National Championships Off Road Triathlon in pictures

Signing up for the National Championships Off Road Triathlon, I knew I couldn't compete for any title, as I have a Swedish Triathlon Licence. No problem, I thought, it's a nice way of getting to know the level of competition in this niche of triathlon - which, by the way, seems to be the perfect niche for me, given my background in mountainbiking.

On Friday morning, 2 days before the race, I got an email saying the organisation just realised the rules had been changed for 2013 and, since I have a Dutch passport, I could still compete in the official competition. In my mind it made a big difference. Give me a bib number and a chip and everything changes. Butterflies in my stomach. Me, competitive? Hmwah, maybe a bit...

Well, I got a taste of how it is to compete in a field with former Olympians, XTERRA podium finishers and the like.

Here's my race report. In pictures, because pictures are worth a thousand words...

Serious face... I'm nervous.

 

 

 

 

I struggled the whole 1500m to find the right position in the field.

Out of the water after 27.02 (?) minutes. At this point, I thought it had been much more than that and was irritated (with myself).

Can you see me smiling?! Definitely (back) in my element. The girl behind me wasn't as technical, but faster, so we alternated position for 25K, when I finally got rid of her in a few technical corners.

Just cruisin' :). With an average pace of 20k/h, I am satisfied with my time and performance on this technical course. From a tactical point of view, it would have been better to push hard on the long stretches, keeping me ahead of my competitors with less technical skills. Now I ended up behind them on the technical sections, where it was hard to overtake them (and thus, gain time).

Some of the obstacles we faced...

Run! Vlaardingen (Google!) is at +1 over sea level, mostly flat (and ugly), but the dikes are steep...

Last lap! My only goal was to maintain my position, so I am taking it easy, saving my legs for the triathlon in Cologne. Finishing 8th overall and 5th age group, I am happy with my results but most of all, for the experience of starting in such a high-level race. There is definitely a difference - particularly in mental stress levels. Me, competitive? Mwah, maybe a bit...

Photo courtesy Eric Wictor (and, thanks for the support)