The Dalby Triathlon is a fantastic local event which is well supported by the community and superbly run by a committed committee. It is a day that I always look forward to.
Open Teams (750 m swim / 20 km bike / 5 km run):
This was a Dalby State High School team of me, Jason Caruso (Deputy Principal) and Charlie Ford (year 12 student). Jason had a smoking swim and gave me a good head start. I was very happy with my bike leg and Charlie finished it off nicely. We won by a good margin. The actual distance of the bike leg was a little shorter than advertised at 18.5 km and I managed a 26 min 43 sec time for this (this was my actual ride time, it was officially 27 min 12 sec with transition added). This was an average of 41.8 km/ h, which I am pleased with, given the technical course (left turn, right turn, u-turn, u-turn, u-turn, u-turn, u-turn, left turn, right turn). There was also a significant headwind on half of the course.
The thing I am most pleased about though, were my power numbers. It has been a long, long (long) time since I have been able to produce numbers like that. This is hopefully an indication that I am getting close to being where I was before my two shoulder operations this time last year.
My ride also won me the Greg McVeigh Memorial Prize for the fastest bike leg by a local. Greg was a very keen Dalby cyclist who passed away some time ago. I am honoured to have won this prize:
Business House Challenge (300 m swim / 7 km bike / 2 km run):
This event is a lot of fun and is hotly contested each year. This year there were twenty teams entered; all representing local businesses. Dalby State High School had two teams and mine was the same as in the open event, except that Bronwyn Henschell (Sport / Physical Education - Head of Department) did the run instead of Charlie. All team members need to actually work at the business that is entered. Jason again had a great swim and I went full gas on the ride. Bronwyn had a very slick run and we managed to win with a couple of minutes to spare. I must admit that my legs were a little cooked in this one (we only had a thirty minute rest after the end of the open event) so my time was not blistering. For the 7 km I managed a 9 min 54 sec time (again, my actual ride time, it was officially 10 min 19 sec with transition added). 42.5 km/h average on a shorter version of the same technical and windy course. It was a great team effort and the trophy is now proudly on display in the school office:
Junior Event (100 m swim / 2 km bike / 400 m run):
The Junior Event was a big deal for me for two reasons this year. Firstly, because my new coaching business (DRP Coaching) sponsored the event. Secondly, my two little girls, Megan (8) and Hayley (7) were competing in their first ever triathlon. They were two of the youngest in the Under 10 years field and did really well to get through it. Very proud dad!
Credit to Paul Renner from the organizing committee for all the photos on the day.
