My experience at the event:
This was my third time running the Midlands Ultra, and I was very happy to see the race growing and attracting more and more sponsors and riders. With Myway (an insurance company) taking over the main sponsor duties, you could see that finally the race stepped up and provided transition areas and transition bags at par with the Iron Man races.
I really enjoy coming down to Howick to do races. Shari, Lindsey's best friend, lives here, and we get free accomodation in the beautiful Umgeni Nature Reserve (zebras everywhere!), and enjoy a weekend away from the craziness of Johannesburg.
Also the course is really nice. The Midmar Dam, even at its lowest level, is still warm and clean and a pleasure to swim in, and the cycle leg, 20km for the sprint competition on the Midlands hills, touches places of historical relevance (like the
Mandela Capture Site).
The final run has some little hills as well, but nothing of relevance, and running around the dam, on a hot day, is a nice feeling.
Sure, my time wasn't nearly as great as in November (lack of wetsuit which helps me with buoyancy and some drifting buoys meant I ended up swimming almost 1000m instead of the scheduled 600m!), I was a bit tired on the cycle and the only great section was the run, but overall I was satisfied with my performance, and this was my 3rd triathlon in 3 weeks!
Details of the race are here:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1075150323Pictures from the weekend here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/olafmeister/albums/72157663630273743Some pictures:
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