
having done nothing at all for the whole race except sit in the bunch) getting
8th. Al Marks had a great showing to get
6th in E grade and Muir and Marco finished comfortably in the bunch
in C grade.
B grade was very exciting with a lot
of breaks and counter attacks and tactics going on for over 55 mins.
The winning move happened on the last half a lap (take note D graders) with Rob
Vanolini working undercover chasing down a very dangerous break on behalf of his
younger brother, who “steamed” home (pardon the pun) time trialling the last
500m to almost get the solo rider at the line – finishing up with a close and
creditable second. His helpers, Pete Galvin and Rob, finished in the
bunch.
Outcome – lots of keen budding crit
racers starting to understand what it’s all about – to quote Al Marks “40 mins
of foreplay leading up to the climax of the last lap” (I paraphrased that
….).
As for the report from
the pointy end of the field........it's was all Rod's
fault...........as he was first to ride to the front and take control and then
it was on. We all had a go. Andrew was riding very strongly as was HT, Dave and
Colin. We managed to hold the front for what seemed like the majority of
the race except for that vital last lap when the two Parramtta guys
got a run up coming past the start line. Andrew was well placed out of the last
turn.........I know I could see it all as I was going out the back at that stage
and attempting to move up courtesy of Dave. All in all a fun day......I
think............my legs a still sore!!!
Gary L
More photos can be found at this link
….
Weekend
riding
Sat 6:45am – Crit experience
is back on leaving from the coffee van for 55 – 60kms of badly needed racing
tactics. Back in the park by 9am. Rod will take a steadier ride
around the beaches.
Pilates 9:30am – weather permitting
by the Musgrave gates $20
Sun 6:15am – Two groups
going through the National Park and to Bundeena. Approx distance
110kms (we think). Return to park approx
10:30am.
Stephanie Yeung’s
Stephanie, for those of you who
don’t know her, is a long time Steam member who trains with the Brats and John
Hill. She has completed 3 Ironmans in the last 11 months – Busselton,
Forster and most recently
My
Kona Experience
Someone
wise once said to me: “Think of the
My training over the winter months had been somewhat more casual
than my preparation for previous ironmans due to a number of personal reasons.
Also, my main focus for this race changed as I no longer needed to qualify; I
wanted to enjoy the experience and soak up the atmosphere like my fellow
hillbillies Tim and Margreet who always seem to have so much fun at races. I
usually don’t remember much about my race, everything seems like a blur. I
wanted to remember this one as I knew this would be my last ironman for a very,
very long time.
Declan and I arrived in Kona on the Tuesday week prior
to the race to acclimatise to the hot and humid weather for which the
I rode
almost the entire bike course in sections during the following week, taking
notes of conditions and distances that might help me to break down the ride.
True to legend, it was fairly windy. The Hawi loop was the hardest part of the
course but also the prettiest. It has fairly strong crosswinds at the early
rolling hills which gradually turn into a headwind for the last climb to the
town of
I normally dread the swim. But once I got
in the water, I was surprised how nice it was. The ocean was crystal clear,
extra buoyant and the temperature was perfect. There were lots of tropical fish
and coral as well. It’s hard not to be distracted! There’s always a bit of chop
in the ocean, but it wasn’t a problem here. It was definitely no worse than
Busselton. It did seem quite daunting to swim in a straight line for 1.9km. I
couldn’t even see the last couple of buoys. But it didn’t matter because I never
swam the entire course.
The run course is pretty much in town, at the
highway and a lap of the famous Natural Energy Lab. When I first heard of the
energy lab, I thought it was a popular tourist spot. I now know why it is
famous. I think every person who has run a lap of it during the day will have a
lasting memory of the place. It was H-O-T in there! Especially when there is no
breeze, the heat just gets trapped in there. Apparently, it radiates the most
amount of energy in Kona, besides the active volcano on the island.
There wasn’t much other sightseeing to do and shopping in Kona was
non-existent. We did spoil ourselves with going out to dinner every second night
and managed to catch up with Mal and Tess for dinner a couple of times. Luckily,
we had a lovely beachfront unit. Declan was happy laying by the pool or on the
balcony catching up with his novel and working on his tan. I was busy finishing
my assignment which was due while I was away. Suffice to say it didn’t feel like
I was going to do an ironman soon.
It did really hit me when I rocked up
at registration on the Tuesday of race week. It was a big affair in a function
room packed with tables, chairs and volunteers. Each athlete gets to sit down
for a heart-to-heart chat with a volunteer. Mine was so nice and caring, went
through everything in the yellow envelope and made sure I understood it all --
not to mention making me sign three forms before I was allowed to leave. The
process made me nervous. I thought to myself; it’s the real deal! I was used to
going to registration to get my name marked off and walk away with an envelope.
The next few days were pretty relaxing, going to the race briefing and
carbo dinner hosted by Mike “you’re an ironman” Reilly. The food at the carbo
dinner was pretty ordinary but the entertainment was spectacular. They had
Polynesian dancers performing a ritual which included throwing flaming sticks in
the air. They also introduced an interesting aspect of what is truly Hawaiian
called the “mana”, it’s your soul and spirit.
Race Day
I woke up
at about 4 am to have a High5 breakfast and made sure everything was ready to
go. As soon as I arrived at the start, I was on autopilot, going through body
marking and getting my bike ready. It seemed like well rehearsed, this is after
all my third ironman in eleven months. Drop off the swim bag and it was time for
a quick loo visit before I entered the water. The swim start is big and wide
with lots of space. The ocean was quite calm and after treading water for about
15 minutes, a canon sounded the start. All I could hear was spectators clapping,
the beeps from the starting of hundreds of stopwatches and the churning of water
in front of me. The journey had begun.
I settled into a good rhythm,
just kept a constant pace within myself and tried to get out of everyone’s way.
This is by far the most civilised swim. I remembered the mass beach start at
Busselton where I was kicked in the chin and grabbed by the arm before I even
got into the water. The swim felt long, especially when swimming towards an open
sea, there were supposed to be two ships at the turnaround but I couldn’t spot
them until I was well over half way through the first part of the swim. The
second part of the swim is harder as you cross a slight current parallel to the
course and navigation becomes more difficult.
I was thankful when I came
out of the water, happy with my time as it wasn’t much longer than I
anticipated. In transition the volunteers even gave me my bag, I got changed,
picked up my bike and the longest part of my day started. One thing I noticed
early into the ride was the absence of wind. Normally there is a crosswind along
the Queen K highway and it becomes stronger further out. Still I rode
conservatively, not knowing whether the wind would pick up later. I didn’t drink
as much as I had planned because it wasn’t as hot and windy as I thought but
still I focused on my nutrition, making sure I was well hydrated and fuelled.
Teresa went past me about the 40 km mark - she’s such a terrific athlete. I rode
up to her and said `‘hi’’. I tried to keep an eye on her as she has far more
experience on this course. The wind did pick up at Hawi but that was to be
expected. I lost Teresa after the turnaround as she hammered down the hill with
the wind at our backs. I continued with my own pace. After turning back to the
highway, I cheered myself up as I was in the home stretch now and still feeling
good. If all went well, I could finish before nightfall.
The run went
very quickly. The afternoon breeze was beautiful and cool. I saw Lisa Bentley
not long after I started the run. She was crying and walking. It was terrible.
The town was packed with spectators from all over the world. Every time I ran
past Japanese spectators, they would wish me the best in Japanese and I would
wave back. I was so excited when I saw Declan for the first time on the day
outside where we stayed. I waved and smiled. I was jealous when I saw Daryl from
Steam sitting outside his complex with a beer in his hand. I saw John when I was
running up
The saying “when you
got to go, you got to go” is true. I needed to go when I got off the bike but I
thought my level of tolerance had increased overnight. An hour later, I saw my
stomach swelling up and a cramp coming on. The cramp was so bad; I almost had to
walk
The last few hundred metres were very
special. The crowd was fantastic; I was waving and thanking them. I felt like an
artist taking a bow at the end of a concert. It was the perfect
farewell.
Lastly, I would like to thank Steam for their generous
contribution to my race entry. I’m extremely grateful. To Paul, who has been
helping me with training and achieving my goal of qualifying for
5541st place 905th woman to
finish Average pace 8m 39
per mile
Overall time official 3H 48m
11s
Nett time 3H 46m 51s
“yes it was a PB by 5 secs!.. I came
30th in my age group but no idea how many in it. It was incredibly hot and
humid and I walked and drank at almost every aid
station.
It was an amazing experience 2
million spectators hundreds of bands 38,000 runners! ..it was hard to control
the energy from the crowd and I went out way too fast and was in pain by the
12km mark! My right thigh started to pull and I couldn't get my heart rate
down from 150 for 15km. The road surface is awful and very hard on the legs. By
once i had finished, i was walking
with the crowd and then suddenly went dizzy and down...carried to medical where
i was given four or five sachets of salt and two bottles of water. my legs
were agony...this happened to a lot of people. revived after about an
hour. now just painful to walk
Ironman T shirts
– please contact Mark below if interested
