Bintan race report

Bintan Race Review!

I've been asked to type up a race review for the Bintan OD, so hear goes.

It was good!

Thanks for reading!

I'll try again.

There was more of everything than last year, competitors, flash bikes and rain!

The swim start was the usual fast and furious especially since the women started in the left lane and the men in the right. It appeared that the woman might have had to swim a few extra meters which caused me to chuckle because as far as I'm concerned, Jocelyn should be made to swim 2 laps.

After yelling out and advising Courtney Atkinson that we were coming to get him, the starters gun went off!

Chaos set in and it was every man for themselves (I did start in the men's lane). It didn't take long before we were swimming into a lovely swell (one of those ones where you end up doing every breathing stroke under the water because the swell keeps changing!).  We swam about 8-9oom and then we had a nice break (not) while running 30m up the beach to turn around and get back into the water again for the final 600m. As always (for everyone except Jocelyn) that finish line in the swim leg was looking beautiful but nobody is ever happy until they hear that sweet beep, beep, beep, sound as they cross the timing mat!

Now the real fun begins. Last year it bucketed down for the first 5k of the bike leg. This year it absolutely pelted down from the 15k-30k mark with light rain on either side. At one stage the lightening was so bad and close that we were looking around to see which tree was on fire! The speed bumps were the same as last year (far too many and in dangerous spots especially when it's pelting down) and you could pick the really bumpy ones because they were surrounded by all the water bottles that bounced out of the bottle cages (I lost my first one at the 3k mark and my second 1k after the 20k  drink station, lucky it rained so hard). When everyone started to arrive back at T2, it was a bit like "What storm?". The roads were pretty dry and it looked like T2 had completely miss the whole thing.

Now for the part where most of the big fellas-ladies suffer (especially on this course) and most of us little fellas-ladies catch up!

The run leg is a picturesque gentle stroll through the lush green cool golf course (NOTTTTTTTTTT).

Quote by Courtney Atkinson "This is the hardest OD run leg I've ever done". He did it in 35min (freak).

It started off with some slippery pebble Crete footpaths and then just starts winding up and down and around and through and under and over  anything and everything that you could find on a golf course. The bottom line is that there is a 2-300m hill at the 3.5k mark and if you can run up that on your second lap without stopping at all, then you have done very well indeed! The temperatures at the start of the run leg weren't too bad, however, by the time I reached the 8k mark all I could think of was "glad I'm not back there starting the run leg now". The sun decided to come back out and punish anyone who was only just starting the run leg. You could feel the humidity pushing you back.

Anyway, we all crossed the finish line and had our free 2.5min massage and started to prepare for the real tester, the awards party!. I failed and retired by midnight. Too many chocy GUs.

So, until I babble on next time, remember everyone is a TARGET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! including you Mr Miaers, Ms Pollock, Mr Hill, Mr Hoare, so many to choose from!

PS. The hotel I stayed in with AG had a rave party with over 3,000 people at it. Our quiet little bungalow was 300m from the 80fg stage that belted out a base beat so loud that the glass panels in the bathroom were vibrating right up until the DJ announced "go home" at 6am Sunday morning!

Doof, doof, doof, doof, doof, doof, doof!!!!!!!!!!

Results are as follows, I think?

Mike Maiers 12th overall/3rd category

Jocelyn Pollock  ?/2nd

Steven Bemet 20th/2nd

Adam Graham 22nd/8th

Keith Irvine 67th/14th

Adam Horler 84th/39th