Sponsored athlete Beau Smith continued his brilliant form for 2019 with a fantastic domination of the Helvellyn Triathlon. Well done Beau!! Read on for Beaus race report.
On Sunday 1st September I was competing in 'one of the toughest triathlons in the UK' - the Trihard events Helvellyn Triathlon and came out on top with a strong all round performance.
Often billed as the toughest triathlon in the UK, Helvellyn Triathlon is quite simply a bit of a beast! Having raced there last year and finished 2nd I was back in 2019 and hoping to go one better and hopefully bag myself the top spot! The event format is;
- 1 mile swim in the fresh waters of Ullswater.
- 39mile bike (slightly longer than usual due to a road closure through St John's in the Vale) .
- 9mile run up to the summit of England's 3rd highest mountain before flying back down to finish in Glenridding.
'The Struggle' lives up to its name but does not hold Beau back . Picture courtesy of Trihard Events UK.
The race got underway, after a few very heavy showers, at 8:30am and I was quickly into my stroke, my arms feeling good in my Arena Carbon Triathlon wetsuit. I soon had clear water ahead of me and after checking there was nobody drafting on my feet, quickly settled to a nice tempo which I knew I could maintain and set about holding the rhythm. Sighting regularly to maintain a straight course between marker buoys and I was out of the water in just over 17:30. With the swim ticked off without incident, I exited the lake and had a quick check behind. I was comfortably clear so it was a case of straight through transition, wetsuit off, helmet on and onto the road to get on my bike.
Given I had a lead and was feeling good it would be easy to go hard straight from the off. However, I knew I had to be disciplined and smoothly started to time trial my way around the 39 mile course. The Ribble Ultra Tri TT bike was feeling great, I was climbing smoothly and flying along the flats and downhill section, strictly sticking to my aero position. I kept my hydration topped up despite a cool, overcast day with a few showers, and I took one piece of my Voom Pocket Rocket energy bars every 15 minutes to keep my energy topped up. Before long I was at Ambleside and straight onto the tortuous ramps of 'The Struggle' which I had climbed quite recently with a training friend.
Even athletes need to carry their own safety equipment! Photo credit: Trihard Events UK.
Having gone hard right from the start that day it was hard work all the way up. In contrast, today I would keep a very steady rhythm and try to hold the power as consistent as possible. I kept the power down on the steeper sections but pushed on the flatter parts to ensure the power didn't drop off. By the time I reached the summit of the Kirkstone Pass I was definitely starting to feel it and my heart rate was up. But, it was nowhere near as hard as racing up it with my friend previously and yet this time round I was marginally faster. It's remarkable how pacing affects the perception of effort! All that remained was to safely negotiate the sketchy descent and then roll along the fast section back to Glenridding.
I was quick again into T2, opting not to wear socks, and was soon jogging out to start the run, fastening my vest pack as I went. The severe run course dictates that each competitor takes adequate kit for a safe fell run including full body cover, map and whistle. I was feeling good, reaping the benefits of a disciplined and smooth bike ride, and in a way the race was mine to lose. I was leading at this point in the race last year though, so this time I wasn't counting my chickens. I was going to run as best I could and be ready for a battle if someone caught up with me on the way round. At 950m above sea level, England's 3rd highest peak can be a daunting prospect and when approached from Glenridding side the striking Striding Edge and Swirral Edge are guarding the flanks.
That sweet moment of victory as Beau crosses the line to claim victory in the 2019 edition of the Helvellyn Triathlon.
After slogging up Birkhouse Moor with a combination of jogging and power walking I was able to stretch my legs on a slight downhill and flatter section past 'The Hole in the Wall' and Red Tarn before heading up onto Swirral Edge. I was eventually caught by a fast running relay team member on the scramble up the edge so I was able to follow his line as an experienced fell runner. I worked hard and was finally at the summit and was soon descending and chasing the relay runner. He was a little surprised when I caught him up again and we subsequently ran together for a few minutes.
I would have loved to have battled with him all the way back down as I felt I could match him at descending but there was a further ascent up White Side and his fresher legs meant I wasn't able to stick with him. The rest of the race was straight forward for me and I descending strongly but carefully. Soon enough I was running back through the village of Glenridding where there was plenty of support from both those associated with the event and various other onlookers! It was great to cross the finish line and realise my run split was around 7 minutes quicker than I managed last year and to win such an iconic race with a strong performance was fantastic.
Beau continues up the struggle. Photo credit: Trihard events UK.
Post race as always it was great to share stories with other athletes about such a varied and testing race. As an added bonus one of the massage therapists happened to be an old university friend so it was great to have a catch up while he stuck his elbows in my sore muscles - cheers Dan! Congrats to Ben 'Wilf' Goodfellow who improved on his 3rd position in 2018 to finish 2nd this time around, and to all the other athletes who took on the event.
As always its important to me to acknowledge the invaluable support I receive from Arena UK through Solo Sport Brands, Ribble Cycles, Voom nutrition and Egan Associates, as well as friends and family. It only feels like a couple of of weeks since the season started but I now only have two races left in my 2019 multisport season!
Looking at the finish line Beau?
World mixed relay time trial championship Bronze medallist Dan Bigham's post race thoughts.
Fancy some off season competition? Why not give track cycling a go, read our guide here.
Sponsored rider - Adam Bowden finishes 3rd at Dun Laoghaire. read about it here