Yokohama WTS
After competing in my last race, Gold Coast WTS, I was very eager to return to Melbourne to get down into training. There were about 5 weeks between Gold Coast and Yokohama which was perfect as it allowed me to get in a block of hard work. I quickly returned to my usual training routine at home as the Melbourne weather slowly turned into its wintry trend. The cold brisk air that lurks around during the day is something that I feel the most, along with the chilly 5 degree morning starts. To be honest, I actually didn’t mind the cold weather too much since I knew I only had to bear with it for about a month before trekking around the world to some warmer climates. I was pleased with how my training had gone over those weeks and I was thrilled to be racing my third WTS.
Some of my favourite Japanese sights
I have competed in Japan a number of times, including twice last year, however I never had the opportunity to race in a town so close to Japan’s capital city, Tokyo, with Yokohama being only 30km south. One of the big reasons as to why I love Japan so much is the amazing cultural experience it offers; ranging from the friendliness that everyone shows to its amazing cuisine. That Japanese way of life fancies me and for that reason, I was really excited to be returning to Japan for the Yokohama World Triathlon Series.
The race location in Yokohama was quite picturesque with its flowery gardens and tall buildings amongst the city skyline. The course encapsulated these features with the swim being two laps in the port, the bike winding around the streets for a very technical 9 laps and the 4 lap run course utilising some sections of the bike. Despite the sunny days in the lead up to the race, the weather predictions didn’t look too promising with 100% chance of rain. Since the bike course was very technical, including sections on slippery tiles, everyone knew that extra precaution needed to be given with this rain.
Familiarising myself with the bike and swim familiarisations.
My nerves were well managed prior to the start and I felt very relaxed as I toed up onto the line.
Before I knew it, the horn had sounded and I had already dived into the water. I had probably one of my best starts ever; a quick reaction, tight streamline and I surfaced ahead of my direct starting neighbours. Through the first 200m I could see that I was in about 3rd position which was ideal thanks to my start. I got myself around the first set of turn buoys rather freely. I knew I had slipped back a couple of positions, but I was still up there.
I rounded the first lap of the swim in the top 15. Throughout the second lap I dropped a few spots back however I was still in contact with that front group and I exited the swim in 28th position.
View from the swim start (pic: Delly Carr)
I could see the constant stream of athletes as I ran towards transition and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to ease off if I wanted to stay in the front group. After smoothly completing my first transition, I mounted the bike and started working hard to maintain contact with the wheel ahead of me.
With all the rain that had fallen, there was copious amounts of residual water splashing up from the wheel I was trying to hang onto. I’m not one of those people that can simply dive into a pool and keep their eyes open underwater; I need goggles! So, as you can imagine, my water-sensitive eyes struggled throughout all the riding.
The long train on the bike (pic: Delly Carr)
The front group was rather large consisting of about 30 and we were all stretched out into a single file line as we went around the first lap of the course. The combination of the rain and technicality of the course meant that the group would bunch up into the tight corners and then stretch right out exiting them.
It was almost certain that there were going to be crashes on the bike due to the nature of the course and weather, I just needed to trust that I wouldn’t be the one coming out worst in any of them. A crash on the second lap ahead of me resulted in a sudden panicking brake to avoid it. This resulted in me, along with a couple of others, being gapped by the large front group. It took us about 2 laps to re-join back onto the main group which I noticed was a taxing effort for myself. But being back onto the main group, and at the back of it, meant slow approaches to corners and quick accelerations out from them. This was something that I started to feel and slowly but surely my body began to fatigue.
With two laps remaining a gap ahead of me started to open and I just didn’t have it in me to hang on. This small gap soon opened up and before I knew it, I had been shot out the back of the group. Not at all the most ideal situation however I continued along and made my way around to finish off the bike alone.
Keeping the pace along the blue carpet (pic: Salud_AquawizPhotography)
I was a little disappointed in myself as I finished off the bike as I knew that I should never had let myself get into such a position but at the same time I knew the race wasn’t over. I was feeling knackered entering the transition area, my legs felt heavy as soon as I stepped off the bike. I did, however, hope that I could work into the run and finish strongly. My first lap on the run seemed like it dragged on. I wasn’t moving as quickly as I had hoped for. About midway through the second lap, I was able to pick up the pace a little. I tried to stay concentrated and work on closing the gap between whoever was ahead of me.
Overall, my run for the remainder of the race wasn’t too dismal. I wouldn’t say that it was as quick as I had hoped but I was happy with myself that I didn’t give up and throw it away. I finished off the 4 laps of the run to cross the line in the 28th position.
Sightseeing in Tokyo
With the Yokohama race finished, it was time to move on and continue my adventures. I have now moved to my second home: Girona in Spain. I love this town, it has such an amazing vibe and the training is phenomenal and I am looking forward to make the most out of it. In terms of races, I am going to take part in the first French Grand Prix this weekend in Dunkirk. Then my following big competition will be Leeds WTS.
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