Yesterday saw the running of the inaugural Challenge Melbourne event. The half distance (1.9/90/21) race was held in Brighton, Victoria. The talk leading up to the event was focused on the predicted 41 degree temperature. Supersprint did a fantastic job to inform all conpetitors of the contingencies that would be put in place on race day to cope with the extreme heat. Being a lover of cold weather and knowing that I don't have a great track record in the heat, I was a little apprehensive about the day but knew I just had to focus on what I could control.
The race kicked off at 6.30am when we entered the pristine bay water. The small but talented field provided fantastic competition for the day. To be lining up against the likes of Steffen and Luxford was exciting. I had a solid swim, exiting the water in 4th. I had a quick transition and got out onto the bike in 3rd. I managed to hold this position for the first 20km however I soon realised my bike legs weren't coming to the party. Unfortunately I dropped back a few places over the remaing 80km but tried to hold my focus and conserve as much energy as I could for the upcoming hot 21km run.
Going out onto the run course in 7th I knew it would be tough to reach my goal of a top 5 finish, however I managed to pace myself well and moved up into 4th in the closing 3km. Crossing the finish line in 4th was a relief and I was definitely happy to have that day over!
Congratulations to all the other competitors for toughing it out during a hard day of racing. Thank you to all the volunteers and supporters and to Supersrpint for putting on such a fantastic event.
For now it's time for a few weeks break. I have been racing since August so it is time to let the body recover before hitting a few races at the end of the season.
Thanks for reading.
Avanti | AvantiPlus Brunswick | Brooks | Giro | Selle SMP
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