Does it get any better than this?

Years ago, sometime in the late 1980's, I recall a TV interview with Liverpool FC hero Craig Johnston (nickname Skippy) where he explained how he had become disenchanted with football after the Liverpool manager, Kenny Dalglish, had told him after they had won the FA Cup Final that it ‘didn’t get any better than this’.

After that comment, Johnston felt that if, indeed, it didn’t get any better than that, then why stay in the game, because surely everything afterwards can only be going downhill? He left the UK to return to his native country. I don’t know what he has been doing since then, but he certainly disappeared from the UK football scene – more’s the pity.

I have just returned from Australia – ironically, Johnston’s home country – after having competed for Great Britain in the World Championship Sprint Triathlon Championships against some of the best amateur triathletes in the world. And, as I write this blog – my final blog – I am left wondering if it can get any better than this. As I sit here now, I truly doubt that it can.

Regular readers will know how much it meant to me to qualify for Team GBR. Hours and hours of training, regardless of time of day, the weather, the cost - all in the pursuit of representing my country, hoping to fulfil a childhood dream.

Having fulfilled that dream, I am very proud and pleased to present to you my diary of the time spent in Australia. I suspect a lot will mean nothing to the reader, and nor is any of it necessarily grammatically correct because it is all written in my own, unedited words as things happened.

Moreover, it is a frank and honest account of what happened ‘down under’ (and I apologise in advance about how long it is, but I didn't want to miss anything out) and is really intended for my own personal use, as an aide memoir of what went on and to hopefully trigger happy memories for me when I look back when I am old and grey, and when I bore my grandchildren senseless of the time I ‘played for my country’.

So, sit back, inject a little caffeine, and see what you think…

Day 1 – Thursday - flight

OK, nothing major to report. Emirates airport amazing architecture. All going according to plan.

Day 2 – Friday – flight

Due to time zone changes this day never actually happened.

Day 3 – Saturday – sleeping/unpacking/chilling

Flight lands on time (6.30am local time). Transfer to hotel. Unpack. Lunch on promenade. Supermarket. Sleep. Drive around the district at midnight. Have found free wifi to use during our stay here.

Day 4 – Sunday

Ride the cycle course. Dead flat and very fast.

Ok, so I gotta stop being star struck - have been talking to a guy doing the Oly in my AG (Charles Ashwanden) who had won his age group at Blenheim and came 7th overall, beating most of the elites on the bike.

The team hotel is full of GB athletes (obviously). I need to realise that I earn’t my place here, just like everybody else. Still, it is strange thinking I am here to compete against these guys who are the best in the world.

A thought occurs to me. With Ironman, any old Tom, Dick of Harry can enter (‘any old’ sometimes being the operative word). With this event, you need to earn your place, so you get no slackers here. They’re all here because they set their goals, got them, and this is their AA+ race as well as it is mine. The mindset of a world athlete is different from an Ironman. It is more serious, believe it or not.

Off to Sea World. Polar bears. Eating out in the evening at a lovely sea food restaurant. Late night interval run for 30 minutes. Home, bath, bed.

Day 5 – Monday

Up at 10am.

Sort bike stuff – tyre/seatpost. MGM studios – great park rides. Back at hotel.

Too dark for planned bike ride. Last hard full session – an interval run along the sea front. It’s not everyday you bump into Tim Don on a training run.

A-M and I in rather silly moods so decide to post funny comments on the team Notice Board in the reception in our hotel.

Great restaurant – Marios – where a waitress there had lived for a while in St Albans waitress. Dogidoo. Chavs. Both previus comments are private jokes.

Day 6 – Tuesday

Short 35 min interval run session. Colin’s day for triathlon stuff – no theme parks today! Gotta keep off my feet.

Drive to bike shops/swim at Miami outdoor 50 metre pool/lunch on lovely beach at Burleigh heads/shopping/back to hotel.

Easy run, feeling good – easy 7 minute miling. Chilling evening in.

Day 7 – Wednesday

Up at 8am.

Ride the course. Can’t believe how many non-TT bikes there are. The bike course is dead flat, except for a small incline at the turnaround point. Hoping for a sub-30 minutes bike split (haha)!

Registration. It all feels very, very real now.

Aquathlon goes well. Good first run (although overtaken as usual), OK swim (but keep cramping and getting overtaken), great second run (not being overtaken, but am overtaking for a change - yippee). Beat mate Dave Knight (competing at Oly distance in 30-34 age group) by 1.5 minutes! Not a good time or placing (39/42 in age group)(264/372 overall) but happy considering I am against Oly distance athletes and also without the bike (my strongest part). Happy that I am not feeling any of the pains and injuries which I have recently been suffering from. This is the real deal!!!

Eating too much rich food. Probably putting on the pounds but hey it helps with the likely non-wetsuit swim.

Day 8 – Thursday

Busy day today! Swim practice on the course. Lovely wetsuit swim, getting good sighting points.

Now off for Team GB race briefing. This is the real deal – briefing, photos (meet the other guys – taking plenty of team and tritalk photos).

Getting the bus back with Dr Sarah Springman OBE (a GB legend of Ironman who, I think, held the GB female Ironman record before Chrissie Wellington and who is a top-dog at the ITU) who ushers us onto the bus!

Fellow age grouper Blake Bedford (really funny guy who I had got to know at the qualifying races back home) breaks a rib whilst out on a training ride out here and so is out of the race – how gutted must he feel? $300.00 nicked by cleaner from hotel room. At least I am not in Blake's position (fingers crossed). Trying not to make a big deal out of the theft.

Now off to the pasta party, then the Parade of Nations – been really looking forward to this.

Parade of Nations absolutely awesome. Waiting for the off when all athletes are taking photos of each other and other nations. Awesome experience and atmos. The New Zealanders spontaneously do the Haka which is something else. The biggest pasta party ever!

Off to see some Whales tomorrow.

Day 9 – Friday

Easy bike with Dave including 4 x 1 min intervals. Feeling good, keeping on his wheel.

Report stolen money. Manager seems sympathetic and will make investigations.

Off to see the whales - fantastic! Whales and dolphins and great weather, great post lunch.

Back for a nap and a look at the start lists to compare names from the aquathlon. Off to the venue to do the run route at tempo pace – last training session before the race. Feeling good!

Shopping. Early to bed for the final early night.

Day 10 – Saturday

Olympic age groupers and male elites today.

Watching the age groupers – great atmosphere and great course for spectators. Taking loads of video.

Getting a bit twitchy now.

Off to drop the bike off. Very hot! The male elites are fab - got a great vantage point in the grandstand, although am staying on my feet too long. Brownlee wins!!! That boy is awesome.

Grub, then to bed at 9pm for an early start! Tomorrow’s the day!!! Eating too much, but no worries - it’s all carbs!

Day 11 – Sunday – RACE DAY!!!

Race Report:

Pre-race

Get up early – 4am – having packed everything the evening before. Shower, breakfast, final check, then off at 4.45am to catch the 5am bus across the road. Get on the bus where there are other athletes whose faces I recognised but don't know their names. The bus is quiet with nerves.

No problems getting to the venue – get there at 5.15am.

Enter transition with bag, helmet etc, having taken the bike down the previous day. Video going into transition. It is still dark, but the sun is gradually rising.

Find my bike where there are many other athletes, one of whom is Rory Bryan (another Brit age grouper) who is just a couple of spaces away from me. Chat briefly. Rory chatting to other athletes in what can only be described as an attempt to intimidate them, but in a very 'jolly hockey sticks' kind of way (he's quite posh), saying how well he thinks he is swimming at the moment. Can’t help but like him though.

I am getting into the zone but also treating it as any other pre-race prep. All goes well, then out I come and we head for the start, well ahead of time.

By the time I finish in the toilet, etc. the 30-34 age group are in the pre-race holding area. This means that there is not long before I have to start getting ready, and so this I do on the grass slightly away from the beach, in the usual way.

Once ready I head to the holding area where I meet up again with Iain Martin (another fellow age grouper and friend from tritalk) and also Kealan Toal introduces himself to me. A few nervous jokes and we are ushered down to the start line.

An eerie silence prevails, whereupon I realise that this is now all very real. There we are, 62 of us lined up on the beach, ready for the gun. It is a strange feeling. Very strange indeed. Months and months and months of training has brought me to this point – the point at where I had decided I would strive to get to 24 months earlier – and here I am. I am actually moments away from the gun.

I take a step forward from the start line, turn around, look at the competition for a few seconds, and then step back. No turning back now.

The countdown begins and before I know it the gun goes off and off we run into the sea. I wonder if I am on the internet.

Swim – time 14:06

The swim goes well. I had already picked out my land-based sighting points and stick with them.

Using bilateral breathing and concentrating on all elements of my stroke. I adopt a good rhythm and find the occasional draft. I take straight lines and don't veer off course at all.

Notice Becket Bedford (brother of Blake) beside me (as usual!) in his Orca 3.8 wetsuit, but manage to pull away from him as he goes slightly left off course. Turn the final buoy and start kicking my legs to get them ready for the bike.

Exit the water, hear A-M call my name and start to undress as I run fast to transition.

T1 – time 1:47

It is a long run up the shore and around transition to my bike, by which time my wetsuit is around my waist. Get to my bike, wetsuit off, helmet on (note number belt only required for the run), take my bike and off I run with it around transition to the bike exit, run up to the bike mount area on the road, jump on, feet on shoes, head out onto the bike.

Perfect transition. Feeling good.

Bike – time 32:44

Get up to a good speed and slip my feet in, by which time I am into a fast pedalling rhythm.

So far, so good.

I don't have a clue where I am in the race, although I do notice quite a few bikes left in transition, so I know I am not last. But I do remember glancing at my watch coming out of the water and it was something like 14 minutes so feel a bit flat that the swim wasn’t fast. No worries, I am now out on my bike and chasing down plenty of cyclists ahead of me (consisting of earlier waves who are younger males and all female age groups).

Turn the first 180 degree corner onto the fast stretch of around 5 km, although the first part of this is uphill so it does take it out of my legs and lungs at first. Get into a good rhythm though soon after this and am picking off other cyclists.

Find myself in a pack of some Aussies and other nationalities (mainly USA) who are clearly drafting (illegal) off each other. Try to overtake these but find that the effort required takes it out of my legs, so I let them go.

I continue to pick off athletes, only being overtaken by the occasional one or two from a later age group. Overtake Wayne Poulter (another GB athlete who I have been beating in qualifying races) who re-overtakes me on the hill, but I overtake him again later on the flat stretch and continue to increase my lead on him (eventually by over 2 minutes).

Notice fellow GB’s ahead of me coming in the other direction, having obviously already reached the turnaround – Alan Harris, Kealan Toal, Iain Martin.

Reach the turnaround and again put my foot down. Am going at a steady rhythm and high cadence and speed (averaging 24.9 mph), then get caught up in a group again consisting of younger riders on their second lap. Finger wagging from a draft buster, but what can I do? I let them go slightly ahead of me until eventually many of them head left at the end of their bike-leg and the end of my first lap.

A guy named St Croix and I are left to continue out into the turnaround for the second lap whereupon he pulls away. At last I am on my own, then some way after the turnaround I see Becket take the turnaround the wrong way and head for the bike exit. I thought he must have got it wrong because he's quick, but he ain’t that quick!!! (found out later he had followed a group of younger riders and had taken the wrong turn to finish, instead of taking his second lap).

Continue along the very fast road in a similar speed to the first lap where I pick off many riders and am only overtaken very occasionally by faster older riders.

Finally get to the end of the bike, relieved I haven't fallen off at the turnaround points and/or punctured, heading to the dismount line at speed, dismount perfectly, then run with my bike down the path to transition.

A personal best time, made all the more satisfying that it is all off my own steam, and not with the assistance of drafting off anyone else.

T2 – time 1:02

Another perfectly executed transition. Rack bike, shoes on, pick up hat and race belt and off I run whilst putting on the hat, race belt and taking a gel.

All going according to plan, including nutrition, although I hadn’t drank the entire bottle on the bike.

Run – time 22:00

Feel sluggish on the run, not helped by the first part out of transition being up and over a purpose-built bridge over the ‘bike in’ path. Nevertheless, get into a good rhythm, but this is clearly going to be the time when all the cyclists I had overtaken are going to run me down.

180 strides per minute (something which I had been practising all year), I am running Ok, but I had obviously pushed it hard on the bike, because I know I can run faster than this.

Brits ahead of me were, I knew, Rory Bryan, Alan Harris, Kealan Toal (who is obviously having the race of his life) and Iain Martin. Behind me is everyone else, Wayne Poulter, Barry Holmes, Beckett Bedford and anyone else. Am determined to stay in my current position, although at the turnaround of the run I can see Wayne and Barry pulling me in.

Get to the turn into the final 400 metres and Wayne flies past me. I try to stay with him but he is just too quick. Let him go and concentrate on picking off other runners and keeping Barry away.

Get to the finishing chute, take my flag from a very smiling Jasmine Flatters (team manager) and run to the line. Sprint finish with two others – Aussies I think – and manage to beat one, whilst weakly holding my flag in the air. I have finished!!!

Overall – time 1:11:37, place (overall AG) 40/62, place (Brits AG) 6/11, place (overall males and females) 359/868

A post-race analysis of the results shows the following:-

1. I was 44th out of the water;

2. I gained one place in first transition by starting the bike in 43rd place;

3. I gained three places on the bike by coming into second transition in 40th place;

4. I gained a further two places in second transition by starting the run in 38th place; and

5. I dropped two places on the run by finally crossing the finish line in 40th position.

I suppose that means I'm 40th fastest at my age group in the World and 6th fastest in the UK - maybe not entirely realistic but, hey, you gotta be in it to win it!

Full Race Results here and here

Post-race

Am handed my medal and head out to the athlete area where I join Rory, Alan and Iain. Speak briefly about the race then speak to Kealan and congratulate him on his fantastic race. He says he was with a pack on the bike, which does seem to explain his fast bike split.

Wayne, on the other hand, has worked very hard to catch me. He says that he felt that I had tried to stay with him, but he simply beat me fair and square, so well done to him.

Barry and Becket follow, as do any other remaining Brits.

Take my time in the athletes area to take in and savour the moment, then head out to be greeted by A-M, Dave and Leava. The race is over and I wear my medal with immense pride. Job done. A-M and I head out to near the transition area and I lay there looking into the sky.

Walking back after the race for some post race grub and beers we get talking to a photographer. He is going on about races he attends. Tells us his name – Nigel. Nigel Farrow. Wow - the one and only Nigel Farrow (my words, not his!)! Tri photography royalty. A name I had heard of for years and there he is – flesh and blood. Really nice guy.

Awards ceremony later that evening is quite simply something else.

The presentations to the Paratriathletes and, in particular, to a guy aged 84 who receives a standing ovation from the 4000 or so in the crowd, are very emotionally charged.

There then follows an amazingly unique sight which I have never witnessed at any event before, not even at multi-national events such as Ironman, and that is a Moroccan-market-style swap shop in the centre of the venue wherein athletes from many nations are trading their nation’s tee-shirts and race kit with those of other nations. It is an extraordinary sight indeed where 100 or so athletes are tightly packed together bartering and trading. Extraordinary indeed, but apparently this is usual at the World Championships.

Day 12 – Monday – after race

Wake up to no alarm clock.

Chilled.

Out to the beach for the day. Lovely lunch. Back to the hotel to go to the police station to report the money theft the previous week.

Planning on some beers this evening with A-M, Dave et al. Smoke my Cuban Cigar (gift from mate Peter Wade) – my first smoke in over 20 years. Sit out on the balcony with A-M. Times are good!!!

Great night out with A-M, Dave, 'Mad' Martin (his cousin) and Leava. Drinks aplenty.

Bed. Need to be up early to tidy for the final day. Sad .

Day 13 – Tuesday

Up early and packed.

Plan is to go to the pool for the day for some final sunshine, then off!

Got to go to the police station again to get the crime report number. Do that. Back to the hotel, then off home.

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So that’s it. That is the week (or, rather, 13 days) that was. I am sitting here writing this blog on the plane back to the UK. No doubt I will be putting the finishing touches to it when I arrive home and have opened all the bills.

I have many, many pictures and videos of the week, certainly far too many to put up here, so I shall be creating a flickr (or some other similar internet-based program) account to which I shall upload in due course, and maybe also will upload my race-week video once I have learned how to edit and upload it to YouTube.

In the meantime, here is a rather fuzzy video of me and my flag falling across the finish line (scroll forward to 16:23), here is a link to a short video on the ITU website, here is one to the BBC highlights show and here are a few of my favourite photos…

A few of us tritalkers at the team GBR photo-shoot.



And some of the 40 - 44 age groupers (that's me third from the left)



Me and Dave (bottom row, left to right), muscling in on a group photo at the Parade of Nations.



A screen-shot of the Haka at the Parade of Nations - spine-chillingly impressive.



Me running (sort of!) at the aquathlon.



That boy Brownlee sprinting away from his nemesis Gomez. We had the best seats in the house.



The nerves are jangling on the start line. It's dead quiet.



Me kissing my finisher's medal, waving my Union Flag which I was passed for my finish line sprint.



Smoking the Cuban cigar which my mate Peter had given to me after Blithfield for qualifying. I had saved it for race day.



I must thank Anne-Marie who has been with me every step of the way on this fantastic journey. She was there at the very beginning when I made my decision to try for the team – all those months ago (about 24 of them!) at the Northampton Sprint – right the way through to the finish line on Sunday, and every qualifying race in between. Her support and belief in me throughout has been immeasureable.

Jasmine Flatters, the team manager – whose extraordinary organisational abilities kept the whole thing flowing smoothly, and who I must thank for ‘being there’ when this rather naive newbie needed help during the week – created a Facebook group, and so here is the link (again, most probably only for my own use).

There was also an extensive thread on tritalk here about the Age Group World Champs, upon which I was quite a regular contributor.

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Triathlon has taken me to many fantastic places around the world. But surely none so better than the beautiful Gold Coast. And surely none so better than to compete for my own country.

Sitting within throwing distance of Elite Alistair Brownlee crossing the finish line, in first place, and thus winning the title, at the Grand Final of the triathlon World Championships. Then going back to get ready to compete for GB in the race of my life the following day. What more could a triathlon fanatic want? Well, frankly, nothing. Surely it can’t get any better than this.

It's certainly been an emotional 12 or so months with its fair share of downs as well as ups.

From a personal perspective, it's been great. Adam has passed his 11+, Emily has fallen in love, Joe has passed a plethora of GCSE's. The kids are growing into well-rounded individuals and hopefully my exploits have shown them that, however unlikely they are, dreams can come true if you really put your mind to them.

From a triathlon point of view, there's been the joy of seeing myself rise above the results lists as each race went by, culminating in Age Group podium places at Northampton and Blithfield. There's been the countless PB's in what has got to be my most successful year in triathlon to date. And, of course, there's been the pride of representing my country.

But then there's been countless sleepless nights pondering over whether my tyre will survive the 35 minutes needed to stay on course. And the sacrifices I have had to make to train when I really, really haven't wanted to, when I’ve wanted to pick up the ‘phone and order in a chicken tikka masala.

The culmination of all these ups and downs was my trip to The Gold Coast this week and it definitely surpassed all expectations. The Australians are lovely people – very accommodating - and the Land of Oz is a beautiful place. The local food was great. The company was superb. I could go on, but I think you get the picture.

I am now looking forward to taking some time off. No training. No training log. Plenty of curries and beers.

And, alas, no more blog.

My blog was only ever conceived as a log of my thoughts and training leading up to my hopeful qualification for the Worlds, and its ultimate intention was to report on the race. Thus, it has served its purpose and so this entry will be the last.

In thoughts similar to that of Kenny Dalglish when he spoke to Craig Johnston in the 1980's, I doubt my triathlon career could get any better than it has over the past couple of weeks, and so my blog happily finishes on an all-time high.

Adios, my friends, it’s been emotional, and thank you for sharing it with me.

Colin