Island Games 2023 – Triathlon

Jake Brougham and Trevor McAlister of Ryde Harriers, took part in the Island Games 2023 as part of the Isle of Wight triathlon team.

Results for Island Games Standard Distance Triathlon, 9^th July

Standard Distance Triathlon (1,500m sea swim, 25mile bike, 10km run)

(Swim, T1, Cycle, T2, Run) Total

Jake Brougham (00:28:24, 00:00:52, 01:14:54, 00:00:33, 00:41:26) 02:26:12 (25^th)

Trevor McAlister (00:29:12, 00:01:21, 01:19:10, 00:00:43, 00:41:07) 02:31:36 (32^nd)

Men’s Team (Jake, Henry, Gary, Trevor, Thomas) 5^th

(40 finishers, winning time 01:52:40)

Results for Island Games Team Sprint Relay Triathlon, 14^th July

Sprint Distance Triathlon (400m sea swim, 10km bike, 1.5km run)

(Swim, T1, Cycle, T2, Run) Total

Jake Brougham (00:07:42, 00:00:52, 00:11:41, 00:00:46, 00:05:16) 00:26:17 (35^th)

Trevor McAlister (00:08:02, 00:00:58, 00:11:56, 00:00:40, 00:04:53) 00:26:29 (37^th)

IOW Team 1 (Henry, Lottie, Jake) 8^th

IOW Team 2 (Thomas, Charis, Gary) 15^th

Full results https://results.guernsey2023.gg/Sports/TRIATHLON/default.aspx

What a fantastic, valuable experience and one that I’ll never forget! Despite not finishing where I’d like to have finished in the Olympic distance, I’m really happy to have been a part of the 2023 Island Games. Totally inspired by the incredible performances from the IOW team in every sport!! Amazing to have so many friends and visitors to RMA competing to such a high level! Feeling more determined than ever to keep working hard. Bring on Orkney 2025.

Thanks to everyone who helped support, and fundraise – it really did mean a lot. Thanks to Vectis Academy Endurance Coaching for all your hard work so far, and Isabella Grace Brougham for being one hell of a super wife and mum.

Report by Jake Brougham

Standard Distance Triathlon

One of the first events of the Island Games in Guernsey, was the Standard distance triathlon (our main event), and there were big crowds of spectators all along the seafront of Rocquaine Bay, as all the competitors were all introduced by name and made our way down the slipway to the beach start. The sea swim was a two-loop course with a, ‘aussie exit swim’ where you have to run up the beach around a marker and back into the water to start the 2^nd loop. Not being the fastest swimmer, I was 32^nd out of 40 coming out of the water, but right behind team mate Gary, which tuned out to be the toes I was right behind all the way around on the swim.

From the beach it was a not so short run up the slipway and along the seafront into transition, stripping the wetsuit to the waist on the way. Transition went ok, and I even managed to hop mount onto the bike successfully and overtake someone in the process.

The bike course was 3 loops, with a flat fast section to start, a steady climb that seems to go on forever (about 2 miles in reality), then a descent that got quite twisty and steep towards the end. After feeling good hammering it along the flat section on the first loop, to then turning up the climb for the first time, it soon dawned that the hill was going to feel a lot more of a big hill than it did on the recce the day before. On the first time down through the twisty and steep section, I miss jugged the 2^nd corner and had to apply the brakes hard, missing a close encounter with a stone wall by less than 6inches. I learnt my lesson on the 2^nd & 3^rd times around, and took a better line into that corner.

Jake, being a slightly stronger swimmer, was out of the water about a minute ahead of me, and continued to increase his lead on me with a strong bike leg. But he had an even closer encounter with a wall while on the bike, as a result of a wobble his wheel hit a big rock on the road (later discovering it damaged his wheel), and clipped his handle bars on the wall hurting a figure. Despite the incident, he completed the bike leg with the 2^nd fastest of the IOW team, and had a quick transition, and onto his run.

Lacking strength on the bike, I was started to fatigue on the 3^rd lap but kept pushing as much as I dared without blowing up. It was just over halfway through the 3^rd lap that team mate Dean passed me, being stronger on the bike but slower on the swim.

The bike leg was over soon enough, and following a quick dismount without falling off the bike, it was through transition and on to the run, my strongest leg. By this time the temperature had risen a lot, and despite a light brise, it was hot work running the 3 out and back loops along the seafront. But there were still large crowds all along the run route cheering us on, so there was nowhere to hide, it was just a case of getting it done, and as fast as my legs were capable of going. It was great to see fellow team mates going the other way, and as well as passing some other competitors, I was gaining on them as I approached each of the turnaround points, it was just a question of was there enough time and distance remaining to catch them. It was on the 3^rd lap of the run with about 500m to go, that I re-passed team mate Dean, and then Thomas in quick succession, and a quick (ish) sprint to the finish line to seal the deal.

I was really pleased to have beaten Dean in the end, as I have some times doubted if I was quick enough (yet) to be on the Island Games team, and I have held him as the standard to be measured against.

I was also surprised to have the quickest run split from the IOW team, despite Jake’s over 12” hight advantage, and that he is significantly quicker than me on a straight run. But he is stronger on the bike, so was just over 5min quicker than me overall.

With our main race over at the beginning of the week, we were able to relax a bit the rest of the week and watch other events, along with doing bits of training and dive practice in the mornings.

Team Sprint Relay Triathlon

Friday 14^th July 2023 was the last day of the games, and the Team Sprint Relay was the last event of the day, held at St Peter Port. Unfortunately, the good weather we had had the rest of the week was gone, and following the light rain earlier in the day, as we arrived it was a bit unnerving watching the men’s crit bike race on the course we were about to use, where at least 12 ridders crashed after skidding out on the corners. The slight relief, was knowing that with only short straight sections, I didn’t have the power on the bike to get up to the +30mph that the men in the crit race were doing.

Jake was the 3^rd leg of the IOW first competitive team, with all the strong swimmers in this team the pressure was on for them to do well, and they didn’t disappoint, coming 8^th against some very strong competition.

As the IOW team didn’t have enough people for 3 full teams in the relay, I was in a non-competitive mixed team and doing the first leg of the relay (with a lady from Aland as our 3^rd person). Which did mean I got the slightly easier standing dive off the pontoon to start, rather than the run and dive that legs 2 & 3 would be doing. The swim was short and fast paced, so I just got stuck in, but not too hard that I wouldn’t make it to the end of the race.

Just after the race started the havens opened, so that by the time I started the 4 laps of the bike course, I was probably getting wetter than I was in the swim with the wetsuits on. Having seen the men crashing in the crit race on what was a drier surface at the time, it was just a case of survival on the bike, cruising around the corners, and then standing up and putting some dower down on the straights.

I made it into the run without any incidents on the bike, with the short and fast pace nature of this event distance, it made the run more difficult, as I normally train for distances over 5km, not 1.5km, but I managed get the best run split in the IOW team by 23sec.

Report By Trevor McAlister

Standard Distance Triathlon