WYE THE WOODY?
FOREST OF DEAN

A year into the 2010 Ironman programme and 14ACtri can reflect upon a highly successful evolution culminating, last weekend, with a half Ironman in the picturesque setting of Ross-on-Wye and the Forest of Dean. The Blenheim Palace sprint triathlon provided the inspiration for the team to complete another triathlon before the season was out so, after much research, it was decided that the Woody series of triathlons was the most appropriate. The Lands End to John O’Gaunt challenge and the Cross Channel swim ruled out Martin and Steve, respectively, from entering the Half Ironman ‘Little Woody’ so they fought it out with Leon for glory in the sprint distance ‘Baby Woody’. The burden of expectation, therefore, fell upon Andy and Rich who looked set to impress as they represented the team in the Little Woody both competing at the half Ironman distance for the first time.

BABY WOODY (SPRINT TRIATHLON)

Having had their run times dismissed at Blenheim on the basis they were too fast it was, perhaps, unsurprising that the organisers of the Baby Woody were equally inept at anticipating the lightning quick pace of Messer’s Foster and Gaunt. After producing a solid performance in both the swim and bike, both athletes were keen to annihilate what remained of the field on the run. The organisation of the event was questionable and highlighted when the Marshals failed to mark out the route by the time the illustrious 14ACtri duo reached the turning point. Undaunted by the prospect of venturing into the unknown, they braved the savage bramble and nettle lined path to create an even more demanding course. Whilst this admirable quality is only to be expected from aspiring Ironmen, it did not help their cause when it came to their positions in the Baby Woody. Moreover, it was the semi-aquatic ‘2-jeans’ Wooton who was able to capitalise on this detour and thus, unknowingly, head the 14ACtri pack.

Meanwhile, a passing official came across the intrepid explorers heading South towards the Severn Bridge and offered to give them a lift back to the course... in his car! Without hesitation, this was rejected and a more determined pair retraced their steps to pass Steve with 200m to go in an intense sprint finish that yielded a 11th/12th/13th back-to-back finish for Leon, Martin and Steve respectively. With times averaging around 20 minutes slower than Blenheim, hopes of a new personal best had been dashed reflecting not only the extra mileage but, also, the severity of the mountains on the ride that earn the Big Woody its reputation as the sixth toughest course in the United Kingdom! The early finish did, however, enable the team to join forces with Clements and Hodson in lending their support to Andy and Rich who were still battling hard in the Little Woody.

LITTLE WOODY (HALF IRONMAN)

The ‘Little Woody’ was to challenge the threshold of 14ACtri endurance with the first two members of the squad making the transition from Olympic distance to the considerably more arduous half Ironman discipline. With a celebrated field that included Spencer Smith, winner of the 2001 Florida and 2002 Brazil Ironman competitions, it was always set to be a tough race. It was thus, much to Richie’s dismay that he found his entire participation in jeopardy as he was forced to replace a blown out inner tube 10 minutes prior to the start. Fortunately, the 14ACtri Pit Crew were on standby to facilitate a rapid replacement and enable him to make the start with seconds to spare!!

The swim itself was unorthodox as it incorporated a series of runs between the lakes and, in addition, the distance was lamentably short of the 2000m it purported to be. From the start, Andy ‘Leaf’ Greenleaf was a strong contender emerging from the water in 9th place and taking full advantage of his light frame to immediately power up one of the more demanding hills on the ride. He rapidly propelled himself up the field into 3rd place from where he was able to keep tabs on the leading duo and the drafting which, regrettably, went unpenalised due to the manifest lack of officials policing the course. Consequently, Leaf had the impossible task of overturning what was, by that stage, a 7 minute gap on the run and in spite of his sterling performance, he was unable to improve on his position in the truncated half-marathon. With an incredible time of 4h52m19s Andy really has laid down the gauntlet in his maiden half Ironman event and looks set to continue to enjoy success in the build up to MMX. Richie finished in a respectable 5h51m34s crossing the line in 21st place having lost 15 minutes and 4 places to his second puncture of the day!

The Little Woody has emphasised the tremendous magnitude of the physical and emotional undertaking that will be incurred by the tri-athletes, and their WAG’s, seeking to complete the Ironman in 2010. The road to MMX will be long and demand meticulous preparation but, with a rigorous training regime over the course of the next three years and enough determination, there should be no reason why the ultimate accolade in physical endurance cannot be achieved by all.

Ricardo
Sports News Correspondent
INM