The race
was a normal Olympic distance race but the cycling was non drafting, so this
made it fun and exciting. We started in waves and the pro’s and pro-elites were
first. I started next to Wian, because he is a great swimmer. I knew if I could
stick with him in the swim I will have a good swim. It turned out to happen, as
I exited the 1500m swim next to him.
We had a
small gap on 3rd and 4th place. After a quick transition we were out on the
cycle. Wian was setting a good pace and I tried to keep up with him, but my
legs weren’t there on the cycle.
After
about 8km Wikus caught me and I stayed with him for a while. I thought then,
this will be a long day for me after Travis came flying past me. I decided then
not to panic and just focus on the here and now and trying to cycle as well as
I can. During the 2nd lap I felt much better and I started to gain some ground
on some of the athletes, so I was feeling more confident after the 2nd lap.
The run
was going to be mentally and physically hard because I haven’t really ran as
much as I wanted. I had an injury and couldn’t run for several weeks. My form
on the run was going to be a surprise, but I knew I had to go out hard and hope
for the best. Starting the run, I was in 4th place so the race was still on. I
felt good on the run and was running a steady tempo. I stayed in 4th position until
the finish, but I gained a lot of confidence from the race heading to World Champs.
In the end the result might not have been the best, but mentally it was a good
race for me.
World
champs will be in London in 3 weeks’ time and I am hoping for another solid
result there.
Until
then
Cheers
