I keep thinking "why am I doing this?!" This is going to be agony but I'll finish this race and then just do some other sport, which is more fun like golf or tennis. Bintan last year was agony and I was a cripple for a good week, but since then I have done 8 Triathlons…..there must be something good about this sport! After much hesitation and procrastination I suckered myself into the 70.3 Half Ironman.

That said, it has been fun as both Andrew Gillian (fund manager from a competing firm in Singapore) and I have been chasing each other down for the last 1.5 years of Triathlons and since he had signed up there was pressure for me to do the same. Unfortunately Andrew was unwell on the day.
 
There was much inspiration with each competitor receiving a unique event ORCA race top. A star studded line up, Craig Alexander, Belinda Granger, Renaildo Colucci... were all coming (unfortunately the real stars Joss and Claire couldn't make it), and the chance to ride through the closed off CBD streets (payback to the evil Singaporean motorists).
 
The swim was a full 1.9k off the famed East Coast park. It is always a slight worry when you're helping fellow competitors remove rubbish and planks of wood from the sea and beach during warm-up! The swim was the usual chocolate brown waters with good visibility just past your elbow with an unusual swell and chop that took it's toll on a few. With the sun in my eyes on the main downward leg, I made the fatefully wrong decision to follow the person in front of me, and a big group of us ended up swimming to buoy number 3 and not 2, a costly two to three hundred metres!
 
42 mins later I ran out feeling very quite good, sucked down a GU and jumped on my bike. You know this 70.3 was a big event when all the (GNC) shops around town sold out of GU or only had chocolate or expresso flavours left.  Today I worked out I would need at least 10-12 GU's. The bike course started down East Coast park, over Benjamin Shears Bridge, followed by four loops that took you around the back of Marina South, through the CBD, and out over Kallang River then over Nicholl Highway to the National Stadium. As anticipated it was a fantastic fun and fast ride, as Singapore roads are smooth and the course was 99% flat.
 
T2 was set up on the new (world's largest) floating platform (and outdoor amphitheatre) at Marina Bay with a grand view of the City/CBD skyline. As you rode into T2 volunteers racked your bike and your 'run' bag was handed to you. We had designated "Swim", "Bike", and "Run" bags. T2 seemed quite casual as most didn't seem rushed through transition and it was funny to watch others take their time changing into run gear and lathering sun block on themselves. The run was flat with 2 loops taking you from the Padang and along the Singapore and Kallang rivers and then looping back again from the National Stadium. To be expected it was a hot and humid run, made bearable only by the shady trees of the riverside park and a big storm half way through. Running has always been my weakest link and for sure it felt like the whole field ran past me.

In the end I was happy to have paced myself well, finishing in 6h and 27 mins! And so now quietly with my 70.3 T-shirt and Avivia Orca 70.3 race top - I am a half ironman!

Thanks Claire and Joss!