Yes, they did, Team SE owned that race!
/It's been 3 days since the Dubai International Triathlon (1.9km swim, 90km bike, 21.1km run), and I'm still blown away by the performances of Team SE. Every one of the athletes blew away my expectations many times over, on what turned out to be a very hot and windy day.
For many, this was their first half ironman triathlon, and they raced as if they've been racing for years! The stuck to their race plans and come though with amazing performances.
This was S's first half ironman after having only raced one sprint distance triathlon (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) before! He still managed to clock a fast time on the 90km bike, and followed that up with a gutsy and solid 21.1km run in scorching conditions.
This was P's first half ironman too! And to go in there and clock a sub 5.30 time is absolutely phenomenal! Can't wait to see what the next season brings!
K & N raced as a team, with K doing the swim and N running the half marathon. K absolutely SMASHED the swim with a fantastic time on the clock. N gutted out a solid run again in brutally hot/humid conditions. But their biggest achievement is the name they came up with for the team!! "Team we thought this was sprint distance..."
If you're looking for what courage, resiliency and mental toughness looks like, well that's exactly what M demonstrated out there on Friday! After a solid swim in choppy conditions, she powered onto the bike only to get a flat tire which sidelined her for 20min on the side of the road, and in the scorching heat! She got back on the bike only to suffer a mechanical failure which caused her to crash... but that wasn't going to stop her either! She got back on the bike, finished it, put her running shoes on and trotted through the 21.1km on the hot pavement as if it were just another training run! Can't wait to see what you're going to do at Ironman!!
And last but certainly not least, Mr. A E! Even though it was A's first half IM, we both had high expectations and were eyeing a competitive placement. I expected a great display, and I was certainly not disappointed. A dug deeper than ever before, and had to go to that "special place" where you can only go once or twice a year in racing: they say pictures speak a thousand words, so I point you towards the below picture, with Mr. A. E. right in the middle...
Next up for Team SE: Challenge Bahrain half ironman, Dubai Creek Striders Half Marathon, Dubai Marathon, Challenge Dubai half ironman and much more...
Can't wait.
Coach T
