Ironman 70.3 Dublin 2015
Andy Hutcheson took to ireland to make his half-ironman debut over the summer, here is a bit about how he got on in his race.
On the 9th of August, at silly o’clock in the morning, I embarked on my big race of the season. Being in triathlon for coming up on a year, I thought the task was doable, but not as demanding as a full ironman.
Dun Laoghaire sea conditions couldn’t have been any better. The sea was like glass with the smallest of swells. However, as unpredictable the sea is, there was a strong current heading out to sea- which everyone was well warned about before they entered the water.
During the swim a large amount of the pack drifted with the tide which posed question as to if I was going the right way, luckily I was. I finished the swim, catching up with waves set up twenty minutes before me which really brought out my competitive nature.
The bike course was generally flat with a few sets of speed bumps and short sharp climbs. The volunteers at aid stations were extremely good at handing everything out, there was good support as we headed through the Irish countryside and towns of Kildare.
Phoenix Park, which I had previously ran in, so I knew the route was almost as flat as a pancake. Despite it being so flat, the run was definitely the hardest part. Although, signs like “smile if you pee’d on the swim course” helped you through.
The winner of my age group (20-24) finished in 4:34:02. I finished in 7th, with a time of 5:22:52 with an aim of going under 6. My time qualifies me to register for the ETU middle distance 2016 in Austria. If I get in I’ll be thrilled, if I don’t I’ll be happy enough not to do another 70.3 for the meantime!
- ANDY
