HOW WAS I T FOR YOU?
Covid has ripped up the UK tri calendar in 2020, yet swim, bike and run racing returned to Guernsey at the Grandes Rocques Tri this summer. Magda Murphy shares how her race went
What’s happening to me? Why am I so out of breath? What’s happened to my fitness?! I’ve kept up my training but, oh yes, this is racing! I feel like my lungs are going to explode and I haven’t got to the first turn of the 400m swim! Finally, the last stretch. I can’t wait to get out of the English Channel.
I run up the beach, trying to avoid the rocks and locate the cord for my wetsuit. My head is spinning but I’m making progress; I haven’t tripped or stubbed my toe and I make it to T1. And time to breathe! I yank my wetsuit down and grab my helmet. I try to put it on, but my hands are shaking. I glance at my watch. It’s only been 10 minutes and one discipline. I’m wrecked!
And yet, it’s a great feeling to be a part of the first post-Covid-19 triathlon in the British Isles. I feel really proud of both Guernsey and the Guernsey Triathlon Club for getting us to a situation where we can race safely. Guernsey hasn’t had any new cases of Covid-19 for 40 days as we’re really fortunate to have excellent leadership on the Island, who have controlled and dealt with the situation quickly.
TRI-ATHLETIC ADAPTATIONS
Guernsey was put into lockdown in March and the borders were shut. We had to stay within our households and were only allowed out for two hours each day. Most of the Guernsey Tri club members, including myself, had entries to races all over Europe and there was a universal feeling of flatness amongst the club’s athletes as races were cancelled – what’s the focus for our training now? We thought that would be it for the season. Had the Covid-19 outbreak taken hold in Guernsey it could’ve been catastrophic. However, the States of Guernsey seemed to get the situation under control quickly.
Before lockdown, I was training every day for the ÖtillÖ swimrun event in Hvar in April and Ironman Barcelona in October, often for more than two hours a day. The new restrictions meant balancing my training within the two hours of exercise a day was really important, as was introducing myself to Zwift; I wouldn’t have got through so many turbo sessions without the virtual training software.
The pools were closed, yet we’re incredibly lucky in Guernsey to have easy access to beautiful beaches and some of the best sea swimming in Britain, so I spent a lot of my allotted outdoor time sea swimming. The water was only 10°C when we moved into lockdown, so most people were only managing to stay in for 10-15mins. There were a lot of Wiggle orders for vast quantities of neoprene to allow those people – who normally wouldn’t consider getting in the sea until June – to brave the frigid water in March! I’m not sure Guernsey has ever seen so many people sea swimming so early in the season.
My training squad usually do group turbo sessions on a Thursday, which we were able to continue using Zwift and chatting to each other on Discord. Just hearing the heavy breathing of your training buddies through your earphones is quite a strange way to spend your Thursday evenings!
The local tri club also put on a series of virtual races to keep club members motivated and having fun, including our annual Novice Tri. The disciplines had to be completed in line with local lockdown rules and social distancing guidelines, yet the response to this event was amazing, with so many people getting out all over the Island and completing their own mini events.
We moved into Stage 4 of the lockdown in June, which meant that we could have gatherings of 30 people providing that social distancing guidelines were met. The local race scene may not be cancelled after all! The committee worked really hard to plan the 400m swim/10km bike/2.5km run Grandes Rocques Super Sprint Triathlon event within the guidelines.
As we could only have groups of 30, they put on two races, one for the more experienced athletes and one more for novices. We started the swim in waves of five athletes, all one metre apart, and set off at one-minute intervals. We
had to have double the normal nondrafting distance on the bike, unless overtaking, and also keep a 5m distance throughout the run.
TRI IS BACK!
We’ve had the most amazing weather throughout lockdown, but typically the forecast for race day is wet and windy. High winds have combined with a particularly high tide, meaning we’re all keeping our fingers crossed that the wind will drop and that we’ll be able to swim. Fortunately, the forecast improves and, with the exception of a few spots of rain driving to the venue, we’re blessed with perfect race conditions. Grandes Rocques is a lovely bay in Guernsey and the sea doesn’t look too bad; there’s a bit of swell but these conditions suit me.
It’s a funny feeling racking my bike in transition as it feels unusually quiet and empty, although I don’t miss the battle for space. While still friendly, everyone is a little distant. Even more unusual is that many of us haven’t seen each other for such a long time. The race briefing from club president Mark Naftel is a little different to normal, as it includes the additional measures put in place. Then it’s all down to the sea. It’s quite nervewracking waiting for the start, and watching the first waves of athletes depart builds the suspense.
Fortunately, I don’t have long to wait as I’m in the second wave of stronger swimmers.
Because the 400m swim is so short, we don’t have turn buoys but two fishing boats that have been moored just the right distance from the shore as turning points. The large swell means it’s really hard to sight, yet thankfully one of the water safety volunteers has a bright jacket on that I use as my guide.
Each wave has only five athletes per wave. It really helps the social distancing aspect for the start but, as soon as we get into the 14°C water, the distancing becomes more luck than judgment. The normally clear water has been churned up from the recent winds, so getting thrown around in the swell and the amount of seaweed in the first few metres makes it difficult to spot the other athletes. It’s a case of swim and hope. I can see the guys ahead of me and set off to catch them, knowing that I’m a faster swimmer. Even though I’ve been swimming a lot, actual racing is a completely different feeling: I love it! I’m really happy with my swim, but the run from the beach to transition is quite long and stony.
TOLERATING PAIN WITH ZWIFT
The lack of race practice is really obvious in T1. This is the first transition since September for
“Only five athletes per wave helps with distancing, but this becomes more luck than judgement in the water”
many of us and there’s quite a lot of unconventional bike mounting going on! It’s the first time my TT bike has been off the turbo trainer this year. Racing on Zwift has helped keep my legs used to the high levels of pain, but real racing is always different. The bike course is an out-and-back route along the coast. The wind had dropped so it isn’t too bad.
The course is quite technical in places and, because of the previous day’s high winds, there are patches of sand to avoid. The roads are fairly quiet and, on such a short race, the support and spectators are limited to the transition area as everyone wants to be close to the finish (and the coffee van!). It’s a lonely ride, but I’m pleased not to lose focus with no one to chase.
The Guernsey coast is stunning. Looking out to sea on a beautiful day and you could be forgiven for thinking you are somewhere in the Caribbean; or, on a bad day, you’ll be mesmerised by the waves crashing over the sea wall. Today’s a beautiful day and, for the majority of the 10km bike course, a quick glance to the side gives a view of the sea.
The 2.5km run is so short that you have to go as hard as you can. I’ve done a lot of bricks in training, but I’m more conditioned to Ironman racing and training, and not so used to the high-intensity all-out racing. It’s really hard and my legs are burning from the moment I leave T2. The course itself is off road on the coast path, with sections of quite deep sand that saps the legs.
Because of the wave starts it’s difficult to know where I am in the race, but I feel good and arrive at the finish line happy. It just feels great to be racing again and crossing the line is a feeling you can’t replicate in any training session. It’s not a virtual race, not a finish line that was different to your friend who was doing their ‘race’ three miles away. It’s a proper finish line, in a proper race, knowing that you’ve emptied yourself to get there. And to finish as the top woman is a nice bonus!
THE TRI FUTURE
We have to clear transition quickly to allow the next group of 30 competitors in, so we pack up, grab a drink from Ted the Coffee Man and find a safe spot to watch the second race. It looks like we’ll be racing with wave starts for most of the season, but the format has worked well and it’s no different to many other large events, yet hopefully we’ll be able to have groups of more than 30 in the near future. Following the success of this event, the club are confident they can keep the same race calendar, so we’ll have a mix of sprint and Olympic-distance races coming up. There’s even talk of sneaking in a half-iron...
The whole experience has made me really proud to be a part of the Guernsey Triathlon Club; it’s a fantastic, welcoming outfit and has a wide range of athletes, including both Commonwealth Games athletes and complete novices. Everyone is made to feel welcome and we all feel lucky to live on the beautiful island that is Guernsey.