Just wanted to say what a great day this half iron man distance tri was starting from a very enticing calm sea at Teignmouth.

A clear morning, with the potential of sun as well, what more could you ask for….? It was quite surprising at the few number of entrants but I think this made it feel more special… especially when you come into the finish and the loyal crew are still there waiting your arrival, such patience.

The SWIM  was great - easy to sight the course, no crashing about with others being a small field, so no complaints there..!

The BIKE course was really well laid out and excellent having road direction arrows. Unfortunately for me, I have had a run of rubbish inner tube purchasing and though I spent Friday and Sat changing inner tubes after finding rear tyre completely flat and then testing them, realised I had leaky valve problems etc! Then, on the bike section armed with a new super duper inner tube, I thought no problems for me today, but there I was heading out of Dawlish, I felt the rear tyre bumping , got off and pumped it up.

As I pumped it I heard the valve hissing and thought you can’t be serious, another rubbish valve. The tyre continued to get soft, I then stopped over all about 5 times as it was a slow leak. Then, my chain decided it was not going to stay on the front big ring when changing but leap off and become jammed about 4 times, again I get off to un jam it.

All the while, the only other female competitor, Julie… over took me and we played the cat and mouse game for quite a while until I completely lost my position and that was at Mortonhamstead.  It's not such a good feeling knowing you’re really at the back of the pack, and a small pack, but my theory is, it's not over till the fat lady sings and all that!

On I push, hill after hill, terrain I know but still when you’re racing, you’re racing and you’re harder on your body!

Anyway, still it seems just me out there, way out the back, still a way to go but still with a tiny glimmer of hope I may have not have to actually change the inner tube completely and that pumping it up now and then is enough. This did seem to be the case!... the chain problem however was unreliable so I had to race like a crazy sewing machine on the flats and down hills till  I was pedalling ‘air’!!... very frustrating when you want to just keep pedalling!!... then, like a vision of real hope, I saw in the distance not far from the junction near Two Bridges hotel, taking us back to bike finish Julie, a tiny black shape, but it was her! …. Hope was coming back to me, it was a distraction to how my body felt, my mechanical worries and  that perhaps I could just race with a woman, the only other one in the event!

As miracles do apparently happen, I started to get closer to her and then was content I was in for a chance of a real ‘race’… very exciting! After well over an hour of not doing our hare and tortoise, I approached Julie and got chatting again. Within seconds, she was off again and I was thinking, ‘this girl’s strong and determined!’. I didn’t have all my gears so there I was pedalling like mad again to trying catch her..!  As we approached Dartmeet hill, I remembered this tasty little number from last year some time on a winters ride!

I went for this Mother-of-all hills with gritted teeth! (well I am talking personally) Up I went zig-zagging when I could and eventually got to the top leaving Julie in the middle of the hill while i started to cruise out on the flat in my sewing machine style again. By now I knew I had a chance to keep my position as long as I didn’t take a wrong turn which nearly happened as there was a small sign saying ‘dartmeet’ but  as I had not seen any ‘cool road markings’.. I decided to get back on the main drag and keep faith I was indeed on the right road.

It’s amazing how your brain functions with your body though when you  know the end is near  and you think you’ve done enough hills, and there are some more little ones to keep you on your toes, it’s like ‘no, I have done enough of those now thanks, just lets have a smooth fast finish!’…  But no, on I push still hoping I had made enough of a gap between Julie and myself. I was feeling very good by now and just cheating with the traffic on narrow bridges, anywhere to stop being held up by indecisive car drivers!

I came whizzing into T2 and just did a super quick change (for my usual messing around, I thought I was quick!).

RUN… Off into the woods I went. The run was stunning, and just a great temperature to run in as well. Because however I had not checked out the route beforehand, I was unaware of the layout, nor had a clue as to where we were all going to be heading. In doing so, I was not mentally prepared, which is just not like me but I was just going to treat it as a bit of extra intense training, & not take it too seriously!

I didn’t imagine the run to be as tough as it was, and for some reason I had got it into my head it was a 2 lap course from T2 and back etc so I got very confused when I was still running, no turn around and now heading up onto the moor. Then, I thought, perhaps I really didn’t listen and it’s a marathon!?...

Anyway, time was ticking on and by now I was thinking I really hadn’t taken in the briefing or read the e mails properly but I was still sure really it was only 13 miles. Despite all of that, I really enjoyed the run, though a little lonely it was time to think and look around and take in this fabulous part of Devon, wow!!. Thinking it was just myself and Julie still out on the course, I was suddenly caught up by a tall man in a blue suit running with a Garmin, so I asked him how far we had to go and he said ‘3 and a half’….. ‘so that’s it then, that’s the finish?’ I said.  ‘I bl##dy well  hope so ‘ he says!!  We ran for a bit then I took off and felt pretty satisfied that though I had felt morally low with my dodgy mechanics and knew i was ‘so at the back’, it pays to keep faith with yourself, know that you’re in it for yourself but that it’s good to have someone to race ‘with’, even if he/she does’t know it!

I came into the finish feeling totally ‘chipper’ and really happy that I had worked so hard  and had kept up the pressure on myself! It was great being first lady even though there were only 2 of us, it could have so swung the other way...! Many thanks to the friendly lovely marshalls and for the bottle of champagne and the hot sausage at the end! Thanks to Julie from Wales…. ! x

Sarah Danning….. finish time; 8.53 I think!

I have completed 2 full distance iron mans but it has to be said… my body felt the same after this half distance !! It is a great course, thanks to all organisers.!

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