Review of Rockman X-Tri - 07 December 2014
| Sport | Off Road Triathlon |
| Event | Rockman X-Tri |
| Date | 07 December 2014 |
| Where | Vaal Dam, South Africa |
| Distance | 25.5 Km |
| Finishing Time | 01:43:21 |
| Race Number | 2216 |
| Result | 73/268 |
| Top % | 27% |
| Pace | 4:03 m/km |
| Speed | 14.8 km/h |
| Click here for details about Rockman X-Tri | |
| Comments | View Comments |
My experience at the event:
Compared to last year's first dash edition (the ultra still seems way too long for me), the race was bigger and more difficult than before. With more athletes probably using it as a stepping race before the January's xterra, the competition was much improved. I noticed the differences from 2013 simply by walking from the parking lot to the starting area: more sponsors, more bicyle stations in the transition area, more people!The swim (500 meters with wetsuit in the Vaal Dam) was quite crowded, and I struggle to get any rhythm until the last bit. But then you could have easily walked the last 50 meters since the water was so low! (while I was swiming finally enjoying my session, people around started to walk quicker than me...).
After the usual sprint to the transition area, I got to my station, to find my mountain bike missing! Luckily the lady who took it by mistake was just 10 meters around me, so I managed to stop her to claim my bike, which, unlike hers, was a male model, black and blue, and totally different from the white and expensive small MTB she had...
In the mountain bike leg, after a solid start, I got a bit tired in the middle (not much training recently!), but I managed to pick up speed and pass people with 5km to go, on a course that, apart from some rocks and sand patches, was much more improved that the muddy short course from 2013.
After the super quick transition, I was out in the trail race, and I think that maybe only 2-3 people passed me, while I managed to pass most of the strong swimmers and cyclists struggling on the hilly path.
At the end I finished the race 73rd, 13th in my category (down from 2nd last year, but with way less competition!), only 6 minutes from a category's podium. It was an enjoyable experience, the only problem was driving there and back (1.30 hour one way, all by myself).
Now one more triathlon next week and the season will be over!
Some pictures (while I wait for the official ones):
