Biathle World Championships, Florida, USA Oct 2016
Today my daughter, Amy, and myself competed in the World Biathle Championships in Florida, USA To date it's the hardest event I have ever done in my 50yrs! A full on sprint and fast swim followed by another dash for home, no time to stop for a chat or to catch your breath... and those who know me know i like a chat!
My daughter, and myself arrived in Florida a week before race day. We flew into Tampa and drove to a hotel near the competition venue- our sunshine state home for the week.
Team training was held on Thursday to get everyone used to the lake, course and transition areas ready for race day.
Race day came around in a flash. My race was scheduled 10.30 am . It was so hot and the Florida sun already shone high over the course, a stark contrast to the cooler English weather I had been training in!. I felt more confident then I had done in the trials as I could now manage the 100m swim but there were teams form all over the world.. South Africa with the biggest team of 200 member's. GB had about 90 athletes. I stood at the start line. Not feeling sick this time I had had sprint training with Elite ladies and had all the preparation I possibly could under my belt. I looked down at my feet, toes behind the start line and waited. Those tense few moments before the gun goes off. Hoping and praying all the hard training I had put in back home would pay off. Both men and women ran together so it was difficult to see who was who. It was hard and it was fast and it was hot BUT I did it and most importantly, had finished in one piece! To top it off, as I crossed the line, I heard to commentator announce I had placed 3rd, I had come 3rd in the World! By far one of the proudest moments of my life. I could hardly believe it, and honestly still cannot, 3rd Master B women in the World!
Amy had a tough British qualifier back in August, placing 5th in her 6 person GB contingent. However in Florida she had a great race, pulling her up to 3rd GB scorer and 8th overall, helping her team get a silver medal. Both of us came back from Florida with medals, something we had only dreamed of! Below is a link to the article written by Pentathlon GB about the championships.
http://www.pentathlongb.org/news/post/final-update-biathle-triathle-world-champs