British Triathlon Championships 2009 – Strathclyde Park

May 15th, 2009 by Gavin

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I took it in the ass 3 times in 3 days this week . . .

I knew you would read on !!! but I am afraid thats as far as I am willing to go on that story.

It is the British Champs this Sunday and its all happening in Glasgow at Strathclyde Park – the same venue which will hold the Triathlon and Rowing at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

My first race in 9 months (!) and I am looking forward to it – it’s going to be a tough first outing of the year. The race forms part of the British Grand Prix series and the “Gavin wants a flat screen and new couch with reclining seats” campaign – and I am told it is a qualifier for the u-23 British Team for Europeans. I was expecting there to be a larger entry and although there are a few of the bigger names missing from the start list the pace is still sure to be on.

Training has been picking up recently – the speed in the chain gangs is ‘on’, I have been adding some speed on the track and slowly but surely my swimming is coming around. I have dressed Ma Lady with her aero wheels, sorted out my rubber, inserted some elastic to my Type-A’s and theres a bar of dark chocolate waiting to be taken apart square by square tomorrow.

The course is Glasgow is a multi-lap affair and will be broadcast on Channel 4 Television in the coming weeks. You can find all the incredibly exciting info below

( Supposedly the Women recieve an equal share of the prize money, but I’ll have to ask about that at the briefing …… lets face it, its a better question than “whats the water temperature” or “where’s the wheel stop ?”

Time spent in race briefing is time you can never have back !

I held the race briefing for the 2000 European U-23 Champs -believe it or not ! As I stood up to give my presentation I think the room went silent, not because I asked them to, it was more “who the hell is this boyo!”

I had given all the team managers a race pack beforehand, kindly left the same info in the athletes rooms and delivered my briefing like a good wedding speech – a good joke, an inappropriate joke about the French, a ‘toast’ to the top table, and “if there are no questions the band will start around 10pm”.

In and out like a fiddlers elbow!

They all turned up to the start on time - swam, biked and ran a couple of laps which were marked out with signs, bouys and barriers - and in the end a couple of Russian’s won and the band started at 10. )

Anyway where was I ?

oh yes the race info, click below