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{"ID":100,"SpaceID":5,"PageID":47,"HasCommentsThread":false,"SeoTags":{"OpenGraphTags":[{"ID":"og:title","Name":"ITU Sprint Distance World Championships - Hamburg Pt2"},{"ID":"og:type","Name":"website"},{"ID":"og:url","Name":"https://www.petersfieldtriathlonclub.co.uk/Cms/Spaces/NA2/ITU+Sprint+Distance++World+Championships++Hamburg+Pt2"}],"NonOpenGraphTags":[]},"Path":"ITU+Sprint+Distance++World+Championships++Hamburg+Pt2","Title":"ITU Sprint Distance World Championships - Hamburg Pt2","Author":{"ID":4,"Name":"Fred McCaig","CompanyName":null,"HasEmail":true},"Version":1,"IsDraft":false,"IsOldVersion":false,"PublicationDate":"25/02/2024 14:18","VersionDescription":"v1 - Fred McCaig","HideHeader":false,"IsFullWidth":false,"ThemeCode":null,"BackgroundColour":"rgb(182, 47, 61)","JumpLinks":[],"Blocks":[{"Columns":[{"Width":8,"WidthClasses":"col-md-8 col-sm-12 col-xs-12","Elements":[{"ID":562,"Type":"HTML","Content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eWell look at this, so much content that we are having to split the action across two reports from our reporters on the ground in Hamburg! In part 2\u0026nbsp;we join Julie Gadsden to explore her learnings from her race.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003e2023 Age Group World Sprint Triathlon Championships – Hamburg\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eFor those of you have already read Leighton’s race report, this is going to be a much tamer affair – but hopefully less likely to put you off your breakfast!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eMy race season had started at the beginning of May with the Age Group World Aquathlon Championships in Ibiza, followed two weeks later by a race at Eton Dorney to qualify for the 2024 European Sprint Championships (success). The European Sprint Championships in Madrid were three weeks after that and then less than three weeks later the qualifying race for the 2024 World Sprint Championships in Cardiff (horrible but qualified by the skin of my teeth). And then less than three weeks after Cardiff I found myself at the start line of the Age Group World Sprint Tri Championships in Hamburg. The astute amongst you will have realised that this is not the best training plan for someone in the 70-74 age group: I was tired both physically and mentally.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eI took it fairly easy in the days leading up to the race, with a couple of spins on the bike and one brick run. Strangely I didn’t feel any of the usual excitement/nerves/adrenaline – I suspect that this was one of the effects of the crazy racing season I’d already had. My thought was that this was the last race and I could soon get back to ‘normal’ life, so let’s just get this done.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eUnlike Leighton my race start was without problems, but it was a bit crowded at the swim start and my usual approach of positioning myself mid-pack was probably not the best as I found (like Leighton) that it was taking a while for my breathing to settle down as I battled to keep my space in the water. So I deliberately slowed a little as I approached the first buoy and started to feel better (and probably to swim better too).\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eLesson #1: If it’s the World Championships don’t be so silly as to think you can take up the same position at the swim start as you would do in a qualifying race!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eAfter the turn at the far end of the course we were heading for the bridge we would swim under (a long, narrow and low tunnel en route to the swim exit) but everyone I could see was taking a different line. I could see the bridge but didn’t know which of the tunnels we were heading for so I just chose a central point until I could see the yellow arrows pointing at which tunnel to use. But everyone else seemed all over the place, with a woman on my left determined to aim somewhere to my right, so in the end I just let her pass across in front of me and let her go on her merry journey to somewhere. Once in the tunnel it was quite quiet. Not being the super-swimmer that Leighton is there were only three or four of us in the tunnel and it was easy to take a central line. Then I was being grabbed by two very nice marshals at the swim exit who kindly pulled me upright and set me on my feet.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eT1 was going to be a 750m run (mostly with the bike) so I didn’t try anything too heroic, just focussing on getting my wetsuit off and down to my waist before I picked up pace towards my bike rack. The transition was pretty non-eventful and I was soon heading along the (very long) blue carpet towards the mount line. A decent scoot mount (none of this flying mount stuff for me) and I was onto the bike course. Just a small number of riders around – all the super-fast bunch were long gone. Very early on in the bike course we entered a long tunnel, picking up pace as we headed downwards. A couple of riders went past me and then we all saw up ahead a bike and a body flying through the air! Someone had hit the kerb and paid the consequences. (I can only assume they had really dark sunglasses on as there was plenty of room and the tunnel was lit quite well.) The three of us careered past the body and bike on the floor and headed out of the tunnel, shouting at the marshals as we went past that someone had come down. Then it was time to settle down and just push the pedals. No-one for me to draft with – there very rarely is – but at least that makes it simple (if not very fast). My aim was to save a bit of energy for the run this time (unlike Cardiff). As I approached the tunnel on the second lap an ambulance pulled out just ahead of me and by the time I reached the tunnel there were marshals with red flags slowing everyone down as the ambulance picked up the competitor who’d hit the kerb. The rest of the bike passed uneventfully (unlike for several others of the GB team who ended up in hospital) and I was soon doing my best scooting dismount at the line and heading to rack my bike.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eRunning shoes on and I was heading off on the 500m run through T2. There were still a few other women around, so I knew that I wasn’t last! And the young guys who were in the wave behind us hadn’t caught me yet. So I just settled into an easy pace on the very pleasant run course along the River Alster (flat as a pancake I’m glad to say). I actually passed a couple of women on the run – unusual for me, but then they were walking! I was well on my way back towards the finish line when a marshal on a bike, quickly followed by two young Mexican guys went flying past me, shortly followed by a young American. I kept to the right hand side of the course and tried to keep out of their way. The run seemed to pass quite easily – I wasn’t pushing it, I just wanted to finish. It was entertaining to watch the M20-24 age group going past. In the last couple of kilometres I was trying to think of what would motivate me to keep running, and then I thought of our wonderful club and decided I’d do it for you guys. Try it sometime, it can make a difference! And then I was amongst the crowds lining the final kilometre cheering everyone to the finish. A left turn and I could see the blue carpet leading me up to the finishing arch. And then it was all over. I didn’t do my usual trick of trying to throw up on the finish area marshals (probably because I’d not pushed myself too hard on the run).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eLesson #2: Sometimes ‘success’ in a race is just finishing in good order. This was the World Championships after all and I was just pleased to be there.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eLesson #3: Mental tiredness can have a greater effect on performance than physical tiredness. If you’re physically tired but still have your brain in gear it’s amazing what you can do. But if your mental strength has gone then you just have to go with the flow and change your goals.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eLesson #4: If you’re exhausted, think about doing it for your club (even if you can’t do it for yourself) - it can work wonders.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eAnd that was it – or so I thought. I wandered through the recovery area, grabbed some water, had a chat with friends who’d finished just ahead of me and headed off to where I’d agreed to meet Colin after the race. We sat in a harbourside café and enjoyed the atmosphere. I tried to check the results but the older age groups weren’t listed yet. I knew I was going to be towards the back of the pack so I didn’t think any more of it. Until I ran into a friend on the way back to the hotel who showed me the results for the 70-74 age group and asked me why my name wasn’t there! Sure enough it seemed that I’d not actually done the race at all and didn’t appear on the results list. (I could have sworn I’d done something that Friday afternoon.) I suspected I had a duff timing chip and so had not triggered any of the timing mats. What to do? In one way it didn’t really matter (I could see from the times of the others in the age group that I would have been 18\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e out of 21) but I thought it was worth pursuing. I ran into our Team Manager (the wonderful and experienced Mike Griffin) at the hotel entrance and asked what we should do. He was trying to deal with four Brits being in (totally unknown) hospitals, so we agreed we’d leave it until the following day. (They were all eventually tracked down.) I pulled together some evidence: screenshots of my Garmin Connect results (with maps) and a couple of photos Colin had taken of me crossing the finish line and sent them to Mike. Mike sent them on to the race officials and within hours my name and times were on the results list.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 255);\u0022\u003eNot my greatest every result but given what I’d achieved over a crazy few weeks I’m happy enough with that. Time to enjoy the summer!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\u0022color: rgb(255, 255, 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