A welcoming club on the North West of Edinburgh

The Outlaw Holkham 4th July 2021

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The triathletes went in two by two at the Outlaw in the Earl of Leicester’s estate Holkham Hall, north Norfolk.

The swim was in the “pond” a lake typically reserved for ducks and swans but opened for the 1.9km swim of this middle-distance event. The water had quite a unique smell and quite possibly taste though I was lucky enough not to take a sip. A pontoon had been added for exit and after one lap of the pond I was sighting the aluminium construction and beginning to think about where amongst the thousand or so bikes I had racked mine.

After a slightly slippery exist we started our dash to T1 peeling our wetsuits off as we ran. My bike was handily racked next to a flood light and spotted quite easily by the new pink and black bottle cages. Crash hat on, wetsuit snapped off, socks and cycling shoes on before jogging out of T1 and beginning the bike leg.

We probably all think of Norfolk being flat but the route out led us up a long drag passed the obelisk, a landmark we would come to dread later in the event. Out on to the roads and some negotiation with traffic and back markers. A single 55-mile lap of North Norfolk and 1500-feet of elevation around twisting roads made it difficult to settle into a steady cadence and consistent power.

Roads were well manned with marshals and traffic control to ensure few delays although adjoining the main road on the homeward straight did mean mixing it with some articulated lorries.

The wind was starting to play its part and with 5-miles to go I was beginning to fade, not what I had expected based on the long-distance training I had been doing. The last turn back into the estate was in sight and I joined a queue of riders single file down the hill passed the obelisk as runner made their way up the other side.

Back to my flood light, I racked the bike and headed towards “Run out”. My enthusiasm for the run lasted around 5 minutes as I started the long drag back up to the obelisk. Down a slight hill then left passed the feed station, up again, then some gravel track, then some off-road wooded section stepping carefully in the tyre tracks left by the logging operation. Finally, some tarmac and a flatter section followed by the long downhill to the spectators by the transition area and pond. One lap done and I wasn’t looking forward to the following two with my pace way off expectation.

The second lap was much like the first although now with knowledge of what was to come. I felt like I got my legs back at the start of the third lap, but post-race analysis jut showed I had found a slower pace that I was managing to hold. The finish line didn’t come quick enough, and I stopped exhausted with an urge to get my shoes off as quickly as possible. Both my big toes were in severe pain, a combination of my feet swelling in the heat and 22-months since my last competition had reveals that my shoes were a half size too small!

Having found some toe less shoes I hobbled off for the post-race meal provided by the Outlaw team and to share our experience of the Holkham Outlaw.

A memorable day for some months to come due to the now jet-black toenails, but a trophy for first in age group compensated and a very enjoyable celebratory evening was had with the hundreds of other who stay the evening at the vast temporary campsite in the grounds of Holkham.