not sure if it was the quality of the
drink or the good tunes that were
blaring, but the vibe was so upbeat I
almost began to feel misplaced in my
competitive demeanour. I joined my
fellow racers at water’s edge.
This was my third official triathlon.
I had only started racing a month
earlier, and I was already loving the
multidiscipline sport.
The siren blared and the triathlon
started with a 400m swim in a
rectangular loop. I felt strong on my
swim. I exited the water following
a relay competitor who was in fact
an 11-year-old. I slightly regained
my confidence by beating him to
transition. My transition was efficient
and I stormed out on my bike.
The MTB leg started around the
dam, carried on upstream on a trail,
before looping back on a gravel
road. I was feeling pumped. My legs
began feeling the burn as I passed
a few competitors along the way. I
detected a single cyclist up ahead,
but I couldn’t close the gap on him. I
arrived in transition as he took off on
the run. I knew what I had to do next.
Catch him.
I tore after him. My breathing was
raspy and I felt the onset of a slight
cramp in my quads. I pushed on,
breaking my mental barrier. The
gap was closing – drastically. My
excitement grew as I closed in. We
were cruising between the dam and
vineyard. I realised my opponent was
my friend Jono. Unfortunately, his
lower back was tightening up. “Go
bru, you’ve earned it!” he said.
I charged on.
I sprinted along the dam wall,
crashing through a small puddle,
before crossing the line in first
place. I was beyond stoked. My
dad probably more so, considering
his valiant effort to drive such a
distance so I could race. I was even
more stoked when I received a large
bottle of red for my efforts! Sadly, we
had to rush and I could not stay for
prizegiving. I did don an awesome
finisher’s shirt though.
All in all I had an extraordinary
experience. I just wished I could have
stayed to enjoy more of the post-race
gees. But we headed home, content
with a hard-fought victory.
LOMOND TRIATHLON SPRINT
15 December 2018
Lomond Wine Estate, Gansbaai
Swim 400m MTB 15km Trail Run 6km
TOP MEN’S FINISHERS
1 Ryan Ball 01:09:09
2 Jono Jones 01:10:53
3 Jason Courts 01:14:04
TOP WOMEN’S FINISHERS
1 Almari De Milander 01:25:09
2 Lene Du Bois 01:25:30
3 Robin Bolten 01:26:50
Part of the Cape Agulhas Wine Route,
Lomond offers limited-production
wines and a range of tracks and trails
through the area’s beautiful fynbos.