<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Long Distance - Tri247</title><link>http://www.tri247.com/index.html</link><description>Latest long distance articles from Tri247</description><item><title><![CDATA[Pühajärve Triathlon becomes TriStar111 Estonia]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6702.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Last year, ladies winner Rachel Joyce reported for us on the P&amp;uuml;haj&amp;auml;rve Triathlon in Estonia. The event, at the time a half ironman distance race, is organised by Estonian pro triathlete Ain-Alar Juhanson (who we interviewed at TCR 2009). 
For 2010, the event is joining the TriStar series (www.star-events.cc), to become TriStar111 Estonia, over distance of 1km swim, 100km bike and 10km run. Check out the details below for an event Rachel described as &amp;quot;great value for money and a superb venue, and Estonia seems to be one of the few   places where we don&#039;t suffer for the weak pound&amp;quot;. Could be an ideal long weekend in August...

The P&amp;uuml;haj&amp;auml;rve Triathlon becomes TriStar111 Estonia and takes place under  the new label on 7 August 2010. The organizers of the P&amp;uuml;haj&amp;auml;rve triathlon and  the Star Production, owner of the international TriStar Series, have joined  forces and signed a cooperation agreement. 
The formerly known P&amp;uuml;haj&amp;auml;rve Triathlon joins the TriStar Series and will  take place under the new international triathlon label. With reference to the  new name TriStar111 Estonia, race distances will be changed to 1 km swimming,  100 km cycling and 10 km running &amp;ndash; a total distance of 111km. The triathlon  takes place near Otep&amp;auml;&amp;auml; at P&amp;uuml;haj&amp;auml;rve in Estonia, on 7 August 2010.
&amp;ldquo;When I first came to the idea of organizing a semi-long triathlon in  Paide in 2005, in later years in P&amp;uuml;haj&amp;auml;rve, the most important goal was always  to offer the growing scene of triathletes the opportunity to race with an  international blend of sportsmen, to raise the quality of sporting events in  Estonia, and to increase the number of triathlon enthusiasts,&amp;rdquo; says Ain-Alar Juhanson, top triathlete and organizer of the TriStar111  Estonia. &amp;ldquo;By joining the TriStar Series we can continue fulfilling these  objectives while making the event part of an international label and, more  importantly, making the distance more accessible to all triathletes, regardless  of their skills.&amp;rdquo; 
Along with the name of the event, the entire event format will change.  Star Production&amp;rsquo;s event-organizing standards will be applied and therefore help  the event transition smoothly into the international series. The successful  Estonian organizing team will remain the same as in the past years; expertise  and resources from the international Star Production team will support the  Estonian team in their quest to organize the best triathlon event in the  region. Registration is open on www.tristar111estonia.com.
The  TriStar label is owned by Star Production SARL, a Monaco based company  specialized in organising high quality sports events that are focused on fun,  social responsibility and environmental protection. A portion of each entry fee  is automatically donated to a local cancer charity chosen together with Lance  Armstrong&amp;rsquo;s LIVESTRONG&amp;trade; foundation, and each event applies the 4vita&amp;reg; program  to reduce the environmental impact of sports events. ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Meet the Outlaws: Diane Hamilton]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6685.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[In the lead up to the Outlaw Triathlon (www.theoutlawtriathlon.com), we will be running a monthly   feature highlighting some of the athletes taking part on August 8th to...   &#039;Meet the Outlaws&#039;. 
Diane Hamilton will be 43 when she starts the Outlaw  Triathlon on 8 August. She&#039;ll be seven years ahead of the game, because she hadn&#039;t  planned to do her first iron distance race until she reached 50.
The mother of two is a Derbyshire police officer who  completed three half ironman triathlons last year. Eldest daughter, Rebecca, 8,  did her first Tri Start Triathlons last year and mother and daughter have  joined Absolute Triathlon Club in Nottinghamshire so that they can train  together. She should be relatively easy to spot on race day - her bright pink  Ceepo Vixen bike will certainly stand out on the bike course!


How are you feeling about doing your first iron distance race? I am absolutely terrified!
Tell us about your sporting background? Until about five years ago my main training was aerobics, circuit  training, the gym and a bit of running. I then started working in my current  role as a training officer with Derbyshire Police. I couldn&#039;t help but get  hooked into triathlon as everyone in the office was doing it.
I had to learn how to swim, which for me was the hardest bit  as I had never done a length of front crawl in my life. I remember panicking  about whether I could finish 400m at my first sprint triathlon in Derby.
After a lot of hard work and training I have now competed in  lots of races from sprints up to half iron distance. Last year I did three half  ironman races in the same number of months, which is what probably gave me the  confidence to enter The Outlaw.

  
    
    Why did you decide to do The Outlaw? I have always wanted to do the full iron distance, but had  planned to wait until I was 50 when the children would be older so training and  recovery would be easier, and what a great birthday present! However, when Ian  Hamilton announced he was arranging The Outlaw I just had to enter because the  bike course literally comes past my house. 
      I also train in Holme Pierrepont  lake with the club and the race will incorporate the first Police iron distance championships.
    
  

How do you feel about the route going right past your house? I think it&#039;s fantastic, it means my family and friends can  support me without having to travel to the event at a silly time.     
How is your training going? My training is going ok, I can&#039;t really say it&#039;s kicked in  properly yet. I&#039;ve maintained a level of fitness over winter but not specific  to triathlon. I have trained on the Concept2 rower a lot for the past few  months as a couple of friends and myself set a challenge of doing a marathon on  the rowing machine, which I completed in 3 hours 34mins.
A Club la Santa triathlon training trip in March should get  me kick started into specific training!
What&#039;s your rough plan for training? I don&#039;t really have a training plan. I&#039;ll just try and do  what I&#039;m told by my coach, Del Pitcher!
What attracts you to doing the full distance? I think what attracts me most is that it is a huge challenge  and having the overwhelming sense of achievement if I succeed. Also I think I  am better at the longer, slower stuff as it seems to suit my mindset.

  
    Have you thought of a race plan or is it too early? It&#039;s a little early yet, but whatever I put in place on the  day will be a reflection of the time I have been able to put into my training!
    What are you most looking forward to during the day? Sharing the experience with so many other like minded people  and crossing the line to see the smiling faces of my beautiful girls, Nicole  and Rebecca!
    What are you least looking forward to on the day? It&#039;s clear to me already that there will be times of  suffering during the day &amp;ndash; I&#039;m not sure when or how these will occur as yet but  I plan to have many strategies on the day to help me &amp;lsquo;embrace&#039; these moments  rather than dread them!
    Best achievement to date? Second place in my age group at the Barcelona half iron race  in 2009.  I also came second in  the inaugural Police &amp;amp; Fire World Champs within the same race.  It was a very special moment for me as some  of my closest friends were there to share it with me.
    
  

What do you hope to achieve at the Outlaw? A positive experience, a personal best (guaranteed when I  finish), and bragging rights for a week or two!
What about stopping off for a cheeky sleep or snack at your house as  you pass it three times? Well&amp;hellip; I won&#039;t be telling coach if I do that&#039;s for sure.
Previous article in this series:
Meet the Outlaws - Tom Williams
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Port Macquarie to host Ironman Australia’s 25th anniversary]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6695.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Scotland&#039;s Scott Neyedli will be hoping to go one better than his second place at Ironman Western Australia last year, when he race again Down Under later this month in Port Macquarie, at Ironman Australia. 
Here is the latest update from the organisers as the race draws closer.

NSW&#039;s Port Macquarie is preparing to host the 25th anniversary edition of Ironman Australia on Sunday 28 March.  This year&#039;s milestone event has drawn one of  the biggest ever fields for an Ironman triathlon in Australia, with 1,522  athletes set to tackle the gruelling 3.8km swim, 180.2km bike and 42.2km run.
Sponsored by the Urban Hotel Group, the race  has attracted a professional field of 18 men and 9 women.  However, the highest profile participant is  unlikely to threaten the professional ranks; the Hon Tony Abbott MHR, Leader of  the Opposition, is one of the 443 first-time Ironman competitors.  Like many of his fellow athletes, he is simply  hoping to cross the finish line within the cut-off time of 17 hours.
New Caledonia&#039;s Patrick Vernay, winner of the  past three Ironman Australia titles, goes in to the race as a warm favourite.  As usual, Vernay will be accompanied by his  father Guy, an eight-time Ironman finisher himself.  While Guy is likely to still be out on the  course when his son crosses the finish line, Patrick is bringing some  additional support this year in the form of his wife and young family.
He said, &amp;quot;Since my second place behind  Macca (Chris McCormack) in 2006, Ironman Australia has signalled the beginning  of my season.  I really enjoy racing  there and if I could win for the fourth time, especially for the 25th  anniversary edition, it would be a great day for me and my family.
&amp;ldquo;I have won five Ironman titles in Australia  since 2007, but this year will be the first time that my wife will be able to  be on the finish line.  So I really want  to win, even if I know it&#039;s harder and harder every year with the strong field  we have to fight&amp;quot;.
Never one to underestimate his competition,  Vernay is acutely aware that many would love to see a local athlete take out  the 25th anniversary edition of Ironman Australia.  He has seen the rise of some of Australia&#039;s  young Ironman stars in recent years, and he knows that he will need to race as  fast as ever if he&#039;s to make it four in a row against the likes of Tim Berkel (Port  Macquarie) and Leon Griffin (Bendigo, Vic).
Berkel challenged Vernay in the early stages  of the run in 2009, eventually finishing third and continuing his steady climb  through the top ten at his home-town Ironman event.  Still just 25 years of age, Berkel indicated  that this may well be his year after delivering an ideal lead-up performance at  Ironman 70.3 Geelong last month.  He took  third place behind Craig Alexander and Griffin. 
However it&#039;s Griffin who reigning Ironman  World Champion Alexander believes Vernay should be wary of next weekend.  Following his impressive performance in Geelong, and with Alexander&#039;s  encouragement, Griffin made a late decision to enter Ironman Australia.  Never one to make up the numbers, Griffin will  be satisfied with nothing less than a podium finish at just his second Ironman  race start.
Apart from Vernay, the other athlete who  could spoil the party for the Australian contingent is Scotland&#039;s Scott  Neyedli.  Flying relatively under the  radar, an ecstatic Neyedli snatched second place behind Vernay at Ironman  Western Australia, held in Busselton just three months ago.
Neyedli won Ironman UK in 2007, setting a  course and marathon record.  He has spent  the Australian summer training in Perth, and has prepared himself specifically  for Urban Hotel Group Ironman Australia.
Despite the absence of 2008-09 winner and  three-time Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington, the women&#039;s field once  again looks to be a one-sided affair.  2007 champion Bek Keat is determined to regain  the title in her home country Ironman, and she will start red hot favourite  against a relatively small women&#039;s field. 
The first Australian Ironman event was held in Forster, NSW in  1985.  Under the guidance of IMG, Ironman  remained in Forster until 2004, when it was re-located two hours north to Port  Macquarie.  In 25 years, Ironman  Australia has seen 12 individual male and 13 individual female champions.  Australia&#039;s Chris McCormack made the race his  own from 2002 to 2006, winning five consecutive titles, while Canada&#039;s Lisa  Bentley matched McCormack&#039;s winning streak over the same period.
Race Statistics

  Of the 1,522 registered athletes,  there are 1,412 Australian and 110 international competitors
  A total of 26 nations are  represented; after Australia, the highest proportion are from the UK, US,  Canada and New Caledonia
  85% of the field are male (1,292  men and 230 women)
  The most popular age  group category for both men and women is 35-39 (306 men and 54 women)
  The oldest competitors are Georg  von Schrader (72 years) and Karla McKinlay (64 years)
  The youngest competitors are  Rohan Lowe (18 years) and Grace MacPherson (20 years)

Professional field


  
    1
    Patrick Vernay
    26
    Bek Keat
  
  
    3
    Tim Berkel
    28
    Desiree Ficker
  
  
    4
    Scott Neyedli
    29
    Diana Riesler
  
  
    5
    Matty White
    30
    Lisa Marangon
  
  
    6
    Jason Shortis
    31
    Kirsten Molloy
  
  
    8
    Courtney Ogden
    33
    Belinda Harrison
  
  
    9
    Leon Griffin
    34
    Amelia Pearson
  
  
    10
    Paul Ambrose
    35
    Carrie Lester
  
  
    11
    Josh Rix
    36
    Conny Dauben
  
  
    12
    Chris Dmitrieff
    
    
  
  
    13
    David Meade
    
    
  
  
    14
    Christophe Hamard
    
    
  
  
    15
    Adrian Cominotto
    
    
  
  
    16
    Adam Holborow
    
    
  
  
    17
    Jemani Francis
    
    
  
  
    18
    Chris Waterhouse
    
    
  
  
    19
    Richard Munro
    
    
  
  
    20
    Olivier Marceau
    
    
  


]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dann Brook: post race Abu Dhabi fun]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6683.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Now back on home soil in the UK, elite athlete Dann Brook concludes his Abu Dhabi diary, after taking part in the inaugural Abu Dhabi International Triathlon (www.abudhabitriathlon.com) on Saturday. As well as racing, Dann also managed to brush up on his Spanish, and hit the desert for some serious off-roading which you can read about below! 
This is the fifth and final update of Dann&#039;s Abu Dhabi diary. If you missed them, you can find part one HERE,  part two HERE, part three HERE and part four (race day) HERE. 
A big thanks to Dann for providing the &#039;elite&#039; perspective on this new event, which we&#039;re pretty sure will continue to grow in stature after an superb debut. 

The evening of the race I went out for dinner with Eneko Llanos and his  Spanish chums, I was invited to join them via Jose from TriGrandPrix (www.trigrandprix.com), so after  a few hours of down time my brain was back into full action working double time  trying to translate what was going on and think of how to express myself in my  second language. It&#039;s been a while since I&amp;rsquo;ve spoken Spanish and believe me it  was a big struggle to get through the evening!
I had a bit of a chat with Eneko about his training, race schedule,  history in the sport etc and it struck me that his consistency has really been  key to his recent success. The thing that differentiates the Ironman boys from  the minnows is their years of consistent training, racing, and literally hundreds  of thousands of kilometres in the legs. Maybe the difference between him and me  is his switch to longer distance occurred later on in his career, so he has  that muscular endurance to hang in there when it gets tough. Hopefully with a  few more seasons of training and racing in my legs I will be able to match the  strength and endurance of the guys at the top of the Ironman game.
Reflecting on my performance though, it proves a point as to how useful  bike set up is. Last year I went and had a Retul fit done by the guys at  Velomotion and used this set up in Clearwater. I&#039;ve since changed bikes, and  the front end on the new machine was slightly lower than the Retul suggested.  I&#039;m not sure if I had been on the exact setup prescribed I&#039;d have managed  the entire course without reaching that  level of discomfort, but I&#039;m sure I could have made it a little further through before suffering. It&#039;s something I will definitely have to look at  before I race again, even though I will be racing over the 90km half Ironman  distance and I was fine up to 120km in Abu Dhabi. I still think that it could  maybe make that vital 1% difference we are all in search of.
Other than that I just have to take the race as a (very) solid training  day. I&#039;m not sure what I will have gotten out of the run side of things apart  from very sore feet, but I&#039;m sure the swim and bike gave me a good solid tempo workout,  which will set me up well for the season. 
I&#039;m now back on home soil after an overnight flight back into  Manchester. I&#039;m now heading over the Pennines to Yorkshire to get in the  recovery and get my head down for the next races. Yesterday I had a full day in  Abu Dhabi which I spent mainly hanging around the Media centre looking at some  amazing photography, and then hanging by the pool with Fraser Cartmell and his  younger brother Blair. At around 4pm I got bored and said I was going to &quot;go  find something fun to do&quot; to which he replied &quot;I doubt you&#039;ll find anything...&quot;.  As I headed through the lobby Eneko, Jose and the guys I had dinner with the  previous night were just leaving on a 4x4 Safari into the desert and had a  spare seat! Perfect! We spent two hours being driven around the sand dunes at  breakneck speeds and mostly at more than 45 degrees of pitch, then got the  opportunity to ride quad bikes around the dunes (the Arab way - no helmet, no shoes and no insurance!).  After the second time I crashed I started to ask whether or not what I was  doing was safe...(before kicking it down a gear and accelerating over a dune!). After that the evening  got a bit more chilled, dinner under the desert sky, a belly dancer for  entertainment, and then a leisurely cruise back with our driver, who I&#039;m fairly  confident had the coolest job in the world. Here&#039;s some pictures from that  anyway...just in case you were wondering whether it is all work and no play :-)

That&#039;s about it from me, thank you for reading this series of posts; I  hope you&#039;ve enjoyed reading them as much as I&#039;ve enjoyed writing them! My next  race is going to be the Outrageous Half in Kent on May 30th, where I  am going to be up against a strong international field racing over a  challenging course near Maidstone. I&#039;ve got some time to get a bit more form  before then so hopefully I&#039;ll have a strong day and be up there with the big  boys!
Dann]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[McKenzie and Marsh in China]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6681.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Josh Tinson reports on a hot day of racing at Ironman China

It was another hot day of racing at the 2010 Ironman China, with Australia&#039;s Luke McKenzie and the American Amy Marsh each taking the lead early in the day and dominating from there to take the titles.

The morning started with relatively cooler conditions than 2008 and 2009 and a new swim course that provided some fast times. As the day progressed, the mercury soared, and a finish, let alone victory, was going to have to be earned through a long hard day at the office.

Australian Luke McKenzie had a day to forget at Ironman Malaysia two weeks ago, but turned it around today at Ironman China as he lead out of the swim and never looked back &ndash; setting a new course record in the process. Up against known Ironman champions such as Chris McCormack and Lothar Leder, the young Aussie held up and later increased his lead as many of his competitors fell away and pulled out of the race.

Towards the latter stages of the run, Hungarian Jozsef Major made a charge, but finished up too short, coming in ten minutes behind the eventual champion in McKenzie.&nbsp;Haikou, China is a long way from Madison, Wisconsin, but for Amy Marsh - who won Ford Ironman Wisconsin last September - they&rsquo;re both just as special as she took the women&rsquo;s crown here at Ironman China.

After coming out of the swim four minutes behind swim leader Maki Nishiuchi, Marsh caught up and then proceeded to storm ahead into the lead, and like McKenzie, didn&rsquo;t look back.&nbsp;And, like the men&rsquo;s event, Marsh faced a late charge from Nicole Leder, but the sixteen-minute deficit was too much for the German to overcome &ndash; she would come in second place, ten minutes back.

View the image gallery of Ironman China 2010, race week and race day at:&nbsp;http://picasaweb.google.com/110779080606225448629
Men

	Luke Mckenzie 8:41:15
	Jozsef Major 8:52:29
	Jens Groenbek 9:17:06
	Shingo Tani 9:19:01
	Mike SCHIFFERLE 9:30:16
	Eneko Elosegui 9:31:46
	Justin Granger 9:41:45
	Hiroyuki Nishiuchi 9:43:57
	Brandon Marsh 9:52:00
	David Bentley 9:52:51

Women

	Amy Marsh 9:52:45
	Nicole Leder 10:02:58
	Heidi Jesberger 10:08:52
	Maki Nishiuchi 10:21:52
	Shiao Yu Li 10:48:26
	Amy Simonetta 10:55:09
	Amy Gluck 11:07:15
	Anna Baylis-Scheiderbauer 11:09:08
	Rebecca Kynaston 11:17:00
	Ali Croser 11:26:10
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dann Brook: race day - Abu Dhabi diary part four]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6678.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Elite athlete Dann Brook (www.dannbrook.co.uk) is one of a host of athletes competing in the capital of the United Arab Emirates this weekend, at the inaugural Abu Dhabi International Triathlon (www.abudhabitriathlon.com). The event, with a mouth-watering $250,000 on offer has attracted a stellar field, and Dann has agreed to provide an athletes perspective on the race for Tri247, through a regular diary over the coming days.
Today was race day - and despite his body &amp;quot;screaming at me to put the laptop down&amp;quot;, here is the run down on his race day. 
This is part four of Dann&#039;s Abu Dhabi diary. If you missed them, you can find part one HERE,  part two HERE and part three HERE. 

Saturday 14th  March : 16:44
Today was  just another ordinary Saturday in the life of Dann B, the kind with a major  international competition more than double the distance I&#039;ve ever competed in  before! Here&#039;s how my day panned out.

3:30am &amp;ndash;  My alarm goes off. It feels like some kind of a sick joke!! I drag myself out  of bed, make a coffee, and contemplate the day I have ahead of me. My race kit  is all set out and ready to go, so I throw my suit on and head down to the  lobby to get the bus to the race site
4:30am &amp;ndash;  The bus leaves, it&#039;s about a 20 minute drive to Emirates Palace. I get down  there, put my drinks, gels and bike shoes on my bike, pump the tires and we&amp;rsquo;re  good to go. 
5:30am &amp;ndash;  Go for a warm up jog
  6:00am &amp;ndash;  Just check my bag in and they announce a 30minute delay to the race start.
 6:50 &amp;ndash;  Race finally starts. Swim is pretty uneventful really, quite a large group  enters T1 together, I get through no worries and out onto the bike
 7:30 &amp;ndash;  The first 20 or so k&#039;s are pretty steady away. We all take a wrong turn at one  point and almost get T-boned on a busy intersection. We manage to get back on  course and the pace hots up. From 20k onwards we are riding on a five lane  highway through the desert, which would be pretty cool if you weren&#039;t chewing  your stem to try and keep with the pace. A few of the big boys have hit the  front and are stretching it out; there are crosswinds, which makes life  difficult! I get dropped a few times but manage to get back into contention.  The difference between this and ITU racing is that if you feel like you are  getting dropped in ITU you can put in a supermax effort to get onto the wheel  and then you can pretty much have a rest and recover. In non-drafting you have  to put in the supermax effort to get yourself back into contention, but then  return to riding at your threshold, which if done a few times can take its  toll. I have a stern word with myself and promise myself it won&#039;t happen again!

 
 The far  point of the course involves a lap of the Yas Marina Formula 1 circuit, which  was something really quite special. Its technical nature involves us slowing up  a bit and bunching up, but once back on the highway the pace picks up again.  I&#039;m feeling good and confident as we reach the net turn point at 80K, and head  back out to the F1 circuit for another lap. I find the next lap around the F1  circuit a lot harder and wonder if it&#039;s a sign for things to come. I&#039;m also  struggling to stay on my aero bars due to shoulder/back issues, and after 120k  my saddle is no armchair! I keep having to stand up to stretch out my arms and  back and can&#039;t get comfortable. However the rude guys I was riding with decided  not to wait around for me (ha!) and I soon find myself on my own and unable to  ride the aero bars for more than 1K at a time. This is pretty much the story  for the next 80k&#039;s, apart from cracks are forming in my legs too. It&#039;s a lonely  and emotional ride back to T2, and the last 40K lap was the last thing I wanted  to do! Alas, I wasn&#039;t the only one hanging, I passed Bj&amp;ouml;rn Andersson struggling  away and this gave me hope!
 By the  time I got back to T2 I knew I&#039;d lost a lot of time and I was pretty much out  of the race. I didn&#039;t know how running was going to feel, but I had a fair idea  and that was correct. Racking my bike and changing to my run kit was a bit of a  hobble, and when I got out on the run I knew that the damage had already been  done - major leg fail alert - and the run was going to be all about survival. My  knee was also giving me some pain which is never good, but I decided to just  get on with it and see how far I could get. It was pretty hot by now so I was  making use of all the drinks stations. I was at about 15k&#039;s when I saw Phil  Graves just in front of me, we ran/jogged/walked /moaned the remaining 5km  together. To be fair, we were both absolutely mind-smashed and finishing was  the only thing on both our minds. It certainly wasn&#039;t fast, but we crossed the  line together, glad the ordeal was over!
Right now I am back at the hotel, my  feet are ruined, I have a good trisuit tan, and I&#039;m pretty exhausted to tell  the truth. I knew the race was going to be hard, and that I wasn&#039;t coming into  it in perfect shape, but in all honesty the amount of pain I went through  actually shocked me! How people could manage a full marathon is beyond me &amp;ndash; my  respect for the Ironman boys has increased massively after this. 
I&#039;ll post  some more reflections and maybe a bit more of what I get up to in Abu Dhabi  before I leave, but right now my body is screaming at me to put the laptop down  and get some rest!
Take it  easy all&amp;hellip; Dann]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dann Brook: Abu Dhabi diary part three]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6676.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Elite athlete Dann Brook (www.dannbrook.co.uk) is one of a host of athletes competing in the capital of the United Arab Emirates this weekend, at the inaugural Abu Dhabi International Triathlon (www.abudhabitriathlon.com). The event, with a mouth-watering $250,000 on offer has attracted a stellar field, and Dann has agreed to provide an athletes perspective on the race for Tri247, through a regular diary over the coming days.
Here is his third update. If you missed them, you can find part one HERE, and part two HERE. 

Friday 12th  March. 12:15
This  morning was all about the racking and the swim course training session. We were  greeted by thick fog at 6:30am, the time we are due to be starting tomorrow, so  a lot of people are hoping that there is a distinct lack of it tomorrow. 
All the  pro&#039;s loaded their bikes onto a bus for the short journey to the Emirates  Palace, which was quite a bizarre sight!

I headed  out for a lap of the course in the mist and could just about see from buoy to buoy.  I managed it around with out too much drama &amp;ndash; all in all it was quite pleasant;  calm, blue, warm water.


After  that it was all about the racking, bag packing. It&#039;s a split transition here so  it was a bit of a nightmare getting everyone to the right places, so there was  a fair bit of hanging around. But whilst we were there the fog lifted providing  a wonderful backdrop of downtown Abu Dhabi and the Emirates Palace.

  Today is  now all about chilling out and staying off my feet for tomorrow. All the work  is done now, so its time to stick on a movie and get in some relaxation time  before the smashfest tomorrow.
Dann]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dann Brook: Abu Dhabi diary part two]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6669.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Elite athlete Dann Brook (www.dannbrook.co.uk) is one of a host of athletes competing in the capital of the United Arab Emirates this weekend, at the inaugural Abu Dhabi International Triathlon (www.abudhabitriathlon.com). The event, with a mouth-watering $250,000 on offer has attracted a stellar field, and Dann has agreed to provide an athletes perspective on the race for Tri247, through a regular diary over the coming days.
Here is his second update. If you missed it, you can find part one HERE. 

11th March  2010 19:45
Today was  hectic. It was 3am by the time I got to the hotel and checked in last night, so  I worked on the assumption that getting up at 6am to swim the course was  probably not the best idea! Instead I got up at around 9am and decided to see  what was going on at the hotel, media centre, registration etc and start to get  my bearings. 
First off  I bumped into Julie Dibbens before her press conference this morning and shared  a few stories of colder places, winters in Boulder can get pretty chilly it  seems &amp;ndash; its not just the UK!
I left my  bike bag with concierge last night so went to find a man who ran around for ten  minutes before realising it was in a storage cupboard behind his desk, so I got  it built up, got my accreditations sorted and generally got things organised. I  also had a chat with Fraser Cartmell and Joe Gambles whilst building, nothing  too heavy though, everyone seems to be in the same boat as regards to not  knowing what&#039;s going to happen in the race, and people are keeping their cards  very close to their chests!
At 2pm  there was a swim session at a local pool, so I headed down and got a couple of  k&amp;rsquo;s in nice and steady with a few 25&amp;rsquo;s hard to try and freshen up the legs a  bit. I felt pretty rubbish today to be fair, standard post travel day I guess  and the legs have got a lot of recovery to do in a short space of time.
So I  tried to keep off my feet after that, the bus driver on the way home took us  around to see some sights and luckily I had my camera with me and managed to  get some pics of a few cool things on the way home.

The elite  briefing was at 6pm, nothing out of the ordinary really, a few minor changes to  the bike course (although to be perfectly honest I hadn&#039;t studied it closely  enough to notice the differences!) and the obligatory &amp;lsquo;please don&#039;t draft&amp;rsquo;  warnings that seem to go on at all these race briefings. The new 12-meter rule  will be in full effect here, which will probably catch a few people out but I  was surprised the blocking rule wasn&#039;t stressed as much as I think it is due &amp;ndash;  which I find more irritating than drafting itself! It was great the see the  entire pro field out in force and it really hit home for me how strong this  race is going to be, both on the male and female side of things. There was also  talk of early morning fog possibly delaying or worst-case scenario cancelling  the swim, as apparently it was pretty hectic at the swim session this morning!  Fingers crossed though everything should be all-good and everyone will get  underway safe and on time. 
So I&#039;m  now chilling in the hotel room listening to a bit of Miike Snow getting ready  for tomorrow. Its an early start again, I&#039;ll be up at 5:30 to get a quick ride  in to check the bike is all good before heading down to Emirates Palace at 6:30  for a swim session followed by bike racking and equipment check in. After 9am  all I will have to do with my day will be a quick run in the evening, so it  will be good to have a chilled day &amp;ndash; the calm before the storm as I like to  think of it before Saturday mornings shenanigans. So stay tuned for some more  pieces from me tomorrow about how things are going and what&#039;s going on.

  Dann]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Dann Brook: Abu Dhabi diary part one]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6665.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Elite athlete Dann Brook (www.dannbrook.co.uk) is one of a host of athletes competing in the capital of the United Arab Emirates this weekend, at the inaugural Abu Dhabi International Triathlon (www.abudhabitriathlon.com). The event, with a mouth-watering $250,000 on offer has attracted a stellar field, and Dann has agreed to provide an athletes perspective on the race for Tri247, through a regular diary over the coming days.
Here is his first update. 

10th  March 2010 18:30
The Abu Dhabi International Triathlon takes place on Saturday 13th  March, with the gun for the Elite Long Distance race (3k/200k/20k) going off at  6:20am GMT+4. The start line will be packed with some of the greatest long  distance athletes the world has to offer, by far the strongest field ever  assembled for a non championship international race, each athlete fancying  his/her chances for a share of the $250,000 prize purse. Somewhere on that  start line; nestled amongst Ironman world champions, athletes with multiple  Ironman wins to their name, XTERRA world champions, and the strongest Ironman 70.3  athletes in the world will be me. The little fish in deep water. 
This is to be my first race longer than half ironman distance, and the  guys at Tri247 asked me to document my stay, so I&#039;ll be aiming to get a couple  of updates per day on here during the build up to the race, who&#039;s looking fit,  who I&#039;ve seen hanging around, who&#039;s parading around their shiny new bikes and  all the other essential gossip from ground zero. So watch this space! 
As for me, I am currently somewhere over Saudi Arabi  en route to Abu Dhabi after a days worth of travelling. I spent the last few  weeks training in my warm weather winter base, Stellenbosch, South Africa,  putting in the miles with the likes of Tim Don, Gavin Noble and Dion Harrison.  The race promises to be a hot one, but hopefully the last week of training in  temperatures in excess of 40 Degrees celsius should stand me in good stead when  the going gets tough. It&#039;s going to be a steep learning curve for me, being more  than double the distance I have ever completed before against a lot of guys who  I don&#039;t know and who don&#039;t know me. I think it would be very easy for me to get  carried away and try and go with some of the cycling heroes, but I also realise  how much of a painful day at the office that would be setting myself up for!
For now I am going to catch some z&#039;s before landing, and try and hit the  ground running with a swim session tomorrow morning, so until then!
  Dann
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Challenge Copenhagen - CLOSE TO BEING SOLD OUT!]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6664.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[More than 1300 people have already signed up for Challenge Copenhagen and 
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You can find out more at the official website&amp;nbsp;www.challengecopenhagen.com/en&amp;nbsp;]]></description></item></channel></rss>