Steve Macklin National Duathlon Championships Race Report
Photo Credit Pixel Promotions
Well it’s 3 days after my first ever National Duathlon Championships and my legs are still smashed and I’m walking around like a 90 year old man!!!! Damn the standard distance duathlons hurt!!! Going into last Saturday I had a solid block of training done, nothing spectacular just consistent. Life has been busy with work and coaching etc but that’s a way of life for age group triathletes. It was my first race of the season so I wasn’t sure what to expect but knew I was in for a tough day when the whistle went and the first 2km was lightening fast. The field was loaded with all the big guns on the line. I felt pretty rusty from the start and when I counted myself in 30th after 2.5km or so and two of the lead women next to me, it didn’t help matters!!! Judging the pace on a very hilly 10km run with 40km of biking and another 5km of running to come is not easy. I felt a bit better by the end of the first 10km run but knew I was quite a way back. On to the bike and I felt I biked pretty well except for my poor cornering. Several crashes last year hasn’t helped the confidence at times and taking risks. Made some in roads on the bike I think and got off not feeling to bad. Onto the 5km run and the downhills just finished of my quads, anytime I hit an uphill they felt like they would give way any minute. I’m ashamed to say that I walked for a bit on the climb through the woods, my legs just wouldn’t move for me. I wasn’t the only one feeling this way as people were literally walking up the last 400m climb, none of us had an ounce left on that last hill. Crossed the line in 16th overall and 3rd in my age group, so by no means a great outing but solid for my season opener. Enjoyed a nice meal with the Go Tri gang after the race before we all headed for home, everyone extremely tired and sore!!!
Definitely some race rustiness there but there’s a long triathlon season ahead and was good to get back racing again. The Go Tri gang did well with Anna 4th overall in women’s with a great race also by Becky. Derek Flanagan raced well and is having a great start to his season. I was especially happy for my Tenerife training camp roomy Barney, who finished 15th overall and won his age group, some going for his first ever race at that distance and being so young. Fairplay also to Paddy Quinn on a big race and to the boys up front they were shifting!!! It was great to have Joe Lynch and STL on the course for moral support as we needed every bit of it to tame that monster of a course!!! Lots of work to do but as STL would say onwards and upwards:)
Steven Macklin
Regional Development Officer (Cork/Kerry/Limerick/Tipperary)
Athletics Ireland