Race Reports: Dyfi Aquathon (A Game Changing Event)

Race Reports: Dyfi Aquathon (A Game Changing Event)

Aberdyfi Aquathon (a game changing event). Aka the big one for me this year, in a rather busy season (with some impromptu races, sorry coach!)

But first we have to go back a year and a bit to Hil asking me to do Sandman with her – and me finding out that my hips could finally cope with running again (and I have less injuries than on a bike). So when Mike announced he would re-run the Dyfi event after a successful trial, not a given, I checked whether there was a cut off time on the run (in addition to the swim one) and by some miracle he said no. I was sold!

Coaching

I got myself a training plan to work on the run – with the understanding that I know how to plan a swim session but that I still have no clue how to organise my runs. And to the best of my ability it’s been stuck to – baring the occasional extra races and trips to moel famua to work on hill running and run navigation.

Swimrun (Aka my new love)

You know I must enjoy it when I am willing to (occasionally) put a wetsuit on.

I initially signed up to the Eliminator at the start of the season because it looked intriguing – and you never know if something like that is going to happen again especially not somewhere close enough to bike from your house to the start line!

What can I say? Great fun.

Then I figured that swimrun was an ‘easy’ way to get used to running after swimming – and work on getting up and down those hills.

Currently, somehow, I am at the top of the female leaderboard! It helps that it includes all qualifying races – and some of the ones I’ve done had small numbers.
So that’s Eliminator, Tal Y Lyn, Llanberis, Manchester and Dyfi x ( for some course checking) so far.

Long Swims

Obviously these have still been a staple of the season. The look on peoples faces when I tell them Windermere is a training event is quite something. The aim of the long swims are to make sure of keeping the pace to make swim cut offs, you can’t even start the run if you miss the tide and don’t get out of the river.

Off the top of my head that is …

• The Triple Crown (Coniston, Ullswater, Windermere)
• The Big Welsh Swim
• Henley Marathon Swim
• The Ivan Percival 4 Mile Swim

Run Races

The Hale Five Mile and all five of the Mystery 5km series. Watch this space for some more run races – including a winter of cross country.

The Big Day

Getting the negatives out first, the cough hasn’t fully gone yet and yesterday’s thunderstorm triggered a doozy of a migraine – so departure was delayed – and then somehow I got turned around in the river and ended up swimming up current briefly!

But for the main part, bloody loved it. What’s not to love about flying though the water trying not to have to wade too much? As for the run, well it’s tough and few hills were run up but I managed a bit more than two weeks ago – Dyfi Swimrun – and the downs were even better with slightly less water on the paths.

A picture says a thousand words!

So do I recommend it? Definitely!

Will I be doing it again? For sure!

I will make it up that river without getting lost in a meander, and after another year of running up hills more should be run next time!

Race Reports: Dyfi Aquathon (A Game Changing Event)

• Mail
• Facebook
• Instagram