PD International Triathlon 2007

My inaugural olympic distance triathlon was a great success, but a very short lived one, as before i could pen down ecstatic words onto this blog, the news of a tragic accident turned my emotions the other way around.

It was a pity that Mr Zubir, or "Zoobs" as they call him, had to pass away yesterday morning. At his first triathlon attempt, nonetheless. I'm very sorry for his family and friends. I cannot imagine the grief they feel at their loss.

But i did race that race and i did outdo my expectations. I'd like to think that Mr Zoobs wouldn't mind if i continued to feel ecstatic over my own personal victory. I believe he'd want everyone else to be happy and satisfied with their races. So, Mr Zoobs, here's to you...

***

I had initially planned to race in the sprint as well as the OD. Thus, i was supposed to follow Chiat, Allan, Andy and gang to PD on Friday night. But my ahmah wasn't too well on Friday so my family went down to Raub and spent the night there. My ahmah is good now, by the way. She's a bit weak, but there's a steady progress.

Anyway, I gave the sprint a miss, but since my dad said we were coming home on Saturday, I immediately pounced on the opportunity to head to PD so I could make my OD debut. My parents weren't too keen to let me drive alone, so I gathered Shakti, YanYee and Dektos, and appointed them my honourable support screw. The 4 of us made our way merrily to PD at about 4.45 pm.

Using a new way, recommended by Cecil, we reached PD at 6.30 pm, in time for me to get my race kit. Since the carbo loading only started at 8, we drove around a bit looking for a place to stay, but to no avail. However, luck was on our side, because after the dinner, I bumped into Fong and Neeza, and they had a spare room! =) Thanks again ladies!
Sunday morning started at 6.15 am for me. It drizzled lightly, and i was so afraid that the water would be freezing. I reached the race site at about 6.50 am, and already the place was buzzing with people. I checked my bike in, and went to look at the water. Then i realised i'd left my goggles back at the room. So i took my bike out again and back to the room to get my goggles. This time, the support crew had risen and was getting ready. With a wave of the arm, i left them again, and went back to the race site, where i took a dip in the water. To my surprise, the water was warm. *yay*

The race started in waves. The elite went in first. They looked like dolphins, the way they started with butterfly strokes. Then the men, then the ladies. Basically, it was alright. I did my breaststroke as planned, and though i had a couple of false hope that I was reaching the end soon, i managed to go all the way. I checked my watch and was gleeful to see 38 minutes plus! A bit out of breath, i didnt quite bother to run to my my bike. My friends were there to cheer me on, but my first instinct was to get water to flush the salt water out of my mouth.
Then onto the bike. I have to say that the most fascinating thing bout the glorious bike leg, as obnoxious as this may sound, is the roadkill. Because out there on the roads, is like a grand safari for the dead. one can find squashed up iguanas, snakes, frogs, cats, dogs, unidentified pieces of intestines and stomachs. its repulsing, but amusing nonetheless. The terrain was slightly hilly, but the view was gorgeous. Palm oil plantations never looked so beautiful. =) Ive gotten used to people overtaking me during the bike leg, and this time was no exception. I finished the bike leg in about 1 hours 40 minutes! my jaw almost dropped! i initially targeted just over 2 hours. Its amazing what RPM once a week can do...=)
Finally, the run! I loved the run. the weather was perfect. It took me only a minute or so to get from cycling legs to running legs. I found my pace almost instantly and started to pound my way through the road. I overtook a lot of people, most of them being men. The women were much much harder to overtake. I'm starting to think that ladies are more cut out for endurance than men. i came back in 51 minutes and 56 seconds. There is doubt, i'm afraid, that the route was actually 10 kms. Because i have never achieved that time for a 10 km run before.
I had estimated a total time of 3:50 initially. Then i decided to challenge myself a bit and set a 3:30 target. I did an overall time of 3:10 yesterday. And i'm damn proud of it. =)
A big thanks to my support crew. and to the people who took my photographs - Mr Tey, Mr Raihan and YanYee.