Noumea International Olympic - Race Report

Time flies fast, I have been home 3 days, and the race was nearly 5 days ago!
So back to the start, Friday afternoon, Tracy, Graham and I drove to Auckland and stayed at the Madgwicks house for the night. Azelda and Tracy made us a great dinner and I got introduced to chocolate eclair ice cream, I still prefer my vanilla though.

5am Saturday morning off to Auckland airport, arrive, plane delayed 1hr so we have a lot of time to kill. Get on the plane, and its a old school version, no inflight entertainment. I was looking forward to catching up on some movies. Arrive in Noumea at 12pm, wait for the bus shuttle, and get unloaded at the hotel at 2.30pm. Quick spin to check out the bike and run course and a little swim and its bed time.

Next morning rolls around and we wake to very pleasant race conditions, nice and warm so good preparation for IM Brasil. I have a very average start to the swim and lost contact with the race from the start, on to the bike and I have ok sensations in the legs but make no time on the leaders, Vernay, Ogrady, Farlow and a few others who are riding strong. Then comes the run, I get held up in transition with a lot of yelling in french at me, realise they want to see my number and I am let out of the gate :)
My legs get better as the run goes on and I end up in 6th place. A nice little hit out. I should really do these races a lot more, as I struggle with the top end speed (compared to IM pace) so they are really beneficial. The last time I raced a olympic distance was over 2 yrs ago!
Graham gets third, and we go off for a 40min run to get some volume in to the legs. Aaron Farlow gets a good win, with Vernay 2nd.

So by 11am we are all finished and then spend the rest of the day looking around Noumea and doing the tourist thing. Monday morning Graham and I finish the legs of with a 2hr run and a cycle. Tuesday we have a quick swim then back to the airport and home again.

Tracy and I are back to the airport this Tuesday, off to Brasil for Bevan and Dayanny wedding and then IM Brasil. Looking forward to punishing myself there :)