Wight Tri members Alan Jones and Daniel Morgan travelled to a wet and windy Weymouth to compete in the Weymouth Iron Man 70.3 middle distance triathlon on 22nd September.
The event comprised of a 1.2 mile swim in Weymouth Bay, then onto a 56-mile cycle through the undulating Dorset countryside before finishing with a multi-lap 13.1 mile half marathon run up and down the seafront.
An early start, with a long walk to the start, saw Alan and Dan passing many people still out enjoying the Weymouth nightlife. Arriving in transition 45 mins before sunrise gave them plenty of time for last-minute checks of their kit and to be ready for the race. It was during this time an announcement was made that the swim would be shortened to 950m due to safety fears with the conditions in the bay. This can often happen with late-season triathlons that have sea swims.
Entering the water first, just before 08:00, local firefighter Alan had a great swim completing the single lap in 17m 51s. Not far behind, Dan finished in 18m 27s. Conditions on the swim appeared to be much better than anticipated and most competitors felt a full distance swim could have been completed.
Onto the bike course and the wind and rain that was forecast was in full effect. The single-lap course was similar to Island riding with lots of up and downs around country lanes. Dan was back first off the bike, passing Alan around the 45-mile mark and completing the course in 2h 47m 22s. Alan finished the bike in 2h 50m 41s.
Fortunately, the seafront run was flat and the rain stopped about the halfway mark. Unfortunately though, the wind had got stronger and when the sun came out it was hot too. Both Alan and Dan ran well, Alan passing Dan at 4 miles to complete the half marathon in 1h 46m 45s. Dan finished 6 mins back with a run of 1h 54m 38s.
From the 2,500 people who entered some 2,000 people finished – the tough conditions on the bike taking their toll on people physically and their bikes mechanically. The roadside was a constant stream of people with punctures or damaged bikes from crashing. One person was seen peddling with only 1 crank arm, another competitor ran 6 miles of the bike leg due to a mechanical issue.
With a total time of 5h 04m 03s Alan finished 276th overall and 36th in the 40/44 Age group.
With a total time of 5h 10m 08s Dan finished 349th overall and 41st in the 40/44 Age group.
Well done Dan and Alan, doing yourselves and the Island proud!