- Callala Beach Triathlon - 2nd December 2007 - by Sally Reynolds
- IMWA - 2nd December 2007 - by Dave & Hally Bolt
- Canberra City Half Ironman - 16th December 2007
Sally pretending to be a seal and head butting the buoy
T2
On the run - waving to her fans
A beautiful day a Callala Beach saw 155 competitors for the mini-man festival. I competed in the 1km/30km/8km distance. This was my first tri (if enticer doesn't count!) and there's plenty more training to be done before the next!
I swam 18:43 min over beautiful clear water and then a very slow ride for me of 1:12:11; a rather hilly bike course, and 50:39 min asthmatic jog home! Great course - the Callala tri festival in Jan should be similar; would recommend it. However, accomodation leaves a bit to be desired - very 70s motel-style about 30min drive from course in Bomaderry. Will I be racing again? Ofcourse - the Canberra tri in Jan is already pencilled in on the calendar.
Ironman Western Australian Triathlon - Busselton 2 December 2007
Race report by Dave "Shot'is" Bolt
For most people Ironman is about numbers. It is about heart rate or power figures or cadence or speed. It can be about number of calories or litres an hour but mostly it is all about beating the 17 hour deadline any way you can.
For Shot’is this December 2nd it was just over 10,000. That is the total number of calories that I burnt trying in vain to catch the missus AGAIN! I thought that maybe I could relate this number to some others stacked up during the build up to this race rather than run through every nut and bolt of how my race unfolded.
Total number of training hours - 400
No. of training bike kms - 4500
No. of running kms - 800
No. of training shoes - 3
No. of swim sessions - 120
No. of swim kms - 360
No. of power bars consumed during training - 80
No. of gels consumed during training - 130
No. of crashes at Kurnell - 1
No. of bad jokes told by Power on Saturday mornings - 30
No. of times I wanted to stop all this damn training - 50
No. of schooners forsaken for this crazy sport in past 5 months - 200
No. of new friends this year through Tri - 30 (at least, and thank you all)
No. of flat tyres during training - 9
No. of hours on the massage table - 8
No of mates who wanted to race Busso in April - 8
No. of mates who DID race Busso - 3
No. of planes in the pre-race fly over - 4
No. of seconds of fireworks before the pro start - 15
No. of competitors - 900
No. of wheelchair racers - 2
Length of swim - 3.8Ks
No. of times I got kicked in the head - 13
No. of times somebody grabbed my leg and tried to pull me under - 1
Depth of water at end of pier - 10 metres(7500.8 running total)
No. if litres of salt water in stomach at end of swim - 2
Total swim time in minutes - 66
N0. of metres from the waters edge to a very comfy chair in the tent - 100
Minutes in transition tent wishing for it all to end - 2
Ride distance - 180.2 
No. of gels consumed - 6
No. of power bars consumed - 2.5
No. of times I peed on the bike - 1
No. of subsequent port-a-loo stops due to previous bad experience - 5
No. of bidons drunk - 6
No. of times I wished I had worn my comfy training shorts - 40
No. of times I had to tell Hally to slow down - 1
No. of times I rode past my mum without her seeing me - 3
No. of smiling volunteers at aid stations - 1000 and thank you all!
Hours spent of that DAMN push bike - 5:58
No. of L of sunscreen applied by enthusiastic volunteer in T2 - 1
No. of km left to run - 42.2
No. of times Mrs Poopy pants ran past me - 1
No. of gels left to eat - 4
No. of minutes lead over Winky - 20
No. of kms down before the leg cramps REALLY hurt - 16
No. of kms to shuffle/walk and enjoy the crowd support - 18.2
No. of times the announcer told me that my wife had just passed me - 1
No. of vegemite sticks consumed to relieve cramps - 30
No. of kilometres left to run in order to beat 12 hour mark - 8
No. of times in last 3 kilometres I thought about walking again - 15
No. of minutes for the marathon - 288
No. of ladies to catch a blown apart Shot’is at the end of the blue carpet - 2
No. of times I reminded myself that this was the last time - 80
No. of minutes before I was planning how to improve for Port - 30
No. of times I cried in medical tent and with my mum at finish - 5
No. of minutes of improvement since Port 07 - 68(9667.48)
No. of litres of beer drunk since December 2 2007 - 200
No. of pieces of KFC completed in 21 piece challenge - 11 (soft!)
No. of weeks left until we kick off again at Port 2008 - 15
Grand Total - 10093.48
Ironman is not about numbers, it is about realising that the body can be stronger than the brain whilst at the same time understanding to use the brain as a friend not an enemy. Ironman is about the support of friends and family even when they never get time with you. Ironman is about sacrifice. Ironman is about getting plastered for a month afterwards and catching up with all your mates!
Thank you to all our friends for your support and shared training over the past 5 months, it is now pay back time and if we can help with others Ironman dreams you know where we can be found! We look forward to a big Balance turn out at Port in 2008 where Winky and I might just have one last crack at a sub 11 hour timeslip before retiring to the supporters side of the baracades for a while!
Race report by Halcyon "Winky" Bolt
Arriving in Busselton the Wednesday before the race, we had plenty of time to acclimatise and relax before race day. Thursday morning we swam about halfway up the jetty and back, in gorgeous clear, calm waters - we could see the bottom the whole way, so that was encouraging.
Bikes were set up that afternoon and we had a short ride Saturday when I noticed my rear mech wasn’t quite in tune. I somehow let my chain slip into my rear wheel. Ughh!! - the sound was awful. Ok so now I needed my wheel trued too! Dave adjusted the tuning a bit and stopped me from freaking out too much - but it was off to Mr Shimano for a quick fix. The wheel couldn’t be trued in time for the race but it was rideable. Thanks Mr Shimano Man!
Race day conditions were perfect and Dave and I both felt strangely calm as we floated on our backs in the water. My heart rate monitor had me at 53% maximum HR which wasn’t as calm as I felt - but it was ok. Apparently there was a fly-over and fireworks off the jetty but they were rather more understated than I had expected. The horn blasted and we all started swimming furiously out to the end of the jetty, we separated immediately. I coped the usual blows to the face and a few ankle grabs. At the time I thought it was a pretty good swim although half way through I felt a neck rash forming from my wettie. Dave was out in 1:09 and ran up to transition, I didn’t know it but I was 4 minutes behind him at 1:13.
I was hoping for a 1:10 swim so I was a bit disappointed when I ran up to get my bag and heard the time, so I tried to be as quick in transition as possible - it took 3 minutes with the help of a lovely volunteer who smothered me with sunscreen.
As per the plan I ate a Powerbar as soon as possible and started drinking. I looked at my watch and my heart rate wasn’t showing up. I thought it might have water in it so I jiggled the connection on my chest strap and waited for a while. Nothing. Bummer. My plan was based on racing at certain heart rates but now I was racing to feel.
Dave was pacing himself well, and I must have been going a bit too quick because I caught Dave after about 25kms. I couldn’t believe it when I saw him. I was excited thinking I must have been going really well but also worried because he should have been further ahead of me! Of course since there was no drafting allowed we couldn’t hang out and chat but a quick exchange took place whereby I realised I was overcooking it a bit and wouldn’t last the whole day at the pace I was going. I rode past and waited for him to overtake me.
He did overtake quite soon and that was the last we saw of each other for a while. The design of the course was good because when we doubled back from a turnaround point we would see each other. I soon found out to my surprise that I was ahead of Stu! 
I waited for him to overtake me but it never happened. Doing the loop in town I saw Jan, Elsa and oh my god - Noel - what was he doing there?! I wondered what had happened. Had he started, had he dropped out, was he okay? I wouldn’t find out til the end of the race. The wind picked up throughout the ride, and it was particularly bad on New Layman’s Rd as I knew it would be because it is totally exposed. My arms and shoulders started to ache (note to self: look at aero position) and I slowed down, plus there was a few loo stops. I was so impressed at how awesome the volunteers were, they even held your bike for you when you went to the loo!
Towards the end of the ride one guy said to me “Only a marathon to go now!” and I remember thinking to myself - I’m not doing a marathon, just 3 laps. I don’t like to freak myself out about how far or how hard it is going to be.
I finished up with 6:08. This was about 8 minutes slower than I wanted, but I figured I still had the run to go so no time to worry about it. In transition I changed really quickly and stupidly forgot to reapply more sunscreen.
My run started out at a good pace I think - I still didn’t have a heart rate according to my watch! It was excellent on the run as far as spectators go, because they are right up close to you on the path. It is also nice looking out at Geographe Bay and the jetty as you run. Many spectators were looking up the competitor list to see who we were. Having a difficult name like ‘Halcyon’ often means people don’t cheer for me by name but to my surprise a few did and even got it right! I also had a good bib number (123) so it was nice hearing people call ‘1-2-3-GO!’ I felt a burst of adrenaline as I passed Jan, Elsa and Noel who had the camera out and were cheering loudly! I kept up my nutrition and was still feeling alright on the way back up to the jetty and transition area, where to my surprise Phil Stanton jumped out of nowhere and cheered me on, and then ran ahead to take some snaps. Later in the afternoon he was up in the announcer’s tower and called out some encouraging words which was really awesome. It made me a bit emotional, such a nice guy.
I kept plodding along, got my arm band and the next time I passed my favo
urite cheer squad, they told me I was catching Dave ‘He’s just up there’ – I was worried again – he should be further ahead of me than that!! After a while I noticed not only was I getting close to passing Dave but Stu was bearing down on me too. Stu called out something to me about being the Hilly Street Champion which made me laugh. As I passed David (somewhat reluctantly) he said he had cramps so I told him to get salt somehow! At the next aid station I called for it but they said they didn’t have any - I hoped he would be alright. This was devastating for him I thought. We had already discussed before the race though that we would both give it a crack no matter what so I made myself keep on going. After this I also passed a male pro who was bending over in pain I asked if I could do anything to help him, if he wanted a gel but he said no.
I collected my 2nd arm band and not long after this Stu passed me and I realised I now felt quite exhausted! The last 7k’s were so incredibly tough. I finally gave in to the pain and exhaustion, and walked a bit but tried to keep it to the aid stations only. I wondered if Dave would catch up again. One foot in front of the other, it was a mental battle and my calves were killing me those last 2ks.
As I hit the finishing chute (finally!), I was so excited, it was awesome - an amazing feeling. I ran passed Jan, Elsa and Noel and high fived them, then sprinted to the finish line. I couldn’t help but sprint, it must have been the adrenaline, but also I really needed it to be over.
I was caught by a couple of volunteers, they walked me into the marquee and I congratulated Stu (though he doesn’t remember) then due to the pain in my legs I headed straight for a massage. The massage was great and an enormous relief, but when I went to stand up I felt dizzy. Oops too quick. Try again - I stood up, looked across the room and saw Dave, he looked so happy and all I could think was how can he feel that good?!... I felt all warm, fuzzy and everything went dark.
At 11:51 I had gone over an hour faster than my first ever Ironman (at Port earlier this year) so I was very pleased and grateful BUT I was still left thinking….I can go faster than that!
Balance Knights have friends in high places
Tic Toc and Crowie
Kieran, Cadel and Tic Toc
Kieran, Stuart O'Grady and Tic Toc
Canberra City Half Ironman - 16 December 2007
(Click on the pile of photos below to view)
Powered by GoodWidgets.com
Club member results:
Sascha 35:00/2:55:52/2:06:26/5:37:19
Helmet 45:52/3:20:21/1:47:40/5:53:54
Nick 40:17/3:17:54/1:58:16/5:56:28
Matty 36:11/2:49:18/2:05:01/5:30:30
Kezza 37:43/3:18:26/2:09:19/6:05:29
Non club members worth a mention:
Vania 46:34/4:34:16/2:21:21/7:42:11
Noel 56:32/3:46:27/2:30:43/7:13:43
A Beer with Dallas "Ice" Locke
(aka Mr January)
My earliest memory is.....I remember back when I was 2 1/2 years old. I was laying in bed between my parents. My bladder was full to overflowing and I could not contain it any longer. The unfortunate part was that I was laying on my back and the following blast went straight back over my head and hit the bed light and shorted it out. What a sharp shooter!
My first relationship was.....I was a late starter at 21 with my head in the clouds and no real idea as to what it was all about. Now I'm 50, I still have my head in the clouds and I still don't know what it's all about! A wise amn once told me why divorce costs so much - because it's worth it!
I wish I'd never worn.....The summer of '71 school dance - cord pants and shirt. I should have been put in a time capsule there and then.
My father always told me.....what a great man! He said to me on many occasions that when someone is giving you a hard time be nice to them. It annoys the crap out of them.
My most humiliating triathlon moment was when.....Ironman '90 something. 140km on the bike leg and I thought I could pass wind one more time. Iwas mistaken. I recall it was a bad year for flies and it seemed that every fly on the north coast wanted a piece of me. Why don't aid stations have aeroguard?
My happiest triathlon moment was.....winning my first age group triathlon series.
At home I cook.....as little as possible.
My favourite bike is.....the one that I am riding at the time. Although I did have a soft spot for my giant mono carbon job. It was hot and I did my ironman PB on it.
I'm very bad at.....not drinking. Keeping secrets - I planned my own surprise party and couldn't keep it to myself. Also staying focused.
The hardest thing I've ever done was.....watching my Dad slowly die from cancer. I was the product of the passion in his loins and became the spit out of his mouth. Maybe the world couldn't bear to have 2 Ices at one time. We will meet again.
I got into triathlon because.....I used to swim as a child. I was laready riding my bike all over the place and running around like a maniac. When the chance presented itself in 1987 it seemed like the natural thing to do. It's been a journey of mixed emotions, accomplishments and disappointments but none the less enriching.
In triathlon I admire.....everyine who gets of their butt and has a go. So many people complain about things and are never willing to do something about it. So anyone who sets themself a goal and then strives to achieve it inspires me to be better.
My favourite race is....That's a tough one. Probably have to go with Yepoon Half Ironman. Leave your baggage and kids at home and relax after kicking some butt.
Favourite food - baby octopus
Favourite colour - purple
Favourite band - Air Supply
Favourite drink - VB
And finally.....I keep thinking that I could not meet any more people that inspire and motivate me and every day I do.
Thanks Iceman
2007 in review - happy new year everyone
Powered by GoodWidgets.com
Life is like riding a bicycle. To stay Balanced one must keep moving.
Albert Einstein
