I am an Outlaw

Well last weekend was the Outlaw Ironman distance race. For those uninformed, Ironman is now a brand name that originated from the first Ironman Hawaii triathlon which was a 2.4 miles swim, 112 miles bike and a 26.2 miles run, so the term Ironman gets used a lot for familiarity. Some also call 140.6(miles) or 226 (km) but its basically an Ironman triathlon for the old skool.
When I entered last year the plan was to emulate my mate Daz Sharpe in being an Ironman winner, (although he went and won the whole bloody race!) but this year, if you have read my blog you'll know, I'm trying out the off road Xterra racing, with some success, so my attitude and expectations had somewhat changed.
Last week I was so chilled out because I was expecting to do well and my knee injury was still healing so on Sunday morning at Holme Pierpoint I put myself on the start line feeling like I was doing a local sprint triathlon. No pressure on myself!
With about a minute or two to the klaxon I started my watch and waited for the swim start frenzy that never really materialised. Head up swim for about 5 metres then settled into long strokes getting out to the left away from the crazies. I spotted Nick Summers (among a 1100 swimmers) to my right and thought 'wow, i'm doing ok here', so I sat in and let him tow me round. A few times I tried to come past but the effort wasn't worth it so settled back again and sat there for most of the 2.4 miles and then sat in the middle of a small group for the last half a mile. I exited in 57min 21sec and Nick spotted me and I thanked him for the tow. The swim felt so easy made easier sitting in on Nick's relaxed style.

Nick already half stripped as I struggle to find my zipper cord - www.xterrawetsuits.co.uk  

After a reasonably fast T1 it was out onto the bike but I heard Karl Alexander's name tannoyed so figured he wasn't too far behind but pleased to be ahead of the expected winner. Within a few minutes of cycling though Karl came past and disappeared just as quick. A quick wave to Ali's mum then it was onto the A52 with some riders in sight. After a few miles of overtaking and being overtaken I settled into my race pace of 150-160hr (I don't use or can afford power measurement yet) and found myself riding at a similar speed to a rider with DRG stencilled on his backside. We exchanged places a few times over the next 50-60 miles and he always seemed to pull away after feed stations as I fumbled with bottles and dropped bananas and gels. I had even dropped a protein bar I'd taken with me and was trying out some Cadbury's Brunch Bars as race food. Not conventional but as I mentioned, this race had different expectations, and they seemed to work and I got the feeling of eating normal food rather than energy food that can upset my guts. I also took a pack of Airwaves chewing gum which I ate regularly to freshen up my mouth after taking on the gels. I only took about 4 gels but used the High 5 drink every time at every feed. From about 70 miles I was on my own heading into the southern circuit and it was somewhere there I saw Karl sitting on the side of the road. After a consolatory wave I rode on and caught one of the relay riders who was cramping up. After a few miles of him yoyo'ing on and off the front with cramp he finally pulled away with about 7 miles to go. I never felt like I was pushing hard at any time yet still managed to ride the distance in 5hr 1min when I really expected to ride about 10-20 min slower. I was beginning to think today the weather and wind was kind to us. I cramped a little myself coming into T2 and had a little sciatica tingling around 70 miles and some scapula pain on the right side but when I handed my bike over to the catchers and started running to the change tent it felt good.
Leaving the change tent I started looking at my watch for the speed and heart rate display and instantly had to slow down. I had two plans pre-race; go hard and hold as long as possible or run 1:40 for the first half and see what happens. This was decided by the knee injury pain experience and I settled for option two and tried to control my pace to 7:30min/mile. The first mile was 6:45 but the following two where about 7:15 so I figured that would do and just watched the HR about 156. At half way I was on 1:40....the plan worked but still had another half marathon to go. My feet got hot despite choosing the lighter socks and the blisters started in the middle of my left foot, still I plodded on and I wasn't getting overtaken as I thought I might be.

post race walking would be difficult

 I took some paracetamol about 2 miles into the run but I was still getting some knee pains every now and then. Getting on to the rowing lake for the final circuits was a godsend except you can see the whole way round which is quite demoralising. With only about 5.5 miles to go Pete Norris caught me and went past but he soon cramped and I caught him just for him to start up again and jog on. I tried to keep him insight but soon lost him as the lake circuit filled with new athletes. Bethany, my daughter, and her boyfriend Lee, surprised me by coming along to watch and with a lap to go (4.8km) she said I was in 1st position in my age group but being caught quickly so I put in a final push for the line trying to take advantage of the tailwind then using other runners as shields on the home leg. Paul Breeze, my mate who should have been racing, and Cath his partner had also turned up to cheers us on and he was beaming nearly as much as I was as I entered the finish chute.

A few metres to go, no pain felt!

I heard my name called and that I was the age group winner and I just screamed with excitement and relief. I never really believe....or did I(?) that I would ever win a major title.
I then turned my thoughts to how Ali was doing. I always worry about Ali when she races but I found out she was on the run before I finished so knew she would be OK barring injury. Ali was having a mare on the run in comparison to her training runs but in good old Ali attitude she persevered and her determination got her to the finish time with 27 minutes to spare. I don't know if I could spend that amount of time out there or weather my knees and back could hold out for 7 hours of running but she does it well and out her non finish at Bolton behind her. Like me she is an Ironman and an Outlaw. Legend!
The next day at the trophy presentation I got the icing on the cake. I found out that I had also set a new age group record with 9 hours 38 min 33 sec. To say I was surprised was an understatement. I was just chuffed I'd won.

45-49 AG winner and record holder - 9h38m33s

Swim	57:21	2.4 Miles
Transition 1	2:17
Bike	5:01:05	111.99 Miles
Transition 2	2:49
Run	3:35:01	26.19 Miles

 

 Swim

57:21

2.4 Miles

 Transition 1

2:17

 Bike

5:01:05

111.99 Miles

 Transition 2

2:49

 Run

3:35:01

26.19 Miles

So now its onto the next focus...back to Xterra racing but first I need to order some CurraNZ which assist with prevention of DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness, and by heck it seems to work. By Tuesday I could've run if the blister wasn't so sore, but I'm taking a few days off to recover from the tiredness and just chilling out but with the knowledge that I'm going to need some power for climbing on the MTB. One of the pro Xterra athletes, Jacqui Slack, has given me a few programs so I'm on it to get ready for Xterra Germany in three weeks time, Denmark in 5 weeks time then the World Championships in Maui in 2 months. Racing 2016 like a pro!

Double weekend racing

A little late getting onto this blog as I've been busy with work and study since getting home from our trip to Xterra Switzerland and Xterra France.  I'll keep them short cause I've got more recent news to share.

Clean before the start of Xterra Switzerland

Xterra Switzerland.
Ali and I flew out the morning of the Brexit announcement and you couldve heard a pin drop at Heathrow. We used our Avios airmiles to fly Britich Airways from Manchester to Heathrow to Geneva with the bikes included as luggage. Alsolute bargain and amazing service by BA. Car hire by Europcar was a Clio estate and perfect size for us. The hotel in Forcine le Haut was quaint and cheaper on the French side than booking in Switzerland and only about 15miles away from the race venue at Le Chenit. A quick recce in the dry on Saturday proved advantageous as the skies opened with thunderstorms late afternoon and drench the course turning parts into a mudbath. My swim didn't go particularly well and I choked on a bit of water but came out in 23+ minutes but onto the bike I thought I did OK on the first lap. It was so muddy and slippery though that I couldn't get any nutrition in as everything was covered in mud. Big mistake. The second lap was when I started to make mistakes and crashed a few times, the last crash only a mile from the finish would gash my knee open very deep. Onto the run and aware my leg was bleeding and aching I continued to catch people and ran my way back to 6th in the age group. Had I registered with British Triathlon in time this would have been an ETU bronze medal but I was here for Xterra European Tour points and i grabbed 63 from a possible 100. I was wiped out at the end and Ali didn't even recognise me as I was so muddy. I got into the small stream to wash off the mud and clean my cut then headed for the hot showers just as a bit of shock was setting in.

hard to recognise the make

Xterra France
We booked a lovely apartment in Gerardmer for the following week from a lovely couple Robert and Martine Schwarz and they were so kind inviting us to dinner. We laughed and joked about us being their first British guests ever and so soon after Brexit. We would go up to the course most days and Ali would go off swimming or road biking whilst I walked some of the run course and then managed to recce the bike course albeit very slowly with a painful knee. I got some hydrogen peroxide cream and dressings from the pharmacy but realistically I know it should have been stitched. By Wednesday I got some waterproof dressings and on Thursday I was able to swim the length of the Xonrupt-Longmer lake at ironman pace.
On race day the swim was manic. 1000 people crammed into a space about 25m wide so I went hard left into clear water and stayed there almost to the first buoy then joined the thinned out line of swimmers. I exited in 21:26 and chuffed to get out onto the bike ahead of a lot of Xterra Warriors. The bike course is tough.....really tough.....and really long....and really really hilly. Almost straight away you climb and climb forever and my Garmin read 5000ft of climbing over the 25 miles/two lap course and included a few man made structures to keep the spectators happy and entertained with crashes into the sand and falls from the ramps and jumps. The second lap was horrific know what is to come and its been churned up by the 1000 half course athletes in the morning and then a 100 full course athletes in the afternoon. My brakes were not brilliant, I've subsequently found out the front was rubbing and the back need adjusting as it just slipped and was non effective. I learnt not to trust someone else with the track pump as my tyres were too hard causing a few spills and managed to bash my poorly knee again which still hadn't healed.You live you learn! Onto the run I was smashing past loads of runners and made up nearly 50 places overall and was pleased with the 53 min run which also went up hill a lot,, but what goes up comes down and despite a little cramp going up I thrashed the downhill. I finished 10th in AG and gained another 45 points.

racked up for Xterra France

I now lead the series with 258 points with two more races planned; Germany and Denmark before finishing at the World Championships in Maui. Theres a few races left in the series for someone to catch me but I'll try my best to maintain the lead and I'll be learning how to ride an mtb from August to October.

Xterra take 2

OMG whats happening in 2016? I don't think I ever imagined winning one Xterra triathlon never mind two but I have. Coming over from road triathlon and ironman has given me a great starting base but there's so much to learn and I am little gutted I have left it so late in my triathlon life to fully appreciate the off road side. I should've been mixing it up years ago but I'm going to make the most of what I have right now.

Top spot again. I could get used to this.

When I won in Malta it was mission accomplished in achieving my slot to the World Xterra championship in Maui. Then I started to think if I could get more experience and practice at other events, all subject to funding by the Bank of Self. I looked at the Xterra European tour and checked out the race in Athens. The races need to be near or cheap travelling distance from major airports and Vouliagmeni fits. I had a load of Avios air miles from Tesco shopping vouchers saved up and I have never been able to use them and suddenly I have a British Airway's flight from Manchester via London to Athens for £70 in taxes only. A bus from the airport at 4am to Various takes 25minutes and €6 and then its a 40 minutes walk lugging a bike bag, a carry-on suitcase and a backpack through the empty streets to Appolonia apartments in Varkiza, about 2km from Vouliagmenia.  Everything is so peaceful until two large Alsatian dogs start barking at the noise of the wheels on the bike bag and run out onto the road I'm walking down. I know very little Greek despite living in Cyprus for 6 years of my life but u always remember my dad telling me to shout "no dog" in Greek which suddenly seemed relevant and helpful after 20-odd years. So, in my best Greek I hushed "oxi skilagi" (that's maybe the phonetic spelling! ), and the dogs stopped in their tracks and one sat down. I should also mention I positioned the bike bag between me and the dogs just for emergency. One continued to follow me for another few metres then I was able to relax whilst I lugged 23kg of bike bag to the apartment.
The key and welcome note was on the open reception (24hours service) and a quick check around the room at the facilities and in my chosen bed of three and trying to kip at 5.30am with the alarm set for 11am.  Vouliagmeni is the Greek Riviera and played his to the 2004 Olympic triathlon, the one where Marc Jenkins punctured or had a mechanical and had to run the last few miles to get back to T2 and finish his Olympic dream. Nobody wants a DNF especially at the Olympics.
The venue is a gorgeous private beach and behind the beach are the rolling hills. The Xterra Greece team are setting up when I register and I leave my bike with them to go recce a lap of the run route. It starts flat on the paths and roads outside the beach area and a stepped underpass takes you under the busy main road. The road ramps up steeply near the race hotel then there are some steep steps that take you up to the edge of the off road section. To this point the bike and run routes are the same. The run route goes left up a dusty rocky trail and on the recce I was able to run it but its steep. Reaching the top I stopped to take in the scenery of the sea and the islands and Dave Nicholas, Xterra Managing Director, is there with his wife and friends. A quick hello and chat then I'm flying down the hill towards the next climb. Brutal is a word I would use for the next climb. Its just rocks and almost a scramble and steeper than the previous. After that its trail and a small road climb and descent back to the steps for lap two or straight on back to the venue. On race day the run enters the private area and loops behind tennis courts and finishes with a 200m beach run (to emulate Maui?).
After lunch at a local bakery I return at 4pm to recce ride the course with Nico Lebrun, previous Xterra world champion and a few other guys. The bike loop is completed twice and we are not permitted to ride the steps down the underpass for safety of other riders and runners on race day. The steps at the start of the trail need to be negotiated and it means carrying the bike uphill each lap. Unlike the run, the bike leg does a bigger loop taking in more hills and trails with a few technical twist and turn sections to slow us, well...me, down. The final section is a fast road via a water station then back out on loop two before returning to the underpass again. Everything seems OK except its easy to overcook a few corners on loose gravel and dirt. After the race briefing its back over the hill to the apartment and spaghetti and tomato dolmio sauce for dinner with a tin of rice pudding for dessert and then its off to bed to race in my head whilst trying to sleep causing me to stay awake for hours.
I get about 5 hours sleep and after porridge, custard bagels and tea I leave at 7 for the race. I set up my transition and recce the transition entry and exits and walk through my routine.
At 9am we are due to start and on the shoreline I chat with British professionals Rory Downie and Matt Dewis. There are not many Brits here, Louise Fox being the only female British pro. I do meet Gary Dressel, my age group, later on the run and I had seen he was a good swimmer if its the same Gary. I also met a Brit called Colin Brown but he lives here, and Rory's dad Gavin is also racing.
The swim starts and I'm positioned near eventual winner Roger Serrano but in metres he disappears but I'm also in the pack amongst the red-hatted pro's for the first lap before just dropping off the pace during the second 750m lap. It feels great and I'm buzzing with positivity. Getting to my bike I can see none have gone from my age group and there were only a handful of white hatted age groupers ahead on the swim. The bike goes pretty well despite jamming my chain at one point right at the start of climb and getting dropped by the female pros but at least I was ahead and I just try to ride smooth and maintain speed in the turns as Nico pointed out. I did have another forced stop which resulted in cramping both quads when female pro Latina Buss slipped her back wheel on a short climb and I was right behind her. I spun it off but it was in my mind just as it was in Malta.
Back into T2 and I'm the first bike back, yippee, and I'm out on the run feeling pretty relaxed, well trying to, knowing the bloody awful climbs are coming. The first road climb I manage to run but thereinafter its a walk with cramp again on the first rocky climb. In my head I am trying to keep the speed going to do enough to stay head without over doing it. Second time down the hill and its almost joyeous to reach the road and head for the underpass with just the beach to finish. I hit the sand and aim for the water line hoping for firm traction and its probably better than the really soft deeper sand.
I enter the finish chute and in my head I've won but I'm taking it for granted. When I'm having a massage and food, The Frenchman as he's known,  Christophe Maury tells me I've won with him third after being overtaken by another French triathlete Franck Fonteyraud in the closing stages. Still I'm not convinced but 99% accept it. Later that evening it would be confirmed on the podium. Winner!
Another trophy and another winner certificate with the Maui entry code which Christophe is after but Franck may take the place.
I had won by 9 and 10 minutes over Franck and Christophe and I now lead the European tour with maximum points after two wins from two.

Finish line thinking I've won but not convinced

The tour is the best score from two silver and four gold events. I now need to race four golds to stand a chance. I am racing in Switzerland in June then hopefully France, the Xterra European championship in Germany then finish with Denmark in September before heading to Maui, Hawaii for the world championship. What a year! A lot of money to consider but I'll try to do it as cheaply as possible to make it happen.
Another issue I usually have is DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness, and it usually wipes me out 2-3 days later. This time I had none which may have been due to the fact I was sent some CurraNZ supplements, on the recommendation of Chris Stirling, which are basically a shed load of New Zealand blackcurrants in pill form. They are antioxidants and help aid lactic acid dispersal and for now I'm saying they work and i'll be trying them again next time.



I've also got a half ironman and full ironman in Nottingham (Outlaw) pre-entered and I wish I wasn't doing them now but my perspective may change on these. We'll see.
I have enough Avios points to get me and Ali to Switzerland so just accommodation and a car to sort then its consideration for the other races.
If your reading this and your company or you know of a company could sponsor me for travel to the races or an individual event then please contact me. I'd be extremely grateful.
So, now my trip to a then is at an end and I'm sat in the airport waiting to check in writing this blog. Its been fun....when I got past the 24degree\40 minute walk back to the bus to the airport lugging all the kit again. I arrived here about 1.15pm and I can't check in until 5.30pm but I spent an hour helping an elderly British family download Easyjet tickets from a playing up machine to save them £180. I even have their boarding passes on my phone!
I'm so grateful to use BA with my Avios points as my bike travels as part of my luggage allowance up to 23kg and my wetsuit and cycling shoes etc are in my carry on luggage. Well done BA! Maybe I'll contact them or send this to them as a tweet. I'm using them again for Switzerland as I have just enough points left for me and Ali.
I'll add some photos and post this later. For now I will have another coffee, check in and look forward to my night at Heathrow before my morning flight back to Manchester and heading into work.
Thanks for reading if you got this far....... Retweet or share as you like. Race hard but smart. Mat

Update....photos added and Xterra Switzerland (ETU Championships) entered but France is full and I'm on a reserve list. Also entered Germany the European Xterra Championships.

2016 is looking good

So my blog is always a little erratic but here's the update so far.
The year starts OK with plans to race Manchester marathon, Xterra Malta, half and full Outlaw triathlon and then take it from there injury permitting. A few local run races would kick off the season before hopefully a good TT season (start next week) then open water swimming.
So late January the dreaded flu bug passes through the office like a tornado in Kansas, except I don't end up in Oz and spend a week in bed followed by another two weeks of general malaise and feeling lousy. The prospect of a week training and holiday in Cyprus with Ali keeps me sane but slightly worried I might be too under the weather to train properly.
All was fine and Cyprus proved to be a fantastic winter sun local and quiet familiar roads with plenty of climbing. No swimming though as the sea and the pool were freezing but supported recovery as an ice bath.I finished the week with a respectable 250 miles on the bike and managed a 2hr long run and total run millage of 25miles. We returned home to finish the week off with a half marathon in our village which was a disappointing 1:24 and would normally have been about 1:18 given the other competitors I know.
Next up was a local 10km race and in this one I managed a 37 something but it was 10.4km in the end and I was only minute from the winner. This was a great feeling knowing the speed was coming back(2nd place had beat me by 7min in the half marathon).
Ali and I recently joined Marple Swimming Club and Marple runners but the swimming has been really focused and included some hypoxic training (25m underwater swims) and feel this has helped along with the structured training. Something I probably haven't done for a year or two.
Off to Xterra Malta for a race and a bit of more sun and holiday in April and to put into practise the swimming. Xterra is the off-road triathlon version and from my experience at Xterra UK last year, and now Malta, they're not easy. Maybe its just me not knowing how to ride a mtb fast yet but I do rely on my good all round ability of swimming, bike fitness, and run to make up ground.
Malta was a great race. Of course it was because I won but it is a lovely place to race. Beautiful clear sea swim, rugged mixed terrain bike leg with something for everyone including some tarmac, steep climb, tricky descent and a few technical bits. The run has more of the same with a small scramble up the cliff and a quad sapping hill climb. The wind on the day didn't help much and only added to the difficulty. The swim went well and I mixed it up with the pro's but soon was getting overtaken on the bike. I managed to take some places back during the run but was hindered with quad cramp on the steep climb following a bit on the bike too. Not knowing where you are positioned or who is ahead or close behind made just give it all and I managed to win my first race in a few years (Age group obviously) by 7 minutes. Most importantly though was winning the slot to the Xterra World Championships in Maui, a bucket list race for me. Better start saving!! Good job its not a wet suit swim in Maui as I managed to put my thumb through the calf of my Vector Pro. I think I'll need to shorten the legs which will make it even faster to get out of.

I removed the wetsuit on the beach due to the long run and steps up to T1.

Photo by Samuel Farrugia

Mdina glass trophy for Xterra Malta Age Group win ....yessssssss!

A week later and a few blisters remain from Malta but its time for the Manchester marathon with Ali and Daz Sharpe. We had thought last year we might be capable of 2:40 on the flattest marathon course in Europe but winter miles were lacking from me and Daz has Ironman Lanzarote in 5 weeks with my Outlaw ironman in three months. We would be happy with sub-3 hours and we did. I set off at my comfortable pace running at a HR of about 162 whilst Daz set out to run 6:45 per mile with the intention of picking up the pace later. Everything went well until about mile 21 when cramp started again. I had been running about 6:15 per mile but suddenly it was 6:30 for two miles then BAM! 7:45's. What could've been somewhere around 2:45 and a pb ended with 2:55:15. Happy enough but I was running scared the last few miles worried that Daz would catch me but he ended up with 2:59:45.
So we both broke 3hrs and happy with that, and I'm slightly happier as he still hasn't beat me over marathon distance. We then waited for Ali and the tracker showed she was on target at 30km but hen as 5hrs came and went we new she was struggling. 23 minutes later she comes strolling down Talbot Road with a big grin on her face. Again lack of mileage through winter took its toll. My biggest run had been 2hrs/16.5 miles but Ali's had been just under 2.5hrs in a half marathon. All in all it was great prep for the Outlaw.

What else?......oh yeah, Ali and I had a bike fit at CycleFit in Manchester. Big differences to my TT position but small tweaks to my road bike with a new saddle too. Ali has had some big tweaks to her position change of stem and saddle and as I write she is out on a 60 miles sportive and has punctured twice.
I'm also looking to sell my Quintanna Roo triathlon bike and also the Bp Stealth to fund my next tri bike. Some interest so far but no secured offers so get on the ironman journey Facebook page and make me an offer.
Next up Xterra Greece ....7th May

End of year round up...sort of

Another year of sport and another year older and what was potentially going to be a great year and an excellent winter training ended (nearly) with some mixed results and ups and downs.
February started with a crash caused by an idiotic car driver slamming on his brakes and reversing towards us resulting in evasive action and a fall on my shoulder. Innocuous at the time but the shoulder stiffened over the weeks and months and needed a steroid injection to free it up, and just in time for my first race at Wilmslow sprint tri in May where I finished 2nd overall. Great result in my eyes.
Onto Bala middle distance on a tough course but my form was good and despite leading the swim and onto the bike the course was abandoned to a fatality. A very sad situation.
Next up was Ironman UK and again the form was there running a PB the week before and swimming and biking was great. Again lead the age group for much of the bike course and a short distance at the start of the run before I started coughing up blood and struggled with breathing for still an unknown reason. Multiple chest X-rays and MRI's and scopes in my throat and nose have detected zilch. Race finish in 15th AG is a result but not the win I wanted and trained for.
Medical tests and rest then back to training just in time for Xterra UK to try something different. A great swim, but lost a few places on the tough muddy slippery bike course and ended up 4th in what was also the European Champs. I did get offered a roll down slot for the World Champs in Maui but expense could not allow this year. Maybe next year ;-)
A last minute entry to the Tameside XL off road tri a couple of weekend ago yielded another 4th place and this was disappointing. A good swim again, and a good run, but my inexperience on a MTB and lack of course knowledge probably cost me a podium postion. 2nd to 4th were within 50sec and the technical hilly bike cost me this I'm sure. The winner overtook me about 3miles into the bike and left me for dead downhill on the loose rocks. Another learning experience.Following the Rules n+1 was invoked and a new (2nd hand) addition was added to help on the MTB front.

So winter training is starting and the local pool is a couple of minutes walk away with coached sessions two nights per week and one early morning. Absolutely ideal and I am loving the structure so far.
Running speed is coming back again and next weekend I am doing the Worksop Half Marathon with my old training partner and superfit mate Daz Sharpe. I am sure we are both laughing at the prospect of a race off. Cant wait but a 1:20 will do and coincides that Sunday is my long run day. Happy all round.
Biking is mainly commutes with longer rides planned for Tuesday and Thursday evening and a long club ride on Saturday.

So the form was there but bad luck conspired against me but remaining positive that it can be repeated and bettered in 2016. With luck also Xterra Wetsuits UK will sponsor me again and hopefully my bio will be there (to be updated soon) if you want a look at my past results and achievements.


So, onto 2016......there was a time when you could enter races a week before but popularity means having cash (or a credit card) to enter a year in advance when the entry goes live. Luckily Ali and got entries to both the half and full Outlaw next year. My brother and mate Paul Breeze are also entered for the Outlaw.

Good luck and safe training everyone and see you on the start line

So races for 2016 are go

April                   Xterra Malta
                           Manchester Marathon

May                   Wilmslow Sprint Tri
                           Half Outlaw

June                   Peninsula Sea Sprint Triathlon

July                    Outlaw

August               Xterra UK

September         Tameside XL

November         Maui??

Something new....Xterra European Championships

Ive been doing triathlon for about 24 years now and whilst I have taken part in off road quadrathlon (triathlon with kayak as the 4th discipline), I have never done a mountain bike triathlon with a cross country run. Having been to Hawaii (Ironman) twice and raced on Oahu too (ITU Worlds 2005) I had heard about Xterrra on the island of Maui and quite fancy going there one day so I thought I'd give Xterra England a shot just to see how I compare and what I need to do.
My brother Philip is a keen MTB'er and racks up more miles than some roadies but his swimming is negligible and lets face it, most people can put one foot in front of the other twice repeatedly so running he can do, and with that he decided to enter with me to race at the Vachery Estate in Surrey on August bank holiday weekend.
We drove down Saturday morning after Philip had driven most of the night to get here from Larne, and had planned to recce the course by bike and foot. We put the tents up on arrival, registered, and set out on the bike course leaving our chief supporter Ali to read her book in peace. The course was fairly dry and with a few little hills that required concentration to progress without coming to a complete standstill. There was quite a bit of technical focus with tight turns and lumps and bumps that meant speed was nigh on impossible to maintain but it was dryish and within my capabilities. Back at the tent Philip went for a kip while I headed out for the run lap recce. The course was good with one steep hill, a ditch to jump or traverse twice and a huge tree trunk to leap/clamber over and a bog to negotiate each lap. Simple really.
We had the race brief then a bit of a Q&A with the legendary Conrad "The Caveman" Stoltz, Ben Allen and Jacqui Slack then had dinner at the venue and headed off to bed for an early night, typical camping evening. Also typical camping is the rain, and it fell in buckets.
Race morning was more of a race afternoon so a lie in was on the cards then bike racking at 1030hrs ready for a 1210hrs start. The pro's went off at midday then all the 40-44 and below age groups 5 mins after, then us 45-49 upwards with the relays.
There seemed to be a bit of a jump start on the swim but I worked my through the group and seemed to be at the sharp end. I could only see one swimmer ahead who I guessed was Damo Littlewood of Tri-1st Birmingham. I didn't see the relay swimmer or another athlete in front but the results show I was out of the water 4th from my wave in 21:54. It felt easy and comfortable in my Xterra Vector Pro but Philip was working hard to finish the swim 5 minutes quicker than his anticipated time in 35mins and it was his first open water swim in his Xterra Vortex.

X(terra)-men

Out on the bike the course was completely different following the deluge we had overnight. Firm dry tracks were now muddy and slippery and despite lowering my tyre pressures i still struggled. Every 180 degree turn was a front end slide and there were a few crashes but still I was overtaking the age groups ahead at every overtaking opportunity on the narrow tracks. I really wanted to capitalise on my swim and go for the medals and a potential Maui slot. There was a bit of hill running when traction just wasn't there. I realised I need to run tubeless wheels with lower pressures and get proper tyres to suit the course. Its all a learning experience. Maybe I need a carbon bike too and not a 'cycle to work scheme' bike, hmm....there's a thought....

Philip focussing

Upright for a change

One thing I am fast at is transitions and I headed out for the 10km cross country course feeling good and confident I could run some folk down. The first lap was fairly swift and I overtook loads of people and managed a great leap over the ditch and tree and even managed to catch a few of the pro's.

Huge tree to leap over

Philip clambering

The second lap was slower as I caught a few people through the muddier sections and I have to admit to feeling tired going up the hill. I managed to catch Damo (last years 40-44 winner) on the run which lifted me a little but I knew he was suffering from an Achilles tendon issue. 

I had no idea where I finished and Ali went to get me a print out from the timing tent whilst I ate my body weight in chocolate brownie and flapjack. The look on her face said it all as she walked back. I was 4th....probably the worst position to be in. No medals at the Xterra European champs boohoo...gutted!  But this was all about testing myself and trying to determine what I needed to do to get to Maui.
Meanwhile, Philip was out running the course and managed to do fairly equal splits. He has decided that he likes Xterra triathlon and is going to be training for next year. Ive also decided I like Xterra too and quite fancy racing abroad but I need to improve on my technical riding skills and maybe need a new bike, N+1 springs to mind.
Time to start training again and look at bike bling.

A year of training and hospital appointments

This year was supposed to be full of racing and doing well and maybe the odd win and my training and form had been on track but for a few hiccups....or maybe coughs of blood.

The winter training had gone well, biking was going good and the local timetrials were proving that I was getting faster and in better shape than last year and this was in spite of a shoulder injury that required a steroid injection when some volvo driving ass decided he didn't like being behind cyclists in the ASL (advanced stop line) at traffic lights and raced ahead of us then stopped and reversed in towards us resulting in my going over the bars. Weeks were lost from swimming and almost the season but thankfully an injection a few weeks before the first race seemed to have cured the problem without the need for any surgery.
The first race of the season was Wilmslow triathlon and I must admit that I was expecting to race for the Vets prize so I was surprised that when I checked in I was given Number 2 meaning I was one of the fastest swimmers. I had ridden and run the course the night before as a familiarisation recce and I knew I could bike well and my running was starting to get better and stronger so I thought I might stand a chance of top 3. I wore my Xterra Velocity swimsuit (and nearly forgot to take it off in T1) for added slipstreaming in the 400m pool swim and headed out on the bike thinking I was in 2nd place. I quickly overtook the supposed lead swimmer, a paralympian swimmer Daniel Pepper. I never get complacent and kept pushing hard and with 3 miles to go I caught another cyclist, Simon Parker. I led out of T2 but was overtaken within 500m and Simon pushed on to win by 23s over the 6.3km run. To come 2nd overall was a surprise but also a big confidence boost given that I hadn't done any brick work and I could look forward to more training and the national Middle Distance championships to be held at Bala.
I have never really liked the middle distance race at Bala. Its always cold and its a hard race but this is the national champs and its also prep for my A race, Ironman UK (Bolton). The swim was shortened to 1km due to the water temperature and by god it was cold. My face was freezing but the racehead takes over and I came out 1st in my age group in the Xterra Vector Pro first race outing. At least the sun was out for the ride over the mountain but it was still cold. I was having a bit of a localised race with Mark White and tried to get away with an effort on the last big climb but as I crested the top the road had been closed and the race had been cancelled due to a competitor fatality. Not the race everyone was hoping for and I certainly felt like a medal was on the cards, if not the win, but someone had died and it puts everything in perspective and makes you grateful to be alive.

RIP Daniel Cavanagh, aged 40.


Getting older is getting harder to accept and injuries are always in the back of my mind. A simple muscle pull or a trip and fall can set you back for seemingly ages and negative thoughts can set in but
keeping an eye on the future is a reminder of why you train. Ironman Bolton was looming up fast, it seemed only like yesterday that Ali and I entered it whilst sitting in the sun in the garden last year. I had gone through a run/walk program to assist with my achilles injury and had managed a 1:26 half marathon in training with very little effort and had managed to swim the ironman distance twice in under 56 and 57 minutes in the weeks prior, and my timetrialling was still getting faster so I felt in good shape and confident of a win at Bolton. Arrogance maybe? No, Confident and trust in the training. I'm chasing an age group win after coming 2nd in South Africa and 6th in Melbourne.
Race day in Bolton arrived and the weather was typically British.........shit! It poured and poured and at one point on the swim you could barely see the buoys the rain was bouncing so hard off the Pennington Flash.
The first lap of the swim was smooth and the second not so with one or two fellow competitors zigzagging across my front repeatedly. A glance at the timer on the first lap was a disappointing 29 something minutes but I thought, hey it must be long, same for everyone. I took the furthest buoy wide to take my own line and was enjoying the swim but again at the end I could hear the commentator say 'here comes the 1:01 swimmers'. Again disappointment as I was hoping to be heading to my bike in 57 minutes. But I was good enough for 7th in my age group.


One lap done and still enjoying it

A quick T1 and I was out into the rain flooded roads of Lancashire with more than a fair share of taking it easy on the multiple turns and roundabouts that makes the Bolton course so slow in comparison to other courses only compounded with the weather. To say I shivered and my teeth were chattering is an understatement. I was dropping bottles in the feed stations, A because it was cold and B because they weren't long enough to get all the nutrition needed without slowing to a stop.Nevertheless I did manage to get my nutrition bang on. Half a Powerbar and a gel during every hour along with a Powerbar drink. The bike course is awful. I detest it. Its not hard but for a timetrialist its crap with barely more than a few miles at a time to  stay aero....but, its the same for everyone. Sheephouse Lane hill is nothing special but Hunters Hill second time round is more than a little cheeky and I was dreading it as I started getting cramps about 70 miles. I just took it easy up the hill and saw Ali just getting back on her bike after a puncture, which took too long to change and subsequently cost her time and forced her to miss the cut off time by one minute. Gutted.

As I headed towards the macron Stadium T2 I was emptying my bladder when I got overtaken by Mark Richardson. Little did we know that we were leading our age group and I followed him into T2. I changed into run kit and hoped to get warm running and after a few hundred metres I caught and went past Mark. This is when it starts to go wrong...........
I was struggling to catch my breath and was forced to walk up the first small hill. I recovered over the top and caught mark again and sat in trying to get a big breath that might help relax my breathing. I was struggling for oxygen it seemed. When I managed to get the big breath it made me cough and the cough brought up blood. At first I thought it might be Powerbar dyed spittle but it was bright red.. I was able to walk so I kept going hoping to recover and even managed to run the downhill part to the brook and along to the next hill. more of a jog really. This basically set the scene for the 4hrs 33min of marathon interspersed with numerous toilet breaks. never have I pee'd so much. A good thing maybe being hydrated? The run course is actually quite nice and I would liked to have been able to do it justice.

Swim   1:01:42
T1            2:50
Bike     5:38:09
T2            4:33
Run       4:33:43


All I trained for and wanted for a year was to win an Ironman race and I end up completing my 8th Ironman in my slowest time yet and put my health at risk to finish in 15th place in my age group At the finish I picked up my medal and was escorted to the medical tent and after some questions and basic observations they suspected I may have a spontaneous pneumothorax then after an ambulance trip to Royal Bolton Hospital for a chest xray, ECG and blood tests it was a suspected pulmonary embolism. The A and E doc gave me , Ali and my dad, a little scare when he tried to explain there was bad news and I thought he was trying to tell me  had lung cancer. Just great communication skills. So I got released after an echogram of my heart and the cardiologist diagnosed viral pericarditis. This is supposed to have started from a sore throat i was getting whilst riding and must have been exacerbated by extreme sport. My blood results were also pretty extreme with CK levels at over 2000 (normal is 125).
I must also say a big thanks to Andrew Rudder for getting me my finisher tee-shirt as I had bypassed this on the way to the med tent and hospital. Cheers mate.

Over the past few weeks I've had to take it easy and had a few more blood test with two further A and E trips, a visit to the chest clinic specialist and today I had a CT of my chest and abdomen. I have a follow up in a few weeks but at least I am able to exercise now. Mainly just commuting so far and two trial runs of 20 and 30 minutes that went OK.

A few weeks ago I was all for giving up ironman and potentially the decision was being made for me but never say never  and Ali and I have pre-registered for a a half and a full distance next year. I also have Xterra UK to do in a couple of weeks with my brother also racing. Should be good fun and I have had enough of hospitals for this year. The good thing is I am raring to go again if a little steady at first.

Have fun folks and enjoy life.