Cycle from the Square in Kenmare on Saturday 28/02. Updated time!! Leaving at 10:00am now.

Leaving the square in Kenmare at 10:00 (note updated time) with a good ole break for a rack of ribs at Molly Darcys and then back to Kenmare. Weather permitting. If you want to bring along your membership form for 2009 for anyone who hasn’t yet submitted it we can collect it on the day!

We’ve expanded the list below to include most of the local events in the surrounding area (with one or two extra which many of Kenmare Tri Club memebers will hoping to do).  Registration is already open for some of these (indeed Valentia Triathlon is already sold out) and for more of them registration will be opening in the next couple of weeks so keep an eye out.  If know of any others that you think are relevant feel free to add them to the comments and we’ll work them in over time. 

Those in bold are Kenmare Tri Club organised/supported events.

Puck Warriors Duathlon – Saturday 25th April (Updated Date)

The Jack & Jill Run on Saturday 18th April.

3rd May - Bay Run Half Marathon from Glengarriff to Bantry

The Valentia Triathlon – Saturday 16th May 

6th June – Schull Sprint Triathlon

13th June – Fun Tri, Kenmare – Charity event for The Bridge Foundation

20th June – Caherciveen Sprint Triathlon

27th June – Kilkee Hell of the West Olympic Triathlon

The Ring of Kerry Cycle - Saturday 4th July

12th July – Lough Hyne Olympic Triathlon

25th July – King of the Hill Sprint Triathlon, Kinsale

8th aug – Little  Bo Peep Olympic Triathlon, Kenmare

30th aug – Blackwater sprint triathlon, Fermoy

12th sept, Lost Sheep Half Ironman Triathlon, Kenmare

Sometime in late September…..Castlegregory Sprint and Olympic Triathlon

With the mailing lists up and running now you will never need to miss another training session!

There are two mailing lists setup, one for general news and information and one for training information.  The “News” mailing list will probably be only one or two emails a month.  The training email list will (hopefully) get much busier than this as the season goes on.  You can subscribe to either one, two or none as suits.  

To subscribe please go to the subscribe page here.  Note if you have been receiving emails from us previously the chances are that you are already subscribed as the emails we had on file have been set up on both lists by default.  Check your email account to see if you have received a welcome email already from us, if not please go ahead and sign up. 

Don’t forget you can also keep in touch with updates to this website via the RSS subscribe button on the homepage.  If you are not sure what this is check out this article which gives a good overview of RSS for beginners.

Winter has arrived and the days are shorter however training hasn’t ceased completely for those interested but will continue in a fairly informal manner until the new year.  Currently the following weekly training groups are still continuing:

•  Swimming – 8-9pm every Wednesday in the pool at the Kenmare Bay.
• Cycling – Sunday cycle leaving at 9 on Sunday morning from the square (probably best to confirm this with someone before arriving).
• Running – 7pm on Tuesday from the Kenmare Bay car park.  A short run around the town.  Although we will be keeping within the lighted areas you should still wear and armband or other high visibility clothing.

Sunday saw the inaugural Kenmare Handicap Triathlon and what a huge success it was; for none more so than Clive Johnston. On his triathlon debut Clive left the field for dust to romp home in first place. Great things are expected from him for the 2009 season although I’d say the handicappers will be looking closely at him this time next year.

There is a full report to follow below. Just before this however we would sincerely like to thank all the people who helped, supported and organised the event. Thanks Chris, James, Margaret, Ryan, The Paul’s, Joanne,  Jordan, Tom, Will, Ann, Devon, Lauren, Taylor, Sinead and especially Robert and Andrea who not only organised but then went on to provide amazing hospitality for the evening.

So to the results. There are number of result sheets detailed below (all in PDF format):

- Individual times for each event – Download Here
- Individual times for each event with handicap adjustments – Download Here

- Total times (including transitions) – Download Here
- Total times (including transitions) with handicap adjustments – Download Here

Photos to follow in the coming days. In the meantime enjoy Ryan’s humorous report below.

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Race Report

Kenmare Handicap Fun Triathlon

Sunday, 12th October 2008.

A new dawn is upon us, a new era in sporting history has been born. Now, finally, mere mortals can compete with the elites of the triathlon ranks and bring home a slice of winners pie.  What could make this possible, you may wonder.  How could such a complex system of performance times be adapted to bridge the gap between those who have the skill, stamina, strength and dedication to be at the top and those who, well, don’t?  The answer came to Robert Whyte one day while trimming his hedges in his purpose-built 4×4 jeep.  Why not take the average completion times achieved by each athlete on similar distances and weight them accordingly?  And hence, a revolution was born – its name:

The Time-Adjusted-By-Robert-And-His-Mates-Triathlon.

On race day all competitors were geared up and ready for what we knew would be a powerful day in sports.  Championship athlete Paul Tanner was up against his arch-nemesis, the elite Ellen Vitting, and neither Timmy O’Leary or Boyle Sports could name either as favourite.  Throughout the pack, it was clear that all in attendance were pulling out the stops to take the prized first place.  New arrival to the sport Clive Johnston was armed with a bike thought to be made out of air and aerodynamic rice paper.  Paul Kelly was rumoured to have abstained from smoking for three hours before the event.  Indeed, everyone was truly taking this very seriously.

At an estimated length of somewhere between 300 and 800 metres, the swim provided the perfect start to the event. The water was glass-like and while somewhat chilly, it allowed the big players to put in excellent swim times.  First out of the water was Paul T, closely followed by Ellen, Colm and Lisa.  Colm’s T1 time proved to be his Achilles heel however, stopping to make a sandwich and have a cup of coffee before getting onto the bike.  This time was bettered by Thos though, who not only prepared lunch but also did a full yoga workout before starting his cycle.

The first leg of the cycle was a gruelling climb to the top of Rossacussane and some of the athletes began to ask why Trek hadn’t made gears that go down another 7 clicks.  Those at the front had no such problems and Ellen later told this reporter that she did the entire climb in top gear, wearing flip-flops.  Good weather conditions continued throughout the duration of the cycle and by the end of this leg all competitors had put in strong times.

On commencement of the run, the gap between Ellen and Paul T was shorter and it looked like the  run-like-the-wind elite might take the lead in the 4km ahead.  With every step Ellen closed another inch but Paul held on and made it onto the bike first for the last stretch home.  A superb run time was achieved by Joe Smyth who seemed to break the sound barrier on the last descent.  Other athletes were not quite as quick however, with one competitor in particular (ahem) deciding that walking was really how to approach this leg of the competition.  Spurred on by the supportive comments of his fellow athletes and the 10 year old water-providers yelling ‘Run You Idiot!’ he amassed the strength to break into a leisurely jog for rest of the run.

The second leg of the cycle was a quick sprint to the finish, and spectators held their breath to see who would be the first to climb up the Olympics-endorsed hill to the back of Robert’s house.  Much to the surprise of sports writers it was Paul T who crossed the line first, finally doing what some in triathlon circles had deemed impossible by beating Ellen.  All competitors put in excellent finish times, the lure of the BBQ at Robert’s house being cited as the motivation for such super-human achievement.

The question on everyone’s mind now was how would the times be affected by the handicap system.  Would Paul T hold his lead?  Would Robert Whyte himself take the prize? (and then face a steward’s enquiry about how exactly the times were worked out)   No, in fact nobody had expected the resulting winner who turned out to be none other than newcomer Clive Johnston.  Indeed, with powerful performances in all events and a magic bike that weighed less than a Pot Noodle, Clive was a worthy victor and accepted the Paul Kelly hand-crafted cup with pride.  Crowds cheered, cameras flashed and the event was brought to a momentous close.

We look forward to seeing what next year brings.

Just before we post up Lisa’s report on the Castlegregory triathlon we’d like to say a huge congratulations to Lisa and Ellen who won both of their respective events; Lisa in the Sprint event and Ellen in the Olympic.  An amazing achievement to have even one winner let alone two.  A huge well done and hopefully next year one of the guys might be able to match it with a placing!

For me the last race of the season has to be on in Sandy Bay in the beautifully sunny Maherees on the last Sunday of September. Organised by Nuala (don’t know how she does it) in aid of the RNLI this ‘fun’ triathlon has two distances run on the same day. Just after 1pm the 22 athletes and teams doing Olympic started by a flare from the lifeboat braved the somewhat cool but calm water then after they turned near the beach I and 57 other ’sprinters’ jumped in after them, re tracked their route out to the buoy turn left (mind the seaweed) over to the other buoy and back to the beach. Where if you wanted your time recorded you had to shout you race number to the timekeepers (no fancy electronic equipment here).

Then to transition (mind the rabbit holes) found my bike and headed for the bike route which took me into Castlegregory and up towards the Conor pass with fabulous views onto Brandon bay. Thankfully I hit the 10k mark before it got too steep, turnaround and back down the hill, at this stage i knew how many cyclists where in front and who was just behind.  The only thing I didn’t know was whether they where doing Sprint or Olympic. The Olympic bike route was doubling up on the sprint cycle!

Back through the sandy dunes into T2. Here I met the first three men running back into Castlegregory for the 5k.  Now i knew i was first woman in and in 4th overall with ‘just’ the run to complete. for those of you who don’t know this I found myself in much the same position last year, when my snails pace during the run saw me being passed out by quite a few other competitors. Not this year!! At the 1k mark I met the next woman coming in on the bike so all i had to do was keep her behind me…then shortly after a man passed me out but not to worry he was part of a team (and if u ask Paul T teams don’t count). Into Castlegregory for my third visit and a cup of water and back to the finish with minutes to spare i won my first triathlon.

Last weekend (7^th sep) our beautiful little town hosted the sixth annual half Ironman Triathlon.  This year saw a record number of local participants totalling 27 in all.  9 individuals faced into what is unanimously agreed within the triathlon community to be the toughest tri event held in Ireland, and 18 competed as part of relays.  So first and foremost, a big well done to all and Kenmare tri club looks forward to seeing even more locals take up the challenge next year.

The 1.9km swim kicked off around 07:15 in what can only be described as ,”less than ideal conditions”.  Both the air and water temperature were cold due to gale force winds from the north and a large quantity of cold flood water flowing down from the Sheen and Roughty rivers (more about this later).  The first section of the swim seemed to go smoothly enough in that I didn’t hear any horror stories about people getting goggles knocked off or any accidental knocks from other swimmers.  Once around the large yellow buoy ( approx 500m )  many swimmers noticed the water felt even cooler as they approached the suspension bridge which may have been one of the reasons quite a few people got cramps. 

Now to the hydrodynamics……The event organisers had timed the start time so that the swimmers would be coming under the bridge on the incoming tide as it slowed down towards high tide.  So the idea was that there would either be a current with the swimmers or no current at all.  However, the flood water coming down the two rivers feeding the bay was stronger than the ebbing tide which from the swimmers perspective meant that the tide turned much earlier than planned resulting in a current against the swimmers. 

This of course made the swim section  hard. But hey, the whole idea of this event is to be very tough. On a positive note, the surface conditions were flat due to the north wind.

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The event really lived up to its reputation on the 90km cycle leg.  Competitors travel from far and wide both nationally and internationally to pit themselves against the 3 hills on the cycle route with the healy pass and the caha pass being notably infamous.  However, this year those strong northerly winds buffeted cyclists all over the place on the long stretch of road between Adrigole and Glengariff .  On the ascent from Glengariff to the tunnels at the Caha Pass, the head winds were so strong in places that one felt that they would come to a complete stop.  Some cyclists also had a few hairy moments as they left the tunnels and got hit by side winds that threatened to push them onto the wrong side of the road.  There was some respite once down off the mountains and into the shelter of the Bonane valley, with most people seeming to enjoy the last bit of the cycle leg.  That is of course until they remembered the half marathon yet still ahead of them.

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The run section of the event from a conditions point of view turned out to be the most pleasant. The clouds lightened, the sun came out here and there, the winds were kept at bay by the tree lined roads and it felt warm. Of course from a physical perspective it was hell.  The energy levels at this stage are much depleted from 4hrs plus of racing.  The 21k run was well organised with very welcome water stops along the way.  Most people I have spoken with agree that from Sheenfalls to Roughty bridge and the main road section to the finish line seemed to go on forever.  This might have had something to do with the fact that we were all exhausted by that stage.

From a personal perspective and I am sure that I speak on behalf of all local competitors, the support from local spectators whether they were friends, family or just familiar faces from the Kenmare area was a great morale boost.  I’m sure the other 273 competitors would consider this an unfair advantage for the local gang, but I think anyone who looked like they needed a cheer etc. got it.   

So once again, well done to all those who got their first half ironman under their belt.  Our local Triathlon star Ellen Vitting came in 3rd place overall in the women’s category.  So well done Ellen.

The lost sheep triathlon is organised by the cork triathlon club.  James Mulchrone from “Jam” is one of their key sponsors, so thankyou and well done for running and sponsoring the event guys.

As always, many local volunteers helped out along the route aswell as the civil defence, the gardai, the kayakers and others.  A big thank you to all who gave up their day to help out.

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Triathlon is currently the largest growth sport in Europe.  Most events are much shorter distances than “the lost sheep half ironman” with the most common distance event taking between 1 hour and 2 hours to complete all 3 disciplines.  There are many events held within a short distance of Kenmare and there are three events held in Kenmare each year.

The sport gets you outside in the fresh air (and water) creates an all round fitness that makes it an ideal weight loss method.  Add the fact that you can compete in events in Kenmare, Kerry, Munster and the rest of Ireland if you wish and you get to meet a whole bunch of people who are as mad as you.

For more information on the Kenmare Triathlon Club check out www.kenmaretri.com

Article written by Paul Tanner

Hi all, Please note that the A.G.M will take place on Wednesdays the 1st of October, starting at 7.30pm sharp in Jam.

Kenmare Triathlon Club Annual Swim Across Kenmare Bay

Templenoe Pier to Star Sailing Centre.

Hi All, please find enclosed swim route for the annual swim across Kenmare Bay, Starting from Templenoe Pier across the bay to Star  Sailing Centre. We Hope to have the swim on Saturday the 13^th September weather permitting.

The swim will start  from Templenoe pier at 4.pm sharp. The swim is just under 3km in distance. Templenoe pier is out the Kenmare -  Sneem road ( N70) .

Please note the following: All swimmers  must wear wet suits and bright swimming hats.

The swim will be at High tide and will start at 4.pm start. All swimmers to be at the pier at 3.30pm for a safety briefing. Please note swimmers swim at their own risk, you must be a confident swimmer to do this swim.

Closing date for swim is Wednesday the 10^th September, Please confirm by e-mail (colm.herbalife@gmail.com) or give me a call / text on 087 2399725.  No Entry’s will be Take on the Day. If your name is not in by Wednesday you cannot swim. We need to confirm numbers so we have adequate safety boats for the day.

This year we are doing the swim for Irish Cancer Society,  10 Euro per swimmer.

I will be providing free samples of Herbalife products after the swim, energy drinks , and tea. Anybody wishing to get a free body analysis and consultation give me a all on 087 2399725.

“Dream big, dream as big as you can”

Bob Bowman swimming coach of Michael Phelps. Eight gold medals in the 2008 Olympics’.

A couple of picture from the 2008 Little Bo Peep Triathlon.  (Send on a couple more if people have them)