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locarno triathlon sept 2008Here I am again, writing about the Locarno triathlon but this one is of a more positive nature so read on...........
The past 3 days before the event on Sat 6th Sept, it had poured non stop with rain & temperatures plummeted. The morning of the 6th I awoke to thunder, lightning & more rain. I honestly did not want to go through this all over again but once again, there was no way I could back out. I had raised another £1000/$2000 & the 4 guys from London who had also raised between them nearly £1000 were eagerly awaiting to participate in their first ever triathlon, amongst 459 competitors, of which very few spoke English !!
When we arrived to register, Adam nervously pointed out that everyone seemed so professional looking in their racing outfits on their fancy racing bikes, checking everyone else's fancy bikes out whilst we looked a sorry lot with the boys in their surfie board shorts with no seat padding.
Adam borrowed a 20 year old race bike but didnt have clip on shoes which hindered his hill climb whilst the other 3 picked up their rented, chunky looking road bikes. Not having time to check them out, poor Jav's bike would not pedal going downhill, so those two will definitely be doing faster times next year!!
With the five of us wearing our VITAL tshirts, we looked more like a football team than triathletes but we were a team, connected in spirit, to raise money & hopefully raise awareness around us, of the plight of millions of children around the world, suffering in conditions that we, in the west, take for granted - clean drinking water, education or basic health care .
We decided to inspect the route from the swim to the bike,& to the exit where we were able to commence the cycle leg. We could not believe the 6 inches of mud we had to run through. There was no way you could run through mud that deep without your shoes sticking in the mud like quick sand & who wants to cycle & run in shoes filled with mud??
Mithra always knew I was crazy but this time he thought I had really flipped! All summer long I would, much to his embarassment, wear a wetsuit, whilst swimming in the lake. Come the end of summer, 3 days of heavy rain with the lake rising 2m/6 feet from cold mountain water feeding into the lake, I decided to do the swim without a wetsuit. Surely I could put up with 12 minutes of freezing water. There was no way I was going to suffer another panic attack in a wetsuit!!
I was pleased with my swim, concentrating on a good strong swim rather than feeling sorry for myself in such cold water. Tom was opposite me in transition & threw me a much appreciated warm smile (he's such a cutie) as I raced off with my bike. Meanwhile Adam was hopping around on one leg trying to put on his bike shorts whilst the pro next to him whipped off her outfit in a quick orderly manner & was gone like lightning.
I decided to clip my shoes onto the pedals & run barefoot through the mud carrying my lightweight bike. I then wiped the mud off my feet on where ever I could find grass, unclip the shoes & wear them without socks! As I pedalled out, I missed the clip & scraped a 4 inch long scratch down my shin, which drew blood. The open wound was then splattered with mud. I hoped it would not get infected. Oh dear, when did I last have a tetanus shot? I ignored the pain & fear of lockjaw as there were more gloomy things to think of ahead of me! (Incidently, at the end of the event I noticed the pain was more than the achy sore muscles!!)
It was not long before the guys whizzed past me. I was accused of going on a sightseeing tour I was so slow!! Once again I froze with fear as a new challenge lay ahead of me - the strong wind blew in sideways rather than head on, tilting my bike at times to 30 degrees (well at least that's what it felt like but probably more like 15 !!) I actually thought the bike would slide sideways underneath me like motorbikes do in the movies but I pedalled on, once again in the rain.
Then came the uphill climb that I was aware of & dreaded. The wind changed & was now head on. I thought I would have to walk the bike as I ran out of gears, when what seemed like a never ending hill, finally plateau-ed out. How does one do a U turn without stopping??
Now the return down the hill in the rain. I stopped pedalling at 48kph/30mph as that was plenty fast enough for me. I have no hesitation at driving 120mph/192kph in either a pruis or a porsche but on a bicycle, I'm afraid of speed.
The first km of the run all I could think of was - I'm getting too old for this. The 2nd km I thought - I really mustnt force Mithra into doing this next year for fear of him suffering a heart attack!! At the halfway mark I was offered an energy bar. Concentrating on chewing this disgusting tasting bar over the last 2.5km made the run so much more bearable. Must remember to carry one next year as Adam said he was never offered one!!
So, thank you cheer squad for enduring the rain, the wind & the cold to cheer us on - you guys are the greatest. Thank you friends & family for your support & generous donations.
Please take a look at this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfAOVKjmDfg & KNOW that your donation WILL HELP hundreds of children like that little girl, receive an education, & remove her from the cycle of poverty. If you wish to donate again & help many more like her, you can still do so at www.mycharitypage.com/YvonneNeuman
See you all at the House of Parliament black tie dinner next year ok??
God bless you all & those children
Yvonne
xx
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