Hello OxfordTri Family,
I hope that this finds you well and that you are having a great weekend. Firstly, a massive congratulations to those who have been out and about racing this past couple of weeks, from Ironmans to 1/2 Marathons it’s been lovely to see what people have been up to.
A massive thanks also to those who completed the membership survey, the information we’ve got from it has been invaluable and we will look to share some of this with you in due course along with out winners of the free entries for either Blenheim or the Oxfordshire triathlon next year.
We will also be meeting as a committee next Monday (2nd of September) we are going to be discussing the results of the survey and what this means for us as a club going forward. If you didn’t get the chance to complete the survey but have something that you would like to say please get in touch with us via committee@oxfordtri.co.uk
Finally, a little reminder that there is no swim at Leys tomorrow due to it being a bank holiday.
God Bless
Craig
OxfordTri Cross Country Team Manager
The cross country season is often a highlight for many of our OxfordTri members. This year we are looking for someone to step into the role of Team Manager which used to be help by Kelly. The main responsibility of this role is to act as a point of contact between the club and the cross country league organisers. This means sharing entries etc. If you would be interested in finding out more about this role, or are interested in helping out do get in touch.
We have attached the league manual which has been recently released to help give a more information (see below)
https://oxonxc.org.uk/files/admin/league_manual/OXL_League_Manual_20240811.pdf
OxfordTri Goes Scandi
Last weekend a number of OxfordTri members raced at either Ironman Kalmar or Ironman Copenhagen, there are numerous race reports which can be found on our Facebook Group – Here.
Alternatively I have dropped copied on one below from Matt who took on his first ever Ironman distance triathlon.
IM Copenhagen 2024 
I had never known pre-race jitters quite like this. It would make sense I suppose, having reached the defining moment of a 30-week plan, but I think to a large extent the race week anxiety was due to the sheer amount of admin and key steps to remember, to ensure all the moving parts fell into place. Luckily, for this race I was participating alongside my mother, who had done the same event in 2019, so was a very useful chaperone throughout the week.
Swim: Conditions on race morning were excellent. Bright sunshine overhead and next to no wind, water 19.1 °C and so clear you could see the seabed throughout. There was a bit of plant debris here and there, and I was a bit unsettled by occasional sightings of jellyfish gently pulsating below, but I reassured myself that if they were dangerous it would have said so in the Athlete Guide (right?). The course itself was a long out-and-back in a lagoon, so technically a sea swim but very calm waters. My mum and I self-seeded in the 1:14 to 1:17 wave, and I had hoped I could lock onto her toes for much of the swim but it soon became apparent I would lose her in the chaos of it, and lose her I did.
The swim itself went OK, although I spent more time than I thought I would having to react to my ever-changing surroundings, and I grew frustrated that I couldn’t maintain a rhythm. In the first half especially I was regularly boxed in, cut across, and clamped between two swimmers. But all in all, I felt strong and exceeded my expectations.
1:11:16
T1: Quite a leisurely change. Could have done with a bit more bench space.
11:12
Bike: I had high hopes for the bike leg, knowing how smooth the roads were, and they were indeed as fast as promised. The terrain dipped and rose only very gently for much of the middle section, and at other times was very flat and straight. Only on two occasions was there an incline you could call a hill. I dialled in zone 2 from the outset, as wisdom dictates, and took on vast amounts of carbs and fluids throughout. I did get some lower back pain, despite a carefully planned dosing schedule of painkillers, so only spent about 10% on the aero bars, but this was an expected issue. Generally, it was all quite pleasant though, riding through woodland and rolling farmland, past sunflower fields and cantering horses. Who says Ironmans have to be all about suffering?
5:56:30
T2: Chatted to a young Danish man who appeared to be lacing up hiking boots..?
6:21
Run: Despite being the most painful part of the day, the run was actually my favourite section. After a somewhat lonely 6 hours out in the countryside, I had returned to a vibrant, colourful city, thriving with life, and even though there was a marathon to complete, it somehow felt like the end was in sight.
In the interests of Getting My Excuses in Early, I should note that I was off running completely for the 6 weeks leading up to race day due to a foot injury, the exact nature of which I still don’t know at the time of writing. So with my longest run in training only 20 km, I accepted that I was going in under-trained and planned a run/walk strategy of walking all 24 aid stations on the course.
In the end, segmenting the run like this proved to be as much a psychological boost as it was about preserving my legs. I found myself barely glancing at my watch, only ever focused on the next aid station and soaking up the crowd support, including that of Sean, Liam, and Mark, fresh from their travails in Kalmar. Meanwhile, the kilometres were quietly stacking up in the background. I kept things quite steady until the end of my 3rd lap (out of 4), around 32 km, when fatigue really set in.
It was at this point I was reunited with my mother, who was a lap behind me and following the same run/walk plan as me. We ran side-by-side, neither of us really pacing the other, since my speed had deteriorated to match hers. We proceeded to catch up on our day, which was a good opportunity for me to rant about the clashes I had on the swim. I wondered how she, a 5’ 2” woman, would have coped, and it turns out she just swam on the periphery and all was fine. Makes sense.
After a while, she started to get on my nerves as she kept pointing out to people that we were related, including the photographer on the promenade (see photo). I would say to her words to the effect of “mum, no one cares”, but it only seemed to embolden her. The red carpet couldn’t come soon enough…
After a final wind around the cobbles towards the crescendo of noise, the home straight came into view. I normally like to cross finish lines running like Ewan McGregor in the opening scene of Trainspotting. But alas, on this occasion I could not muster up the necessary ‘Lust for Life’. So I kept trudging, slapped the first-timer bell with my last bit of strength, and punched the air, a broken man but a proud man; an Ironman.
4:54:41
Total: 12:19:57
My thanks to Sean, Liam, and Mark for their enthusiastic support on the run, and to those in the wider club who have shared their wisdom, coaching, and advice with me over the last year and a bit. Lastly, a special mention to fellow Oxford Tri member, Tim Harrison, who also completed – with a very impressive run!
Time to get my weekends back
Training Calendar
See the official calendar for full info and sign up links.
Tuesday 27th August: Coached Swim – Thame Pool @ 20:00
Wednesday 28th August: Social Open Water Swim – Queenford Lake @ 19:00
Thursday 29th August: Coached Run – Horspath Track @ 19:00
Saturday 31st August: Social Open Water Swim – Queenford Lake @ 08:00