Its always good to go home. Its always good to race in Ireland, in Athlone. Its always good to win.



Swim:

It was 9pm when we got underway. The swim start was a bit rougher than I had expected ! I moved positions on the pontoon a few seconds before the hooter but then so did a few other guys ! I was being marked ..... then shortly after, being smacked. I had to suck it up; and when I followed the lead swimmer when he went off course I had had to chase. I managed to catch and pass some guys to lead it out of the water.

Bike:

It was on the bike that I won the race ..... I had said in an interview beforehand that i thought there would be a break at the start of the bike ...... I thought I would have had company though. I put my head down and didnt really look around until the turn of lap 1. I had a bit of a gap and with not much of an organised chase I increased the lead on the next 2 laps. I guess I sort of knew I could only loose the race at that point ... I got a text before the race and the advice read 'dont loose' !

Run:

I enjoyed the run .... something that doesnt happen alot in races. Running the first 2 laps at a decent pace, I made sure I could ease back in the final lap and still improve last years record ...... my mind switching to other races, other days.

Overall I had a great weekend in Athlone. The town and race gets bigger and better every year and ill look forward to going back  in the future. Thanks to all those who helped and supported me at the weekend - my family, triathlone, and sponsors.

Pink, you know it makes sense.