Completed my first Tauranga Half in 2 years last Sat. Turned out to be one of the best races ever!
The day started fine but very windy. This was a big worry for me as I am weak swimmer but the wind did die down a bit for the swim.
There were a few dramas along the way, first before the start. I went for my warmup run with 30minutes before start and all was well until... well until I had to have a bathroom pit stop. This took 15minutes! Raced back to transition jumped into my wetsuit, Got Chris to zip it up and ran down to the beach with less that 3mins before start!
The SWIM
A very tough swim with a strong current and very competitive! Got swum over and hit on the head many times. I was getting quite worried and nervous but came out in under 32mins so very good for me.
The Bike
A good transition and onto the bike - only to find that my powertap kit was hitting the rear wheel spokes! Had to stop and was lucky not to be taken out by someone racing though on the outside (where I was heading to stop). Anyway I had to ride with no speedo. The wind on the first lap was not too bad but did build for the second and third. Still a good ride averaging 39Km/h for the 90Km! Fastest age group time of the day.
The Run
Another good quick transition and onto the run. A tough run this year and I positive split it. A little disappointed as I thought I was holding back the first lap! Still a 86min run is reasonable considering the conditions and the hard bike ride.
Finish time of 4 hr 18m, 9th overall and 1st in 3039 age group and a personal best on this new harder course!
