well after surviving my first tri at Noosa I'm now contemplating the moollolaba tri next March. anybody have any comments on what it's like, say, compared to Noosa?

I'm aiming for Mooloolaba tri. It will be my first olympic distance triathlon

Mooloolaba was my first OD. The swim is in the ocean proper, I was lucky and had really flat conditions for my debut, but apparently it can get pretty rough. The bike is 96.725%* dead flat with some small rollers at the start and end but nothing at all to worry about. The run is a bit hilly, with a big hill that you have to climb twice, but it's not too bad.

Biggest surprise I found was how different riding a flat time trial was to my normal sort of training rides around Brisbane. The constance cadence and lack of opportunites to coast made for a challenging ride.

It's a fun event and seemed to be popular with family spectators, more so than other tri's I've been to. Have fun, and I hope the training goes well!
--Toby

* Numbers may not be entirely accurate.

much better race !!!

ocean swim

bike is out and back..can have a bit of wind

run is way tougher than Noosa...but great anyway

love to do it again but is only 1 week before Port Mac IM.

But the resolution is pretty impressive

ummm, sorry for the silly question, but, olympic distance, what is this distance? What's the break up for each leg?

Cheers

1500m swim, 40km cycle, 10km run

As they would say on transitions "HTFU Dingo boy" ...wouldn't it be a perfect hit out or training session for you one week out...if you could back off and stay in the middle?

I would prefer Mooloolaba over Noosa because
- it's not as crowded
- it's a nicer swim in the ocean rather than a canal
- I prefer the run which I also think is nicer up over Alex Hill.
- it's cheaper.

Mr skinny Horse...

what is this thing called back off that you speak of ???

Man up Sally. I am going up. I haven't run it by Al yet though Doing the Bike in a team for my work. Couple of secret weapons involved. One is a 2:20 something marathoner I will win some silverware in a tri if kills them, I mean me.....

Hope to be going in this one as part of a team with work. (Corporate challenge against Virgin Airlines) I don't know which leg, or how many I will do, said I'm happy to do what is left over after others have had their pick.

Mike

It's been some time since I have done a tri, am very tempted to get myself fit enough for this. Bike wouldn't be a problem, run should be ok but I think the swim could be nasty for me

Work is entering a couple of corporate teams...It looks as though I'll be doing both the swim and the run

bump!

Early bird entries close on 31 December.

Not sure whether or not I want to do this yet. I might wait as the regular entry fee is only $10 more than early bird anyway.

Who's doing it? So far looks like we've got:

Sunset
Mickey
Plazbot
Lex

Anyone else?

I won't be entering at the early-bird rate.

It is unclear if I will be able to do it so I'll leave my entry for at least another month or so.

Yep - booked and paid.

Still waiting on work to decide whether they will be submitting some teams or not. Also found out that they probably won't be paying our entry fees, but the gym instructor is working on them.

Mike

Finally! Work have submitted the entries and are paying for them as well.

I'm only doing the swim leg, but am a bit worried about swimming so far in the surf.

Is anyone keen to do some practice, or know of any groups that do regular ocean swims in conditions comparable to those at Mooloolaba? I'm a tad nervous about sharks, and tiring and not being able to get back to shore. I'm sure that I will be ok on the day, but want to do my best for the rest of the team, as I get the feeling that I will be the weak link. I think that knowing what to expect will help a lot.

I'm increasing my swimming training. My aim is to be able to swim 1.5k in the pool in 25 minutes, and hope that this will translate to about 30min in an open water swim. Maybe a little ambitious for me, but you've got to have a goal.

Any suggestions that people might have would be appreciated.

Mike

Hey Mickey

The tri squad I train with are doing swims at Mooloolaba on 9th and 22nd March. You can turn up for casual, one-off sessions for about $9 I think. Very friendly bunch and I'm sure they'd be happy to have you along.

Training calender is here: http://www.brisbanetrisquad.com.au/

Yep, doing the run bit (of course!).
Cheers,
Chris

If you can do 25mins in the pool you will blitz the swim at Mooloolaba.

My fastest ever 1500m swim has been at this race. The extra bouyancy from the salt water, dubious measuring of the distance and (so I've been told) assistance from current will make it a breeze if you can swim 1500m in a pool.

All you really should practise is sighting the bouys and being prepared for swimming with a swell, which is normally not too bad.

yeah, unfavourable currents notwithstanding, swimmers should always PB in an open water swim. As gundy mentioned, the buoyancy of salt-water and a wetsuit, the drafting effects of other swimmers, and the adrenaline of race conditions all add up to faster times.

The advantage of being able to stay in a steady rhythm rather than turn around every 50m will probably surprise you too if you haven't swum in open water conditions before.

Mickey, you'd be a man in demand being willing and clearly very able in the swim leg! You'll romp it in. Once again i'll be doing a tri without any swim training - current excuse is the water's too cold for me in the mornings. As for other events, i won't have any trouble finding my bike . Look forward to seeing you there mate. Good luck. And no doubt Tuttle will be zooming past in the run leg at some stage, given the groups are usually starting just behind my wave.

Mickey. I take it you work for AsA? So do I. Not doing the Mooloolaba thing as I am at Ironman next weekend. For open water, head down to Lake Hugh Muntz at Robina. If you start at the stairs in the middle and swim left to the bank then turn around and swim to the boat shed at the other end then back to the stairs, it is 1km (ish). Dead flat but oh so flat and fresh and NO SHARKS (being a lake)

here

http://nla.gov.au/nla.cs-pa-HTTP%253A%252F...D093-IMG0035-MR

Not sure I ever 'zoom,' and having just gone for my first semi-serious run since a marathon a couple of weeks ago I felt anything but 'zoomy'!
Cheers,
Chris

Thanks for all of your replies.

Sunset, Thanks for that. I have arranged to meet the squad there on Sunday 9th for a practice, unless I can find a group swimming a bit closer to home? (Southside)

Tuttle, Look forward to seeing you there. I will keep an eye out for you on your run and give you a cheer.

Gundy, Lets not get carried away, I can't swim 1500 in 25 minutes (yet), but I'm hoping to get close by the end of the month.

Miners, I have swum in open water before, but can't say that I've noticed the saltwater bouyancy thing. I've never thought of drafting another swimmer as a means of saving energy. Do people use this as a strategy? I guess that you'd have to pick a suitably quick swimmer to draft.

Peterhorse, Look forward to seeing you there also.

Plazbot, yes, long time AsA employee. Thanks for the suggestion, but as Gundy recommended, I need practice at swimming in swells. Good luck for IM.

Mike

definitely Mickey. There's not too many strategies available to the open water swimmer other than not drown and keep in a straight line. But drafting is a HUGE benefit if you're on the right pace. Not as much advantage as drafting on the bike obviously, but yes you can rely on 2 types of benefits.

There's the back-markers benefit whereby a a mass of swimmers in front of you will drag the water along with them - much like the kids who charge around the perimeter of a swimming pool causing a whirlpool effect. Only really works when you've got upwards of 500 or so swimmers in the water.

But if you're lucky enough, the other benefit can be gained where you luck across someone swimming at *just* above your cruising pace. There's a bit of debate as to the best position to sit yourself when trying to use his/her draft. Some say directly behind, some say just behind the shoulder. I personally reckon that if you position yourself so that your catch stroke is landing somewhere near his/her hip you'll get the best benefit. Bit like sitting just on the wake of a ski-boat, although perhaps not quite as quick

Incidentally, we have horse floats that sometimes drive over our Tri course in the early mornings of our local races. Because of their size, they can only manage about 45km/hr. We've had to introduce additional rules to prevent club members from tucking behind the floats when they lumber by. There's no rules against drafting in the water though!

You can add me to the list!

--Toby

I'm in as well.

Toby, after keeping a sly eye on your progress over the past 12 months I think you might have my measure this time around.

Hah! If so then it'd just be overdue payback - having been pipped at the post twice now by a handful of seconds

We'll see - I'm using the race as a build session for the Busso HIM.

--Toby

Yep I know that cause I was looking on triathlog
You've been clocking up some impressive training hours. I've been the other way and have been struggling to fit any training in due to work commitments and moving house.

It'd be good to meet you at Mooloolaba so look out for me in my tranny hat.

Have a great time cool runners. I will be on duty as the Queensland Ambulance Service Cycle Paramedic. The nearest I can get to the action as an injured runner.

Hi Mickey

I'm a BOP swimmer but from my experience swim legs of tris are always unpredictable.

There's no way I could swim 1500m in the pool in 25mins - more like 31-32mins. Last year at Mooloolaba I did the swim in 27mins, then at Noosa I did the swim in 35mins. I don't think I swam any differently - just different conditions.

I'm signed up for Mooloolaba again. The teams usually start last so you might swim over the top of me!

Puaka

I went for a practice swim at Mooloolaba on Sunday with the BrisbaneTriSquad. They are a great bunch of people, and I really enjoyed my mornings workout.

It started off with a couple of swims out through the breakers and back. On the second run in to the beach, a wave ripped my goggles off. Lesson learned - Goggles on first, then swimming cap over the top. To reinforce this lesson I swam about 1.2k without goggles. I found the best way to deal with this was to swim about 10 strokes with my eyes shut, then take a sighting and shut them again. When we reached the end of the swim the waves were that big that I was to chicken to catch one in to the beach. I swam in ducking under them until I figured they were small enough to catch in.

I thought we were going to do a quick run to simulate running from the beach to transition, but we ended up running most of the run course. I'm glad that I'm just doing the swim on the day, I think that the run course is a real killer, but that's probably because I'm not used to running hills. At least it was not too hot, we got absolutely drenched for the first 10 minutes of the run.

Mike

That's not really what I wanted to hear, Mike!

I hope everyone's training has gone well -- see you on Sunday.

Cheers/Chris

umm, no...especially since i my 2 only swims in prep a few weeks ago were at 30+mins and i got caught up running rather than riding in the last momnth...this was supposed to be the easy part...oh well... will be fun at the after party 'cause you can just prance around like you killed it, and drink lots of beer . see you there guys & girls... with CR cap a la Leyton Hewitt style
PH

I did the swim and most of the run last Saturday for training.

The swim was easy as I just paddled along and took my sweet time.
The run, however, was pretty tough as I haven't done any hill training. However I managed to do about 36-37 minutes for the 8km section of the course so I was pretty happy with that effort.

I'm looking forward to the after-party! I have a gorgeous unit to stay in for the weekend too.

I had my final run this morning and will be resting up until Sunday (apart from cycling to work).

I haven't been swimming much but I'm quite happy with my cycling and running - although I won't be trying to replicate Sunset's 4:30min/ km pace on the run.

I'll miss the partying - we're staying with in-laws at Caloundra and coming back to Brisbane on Sunday.

My 8yo daughter is doing the kids triathlon on Saturday morning - like her dad she struggles on the swim but is okay on the bike and run.

Good luck all.

Woke up with a sore throat and throbbing head this morning.
I've been knocking back those 'ease-a-cold' tablets. Do they actually work or am I just kidding myself?

Dunno if they work, but I always take them when I start to get cold symptoms.

I reckon they smell like salt and vinegar chips though.

--Toby

If by 'work' you mean 'somewhat alleviate symptoms', yes they can work.

If by 'work' you mean 'cure a cold', or even 'hasten the cure of a cold', no they don't work.

I'm in a work team...doing the 10k run. Planning on running at a comfy pace this year and not all out.

Main aim is to not get my team DSQed this year!

Hot Tip - Do not wear an i-Pod!...this seriously upsets USM Officials!

I like the Mooloolaba Tri (competed either in team or individually since 2003)...but I love the atmosphere at Noosa. Certainly Mooloolaba is roomier and better for spectators. Elites race (on a different course) later in the day and that's quite exciting to watch!

Goodluck to all the CRs!

Tilly

How did everyone go? It was a hot day at the office, but I was content with a steady 40mins + something for the run.

These triathalons entail a lot of complicated logistics!

Nice to catch up with Coolrunner Mike, and to meet Tilly.

Cheers,

Chris

Nice work tuttle. I'd be overjoyed with that time doing a flat course on a cool day.

I did 28:08 on my swim leg. I'm happy with that effort, but little disappointed that I piked out a bit towards the end. I convinced myself that I would get out of the water and make a sprint for transition (at 250m, it's a mini run leg), but when it came time to run my calves kept cramping up. I still passed a few out of the water .

I came 25th in my swim and we came 26th as a team.

Well done to those that competed, and hope you had a fun day. I went up to the turnaround to watch/cheer, and could see how tough it was.

Cool runners spotted. Tuttle, Sunset, PeterHorse

Mike

I came in at 2:37. My swim was 9 minutes slower than last year (I blame that on getting caught in a rip after the final turn buoy . A faster bike and run made back some time for me to finish 1 minute down from last year, so happy overall!

Always a good time up at mooloolaba!

--Toby

Like Toby I also did 2:37. In my case it was the fastest of the 3 Olympic Distance triathlons I have done, beating my 2:43 at Noosa last year.

Swim conditions were definitely slower than last year - I was 6mins slower than last year and struggled out of the water in over 33mins. I felt pretty comfortable on the bike and run and did the run in 48:26 - very happy to keep under 5min/ km pace.

I was passed by a guy in a CR cap and a blue and grey tri suit about 8kms into the run. He was going pretty quickly - low to mid 40s for the run leg I'd say.

Overall a great weekend up the coast and very happy with my time and how I felt. A quiet week this week and then I'll start to focus on the Gold Coast marathon!

Hey Puaka
if the guy you mean is about half way through this lot of photos Pat Carroll took, http://www.patcarroll.com.au/PCRG_2008_Mooloolaba.htm then that was me . yes, it was 44:51 for the run leg which i was pleased with considering three goes at the hill. did 30:21 for the swim and 1:19:xx for the bike to get a total of 2:34:00 (2:33:58 by my watch so nice and accurate on considering the second or two delay to press it twice at the gun). I had a shocker in T2...about 3mins... due to a little comfort break. only did 3 swim sessions to train for this one but i actually enjoyed that sector for once...i thought the water was perfect yesterday. the swim course was M shaped but i think i spelled it EMINEM due to fogged up goggles so was pleasantly surprised at 30mins. also didn't do much proper bike training for this so i just focussed on keeping 95-105 cadence to avoid dead legs and copped the slower time. all the running training payed off and i fishined well, although it hurt a lot and I was a bit dehyrated.
highlight was staying to watch both the girls and the guys ITU races. wow they can run!
caught up with Mickey at the event and then Sunset shopping at Coles. Saw you from a distance Tuttle but didn't want to give teh blood yell across the crowd. "bloodyell, bloodyell" (and old Benny Hill joke if i recall?)
see you at the next one everyone...brissy half...GCM... then GC HIM perhaps?
PH

my brother was 9th in the 35-39 category in 2:11:XX...his mate did 2:44:XX in the same category (first open water swim for him)...

congrats to all!

Yes, definitely you PH. I'm in the M45-49 category and your wave would have started 3mins after mine. My overall time was 2:37:29 so you would have crossed the finish line about 30 seconds before me.

I would have introduced myself but I would have had to have caught you first!

I'll be doing the Brisbane Half and GCM - have to get a CR cap before then!

Paul