Triathlon

Last weekend I competed in the Activ8 Triathlon in Invercargill. Mike and I drove down in his family's old Mitsubishi van Saturday afternoon and arrived at the Kackling Kea backpackers around 7 pm. After stashing our gear we headed out into the wilds of hustling and bustling Invercargill. The were wide, straight, flat, boring avenues lined with shops that were mostly closed. The sidewalks were empty. We found a lousy restaurant to eat in and concluded that Invercargill didn't have much else to recommend itself besides claiming to be the world's southernmost city.

The next morning we awoke early to fresh baked bread, which apparently is a daily ritual at the Kackling Kea. Then we reported to the Splash Palace indoor swimming complex to register for the race and set up our bicycles at the transition area. I was competing in the long triathlon, which consisted of an 800 meter swim, 24 kilometer bike, and 8 kilometer run. Mike was doing the long duathlon, which was 8k run, 24k bike, and 4k run. The swim took place around a 100m square circuit in the pool, and while I was one of the last to finish, I wasn't too far behind and passed just about everyone within a few minutes on the bike. The bike course was two 12k loops on flat country roads. The run was also two loops, with a small section on a trail by a lazy river. I didn't have anyone to race against, as it turned out there was actually just one other male doing the long triathlon, but I pushed myself all the same and finished in 1:37:56. Mike finished the duathlon a few minutes behind me.

There were over a hundred people at the race, divided between long and short versions of the triathlon and duathlon, and some competing on teams. The organizers gave out quite a few spot prizes after the race, but neither Mike nor I won anything. Overall it was a fun race, a fun weekend, a little adventure, and a pleasant drive through rolling farmland.