Well that was .......interesting. 300 of us going off at the same time. I put myself up near the front and it was actually ok. Just a bit of contact. Nothing major. I hadn't swum in a wetsuit before or indeed in open water and never mind in a big bunch of people, so it was a steep learning curve. My navigation wasn't that good. Missed the first turn buoy and had to come back a bit but overall I'm pleased with this. Just tried to take it steady and it worked out fine.

This is easy: Train and do more, ok any, open water swims.

Was a bit wobbly coming out of the water, so didn't really run. Had the suit half off by the time I got to my bike. Sat down and got the rest off and put my shoes on. They are MTB shoes so easy to run in. Helmet on, belt on, grabbed the bike and went.

Not much. Not worth having the shoes clipped in as they are MTB shoes and easy to run in. I overtook a bunch of people fudging with their shoes at the beginning of the bike.

Really enjoyed the bike leg. It was flat on closed roads/paths with the smoothest tarmac ever. It was very windy though but mostly from the side, so not too bad. I kept it at a steady 20 mph throughout and felt like I was working but not too hard. I think it was a little longer than 40K but I'll wait and see what others say. I know my computer said 20.1 mph average but I forgot to stop it at the end, so I'll take the 19.79. I had great fun with the couple of sharp turns on the route and with 300 people on a 5 Km circuit, all my bike commuter skills were put to good use. I was worried I was going to tire, as I haven't done any longer rides for a while, but I felt fine throughout and started overtaking people who had come by me earlier. It helped having Sandra and Jasper there to cheer me on and it was great for me and them to pass by them 8 times. They cheered so much, the guy on the PA mentioned the big cheer for Daddy on 2 occasions. Nice. I took in an SIS gel on lap 4 on drank a bottle of SIS PS22 taking a big sip every lap.

Remember to bring bike shoes! Although the borrowed ones worked out great. I'd also like a second bottle with plain water on the bike as the stomach doesn't like the sports drink too much.

Not sure the time for this is right. I must have taken longer. My left hip flexor thought about cramping, as I bent down to change shoes but decided not to.

Take bike shoes off on bike.

Ouch! My legs were like wtf starting the run. Several calls went off to the engine room but no response. I had a bad side stitch and stomach cramps. I thought about walking, but some stubborn Donkey EEEEAAAWWWW'd inside me and kept me going. Lots of people overtook me and I overtook no one. Then about half way through some mojo came back and I picked up the pace a little and started overtaking some of the people that had overtaken me, I still felt rough though and the stitch was going nowhere. Once again Sandra and Jasper cheered for me big time on every lap. After the turn for home on the final lap I tried pushing as best I could and brought it home at a decent pace. I nearly lost my balance and had to regain my composure after crossing the line. I had certainly given it everything and it was great to have Sandra & Jasper there waiting for me.

Train a lot more. I'm a bad runner, so I know what I'll be doing in the off season. Also some plain water on the bike would have helped with the stomach issues.

A can of coke and a large piece of cake. That's what I call a warmdown.


Lack of training and experience at this distance.


This was a great, well run event at a great venue. Dorney Lake is where the rowing competitions will be for the 2012 Olympics and the facilities are great. The lake is artificial and very clean, the paths/roads surrounding it are closed and very smooth. OK maybe the lap format is a bit boring but I really enjoyed it and it was very spectator friendly. Sandra and Jasper had a blast watching me and I had a blast doing the race, so what more can you ask for. I'll be back next year and the 2:30 OLY will be mine.