GOLD COAST HALF IRONMAN 2006
by Kate Bevilaqua

The last few weeks have been interesting to say the least and culminated last weekend with the Gold Coast Half Ironman. Training had been going well and I had become used to that tired feeling that eventually becomes normal until the beloved taper!

I had what I would consider my “first stack” on the bike and was lucky that there appeared to be more damage to the bike than to me. I came away with a strained “sternocleidomastoid!” (Neck muscle), a nice bump on the head, headaches for 4 days later and some grazing and bruising. After getting home and realising I had cracked my helmet I just don’t understand how people can not wear one when cycling. I wasn’t even travelling that fast!

The day after brought sweet revenge for Marcel in the WAMC Gwelup 10km run. After cycling to the race and taking a few wrong turns we were ready for round 2. After 4km I was sure I was going to take a 2-0 lead in the competition but before I knew it he had come by and was sitting the pace for the 2nd 5km loop. We were close again until the 8km mark when I began to pull away but I had gone too early and the last km was all Marcel and victory by 20 seconds! The score stands at one all until round 3!

It was a relief to finally arrive on the Cold Coast after having the bike fixed (thankyou so much Ian!!) and the race wheels on. I had a couple of days of easy spinning and swimming but there had been no real taper for the event so it is always a “see how we are feeling on the day” kind of race.

The sun had been shining and the temperatures warm leading up to Sunday but race day did produce a little cloud and wind but the humidity was still high.

I must admit I had a lot of trouble containing myself on Saturday night after the Eagles one point victory in the AFL. If it had not been for the race my family and I would have made the trek to Melbourne. Instead we found ourselves walking through the streets of the Gold Coast with our Eagles scarf’s on and locals wanting to know if we were supporting the Bronco’s or the Storm!

Mum and Dad and made the trip to Brisbane, my Aunty Rita from Townsville had come down, my younger brother Blake was arriving halfway through the swim plus friends Tina her son Ethan and Grayson and Allanah who live in Brisbane had also come to support. It was to be an extended family affair.
The Pro women’s wave was a few minutes after the Pro men which made sense, except that just after us were the rest of the males who didn’t take long to swim over the top of us! It did allow for a better drafting opportunity and I was able to jump on some feet as we navigated the one lap swim through the canals. Out of the water I think I had one of the slowest transitions in history! I was having trouble getting my wetsuit off and had to sit down to pull it over my feet! The commentator was kindly letting everyone know I was obviously in no hurry as I then proceeded to put my socks on! Eventually I made it out and am quite confident this is an area I can improve on.

It took me a while to settle into the bike, at least 30 – 40km. By then I had become used to the rough roads and resigned to the fact that I was covered in Gatorade from my aero drink bottle. The wind had started to pick up and was increasing with each lap but the nature of the course meant it was from different directions at different times.

Lap 2 of the bike I just tried to stay focused, keep the cadence and the speed constant and nutritionally prepare myself for the run.
T2 was a lot better than T1 and I was ready to run. After 20m of the run there was a short sharp climb which meant you hit the red zone right from the start. It wasn’t until 2-3km into the run I was able to find my rhythm. Water and coke at every aid station was a must and after the first 5km loop I had worked out 2nd was about 1-1 1/2 mins in front and 4th was 3 – 4 mins back. The question was did I have it in me to close that gap?
Before I left for the Gold Coast my Head of Department at work, Darren had sent me an e-mail wishing me the best of luck and his last words were “don’t listen to that little voice!”

Now I knew exactly the one he was talking about, the one that says “no you don’t have it in you, you will never catch her”. So I decided I had better not listen!

By the 19km mark I had caught her and we were running side by side. The fact was, by then I thought my job was done! Did I really think that she would just let me run right past! I had used up my energy getting to her and in the last km she was able to run away and beat me by 20 seconds.
Disappointed? Not at all! The day was a complete success! It was a PB for me over the Half Ironman Distance and a PB in the run. I had finished 3rd and was able to qualify for the Australian Ironman in Port Macquarie in 2007. As long as I can keep improving and learn something from every race I am happy!

That night we celebrated like every other NRL fan in Brisbane was, watching the Bronco’s beat the Storm and I enjoyed a few drinks to toast the 2006 AFL Premiers! The Eagles!!

After a weeks recovery there are only 8 weeks left until the exciting adventure of racing at home in Ironman Western Australia!

I hope to see you all there!!