Little Woody Race Report

My wall planner tells me that the last weekend in August was to be spent in Louisville, Kentucky trying to get my Kona slot; ah well, best laid plans and all that. If I couldn't spend my bank holiday weekend getting cooked from the inside out then a return to the Little Woody seemed a fantastic way to round out my season. Having raced the Aqua Bike version last year I knew at least part of the course and was well aware it suited a strong biker. Having endured a number of draft-fests this year I was fairly confident the sharp climbs and rolling hills of the Forest of Dean would sort the men from the boys, and 500ft more climbing than descent doesn't make things any easier.

Having booked my accommodation as close to Drummonds Dub as humanly possible without setting up camp in the car park I was a little annoyed to find out blue green algae meant the swim was being re-located to the Southern most point on the bike course. My 0645 departure quickly became a 0545 but lack of sleep aside, the new swim venue was nothing short of spectacular and one of the most pleasant triathlon swims I've ever encountered. Set at the National Diving Centre it was a disused mine and the water was so clear I was able to see my stroke slowly disintegrate as the swim progressed.

I exited in just under 28 minutes, suggesting the swim was around 150m short but my position overall was solid. Given the pretty poor times I've been posting in the pool post-Roth, either the stop clock at Ponds Forge is broken or my blueseventy Axis came to the rescue yet again. As someone who enjoys running up steep hills the 600m run up the side of the quarry was a nice addition and as I crested the slope with my heart rate close to 200m interval level, the sun was just beginning to rise above the sides of the mine. The weather Gods were smiling.

Due to the changed swim the bike was a new route. Although about 1500m shorter than last year my watts:speed would suggest it had considerably more ascent as a result of the swim being at the lowest point of the bike route. A hellish first 2k awaited as we wound our way up some rather steep and windy lanes. After reaching the start of the lap I concentrated on the basics keeping power steady and taking in fuel. As expected a few whippet thin riders passed me on the climbs but I reeled them back in on the flats. I felt solid for the whole ride and was only overtaken once by eventual race winner Sam Dell. That said, that was after Mr. Dell had to repair a broken front mech so kudos to him for riding damn hard!

I arrived in T2 in third position with the quickest bike of the day and three minutes down on first place. I soon ran into second and was about 2:15 down on Sam after what I believed to be the first turn around. Unfortunately the race went a little pear shaped for the leaders at this point. At about 4k an old sign had been used which still had “turn here” written on it. This wasn't the turn but, with oxygen starved brains and tired legs we turned here anyway. No one on the course could tell us where we should have turned so myself, Sam and Alex Scott in third simply ran back to T2 and asked what we ought to do. By this point Sam had run an extra 100m or so and we had all run the wrong way down a muddy path which resulted in a lost trainer for me but we had put a decent amount of time on 4th and it seemed we were running to decide the podium places. Sam and I gapped Alex by about 100m at around 15k and then Sam gapped me about 100m later and that was pretty much how it stayed for the remainder of the race. As instructed we added on a loop at the end to make up the lost distance but Sam was a worthy winner having suffered a mechanical on the bike and having run further than me and Alex. I was happy to finish in second after a really solid race and good end to the season.

The run signage was the only fault I can find with what is fast becoming one of my favourite races on the British calendar. The best swim I've done in the UK followed by a bike route that simply does not allow drafting ensuring a fair race throughout in a stunning setting. If you're tired of poorly refereed courses get yourself down to the Forest of Dean next year. Congratulations to everyone who completed a tough race and my hat is doffed to all those who finished the hellish Big Woody, must be one of the hardest Iron races in the UK.

Thanks to blueseventy, Alex at La Bicicleta, Sheffield and Lee and Sam at TriTopia, who've all helped me a huge amount this season. That's a wrap for me in 2010. Good luck to anyone who has races left especially those that are Kona bound.

See you all in 2011.