firstoffthebike.com - Races

Sam Hume - Mission Accomplished

It was reverse Big Brother in the house this year with me arriving 10 days pre-race and having 48 hours by myself before the arrival of our resident chef Brett Urwin (Iron Chef), injured pro Mitch Anderson (Crip), wife Naant and travelling companion Sonia. Later we were joined by the Larkes - Stuart, Helen, Harvey and Archer (yes, big North Melbourne fans), and my folks, Mike and Deg. The skill set of this team makes for quite an impressive list with the roles of training partner, chef, physio, doctor, bike technician, race tactician, supportive wife, biochemist, coder for the physio/doctor/biochemist, lawyer and concerned parent all covered but thankfully not all required.

The first few days were pretty hot which, in retrospect, was great for acclimatisation because much of the week leading into the race was mild, while race day popped up as a hot one. I joined Luke Bell for a few training rides and finished my last long ride and run about a week out from the race. Swim training at White Sands beach continues to be a highlight of these trips as we regularly spotted huge turtles, brilliant coral and massive schools of fish just off-shore. Back on dry land, we ate very well with some memorable dishes. It was almost enough to keep us from bemoaning the ongoing stumble and then fall of the Australian dollar. Almost…

Frustratingly I got a cold 5 days before the race and really backed off the training to try and get over it. This kind of confused the final week as the usual fatigue seemed to be deeper and I wasn’t so sure I was going to bounce back, especially when the night sweats set in the night prior to the race! Better check my Quantiferon-Gold when I get back…

Weighed in at 70.2kg pre-race, which is perfect after what felt like a big 10 days of eating. In terms of pre-race trends amongst the punters and pros alike, many were out training with white knee high compression socks, and all-white long sleeved top and bike shorts after Torbjorn Sindballe used the combination to get his 190+cm frame across the line in third last year. For me, on race day I decided that I preferred to have some air flow and evaporative cooling around my arms and legs rather than adding a white layer. I still used a full cap (not visor) on top so that I could fill it with ice at each aid station.

With overcast days due to the vog (volcanic fog), temperatures were mild at around 28 degrees leading up to the race, however race day was clear and typical Kona - hot, humid and windy. I had a bit of a rough start as race organisers really tried to cram all 1700 of us onto a narrower start line. Although I had a surfboard right in front of me when the gun went, all those 'Pier to Pub' swim starts came in handy and I got some clear water initially only to be caught by the masses 100m in and here things got a bit rough before settling down again. I exited the water in 39th place. Swam in the new BlueSeventy Pointzero3 speed suit which is FINA approved and at least for me explains why so many swimming world records have fallen in the last 18 months!

Out on the bike I was unfortunately pinged for drafting at about the 40km mark in a call from a motorbike 25m behind. I thought I was being conservative at 7+ metres but despite super careful about not getting too close, the judges were on a mission on race day and many people got done. It’s my first drafting violation since starting racing and I had a forced 4 minute stop at the penalty box around 50km. I should have been stretching, sunscreening, eating and drinking while waiting but all I could do was stand there and watch the 4 minutes elapse whilst trying not to get too angry. Whether the 4 minutes rest actually helped me in the long run is up for debate, but I was filled with steely determination when I got back on the bike and my mindset had changed to really focus inward.

In the back of my mind I knew I would probably have to run around 3 hours to have any chance of finishing high up in my age group. Continuing on the bike I constantly had to wind back my effort and it would prove to be well worth it. The wind was blowing hard in gusts sending cyclists all over the road, especially those with deeper-rim wheelsets. I was riding Zipp 808s front and rear on my Giant Trinity Pro and think it was probably about as much as I could handle in terms of the cross winds. Many people were clearly out of gas in that last hour on the bike - it is hard to measure your effort when it is so windy! I came off the bike feeling OK, in 5th place in my age group and keen to run hard.

In Hawaii, every aid station has sponges and ice, and so you end up running in sodden socks/shoes for the entire run. Not great for the feet and I would develop some huge blisters later in the day! Naant, Brett, Stuart and Sonia had bikes to follow me around the race course (at a distance) and Mitch was one-legging it on a pushie too along the Ali’i Drive section. It is great to have their support along the way, although I wasn’t giving them too much positive feedback! It is amazing running out on the course though, with people who don’t know you looking up your name and shouting encouragement as you run by, telling you where you’re coming, spraying you with their garden hoses. Aid stations have music pumping and some even had BBQs which is an added temptation to stop! I set out at a fast pace, not sure where it would falter, but keen to gain some ground while I had the opportunity. As it turned out I would have the second fastest amateur run split and reel in all amateurs except one who was thankfully >4 minutes ahead at the finish.

Swim 53mins, Bike 5h 3mins, Run 2h 56mins for a total 8h 57mins

My amazing wife Naant has been a pillar of support in encouraging me to pursue my belated sporting goals and for this I can’t thank her enough. Many other people have helped me out; Brett Urwin for all the extra miles he did on my behalf; my folks for their enthusiastic support; the “Anderson-Angus training method” and mentorship; Campbell for the running sessions; the White Sands beach household and extras for on-the-day support; the 101 people who texted before or after the race; my work colleagues at VIDS who have been so supportive over the last 2 years; Darren and Jo at Giant bikes; Anth and David at CBD Cycles; Guy at BlueSeventy; Campbell at Oakley; Tim Schlieger for the torture/massage; and Noel Tanner for the wheels. Two nights before the race we had a great chat to Forbsey and Mon on Skype - you guys inspire all of us to get 110% out of whatever we have.