Swim, cycle, run and cheer

It's a sport for everyone, but don't be fooled, competition can be tough on raceday - VIDEO below

Get ready to cheer, sweat, and maybe even sign up for next year. On Sunday, August 3, Virginia will host an official triathlon where 150 athletes from all over Ireland will take on the challenging course starting off at the shoreline of Lough Ramor at 9.15am.

The triathlon begins with a 750-metre swim, marked out in a large triangular course from the shoreline. Athletes then transition to a 20km cycling loop around Lough Ramor, following the Munterconnaught Road back through the town down to the lake. From there, participants head straight into a 5km trail run through the forest, finishing back at the lakeside.

Triathlon Ireland oversee the proper layout, but it’s the club members of Virginia Triathlon & Cycling Club (VTCC) who set it up for the day. Some 150 competitors from all over the country take part on the day. They can enter the triathlon, duathlon or a 400 metre swim. “Something for everyone,” promises race co-ordinator Paraig Smith from Virginia.

To ensure that all participants emerge safely from the water, several volunteers will be patrolling the lake during the triathlon. “The local scouts assist on kayaks, there is a civil defence boat and the Ramor Watersports Club help with the course set-up and a safety boat during the race,” says VTCC-member Jennifer Doonan. Quite frankly: “We need to make sure the same amount of people that entered the water have come out.”

To start training for triathlons and the three disciplines swimming, cycling and running, the first is really the one people need to focus on most, explains Paraig. “Swimming in open water is very different to swimming in a pool.”

There are no turns or push off the walls and the water temperature can be distressing – even with a wet suit. “Currently we’re lucky, we have 20 degrees water temperature. That’s not always the case.”

Waves, splashes and murky water can make the swim daunting. He believes the sport is for everyone, but “safety always comes first”.

Paraig recommends training with the club first a couple of times either Wednesday evenings or Sunday mornings, to get a feel for the water and sport. Active since 2011, the VTCC caters for competitive and leisure athletes of all skill levels and provides training in swimming, cycling and running.

“We’ll swim with you close to the shore between the jetty and bark and give tips on technique.”

While cycling and running have specific ranges of motion to practice, they can be done in everyone’s own time.

Later on, triathletes practice the transition from one discipline to another. This is not limited to the change of swimsuit to cycling-running clothes and appropriate footwear – which needs to be carefully planned and rehearsed as well so no time goes wasted. The sport-specific demands on the body are very different. Everyone who has come out of the water after a swim has felt the body reacting to the air and temperature. The muscles feel heavy, the heart is racing. During the triathlon, the body has to be able to adjust straight away to the demands of a cycle after the swim.

To improve muscular and nervous system adaptation, interval and combination trainings are crucial. They mimic those race efforts, especially threshold and tempo intervals, preparing the body to handle spikes in intensity during competition.

“You’d do only a short swim to get the body going and then onto the bike for a shorter cycle. Another day you’d do all three disciplines, eventually getting race ready,” says Jennifer.

For the first time in years, she can actually join the triathlon, which she is very excited about. Probably the “best swimmer of us all” according to Paraig. Once a year, Jennifer sets off to swim across Lough Ramor - 7km in about three hours. “My midlife crisis trait,” she adds jokingly.

Focusing on stroke after stroke in dark waters kilometres away from the shore raises the question how she keeps a straight line? When starting at the campsite on the eastside of the lake, she knows to head for two high trees on one of the islands: “You take four, five strokes and then quickly look up. Later I’d be able to spot the gable of Virginia college, so that’s where I head.”

She’s always accompanied by a person on a kayak and trails an orange float. “These are absolutely necessary,” Jennifer confirms – for their own safety, even when the water is calm. The glistening water surface makes it nearly impossible for people on boats or jet skis to spot a swimmer. Also, it gives swimmers the possibility to hold on to in case of any emerging struggle like cramps or fatigue.

After a three-hour swim in the lake the other day, the 15 minutes on Sunday for 750 metres could be considered a walk in the park for Jennifer. “Even for those who don’t take part in the triathlon, it’s a great day to watch,” says Paraig. “The contestants going into the river, loud music playing and athletes cycling through the town.”

Athletes who want to enter can do so through the triathlonireland.com website.