The first of the Bribie Triathlon series will be my debut triathlon on October 21.

Originally I was going to do the short course - 300m swim, 13 km ride, 3km run.
However I've just found out there is a longer option - 750m swim, 20 km ride, 5km run.

I'm sort of contemplating doing this as I think the short course might be over too soon! My major concern is the swim though. I'm a really poor swimmer and 300m will be enough of a struggle I think.

The other reason I was thinking of doing the longer one is that if I want to do other Bribie tri events in the series, I either have to do the short course again, or do a massive leap to a 1km swim, 28km ride, 8km run. I can imagine that would be a big challenge, but I would like to keep challenging myself and if I did the short course again it wouldn't be much of a step-up.

Any thoughts?

Hi Sunset,

All the best for your triathlon is a few week time. It depends on how confident you are with the swim. If you are not used to open water ocean swimming, it's a big jump from 300m to 750m. I'm a poor ocean swimmer as well, and can remember the swim leg of my first tri and it was a struggle getting into a rythm with so many other people around you and bumping into and over you. I'd say go the shorter one and enjoy it and race well, and make sure your knee holds up well.

Sunset, since its your first triathlon and you are not a strong swimmer I would say the safe option would be to do the short course. Of course, depending on when the second race is there may be enough time between them to improve your swimming and do the longer course then.

But enough sensibleness - I would go with my heart and do the long course. What's the worst that can happen? DFL? DNF? Better than DNS.

I think I'd best go for the shorter distance as it is my first triathlon afterall.

I'll just try to put in a fast effort

The Bribie swim is current affected. The 700 is more like 500 in actual duration. You swim parallel to shore so navigation is not an issue and you are in the passgae so it is dead clam. You can also walk the first 100m or so to the first buoy making it more like a 400m swim. Also, there is no shame in swimming breast stroke if you find you have to. It is Swim Bike Run. Nothing about having to do freestyle. The bike and run are flat flat flat. Such a good race series. You will have a blast. I did my first ever race there myself in 2000.

I loved the timing of it as you can race that first race and double the time for a mental goal for Noosa the same year.

When you race the longer event with the 1000m swim, you may be surprised to find that you start from the same place as the 750 . Also, the 20km bike is actually more like 21.5. When you do the 28, you just do one more lap of the same course.

Do the longer race.

The only trouble you will have with the swim is making sure that you start far enough 'upstream' so that you make it around the first bouy before being swept past it. I had a mate who swam like a frog on his back and still managed a respectable swim time.

The 1/28/8 Bribie race last year was one of my first triathlons and I loved it. I also prefer the Bribie races to the Gatorade series run by USM. They are more friendly and casual and are a perfect way to start off your career in triathlons.

The coach and I have agreed I should do the shorter course

There are going to be plenty more events this triathlon season to challenge myself with

I am thinking about doing the second race in December as my first triathlon.

Just a couple of questions:

1. I only have a hybrid bike and can't afford to splash out on a road/tri bike. Is this going to be a problem? Speed is not really the issue as I will just be happy to finish.

2. Although I am a proficient swimmer, I have never done any swim training and probably won't get too many opportunities to train before the event. Will I be able to get by? Obviously, I am not expecting to be competitive in the swim leg.

Photos are up today. I can't believe that out of the bajillion photos that are online I'm not in one of them!

Balri, I saw people riding non-road bikes when I did it. There are also all sorts/types who enter old/young, fat/thin, etc. So I wouldn't worry about being a slow swimmer.

I've just put in my entry for the second race and already I'm nervous about it.

I guess I better find some time to hit the pool over the next month.

Did my first individual Tri on the weekend (Bribie Race 2), it was great fun.

The swim was a bit rough, it started raining just before we entered the water, and there was a bit of wind making the water choppy. I didn't know how I was going in my category as there was a mix of several categories in my wave and there were quite a few people in front of me. T1 went reasonably smoothly. I just had to accept the fact that I was going to have sand and dirt in my socks. Elected to wear the cleats out to the mounting point, found it not too bad running in them as the ground was soft and I felt quite stable.

Passed a few people in the ride, but did not come across anybody in my category....maybe they were way off in the distance....maybe I'd left them all behind. I slipped my feet out of my shoes and ran from the dismout point to T2 in my socks, which are now coated inside and out with sand.

T2 was not quite as good as T1. Had to do a bit of threading with the shoelaces before I took off, then I had to run back and leave my bike helmet with my bike doh. I had some slight cramping in the first 500m, but that passed and I started to feel quite good and managed to pass a few people, but still nobody from my category. I hope that the run was longer than 3k, it seemed longer and I'm looking for an excuse for my poor run time.

Anyway the results are in:
300m swim 5:51 (4th)
13k ride 28:31 (11th)
3k run 15:57 (8th)
Total 50:51 (8th out of 23)

I was hoping to beat Sunset's first Bribie Tri time of 50:05...... maybe next time!

I never saw any of my category out on the course, but lost 4 places after the swim. I guess that they passed me somewhere in the transitions. My bike said I did the ride in 26:21 (30.94kph), so that means both transitions totaled 2:10, which seems like a long time.

When I correlated the ride placings against the overal finish placings, I found that the overal places were mostly determined by the ride time. There were 10 people that were out of order, but not by more than 2 places, with me being the exception with my swim and run propping up my ride/transitions. When I applied this to my overal placing for the entire event, I came 82nd in the ride and 83rd overall. In the leadup to this event I was thinking that I had neglected my swiming and running due to my bike training, but what I take from my analysis of the results is that I should fine tune my transition, and work on my riding more.

I'm happy with the result, I didn't come last, and I haven't set the bar too high for my next race.

Mike

Great result Mike. Congratulations! Hopefully next time I will be out there with you.

Well done Mike, congratulations - lotta fun isn't it

Hope to see you at the next one

PH

Good work Mickey

I found it a bit amusing that you wanted to beat my first Bribie race time

Hopefully I'll be at race 3 for Bribie. In the mean time I'm looking forward to Raby Bay next weekend.

Thanks for your support guys.

Now I'll try and contain my excitment and stop babbling triathlon every waking hour.

Mike

Mickey ...sounds like you had fun.

this was my 20th race at Bribie and definately 1 of the more honest swims
I swam about 6 minutes slower than same race in dec 06
usually a fast tide assisted swim...

so next time you are there it will be like swimming with fins

I was the old (fat) bastard dressed in an aussie flag.

Good point. You need to hold your breath some times when swimming.

Don't let the Dingo fool you. He is quite the competitor. Fat my arse.

Well, I just wanted to let everyone know that I completed my first triathlon at Bribie today and I had an absolute blast. I have no idea what my time was but I don't care either.

Wonderful - congrats Balri. The time in the first one doesn't matter - it's the experience that counts! Besides, it is a PB

How about a race report?

See my blog (link in signature) for "War and Peace"-like race report.

Well done Balri

that was my very 1st tri 6 yrs ago...

the tide was against us and the longer race had the swim shortened to about 750 metres...nice little breeze on the bike !!

next race there is 16th March.

Congrats Balri. Good to see you enjoyed yourself - you only get to lose your virginity once . I made my "debut" at Caloundra last weekend and backed up for the short race at Bribie on Sunday.

(Kandingo - I took your advice and had another go at Bribie - my daughter gave her permission as long as I was going to be back in time for her party and as I said in the other thread, I really need the practice).

But I'm starting to notice a disturbing correlation between my tri partipation and some rather challenging swims against strong currents (2 from 2). At least this time it only took me 14min to swim 300m as opposed to 25min to swim 400m last weekend. I was in the second wave to start yesterday, so it was probably the sight of me struggling along without making much progress that convinced the race director to change the course (he could have changed his mind earlier ). All of this has highlighted for me the huge difference between swimming in the pool and swimming in open water and it is obviously something I really need to work on.

I enjoyed your race report and can totally relate to the "going shirtless dilema" prior to starting. Last time I had my wife with me to hand my shirt to just before the start of the race. This time I was on my own, so I just had to leave my shirt in the transitions area and go around shirtless for the half hour or so until I got in the water (and my body isn't what it was 20 yrs ago ). I'm really going to have to get myself one of those tri-suits.

Any advice for this Sunday?

I swam in the Pumicestone passage on the weekend, can I just say "Ewwwwww" seaweedy.

Do you swim along the coast or out and back? Hubster and I had the course figured out wrong I think. We forgot to take the map with us.

I'd love to hear from some of you vets of the Bribie Tri.

Of course I'm going the 300/13/3. Seeing as the furtherest I've ever run is 3.7, I think it's the only one I can do.

Wannabe

Hi Wannabe

I'm a brand new member of Cool Running but I've done the first 3 Bribie Tris this season and will be there on Sunday doing the longer course.

The swims are along the coast. They can be in either direction depending on the tide - we always swim with the tide although in the last race the tide was turning and they ended up shortening the swim for the longer event. The Bribie Tri swims have a reputation for being quite easy, especially if the tide is strong (good for a BOP swimmer like me), although this year the swims have been more medium. Cycle and run are very flat.

Good luck on Sunday!

Puaka

Thanks for that! Welcome to CR, I've a relative newbie here too, it's great.

Good Luck for Sunday. I'm actually feeling a bit fluey, not happy about that.

Wannabe

Good Luck wannabe for the upcoming event. Don't forget to write a mini race report for wannabes who haven't got the guts to do it this season (me,lol)! All the best!

Hi Wannabe

Did you get over your 'flu and end up racing?

Swim was a bit choppy but a bit of assistance from the tide, in the longer event at least.

I was happy with how I went - felt quite good and around middle of my age group. Good hit out before Mooloolaba on 30 March.

There was no way I was missing it! I didn't feel bad at all, aside from lack of sleep on because I was too excited.

I didn't think the swim was that bad, but I did do the small one and swimming is my forte. I actually came out of the water third in my wave, then well, most of them caught me up and passed me, but they did have you beaut bikes and were way fitter than me. I still have some weight to lose and fitness to gain, so I'll work on that for October. For me, to find my results, it was definitely easier to start at the bottom and work upwards, hehehe. I was hoping to get in under and hour, but did an hour and 33 seconds or something. Still great experience for first tri and I did make it the whole way and no walking!

Glad you had a good one too! MIddle of the field, there's nothing wrong with that. One day I'll have to have a crack at the bigger one, but I'd better work on fitness first.

As it's all over now, I'm feeling decidedly ordinary, not related to the tri, but that fluey feeling has come back, but I don't mind now.

Kyls

Well done on the start of your triathlon career! We're near the end of the season but there is a USM race at Raby Bay on 20 April - 400m/ 15km/ 4km for the longer event which is not much more than the Bribie short races.

Thanks!

I know about the 20 April one. That was our original target, but then I realised my Sister-in-Law's birthday is the night before, it's her 40th, so definitely one to celebrate. Feel I will be hard pressed to compete after that. Shame too, as she lives near Raby Bay.

We have the bug though and now have quite a few months to train up for the next season and I will be a lot more prepared.

I noticed that their smaller races are, well, a bit too small - says me, hehehe, like I"m an expert. I'd say we'd definitely compete in the longer race in that one next season at some point.

Kyls