Oliver Half Ironman... (Page 3)

I just looked at the weather forecast for the weekend in Oliver and it looks pretty warm 25-27C.

How's everyone's training gone for the race?.......are you ready?

I'll be travelling up on Saturday morning from Maple Ridge/Mission, so hope to see everyone there and good luck to everyone.

Does having a beer watching the hockey count as carb-loading?...hope so!

Cheers

Steve

I mentioned this on the Facebook 1/2IM page and thought I'd post it here as well.

If anyone is racing on 650's and wants to borrow a set of Zipp 404's or front 404 and disk back you're welcome to them. 10 speed gearing. (beer accepted as thank you)  

Super 8 in Osoyoos has an special rate (10% off for Oliver HIM people) of $89.10 + tax at the moment and a few rooms are still left.....I just booked a room there....nothing like last minute planning!

Gallagher Lake Lodge had 1 room left - $115 + tax

All other B&B's and places in Oliver are fully booked - I've spent a while calling ALL of them!

What is the bike course like for getting flat's/punctures?..is it a good road?

Cheers

Steve

I probably ride that course 20 to 30 times a year. The only time I flatted was when I hit the cattle guard wrong.

Cheers for the info - Thats a relief as my tire changing skills are less than stellar!.

Good Luck Everyone!

Well... that was an incredibly warm race day..

Great to finally meet a few BT's in person along the run course!!

A bit slower than I'd set for a goal time.. but overall happy with my finish..

I totalllllly blame the heat during the run

The race was great and very hot….temperature in the shade was 30C and on the run course it must have been 40C in the sun.

The elite winner was a full 20 minutes slower than the normal winning time due to the heat so us mere mortals must have lost approx 30 minutes or so due to the heat.

I was looking at a 6.00 finish and finished in 6:35, so with the extreme heat I was happy with the result.

I was expecting to leave T2 in 4.00hrs and I was spot on and then expected a 2hr HM, but the heat just killed me and sapped me of any energy.

I didn't get to meet any BT'ers as the names on the race numbers were real names and I guess that (for example) Puddle Duck is not your real name (apologies if it is!!!)....however someone did wave at me on the run course, so thanks to whoever that was!!.

It was a great experience a well organized and friendly race and my PB for a HIM......it was my first HIM, so it was always going to be a PB!

Cheers

Steve

Steve,

I had a similar experience as you did.  I too was aiming for 6 hrs or slightly better.   I was on track after the bike (3:48:45 hrs), but the run did me in.  Ultimately ended up at 6:01.14

Here is an excerpt from my "race report":

This was a well organized race with tons of support at each aid station at a beautiful location, cycling through vineyards in and around Oliver, BC.  I would definitely recommend this race to anyone considering a half iron distance.

 I had a relatively good race.  Swim was quite good for me as I managed to avoid the washing machine and was able to swim my race.  Bike section went as planned, though it was a bit windy and taxed the legs which ultimately affected my run.  The weather was about 30 degrees during the day and affected my run quite a bit as I ended up follow the Gallow method of running and walking more than I had planned.  Looking at the other runners times, my results weren’t dramatically different than the rest of the field as the heat got to all of us.

Not excessively hilly, but it the run course seemed to continue on after every corner and after every hill/rise, there seemed to be yet another hill/rise.  It just never seemed to end.  This was especially true at the finish line. 

At km 20, I was “running” a 6:30’ish pace and had ~10 min in which to break 6 hrs and I didn’t.  There was no way that the last segment was 1.1km.  It was more like 1.1+ miles.  A comment reiterated by many out on the course.

A trip back to the lake for a 30+ minute “ice bath” helped in my recovery.  Post race, my quads are killing me and it will likely take the better part of the week before I’m back on the bike again.  It really hurts to walk down stairs today.  All in all, a pretty good race.

Congrats to all who raced in my town.

You may have inadvertently met me as I was the guy at body marking who was directing you to the proper table to pick up your timing chip.

If anyone is interested, I got a few bike photos of various riders.

Here are the race numbers (in order of shots taken) 

668, 439, 715, 746, 806 (or 8), 109, 832, 868, 440, 412, 788, 713, 570, 146, 566, 816, 110, 779, 604, 849?, 397, 655, 664, 917, 790, 590, 900, 969, 907, 748, 947, 785, 653, 830, 669, 386?, 503, 873, 949, 708, 961, 967, 510, 872, 796

Disclaimer - I am not a sports photographer, plus I was also in between photography and trying to help someone who was having a complete melt down because they flatted (on that corner) and could not fix it.

DrLeah - 2011-06-06 9:29 PM Paul - I was 785   Did you recognize me when I smiled at you on Sunday morning at body marking? I would have stayed to chat but it was getting busy & I had things to do

Thanks for helping out as always!!

Yes, I did recognize you. I figured you were focused on the day.

Shall I send your photo to coolvet?

I did 2 olymipic events last year, Wasa and Nelson, I'm looking for a 1/2 IM would Oliver be a good first one?

cheers,

Don