Trentham - Big Half 2010
Bonnie's Trentham Blog
I first entered Trentham in 2006 as a warm up for IMUK and it served as a good wake up call and an 'OMG! How on earth did I think I could complete an Ironman?!'. Well I did complete IMUK 2006 and fast forward 4 years I decided I would compete at Trentham again to;
a) compare my time and current fitness levels to 2006
b) it's far cheaper than any M dot event - around £70
This time my partner Vince competed too, his first race since IMUK 70.3 2008. We did a cycle recce of the course about a month before the event, which had changed from a flatish 3 laps (2006) to 8 laps up and down the dual carriageway (urgh!) and then about 3 days before the event they changed the route again to a 5 lap undulating to hilly in parts course with only a small section on the dual carriageway and with 2 sets of traffic lights to negotiate at junctions. The swim and the run route remained the same, but the transition area had moved - about 1/2 mile further away!
The Swim
The swim was 4 clockwise loops of a triangular circuit. The lake is a shallow lake and particularly so with the lack of rainfall we had had, so much so that at parts whilst I was swimming my hands were touching the bottom! The visibility was zero and at one point Vince commented it was like swimming with your eyes shut! On the plus side, the lake was warm and you could pace yourself due to the laps. On exiting the swim there was a 'mandatory shoe collection' as transition was at least 800m from the lake...
The Bike
To keep check on my 5 laps, I put 5 pieces of electrical tape on my handlebars and took one off every lap I completed. By lap 4 I was getting a bit fed up with the same route by lap 5 I couldn't wait to get off the bike! There were 2 sets of traffic lights on the route, so multiply that by 5 and heh presto, 10 sets of traffic lights that I had to stop at 9 times!!! They did deduct time for stoppages at lights, but it doesn't half break your stride and is a bit frustrating when you are 10th in a queue of cyclists and have to wait for every one to click in and cycle off. If the organisers can sort coning off the lights with the local council / police next year, then this bike course is better than the previous two. Oh, Vince went whizzing by me at a rate of knots on lap 2 - argh!
The Run
The run was 4 laps and was totally off road and can be described as a flat, pretty trail run which took you along the lake and into the wooded area on the opposite bank. As the run course is part of Trentham Gardens it is open to the public and there are lots of people out walking the dog, on a family stroll out etc, but it doesn't detract from the race. I first saw Vince when he was on his way back from the turnaround point on lap 1 and thought OMG he is about 15 minutes ahead of me, no way am I going to catch him as he was also looking really strong. But over the next 3 laps I gained a little bit of time back on each lap that he had taken off me on the bike, and on the last lap as I approached the final turnaround point and saw Vince just ahead of me, I must say I dug deep into my reserves in an attempt to pass him (competitive couple or what?!)
Overall
As it was not a chipped event (don't see why not... money saving maybe?) you didn't get a true reflection of your splits, especially your swim split as all transitions were included in each discipline and we were both 10 minutes down on our usual swim time. The feed stations are pretty limited; only Gatorade and water and the portaloos are even more limited - NO TOILETS anywhere on the swim, bike or run!!! Not acceptable really.
The volunteers were great as usual, especially the crazy lady on the final bridge before the turn around and finish point. The RAF cadets also did a sterling job as they were placed at the furthest feed station and the furthest turnaround point and they had words of encouragement for everyone. Overall a good atmosphere and event on the day, a Premier Inn and Franky & Benny's Restaurant in Trentham gardens, there are some points that could be improved, but it is good for the wallet and the travelling, but give me an IM event anyday!
Splits (including mammoth transitions)
Bonnie
Swim - 43:14
Bike - 3:13:33
Run - 2:02:53
Total - 5.59.40 (ooh, just under the wire...)
Vince
Swim - 50:12
Bike - 2.59:11 (on fire!)
Run - 2:12:53
Total - 6:02:16
Next stop the Little Woody 1/2 IM distance in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire on Saturday August 28th. We recce'd the course last weekend, ouch, pretting similar bike route to IMUK 70.3 and a hillier run - can't wait to do another half marathon on burning stumps off of fire...
Bonnie & Vince
