Report by Caroline Makin
Vikings pals, Kristen Leydon and Caroline Makin, headed down to the coast on Saturday 31 March 2012, for their final open water event for the 2011-12 season. The ladies took part in the 1km Bateman’s ‘TriTheBay’ Ocean Swim which is part of the Elite Energy Triathlon weekend.
It was beautifully hot and sunny weather for this day trip to the ‘seaside’ accompanied by Caroline’s husband Scott and her dad Geof, who was visiting from the UK. The Vikings arrived in plenty of time for the start of the swim, soaking up a bit of pre-triathlon event atmosphere and they were ready for the off for the start of the swim event at 12 o’clock. Caz’s race number 829 was her birth day and month, and her Dad reckoned this was going to be her lucky number for the swim ……
With 73 competitors, including 40 women, the entire field took to the water in one large wave with a running beach start from the shore line. Caz and Kristen lept into action, with Caz diving into the shallows and getting into her stroke early compared to many competitors who preferred to wade into the shallows. A sand bank about 100m from the shore, saw competitors switching from swimming to wading again before diving back into the warm waters (22 degrees) to take on the remaining 900m of the race.
Four bouys later and Caz headed home fast, overtaking a couple of swimmers in the last 300m, and making it over the finish line in 16:45, to secure a gold medal in the F40-49 category from a field of 10 comipetitors, 7th overall Female and swimming two minutes faster than in the same event the previous year. Kristen, also swimming substantially faster then her previous time, completed the swim in 20:48 to take 8th place in the F40-49 category.
A quick shower on the beach and a change of clothes and the pair headed to the pub with Scott and Geof to celebrate their efforts with a couple of glasses of wine. A bar meal, followed by an enormous ice cream set the crew ready for their trip home to Canberra after a lovely afternoon in the sunshine.
Full results are available.
