A welcoming club on the North West of Edinburgh
Celtman Solo Point 5 (minus 1)
By CoachKev | Published | No Comments
In true cliche this all starting over a pint in a pub, I had floated the idea of doing this as a follow up to the Restless from last year, I quickly signed up, before thinking about it for too long, and was followed by Roy and Donnie, Alasdair was a maybe and we shared it on the E#3 Races WhatsApp Community and Sean was in too! It wasn’t long before Alasdair also committed. Unfortunately, Alasdair picked up an illness a couple of weeks before the event and couldn’t make the start line (hence the 5 minus 1 title), so we were down to 4.
Celtman SP5 is part of the xTri world series of events that are a twist on the half Ironman distance, priding themselves on it being a little more extreme, typically with the swim in cold water, the bike being technical or with lots of elevation and the run usually involving hills, mountains and some technical run/walk sections. It is also the little brother of The Celtman but without the need for a support team, making it a little easier to just sign up. The Celtman SP5 has a 2km swim around Sheildaig island, followed by the 85km cycle from Sheildaig over the Bealach Na Ba and around the Applecross Peninsula finishing in Torridon village then onto a 24km run round Ben Leitach.
The sign up was relatively easy and not too much of a bun fight to get in, these events are expensive at c.£320, I duly ticked the insurance box given the increased risk of not making the start line.
So, we had a group and plans were made for a recce weekend the month before the event and we all set about ramping up out training and mileage, I used the E#3 sessions to get the regular swims in, weekly spin sessions and added runs around Corstorphine Hill with a few in the Pentlands for good measure.
Recce Weekend
Roy booked us into the very luxurious Torridon Youth Hostel for our recce, we did a quick swim when we arrived, checked the weather and decided to run on the Saturday, and cycle on the Sunday as the weather looked a little better, even the night before, however the forecast was wrong and we should have left the run and bike as is…not sure what the lesson to be learned there is, perhaps look out the window and be prepared to change things at the last minute, although for the race itself, the organisers have a very pragmatic attitude, very much a case of, it going to rain, might be cold and windy at the top but you’ve signed up for this, off you go!! Which is really refreshing and perhaps a good lesson to take forward, don’t overthink things and get on with it.
Having the luxury of doing a recce allowed me to take a few things into the race itself, the water was cold but not debilitating, however it will be cold getting out even with an air temperature of 12-13 degrees, even a light breeze chills you. The bike has the amazing Bealach climb which should be enjoyed, the descent always seems to have crosswinds and you will be chilled by the time you get to Applecross, the Applecross to Torridon section is a punishing cycle with numerous short sharp climbs, significantly tougher than the Bealach climb. The run has a gentle start and finish on tarmac but does have lots of technical sections where you can trip and end your race. Both Sean and I did fall, Sean getting a skint knee and me rather more spectacularly face planting, getting a mouthful of bog water, skint hands, knees and chin and a bump on the head. It certainly made me very cautious on race day.
Race Weekend – Colin
Registration involves getting your mandatory kit checked, which was also repeated as you leave T2 to head out on the run. A mandatory race briefing needed to be attended and also answered some questions around getting your kit to the right places, with it being a split transition, your bike being dropped off after the cycle in a muddy field with no cover, it is an xTri of course!
The swim starts at 5am, so meant a 3.30 rise to grab a little breakfast, we were staying at Sheildaig campsite so were only a 5 min walk to T1, where you pick up your dibber for timing and GPS tracker for the bike and run, I had duly noted this in the notes I took during the briefing and immediately walked straight past the community hall where you pick these up and setup my T1! The swim starts at the pier at the far end of the village, so we all wandered down there and was reminded I needed the GPS and dibber, so a brisk walk back to the hall and back ensued!
The swim is a deepwater start, Roy and I walk slowly to the pier edge, it’s 15 mins until the start and another 6-7 mins not in the cold water seems appealing, once in the sea its clear and relatively calm, I’m happy with my start position and we are off, lots of people around me and only a couple of bumps, however my goggles soon fogged up and with gloves on wasn’t keen to try and adjust them so ploughed on, perhaps not the best decision, at least having Sheildaig island for siting means I’m roughly heading in the right direction, although retrospectively I reckon I should have been much closer to the island. As I round the top of the island I try to site the exit point and struggle again due to the fogged glasses and just follow the blue hats, I then get a twinge of cramp in my hamstrings, very usual and make a couple of breast strokes, and spot the moored boat as a reference point and continue, another twinge before I reach the shore is a little disconcerting, followed by another couple of bigger twinges as I try to get out, 50 minutes…way off my expected time, but happy to be done and head into T1, the breeze feels cold and transition is a struggle, but I’m glad I had popped in gloves and my windproof jacket into my gilet, so it all went on. I see Donnie heading out on the bike while I’m rolling around T1 wrestling with my wet suit.
I’m shaking a little as I climb out of Sheildaig and head towards the Bealach, careful not to push too hard to try and warm up, knowing I will get warm soon enough, 5 minutes on and I spot a familiar shape and very cool bike and come up alongside Sean, we say hello and check in with each other, Sean seemed visibly buoyed having seen me. I push on, using my power meter to keep me in check and the Garmin alerts to drink every 15 and eat every 20 mins, although I skip the first reminder. I’m catching and passing several people on the gentle climb towards the Bealach and can see a stream on people ahead of me, I continue to pass and chat to people towards the summit, not forgetting to look at the view back down the valley, the road surface improves dramatically as you get near the summit, the weather doesn’t though with a headwind pushing us backwards and the temperature drops as we disappear into the clouds and some drizzle, the descent into Applecross is fabulous, the good road surface stops and there are a couple of tight corners to be wary off but you can belt on, I opt for the centre of the road, with any traffic being very unlikely and some gusty crosswinds adding a couple of beats to my heartrate, I manage to pass a couple of people on the descent, although one is TT bike, the majority of the field are on road bikes. A dead stop at Applecross and right turn towards Shieldiag and I push on to warm myself after the descent, the headwind we had coming up the Bealach is now behind us and making the ride to Torridon just a little bit easier, in fact enjoyable! Using power and heartrate numbers and the eat/drink Garmin alerts I settle into the cycle, passing a few more people including Teigan who is a Canadian working in Aberdeen doing her first and last triathlon, amazing!
Sheidaig is passed on the left and Torridon soon appears in the distance and I start to think about transition, no flying dismount needed, the volunteers take your bike from you and rack it, keeping shoes on is the better option for the muddy transition, T2 bag is handed to you, empty it and sit on it as I put on dry socks and my trail shoes, pop my tracker into the rucksack, a toilet stop is needed before getting my kit checked and run map handed to me.
The run has a very gentle start along a coastal path and then on the road heading towards the Torridon Estate, a sharp turn into the forest and the ascending starts, with the usual mudfest to make it real, the feed station the carpark at about 5km and I pick up a banana and a mini cinnamon swirl, the next 4-5km are on reasonable trails you can run before it starts to climb and descend and becomes more technical, after my recce tumble I’m much more cautious and walk more, I’m still passing people or staying with others around me. A couple of better runners do pass me as we reach the high point of the run and I start the descent back to the road and start chanting to myself, concentrate…concentrate…concentrate, there is no scenery being taken in and the person in front of me misplaces a foot and twists their ankle, I check they are ok, they are, so carry on…chanting!
I can see the road, but remind myself to look at my feet, I let someone pass me, but make a note of them, as some motivation for the road section. The second feed station is in the car park as you rejoin the road, nothing for me and I pass one person grabbing something. The final road section is around 6km and I try to settle into my pace, keeping an eye on my feet as there are some holes and sketchy sections on the road. I allow myself the luxury of looking ahead, never back, and can see 2 or 3, I catch and pass my target from the final descent! I see another 3 or 4 as I round the next corner, one looks like Donnie, I’m catching them slowly, a quick check of my watch and there is still at least 4km to go, no need to change my pace and induce any cramp, I can now see it is Donnie and run alongside him and we compare swim, bike, run and cramp notes! Donnie’s also says he has been speaking to Roy and points him out just up road, suddenly 3 of us are together, amazing, as I revert to my pace I can see I am catching Roy too, again we swap some chitchat on cramp and nutrition and I move on and catch 2 more before the turn to Torridon village, I tell myself it’s not a hill up to the finish line, it isn’t but feels like it, and suddenly it’s done, T-shirt size? small please, beer open or closed, open please!
As I turn round Roy is finishing and 2 swigs of beer later Donnie is done too, we finished 53rd, 54th and 55th, My immediate thought is I hope someone was watching the dots on the tracker as we jostled for position; it felt like a really exciting finish. However, the biggest thrill of the day was being there to see Sean complete what is a very difficult event, he was buzzing! While this event is not for the feint hearted, it is absolutely achievable for most people, just be prepared to accept the weather, tough it out and enjoy what is truly a spectacularly beautiful part of Scotland.
Race Weekend – Sean
After exiting the swim in the middle of the field, I settled into a steady rhythm on the bike course, maintained a consistent effort and held my middle of the field positions.
A structured nutrition plan played a key role, with regular carb loaded drinks intake during the bike leg, supplemented by caffeine gels and a series of gels during the run. To keep energy levels stable across more than eight hours of racing the aim was to consistently deliver carbohydrates (around 45g per hour).
The fuelling strategy held up well and allowed me to progress a few places through the field during the run.
Celtman is renowned for its challenging conditions and spectacular scenery, and completing was immensely rewarding. Finishing strongly in a competitive field made the long months of training and preparation worthwhile, and I was delighted to achieve a solid result in one of the UK’s toughest triathlon events.
Celtman SP5
- 1.9 km open Water Swim in Loch Shieldaig.
- T1 in Shieldaig village.
- 85 km road ride around the Applecross Peninsular including Bealach Na Ba.
- T2 near Torridon village.
- 23.7 km run including the mountain pass lying between Liathach, Beinn Alligin and Beinn Eighe.
- Finish in Torridon village.
Post race thoughts – Sean
It’s a week since Celtman Solo and I still can’t really believe that I completed it. Leading up to the race I had had a couple of setbacks which interfered with training (sciatica and a cycling misadventure with some street furniture) so leading up to race day I was uncertain as to whether I’d be able to cope with the demands of the day and had convinced myself I wouldn’t make the cut-off times.
What was in my favour was the baseline fitness I’ve built up over the years of being in Edinburgh#3 club (particularly the regular swim sessions) and the recce of the course we did on the first weekend in May. That recce came at the perfect time for me as I was still suffering sciatica symptoms but with reassurance from my physio that it was okay to train, I went and I did the bike and run courses. Because this didn’t exacerbate the sciatica I had the confidence to properly get back to training, and it gave me an insight into the conditioning I needed, so training was adjusted for that.
Celtman Solo isn’t just about the race it’s about the wider adventure of staying in youth hostels (recce weekend) and camping (race weekend) which brings its restless nights and discomfort because you’re away from home. And then there’s the location – I hadn’t appreciated just how beautiful it is, and I now understand why people travel the world to see it and experience it. It helps during the race too, being distracted by the jellyfish and starfish as you’re coming into the final stretch of the swim and looking down the length of Bealach Na Ba as you near the final stretch before the switchbacks. However, I’m not sure I even looked up once during the run through the pass I was so focused on where I was placing my feet to make sure I didn’t come a cropper.
So in terms of the race I was consistently around the middle of the field. I crossed the line in 8:25:28, finishing 76th (of 120 finishers ) overall and 11th (of 22 finishers) in the Male Senior Veteran (MSV) category. My day consisted of a 50:33 swim, 4:08:05 bike, and 3:10:23 run.
The swim was actually a bit quicker than recorded as it included a toilet stop between getting out and going into T1 (I’ve never been more grateful to see a portaloo in my life!).
One change up from previous races was that I used a structured nutrition plan (during the recce weekend I realised my fuelling wasn’t working well). To keep energy levels stable across more than eight hours of racing I had regular carb loaded drinks intake during the bike leg, supplemented by caffeine gels and a series of gels during the run. The fuelling strategy held up well and allowed me to progress a few places through the field during the run and I was surprised how well I felt at the end.
Celtman Solo is a great race set in challenging conditions and spectacular scenery. Competing and then completing was immensely rewarding and I am over them moon to achieve a solid result in one of the UK’s toughest triathlon events.
