Its grim down south
Asked how I did afterwards I laughed and said "I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed it". everyone was either making a joke of the jelly fish or apologising about them.
The St Johns Ambulance crew had a line when I got there of people waiting for sting treatment. Apparently they had to pull quite a few people out who were swimming without wetsuits.
I was doing ok for the first 400m but then got my first sting on my right wrist. after that evertime I brushed by or over a jelly fish I tensed up and had a minor panick attack. I could tell my time was going to be well down so tried to relax and get back into the zone and a swim rythm but everytime I did... zap.I turned the final marker... I was somewhere near the back but was at least going to finish and then ZAPPPP... jelly fish hit me dead centre on the forehead... I tensed right up, got cramp in my right thigh... but with 200m to go I wasn't going to get beaten.
Swim time was 50.42
Afterwards they had a big random drawing for assorted prizes, much to my surprise I won a 350 Australian dollar Ironman wetsuit voucher... in one of those split second things I decided to donate it back to some who had done the swim without one. The guy came up and spoke to me afterwards and was delighted as he'd been competing for 5-years and hadn't been able to afford one. I accepted a box of endura energy bars instead... hmm nice chocolate...
The VP of the Western Suburbs Tri Club(WSTC) came and spoke to me afterwards and offered me a complimentary race place in one of their races. Nice people. great location, shame about the jelly fish.
Onwards and eastward. now I have to go back to St Kilda to find the othee 2/3 of the team for sundays BRW Corporate Relay Triathlon.
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