Belinda Granger's Antwerp adventure
Sunday, 10 August 2008 21:52
Belinda Granger has only raced two 70.3 races. But she has won them both. This week sees Belinda in Antwerp where she jetted in to see about making good on that record to snare a hat trick against the usual raft of speedy racers. Not so slow herself Belinda continues to build on her impressive resume.
I am happy to report that I flew to Belgium last weekend for Antwerp 70.3 and came away with a win. I have now raced three WTC 70.3 races and have come away with three wins.
Justin and I flew over to Belgium on the friday night and were met at the airport by none other than Marc Herremens- an absolute inspiration and all around great guy. He drove us straight to our hotel and we quickly got ourselves settled.
I was really looking forward to racing another Half Ironman. I dont seem to get to do too many of these races and I actually really enjoy them. Mind you, I was a little apprehensive about the race as I had been really struggling in training since completing 'Quelle Challenge' Roth in July. But it is amazing what the mind and body are capable of doing once that gun goes off.
I felt pretty good in my pre-race touch-up on the saturday and then Justin and I, team mates Andrew Johns and Lisbeth Kristensen were all taken out by Marc and his girlfriend for an amazing dinner on the saturday night. Now normally I wouldnt go out the night before a race but this was an offer too good to refuse and we were not disappointed. It was a fantastic meal and super company- I started to forget that I actually had a race to do the next day! Thankgod it was a nice late 11am race start- got to love European start times.
Race morning went without a hiccup. We made our way to the start with everyone else. Unfortunately it looked like the weather was not going to make it easy for us and grey skies loomed overhead and the wind was already blowing. But it was not going to worry me if it rained as I had spent 5hrs in rain only three weeks earlier in Roth.
I had another ripper of a swim- I exited the water in second place and very close to the top pro males. On the bike I felt pretty good- not as spritely as I would have liked but I knew it would take me a little bit of time to get into the groove. I was joined by a young girl at about the 55km mark and I must admit I was a little surprised as I did not know who she was and I knew I was riding strong. But it was a good thing as it gave me focus and the two of us continued to ride together into T2.
Onto the run and we both set out at a solid pace and were running stride for stride. Now if there is one thing my coach has taught me and that is to race hard but also to race smart. I didnt know how well this girl ran- I had never raced her before so I decided to just play it safe and run the first loop with her. About 2kms into the second lap I decided to test things out a bit and picked it up. I was able to pull away and open up a good sized gap. I actually felt stronger as the run went on and was so happy to be able to continue picking up the pace throughout the 21kms.
I was amazed at how many people lined the run course- the run snakes its way through the old town of Antwerp and finishes in the huge town square- it is such a spectacular finishline. I crossed the line in 4hrs12. I was very happy with the way I raced- I raced hard but I also used my head- something I dont always do! I also posted the fastest run split of the day- now that really is something for me to cheer about.
Felicity Hart (the young girl from GB that I had been riding with) held onto 2nd which I was very happy about as she had ridden so well throughout the entire race.
Probably one of the best moments of the race was having Marc on the finishline standing up and ready to give every finisher a hug and their finishers medal. He was there for every competitor- what an amazing guy.
I am now back in Leysin in Switzerland and back into training again. I have two weeks to get myself ready for IM Canada on the 24th August.
I have been very happy with my season so far- this was my 6th win for the year. Thanks to you all for helping me achieve each and every one.
Belinda x
