Superhero Tri 2023!
Katy, our Physical Activity Navigator, tells us about The Coalition’s day at the Superhero Tri.
Wow – what a brilliant day we had at the Superhero Tri! Where do I start!? My abiding memory is of many smiles, laughs and a real sense of achievement and pride from our teams.The day started early to make sure we were at Eton Dorney Lake in good time. This was the rowing venue for the London 2012 Olympics and it’s perfect for an inclusive triathlon with a large lake with clear waters and access support, and relatively flat, tarmac roads around the lake for the cycle and walk/run/wheel sections.
The event was well organised with lots of yellow shirted “sidekicks” available for any support or directions needed. We registered and put on our Superhero t-shirts and numbers and moved over to transition where the event briefing was happening. Transition is the area of the course where all the equipment you need is laid out for each stage of the triathlon. It’s where you change from swim to cycle and from cycle to run/walk/wheel if you are doing the whole event yourself or where you handover to your teammate if you are doing a relay.The swimmers put on their wetsuits and soon our wave was called to the start line. We had plenty of time to get into the water from the jetty or go down a ramp for those that preferred. The water was refreshing, and we took a moment to acclimatise. For Charlotte and Caroline this was their first event in open water, and it was great to see them looking confident and ready. Then the starter gave the ready, go and we were off! I found myself in the middle of a big bunch of swimmers and so I put my head down and swam into some space. As a result, I didn’t see anyone from our teams again until I got out of the water, but I heard later how much they’d enjoyed it! The great thing about the Superhero Tri is that there are no restrictions on equipment and so everyone that wants to swim can. There were flippers, flotation aids and guide swimmers and plenty of sidekicks to assist with exiting the water.
Our bikes were hired from the amazing Get Cycling CIC who hire and sell adapted cycles. We had reserved two side by side tandems and two handcycles. The bikes were being used by people in the previous waves so we had been warned there might be a bit of a wait. As I walked back into transition only one of the tandems was available and since I was due to guide Jane, we got ready to set off. We had a bit of a giggle as Jane said, “I don’t think I should be steering”” and we realised she had inadvertently been guided to the wrong seat! A quick seat swap later and we were off.
The bike route went up to the left side of the lake and then back down through the middle with a few small bridges to navigate. We were cheered out of transition and set off on our two laps. Despite a few rain showers it was warm, and we were glad to see two lovely ladies at the top of the course offering us some water. We stopped for a quick drink and set off on the home stretch. Pedalling hard to get up the bridges and freewheeling down the other side, soon we were at the end of the first lap. The 2nd lap was almost an identical repeat of the first – it even started raining in exactly the same spot! This was the furthest that Jane had ever cycled, and she was rightly proud of herself – well done Jane!
We returned to transition to find that Jonathan with Caroline as guide were out on their bike leg but unfortunately Angie and Steve were still waiting for their hand bikes. The walk/run/wheelers had sensibly decided to go and complete their leg, so they were out on the course with Nikki guiding Jean, David M on his scooter with trusty sidekick David S and Pam who felt inspired to run and ended up running 5k twice the distance planned – amazing!
It wasn’t too long before one of the hand bikes was returned and Steve was settled into the seat. The Get Cycling volunteers were great at adjusting the bikes for each rider so that they were comfortable. Steve set off looking like a pro and flew around his laps – pretty good going since it was his first time ever on a hand bike!
Angie and I continued to wait and amused ourselves by spotting celebrities as they arrived for their wave. We saw Paralympic gold medallists Sophie Christiansen and Thomas Young, BBC reporter Frank Gardner and Invictus games team captain David Wiseman. Then the walk/run/wheelers returned with more smiles and tales of their achievements as well as some weighty medals and goody bags for us all.
Finally, Angie’s hand bike was available and she was able to make her way onto the course. Angie had decided that it would be best for her to complete one lap and we had agreed I would go round with her for support. Angie did a fabulous job after such a long wait and made me sprint down the hills after her! It wasn’t long before we were finished, and another member of our team had completed their challenge. We met up with the others and celebrated our success with some well-deserved refreshments before heading for home wearing our medals with pride.
