Kathryn's 1st Half Ironman!

Triathlon de Salagou  - 2nd June May 2018 (L)

Race Reporter: Kathryn It is with a mix of pleasure and relief that I finally completed my first Half Ironman this weekend and what better location for the first one than the stunning Lac de Salagou! I had never thought I would be able to do a HIM, but you guys in the club thought otherwise when you gave me my birthday present last year of an entry into an L distance of my choice... You may say it’s taken me some time to achieve, but with a few minor setbacks, such as being knocked off my bike by a car before St Jean de Luz Triathlon last September and a sprained ankle only 4 weeks ago; it was a great feeling to finally cross the finish line in 5h57, and now I can honestly say thank-you for setting me the challenge. It turns out Salagou is not the easiest course for a first L distance and there is a reason the bike is 80km due to the 1300m dénivelé and the run reduced to 18km because of the challenging trail course. Not to mention the 26 degrees heat. However, I’d heard from those that did it last year that the lake was beautiful and I’d also have the opportunity to visit the region of Montpellier and stay the weekend in the hospitality of Francois’ family; who’d also agreed to take on the challenge of doing his first Ironman with me. So we signed up and I decided to blissfully ignore the details of the race course until the night before...! Well, it definitely lived up to its reputation - challenging, but beautiful setting. The flat blue lake was a pleasant 22 degrees reflecting the green trees and red soils of the garrigues scrubland typical of the region. Truly "pittoresque". Taking in the stunning views during tough moments in the race definitely helped take your mind of the pain. After approximately 70km on the bike, the route turned a bend into a straight descent to reveal the lake unfolding directly before us. Really breathtaking.