I decided to kick things off nice and early this season (and get rid of the excess kilos put on over the holiday period) by racing at the inaugural ORCA CHALLENGE WANAKA on the 20th of January in Wanaka, New Zealand. This was to be the 'sister' race of the QUELLE CHALLENGE GERMANY and the first official 'Challenge' race outside of Roth, Germany.
Justin and I had looked up Wanaka on the net, and it looked amazing, so we decided to head over early to get accustomed to the course, and it really did look like a great place to get some solid training in. Once there, we were not let down—the place itself was even better than the pictures suggested. The small town of Wanaka is simply stunning—nestled around a beautiful fresh water lake—yes the water is good enough to drink—you are surrounded by 360 degree views of snow-capped mountains. I really couldn't wait to get out there and explore this place and the racecourse.
We were lucky enough to be put up in a house with the race director Matt Tuck and his lovely wife Tania for the two weeks leading into race week. This made it very easy when it came to any questions about the course and where we needed to go. Matt had also brought his industrial grade coffee machine down from Auckland and was a 'gem' when it came to making coffees for us before training every morning. Matt would even get up extra early just so we had our caffeine hit before we took off for our long rides—where else would you get this kind of treatment—race director and barrister-extraordinaire.
One of my training partners, Hillary Biscay from the USA had also decided to escape the cold of California and join both Justin and I for some big training days before race day. It was just perfect, and the weather was being extra kind to us softies from OZ. Even the lake was a few degrees warmer than usual, and we were able to finish all of our long run sessions with a quick dip in the lake; it really did do wonders for our legs.
The two weeks just flew by, and before we knew it race week was before us. Justin and I moved into a fantastic two-bedroom apartment just out of town, and my parents came over from Australia to join us. It really didn't feel like a race; everyone was just so relaxed, and things were just running so smoothly. You would not have thought it was a first-time event that's for sure.
Justin and I had been over the bike and run courses many times now. The bike course is just awesome. I knew it was going to be a tough course but I had no idea just how beautiful it was going to be. There is never a dull moment. You are either surrounded by mountains, lakes or cascades. It is truly an amazing sight. Actually quite a bit of the movie 'Lord of the Rings' was filmed in this area. Now the run course is another story again. A big chunk of it is off-road which is quite unusual for an Ironman distance event. A good 12kms of the course is on packed dirt and single-trail that snakes alongside the river and past rapids. It is by far the most amazing run course I have ever completed. It honestly does not feel like you are running a marathon—now for me that is heaven!!
We got to swim the entire swim course on the Tuesday; it was great as the race organizers got to smooth out any teething problems the course may have encountered on race day. The swim was great. I had been a little apprehensive about the water temp but was pleasantly surprised—around 18 [degrees Celsius] so only one swim cap needed. The water is just so clean and clear; you can see the bottom the entire way.
Well race day came, and we were greeted by kind weather; by that I mean it was not cold and thankfully very little wind. I was so keen to get out there and race. It is so exciting being part of a first-time event because it is just impossible not to get caught up in all of the enthusiasm and anticipation. I knew the course suited me, and I knew I was fit.
I had a solid swim and exited in 2nd place female—thanks to the brand new Orca 3.8 that I was given only days before the event. What an incredible suit!
I quickly made my way through transition and onto my bike. The first 56kms is super-fast; it is slightly downhill, and you often have a good tailwind pushing you along. I felt great and set about catching Hillary who had exited the water in 2nd place outright and around 3-1/2 mins up on me. I finally caught her at about the 50km mark, and we had a quick chat; I knew it was going to be a pretty lonely day out there for me, so I made sure I got my fix of 'chatting' when I could! Hillary was riding well and looking good so after our brief exchange, I set about doing my thing and trying to put as much time as I could between me and the other girls. I must admit there were times out there when I began to talk to myself, and when a photographer would come past, I would bail them up just so I could have a bit of a yarn with them—I really do find it hard to stay quiet for 180kms!! I even got to help a farmer round up his herd of sheep at about the 70km mark- now that was fun!
At the 140km mark you get to ride straight through town before you do a 40km out-and-back loop. It was great to see so many people had crowded around the transition/finish area; I really did not expect to see so many people, and it really gave me such a pick up for the last 40kms of the ride.
Before I knew it I was off my bike and putting my run shoes on. For the first time ever I was actually excited to get onto the run. I knew I had a big lead and that I was going to be able to run this course on my own terms. I loved it, and I can honestly say that I never had one negative thought all day. The run is two 21km loops. I completed the first loop feeling great and was happy with my pace and how I was feeling. I know all too well that the race really begins after this, so I set about trying to stay relaxed and focused. The run is just so beautiful that even when things do become a little trying there is always something to take your mind off the pain.
The last three kms is all down hill and flat to the finish line. It was amazing to see how the whole town had come out to support this first-time event; Wanaka is a town with a huge heart. My mum and dad were there at the finish, and they were having a ball. It was just such a great feeling. I won the event in 9hrs38- 16minutes in front of the 2nd placed female and 5th outright; only four pro men beat me. I was very happy with my day.
That night we returned to the finish line party to watch the last athletes make their way to finish and to see the fireworks at midnight. There were even more people at the finishing shoot at night than there were during the day.
It was really such a great event, and the town of Wanaka really embraced it with open arms. The race team, lead by Matt Tuck, did such a great job to ensure everything ran smoothly.
Thank you so much to Matty, Tania, Felix, Troy and the rest of the team for putting on such an amazing event. Thank you also to the event sponsors, especially Orca (who I can now happily say are my new wetsuit sponsor!) and of course to my wonderful and dedicated sponsors. We win these races together.
My next challenge- Ironman Australia on April 2!
Belinda x