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5 July 2009 Austria Ironman
Report from News Shopper Online
 Kinsey
sets new British record
10:40am Thursday 16th July 2009
BECKENHAM triathlete Nick Kinsey finished first in the
over-50 category of the Austria Ironman championships at Klagenfurt in Austria.
It was an emphatic success for Kinsey, who not only
finished 12 minutes clear of his long-time German rival Tim Rolf, but also set a
new British record time for a 50-year-old British Ironman.
He swam 2.4 miles in 60 minutes, biked 112 miles in
4hr55s, and ran a 3hr23s minute marathon to give him an overall time of 9hr26m.
As a result, Kinsey was the only UK athlete to qualify in
this race for October’s world championships in Hawaii.
The challenge will be tougher still as the Australians and
Americans have a few useful older triathletes, including the six-time Hawaii
winner, Dave Scott.
However, Kinsey is still confident of making a podium
finish.
He said: “If I can swim and bike like I did in Austria and
then do a better run, perhaps nearer to three hours, then I have a good chance.
“Normally the run is my strongest discipline but in
Austria I had some problems with my digestive system shutting down, possibly due
to the extreme 30 degree heat and consuming too many sugary drinks.
“The German man was catching me at the half marathon
stage.
“But I stopped briefly drank just water, ate a few
pretzel’s and suddenly I came back from the brink and sprang into life again.
“In the last five kilometres I was running faster than at
any point in the whole marathon. It was very satisfying.
“I sent a postcard to my running club Blackheath Harriers
to let them know the good news as they have recently formed a Blackheath
Triathlon Club, so I knew they were all following the race on the internet.”
To watch Kinsey take part in the world championships in
Hawaii on October 10, visit
www.ironmanlive.com
5 July 2009 Steelman Olympic distance Triathlon Dorney Lake Windsor (London & SE
Championships) 1500m/40k/10k
1. Thomas Sturdy Loughborough 2.03.09 (22.29/1.01.03/37.44)
81. Paul Delicata BH&B 2.18.14 (33.25/1.11.40/40.43) 21st
30-34
118. Roy Priestley BH&B 2.31.31 (36.18/1.12.44/39.04) 23rd 35-39
289. Neil Ayrton BH&B 2.43.49 (43.01/1.13.05/43.54) 25th 45-49
320. Jim Phelan BH&B 2.45.35 (34.44/1.19.20/47.38) 2nd V60
357. Kate Pratten BH&B 2.48.22 (36.25/1.23.47/44.34) 9F 30-34
598 Finished
14 June 2009 - UK Ironman 70.3
Photos from Steve Hough
Blackheath & Bromley Tri Club Update
The Tri
Club has had quite a busy summer. Members have been competing in various
races, including Ironman, 70.3 Ironman and Olympic distance events, more
of which later.
The
training routine has largely centred on Leybourne Lake with Sunday
mornings seeing a mixture of all three disciplines. Mike Russell, who
runs the facility, has been his usual helpful self and we now feel we
are really part of his “inner circle” by him making us cups of tea!
Swimming,
on Thursday evenings, has continued at Trinity
school,
with the Tri members of Striders of Croydon AC.
Lanzarote Ironman 23rd May.
Nick
Kinsey, John McConville and Trevor Simmons flew out to take part in,
what is arguably, the toughest official Ironman in the calendar.
The event
is known for its combination of heat, humidity, high wind and huge
climbs.
Unfortunately Nick came down with Salmonella on the Friday before the
race so was unable to compete.
When you
consider that John has dipped under 11 hours for an Ironman, his time of
12:11:45 underlines just how tough a course Lanzarote is. Trevor came
home in a very commendable 13:57:14. Nick would have his day.
UK
Ironman 70.3 14th June
Five
Blackheath & Bromley Tri Club members headed west in mid June to compete
in the UK Ironman 70.3. Steve Hough, Peter Burford, Rob Drake, Kev May
and Deniz Mehmed wanted to see for themselves the course that reduced
the mighty Kev to a walk the previous year. They weren’t disappointed.
With 53 hills in 56 miles on the bike course, with the run no flatter,
this one was going to be tough!
The day
started with a 3am breakfast due to a 6am start time. But as the start
time got nearer it was clear, unlike the reservoir, that heavy overnight
mist would make the swim dangerous with over 1000 competitors going off
in a mass start without being able to see where they were going.
The race
start was eventually put back to 7am with much grumbling about being
able to have a “lay in” until 4am if we’d have known. In reality, it was
so cold at 6am that even if the conditions were clear we would have
frozen on the bikes after getting out of the water.
The swim
was fairly uneventful for the B&B delegation apart from the usual bun
fight which is the mark of a 1000+ competitor mass start swim. I’m sure
boxing lessons wouldn’t go amiss as part of the training!
The bike
lived up to its reputation as officially the hardest bike section of any
Ironman 70.3 race globally.
The idea
was floated, the day before the race, to recee the bike course but after
realising that trying to remember 53 hills was next to impossible, we
agreed that we should just take it for granted that around the next bend
would be another hill, and there was!
The run was
a mixed affair of on and off road with plenty of gradient thrown in for
good measure. As a 3 lapper, the run would bring you tantalizingly close
to the finish, only to send you round again, twice.
The finish
finally came into view and although you felt sorry for the people who
were heading out for another lap instead of the finishing funnel,
secretly you didn’t feel too sorry. Ha!
So that was
it, a good time was had by all and Kev managed to exorcise the ghost of
UK 70.3 2008 with a cracking time that, if he had hung around after to
accept and pay for it, would have earned him a place at the 70.3 World
Championships in Clearwater USA!
Results:
Kev May. 5:24:50
Steve
Hough. 5:54:54
Rob Drake.
5:57:01
Deniz
Mehmed. 5:58:19
Pete
Burford. 6:38:20
Ironman
Austria 5th July
Nick
Kinsey’s day came at Ironman Austria. After having to pull out of
Ironman Lanzarote, with food poisoning, he stormed to a 9:26:13 time to
finish 74th overall out of a field of over 2000 finishers.
In the
process, he bagged a qualifying place at the Ironman World Championships
in Hawaii later in the year.
Germany
Ironman 70.3 16th August
Seven Tri
Club members, Kev May, Rob Drake, Deniz Mehmed, Lisa Page, Pete Burford,
Roy Priestley and Kate Pratten, signed up for the German round of
Ironman 70.3.
Three weeks
before the event, Pete came down with a cold which then developed into a
chest infection. Time was not on his side with the infection taking
longer than anticipated to clear. To make matters worse Pete managed to
virtually sever the top of his thumb a week before the event. These two
problems combined meant “Nine Fingers” was, unfortunately, well and
truly out of the game.
Unseasonably hot weather greeted the athletes on the day of the race
with temperatures hitting 30 degrees midday.
The swim
was a classic “out and back” affair with water temperatures just below
the level where wetsuits would be deemed illegal. This is due to the
real possibility of athletes overheating in the water.
The bike
course was very picturesque, looking, in places, like a backdrop for the
Sound Of Music. Instead of the UK’s 53 hills in 56 miles, the German
course had 3 major climbs, which never the less, nearly added up to the
same amount ascent as the UK course.
The run was
a 4 lapper through mostly parkland. The heat was taking its toll with
all of the competitors feeling the strain and unfortunately Roy was
forced to pull out with only about a mile to go to the finish. Kate, on
seeing Roy in trouble, pulled out also to accompany Roy in the ambulance
to hospital. A really selfless act which shouldn’t go without being
applauded.
Kev had
another good race with Rob, Deniz and Lisa completing the quartet of B&B
finishers.
Results:
Kev May. 5:20:49
Rob Drake.
5:50:01
Deniz
Mehmed. 5:58:28
Lisa Page.
6:34:05
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Ever
since my last visit to 'The Ironman' in Hawaii, in 2005, I had been planning a
return at age 50 .....to win my age category 50-54. Things don't always work
out........ 
It
was a beautiful morning and the sea looked fairly still. As usual the swim was a
bun fight for perhaps half a mile, I just got unlucky, with regard to where the
paddle-boarders (who hold the swimmers back, behind the line) at the deep water
start) chose as their exit route, when the cannon fired. Perhaps 20 or so of us
frontrunners piled into them in a major 'shunt', all kicking and clawing at each
other to get round them. It is difficult to swim when someone is half way up
your back pushing your legs down. Once into a rhythm, the swim flew by and I
rounded the boat at the turn round in 31 minutes, and got back to the Pier and
up the ramp to finish that section in 65 minutes, in 567 place from the 1800
starters. 