Unlike Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast, the weather wasn't as forgiving. Having said that, it was still a great event, but almost a little too crazy (busy) for me.
The swim: Due to the weather, which was some 20km/h+ onshore winds, the swim leg was modified slightly. Although no official distance was advertised, it seems to have been somewhere between 1.2-1.4km. Some decent swell and current meant that swimming straight out the bouys was probably impossible, so a short run along the beach to the rocks and then a swim in, parallel to the beach was the best tactic. This was a tough swim, bumpy, choppy, and some decent currents and rips.
The ride: Always my favourite part. Fairly quick ride, with the dreaded 'Garmin Hill' actually not being anywhere as scary as people made out to be. There's a fun downhill where I hit almost 70km/hr. I really enjoyed the ride, although it was a fairly busy course and can be difficult to respect drafting rules.
The run: Having my age group start 2.5hrs after the actual start (8:30PM) meant that by the time I got on the run, it was HOT HOT HOT and humid (28-30C). Good, flat 10km run out and back. The neighbours along the way hosing us down was very welcomed relief!
