DTM proudly sponsored Iain Murray as he competed for the GB Age Group Team at the European Championships in Pontevedra. Whilst we will let you read Iain’s account of the event itself and on his result (see below), DTM would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Iain on what is a fantastic achievement. In Iain’s words…..

“After the Shropshire Triathlon it was a relatively easy start to the week regarding training. This involved a day’s rest followed by an easy cycle allowing the body time to recover. The training from then on consisted of short sets with a high level of effort followed by a few easy sessions prior to race weekend.

Friday 24th July
I, along with a fellow club member Pete Brook, left Chester early Friday to travel to Gatwick airport. The journey to Gatwick wasn’t too bad and we made good time. The flight was on time and soon we were on the bus from Porto to Pontevedra. Finally after a full day travelling we arrived at the hotel at 11:30 pm, feeling a little weary and very hungry. After a quick check in we ventured out into the town to find something to eat. This was fairly easy to do as the people of Pontevedra seem to eat very late. Having been fed and watered I finally crashed into bed at about 1:00am.

Saturday 25th July
Having had a good night’s sleep, I awoke at about 8:00am and went down for breakfast. Breakfast is one of the main meals of the day when preparing for a race and would usually consist of a bowl of porridge with honey and a cup of coffee or two. Unfortunately this was not to be the case in Pontevedra. Breakfast consisted of a croissant, a bread roll and a small cup of coffee. After breakfast I went for an easy 20 minute run and the day was beginning to warm up. It was only 9:00am and the temperature was already 25⁰ C. This would be a sign of things to come!! The rest of the morning involved of unpacking my bike and putting it together ready for race day and meeting with the Great Britain Team Manager. He explained the procedure regarding racking the bike, this was to be from 6:00pm that evening. He explained that the course would consist of one lap for the swim, going up the river on the left hand side and returning down the opposite side. The bike would be two laps. The first part was a flat section followed by a 5 – 6 mile climb that started off relatively ok but gradually increased in steepness for the second half. Then it was a turnaround and straight back down to the bottom before reaching the flat section and to do it all again. The run was 4 laps through the town with a step section of about 400m in the middle. Once we had asked all the necessary questions it was time for something to eat and then to watch the elite women.

Stepping outside it was evident that the temperature had continued to rise and was approaching 35⁰C just before the women set off on their race. I was glad that I would be racing at a cooler time of 8:14am the following day. After the race I went in search of something to snack on but could only find some bread, oranges and energy drinks.
At 6:00pm I and the other Chester Triathlon members went down to rack our bikes and watch the elite men’s race. This was a fantastic race and resulted in a British 1, 2 with the Brownlee brothers taking the top places again. Afterwards it was a quick bite to eat before heading back to the hotel. Before going to my room I thought that I had better check what time breakfast was in the morning. The answer I was given by the woman at reception was not what I or any of the other triathletes staying in the hotel would have expected. I was told that breakfast was at 7:00am. When I said that I and all the other athletes would be racing from 8:00am, she said that I would have to ask the night porter in the morning and see if he would do anything for me. This was not the best news, but at that time of night there was not much that I could do. I would have to rely on the gels, oranges and energy drinks I had.

Sunday 27th July: Race Day.
Waking up just before 6:00am, I had a quick shower, gathered my kit and went downstairs to see what I could get to eat. All that was on offer were some croissants due to an early delivery and a cup of coffee. Not an ideal situation for the perfect race day breakfast, but the best on offer.
I left the hotel at about 6:30am and headed to the transition area which was about a twenty minute walk. The town’s nightclubs were still open and the late night revellers were spilling out on to the pavement. What a strange sight it must have been, lycra clad people mixing with the late night revellers!!
As I got closer to transition the number of athletes increased as we all headed for transition. In transition everybody busied themselves with the final preparations. Adjusting and tweaking things, along with checking out the entry and exits for the bike and run were the procedures being carried out, more out of a need to do something than necessity.
Soon it was time to get the wet suit on and gather at my allocated wave point ready to proceed into the water when called. The waves set off every 4 minutes and I was in the fourth wave. As the waves before mine set off, the anticipation and adrenalin increased, before we were taking the final steps onto the pontoon before getting in the water. A silence seemed to spread over everyone as we waited for the hooter to signal the start of the race. Then it was all systems go as the hooter sounded.
The start of the swim consisted of the usual ruck as people jostled and fought for clear water and the most direct route to the first buoy. The pace was fast as would be expected in a race like this. I concentrated hard to maintain a good pace and to avoid getting caught up in the moment and go off to fast. Eventually everyone found their own pace and I was able to strike a good rhythm and pace for the rest of the swim. I eventually finished the swim in eighth place before running the 400m to transition and heading out on the bike.
Having run the distance from the swim into transition my legs were ready for the bike. With the first mile being flat this helped me before attempting the first of the two climbs. Ensuring I didn’t go out too fast too early I made a conscious effort to maintain a sensible pace up the hill. Finally, I reached the turnaround point and was glad for the downhill section as I would be able to reduce my heart rate as well as cool down because the temperature was starting to rise. Holding on for dear life and daring not to look at the speedo on my bike I soon arrived at the bottom before starting to climb again for the last time. This time there were more athletes as all of the waves had completed the swim and everyone was heading onto the bike course. Weaving my way through the other athletes and occasionally getting out of the saddle to help me push on I soon arrived at the turn around point for the final descent. Knowing the route by now I was able to push on harder down the hill and later noticed that I had reached a speed of 45 mph. Thank god I didn’t look at the speedo at the time as I think I may have fallen off!!
Back into transition and with a quick dismount from the bike, I was soon out onto to run section for four laps around the town. The run route took us from transition into the stadium were we ran around a section of the track before exiting on onto the streets of Pontevedra and then back inot the stadium again to complete the first lap. The temperature had risen further and was in the high 20’s⁰C. The crowds had come out and the streets were full of people shouting “come on Team GB” and other words of support. Finding a pace that I was comfortable with, I set off on my first lap and soon came to the climb. Although it was only 400meters, it was tough and the heat didn’t help. Reaching the top there was some respite as the next section was a slightly downhill before heading back to the stadium to complete the first lap. This was proving to be one of the toughest races that I had done and I grimaced my way through each hill section and completion of each lap desperately trying to maintain a steady cadence before climbing the hill section for the last time and heading back through the streets to the stadium. Entering the stadium for the final section lifted my spirits and I even think that I may have put a sprint finish in!! Entering the finishing shute and with the finishing line in sight I proudly crossed the line a GB athlete in a time of 2 hours 13:17, before crashing down in the shade with a bag of ice on my head and two cold bottles of water.

As I slowly recovered and began to feel somewhat more normal, I met the other Chester Triathletes sharing their race experiences. I had finished 12th in my Age Group out of 55 and I was the fourth GB athlete. Initially I was slightly disappointed with my time, however having time to reflect on the event I am very pleased with what I achieved.
The whole occasion was a huge experience and there are many things I have learnt that will help me in future. These include not getting so involved in the whole occasion and that I should just focus on my own needs. I should also ensure that I have the correct food / nutrition available and take it at the correct times. I will also learn to deal with the conditions better. However having said that it does not detract from what was a wonderful experience the whole trip was and I am very pleased with what I have achieved.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank DTM Legal for helping me have the chance to experience this and to enable me achieve my ambition of representing Great Britain. Thank you very much.

1.5km Swim – 22:21
T1 – 2:21
40km Bike – 1:06:48
T2 – 1:13
10km Run – 40:34