great report from Podersdorf ...

For everyone who describes triathlon as a sport that pushes it to its limits in a unique way and beyond that, the motto "It still has to be fun" certainly applies.

As a warning counterexample, the following report from the Podersdorf “Triathlon” from August 29th, 2009.

Foreword: Arrival on Thursday: the sun is burning, it's hot, there is no wind (like every year), I'm in great shape (NOT like every year) and full of joyful anticipation.

Friday: the sun burns even more, it's humid, the test run with 20 minutes of swimming, 30 minutes of cycling and 15 minutes of running is, however, easy and makes you want more - the shape is there, you can start ... The weather forecasts promise cloudy skies, light wind , 21 -23 degrees at 70% rain risk towards late morning - perfectconditions ...

Saturday, August 29th, 2009 - competition day:
I wake up at 4 because I can't wait anymore, full of action, it's still very humid outside - shouldn't that be colder? Outside, the vintners' firecrackers thunder to chase away the brood of birds, the promised light breeze is blowing. Perfect!

Around 4:20 am I wonder who is taking pictures out there at that time, the neighbor will probably take his photo before the upcoming long distance or something ...

4:25 another photo like that - someone seems to have pressed the fire on the firecrackers, it seems from afar - it doesn't matter soon it starts.

4:30 somehow the breeze is slowly but surely turning into a solid wind, regardless of that, that didn't really bother me when cycling last year ...

4:40 these aren't firecrackers - is that an airplane? Someone is taking pictures again - he really can't help it.

4:45 slowly the whole thing is getting a bit strange, the rumbling draws closer, the wind is getting stronger, the flashing follows one another faster - something is wrong here !!

4:50 are these raindrops? No - the wind has just gotten stronger - or is there water in it after all?

4:55 It's rain, and the wind has gotten stronger too. It is now certain that a thunderstorm is approaching, it is now thundering louder and louder.

5:00 there is a loud thump over us, the flashing is now every 10 seconds, the wind is getting stronger and stronger - it’s slowly getting down to business. After torrential rain sets in, the wind whistles around the house and it thunders all the windows in the house, you can be sure that it won't be so perfect today. But there is still a lot of time until 7:30.

The first questions arise - what if not? The desire to do sports slowly fades at the sight of the outside ...

5:30 it is getting worse and worse - the thunder does not want to go away, one front after the other is rolling in, the wind has meanwhile become a storm ...

6:00 it doesn’t help - get up, prepare as if it were going to happen indefinitely - you are sure that in this weather there will not be a start anyway - hell is dancing the tango outside.

6:20 am - the neighbor comes back from the check-in and grins when he sees us "Don't you want to put on other shoes - the transition area is under water". We think that you will get wet anyway and off you go. It rains incessantly, the wind makes even rolling towards the lake an adventure.

Hopefully the lightning won't strike the aero bars or the hairstyle will get a little messed up ...

6:30 When looking at the transition area, two questions arise: How do you get to your stand without armbands, why does the lake look as if someone has switched to offshore mode? It can't all be true. Austrians everywhere and their apt analysis “Yes, you are stupid!”.

There is music playing somewhere, but the wind is louder and the rain is pattering down - what are we doing here?

6:40 you have made your way to the entrance of the transition area and hear the speaker "At the moment it looks like a duathlon will take place today, the start could also be postponed by one or two hours ..." - well at least something - I didn't want to go to the lake today anyway. The wind flag is high in the air and the buoys dance back and forth ...

In the transition area Blue sings with Elton John “what am I gonna do whenlightning strikes me” - I feel sick as I wade through a 20 cm deep puddle to my seat. "Does anyone have rubber boots with them?", "Why don't I do decent sports like playing chess or table tennis"

6:50 The things are safely stowed away in the wet at the changing puddle - so the running shoes are soaked in nicely - but I'll have to put them on anyway. We set off into the big tent, all of them triathletes with the same expression on their faces - "Are you kidding?"

6:55 "The thunderstorms are about to leave - so it is currently assumed that we will start at 7:30 am - in the water, I don’t have any grilled chicken", it’s official… We’re going out again, somehow the Austrian Weather Service seems to be To have clairvoyant abilities, because that does not look like "pulling off".

The lake is still a little choppy - that can be fun.

7:00 am Put on wetsuits and slowly go to the lighthouse. Last check whether the bike has flown away or is it still there?

7:10 am at the jetty a bizarre picture presents itself, a couple of black people standing in the water and jumping every 10 seconds so as not to be overwhelmed by the waves as high as a man.

7:20 we give hope that something else will happen here and also get in - at least the lightning and thunder have stopped ...

7:25 am we stand in the water with about 600 athletes (a total of about 1200 were registered ...) and look at each other - what are we doing here. "Yes, you are stupid" ... and again it's time to jump.

7:26 I feel something strange on my foot, I pull it up and suddenly I have a doormat in my hand. "If someone misses a doormat!" I shout around ... and then we have to jump again ...

7:27 some orange-obese steward comes running towards the lighthouse to the speaker and gesticulates frantically - we look at each other questioningly ...

7:28 "Dear athletes, one last piece of additional information: In the event that we have to stop the race, a second shot will sound - if you hear a second shot while swimming, the race is canceled ..." I enjoy it - and how do you get there back to the shore? He doesn't tell us and around.

The starting signal sounds at 7:30 am. The chaos begins - the man in front disappears uphill into the water, I close my eyes and get started. We have to go about 500 meters into the lake against the waves, absolute chaos: swimming, walking, jumping, dodging because someone hit by a wave is walking towards me, swimming, jumping, swallowing water. Terrible. Last year, however, was a coffee trip ... At some point I actually made it and can now let the waves wash me towards the shore - but they also pull me back just as quickly ... Suddenly nobody is there anymore - I realize that I am almost 100m from the field and am heading towards Neusidel - back to the link.

At some point I actually got out of the washing machine and try to open my Neo, the wind blows the tape over my right shoulder. I reach to the right - the wind blows it to the left. After the 5th try I try it with both hands - cramps in my arm, I almost fall over. Somehow I get hold of the tape and can finally wade to my bike - if it's still there.

It is 8:12 says the speaker; I think: "So much for 35 minutes of swimming ..." It starts well on the bike. Out of town there is a tail wind, I can collect myself, it's stormy, not very warm and it's raining again. After the turning point, I get a first taste of what will await me for the rest of the day - it blows from the front, you can't move. First something to eat ... The wind then comes out of Podersdorf another 3-4 km from behind - very pleasant, collect a little and find your feet. When it then turns slightly to the left at some point, I almost fly off my bike, the gusts whip so strong that I almost let go of the handlebars, both hands straighten up on the brake ... Turn right - it starts.

I lie on the bike at an angle of inclination to the right about 45 degrees, I have to push against the wind again and again, I get pain in my shoulders from this constant back and forth - there are still 80km to drive. Your legs are burning, rolling is not "yes, you're stupid" ... But the worst part, the last 13 km of the round back to Podersdorf, has not yet been reached ...

Again and again the wind blows me from left to right, whereupon I return to the starting position to start the game all over again ... It is raining heavier again. My speedometer has failed, probably better that way, my pulse is very low, my legs are burning. When I head back towards Podersdorf, the wind is now diagonally in front, I have big problems staying on the bike. Again and again I overtake drivers, we look at each other, shaking our heads, laughing in frustration and again and again I hear "yes you are stupid" ... At the end of the first lap, I'm sure that I won't start the second, my back hurts The shoulders are heavy from constantly bending back and forth, the legs have no more strength, I'm cold - the rain turns into a weapon with wind force six - to nine from the front - the drops feel like stones. It starts to flash and thunder again.

I remember Elton John and Blue and ask myself - "what if ..." I tell myself - off to Podersdorf, get off, take a warm shower and then just tick the whole thing off, it's not worth it. I am currently overtaking a driver who has his whole back open and who is hardly able to kick properly. The 3rd has stood on the roadside with plates in the last 15 minutes and curses. I think about piercing the tire and then slipping sadly to Podersdorf - I didn't have anything to change with me. Suddenly I watch myself driving through Podersdorf and going on the second lap. The legs haven't gotten any better, on the contrary. A few people are there and look at us pityingly - just eat something again. And back towards the turning point - finally, wind from behind. Shortly afterwards it is over again and I am slowing down. Unpacking the Voltaren against the general pain in my legs and as a precaution - the edges of my shins twitched badly last Friday while I was running. I try to open the packaging with my cold hands and the biset flies somewhere into botany - Sch ... It goes on at a slow pace with heavy legs against the wind, against the cold, against the rain, but also against myself. How do I want to run another half marathon with my legs?

The back doesn't feel as if it would allow upright gait ... At some point I reached the last 13km again and two guys around me keep coming from behind and trying to drive away. I get involved in games and put on the big sheet (so far I have almost not been able to use it ...) to press a little. After 5km I give up, although I have settled down, but my legs clearly tell me that they hardly liked the game ... On the way to the transition zone, I decide to bring the whole thing to a sensible end, while running these are Conditions are not so bad. The body says something else ... When I wade out of the transition area (my bike almost got stuck in a mud pit) I realize that running might be a good idea after all.

My resolution to tackle the first two kilometers in 5 minutes is gone - I see two guys and decide to run with them first. Kai's mother is standing on the side of the road and has Voltaren with her, I can use that now if I am going to run even faster. I also asked her beforehand to brake me if I was going to be too fast. “You're running too fast!” Checking my pulse - I decide to stay below 150 for the first two km.

At KM 1 I stop at 4:25, damn it was a bit much, I slow down again, but still overtake people all the time. At some point I start to take courage and tell myself - you wanted to run 1:35, the other two Disciplines were catastrophic - what is preventing you from simply going a little faster now? You won't tear anything anyway, then you can walk to the finish line if necessary ... I put my plan into action and get faster - to my relief I can keep up the pace and increase it, it feels very easy. After the first round I fight the emerging weakness with food, on to the second round ... I constantly overtake people, none of whom are in any similar way, so I don't know whether I'm overdoing myself or just doing a good run ...

The last five km - feed again, it's raining again, but I really don't care now. A little boy squirts me with his water pistol - the water is very warm - what did he do with it?

On the last two kilometers, an overtaken person defends himself - that is the right motivation to shift up a gear again, the pace was a bit asleep ... The last kilometer becomes interval training, I overtake runners in droves - I have to mean 200 meters from the finish Cancel the sprint to the finish line because I get cramps everywhere - it doesn't matter, the best racing car is the one that breaks apart on the finish line ...

I look at the clock over the target 5:07 - "oh you sh ... slower than last year" I think first. Then I remember what everything was going on 2 hours before. I throw myself on the floor and get a towel and something thrown by Kai to put on, a medal hangs around my neck. "Congratulations" someone says - "Yes, we are all stupid" I ask myself. I look into many questioning faces - "Everything OK?" Someone asks "Now yes!" I say - "It's over", he just nods silently and gives me something to drink ...

When I pick up my bike and see the remains of the transition zone, I think of images from war films, the whole thing looks like a battlefield.

Check out, head towards the pension and into the shower. When we come back from dinner you can see the sun on the horizon pushing a dark wall in front of you - the lake is calm as if nothing had happened.

For all of you who ask yourself every now and then - why you do this to yourself - I can safely say that sometimes I don't understand it myself. It was definitely not fun (with the exception of running) - for my terms it was grossly irresponsible to hold this competition - that could have turned out to be bad in the eye. In the results lists there are more DNSs and DNFs than results - I don't know if you are the people should be called wimps or simply sensible. I only know that in similar circumstances I will no longer start - fun has to be in the foreground and I had absolutely no that for 3 1/3 hours on Saturday, but rather fear for my health.

In this sense, a cozy end to the season for everyone - I will now concentrate on other things.

Many greetings

Tom