Racing 795

Four 795’ers (James, Jim, Barry and David) made the short trip to Courtown for the first ever Eireman X Offroad Triathlon. The challenge ahead was a 750m sea swim followed by 10km mountain bike course with a 5km cross country run to finish.

Weather conditions were kind, and whilst the water was nippy, thankfully there was no rain or wind.

The swim was a long one, and Jim was first out of the water, followed by Barry, David and James. Quickly on to the bike, and the fun started with a waist deep river crossing. Barry and David quickly made inroads into Jim’s lead, with Barry taking the lead amongst the 795’ers at the end of the first lap. The bike course played into the lads hands, and to the tune of ‘rider up’ all made up lots of places. First out of transition was Barry, with Jim and David exiting together, and James bringing up the rear, maybe the effects of the previous weekends Marathon taking their toll.

On to the run, and starting with three river crossings in quick succession it was time to get down’n’dirty. An undulating course followed with five river crossings in total and lots of muck and slop. Barry forged ahead and Jim finally shook of the attentions of the Younger Furlong with about 2km to go.

First across the line was Barry in 26^th place overall, followed by Jim in 38^th, David in 39^th and James in 95^th. A fantastic display by the club, especially to have three in the top forty.

Onwards and upwards for the 795’ers!

PS: Thanks also to the support crew of Martin and his gang, Lorraine,Saoirse and Caoimhe, Joy and the junior Furlongs and David, Helen and Robyn and of course last but not least Supporter and Technical Assistant No.1 Paddy Furlong.

Full Results:

http://eireman-x.eireman.org/sites/eireman-x.eireman.org/files/Eireman-X_Results2009.xls

Total field: 104

Filed under: Tri Race Reports | Leave a comment »

Five Racing 795’ers (plus one junior member/supporter/photographer) made the Trip to Tipp for the North Tipp Sprint Tr (500m swim, 20k bike, 5.2k run) – James, Tony, Jim, David F and Barry.

The day dawned bright and sunny, with conditions perfect for racing. Tony was first into the pool in Wave 1 and despite some ‘traffic’ swam well. Judging by his time though we think the Hand of God may have been pushing him along. Next in Wave 3 was James, who sporting his 795 tri-suit had a powerful swim, coming in at 10:44. David and Barry followed in Wave 4, with Barry just over the  9 min mark and David just over 11 mins – all those Tuesday sessions doing the trick. Jim was away in Wave 5 and had a good swim in 10:03.

T1 proved a bit of a calamity for Barry and David, both having technical problems with garments. The result was Barry donning a rain jacket for the hottest day of the year and David baring his chest Adonis style for the remainder of the race. No such issues for the old pro’s of course. Tony and James finished the bike leg around the 45 minute mark. Remarkably, Barry, Jim and David all finished the bike within 15 seconds of each other, with Jim showing he is still the one to beat on two wheels.

No problems in T2, and an enjoyable, undulating run course followed. Barry led the 795’ers home with good run of just over 25 mins for a total time of 1:18:57. Next in was David at 1:22:04 following a 26 min run, followed just 36 seconds later by Jim at 1:22:40 following a cramp affected 29 min run. Next was Tony at 1:28:42 – all that marathon training paying off, with James home at 1:39:15 following a good steady run.

Well done to all, especially Barry on his triathlon debut. It’s gonna be hard to keep up with these young lads, but I’m sure we’ll find a way…..

Final positions

79       Barry Byrne        1:18:57
105     David Furlong     1:22:04
108     Jim Furlong         1:22:40
140     Tony Redmond   1:28:42
176     James Bodels      1:39:15

Total Field: 203
Full Results here
Photos here

Filed under: Tri Race Reports | Leave a comment »