IMWA Diary – Day 4

It's been another beautiful day down in Busselton, with the temperature getting up to 31 degrees, similar to what's expected on race day.  First things in the morning I headed down to the jetty to get a short swim session in.  Looking to the end of the jetty from the beach is quite daunting, realisi  ng that we'll be swimming over a mile into the ocean.  I've been assured that it never gets too deep, which is a small comfort.  The sea itself was a little choppy, but it's always good to get a swim done in the days ahead of the race.

After the swim I walked across the street to the expo area to officially register.  After quickly signing a waver and providing photo ID, I quickly received my athlete wristband and race numbers.  I had a quick snoop around the expo, and picked up an extra spare inner tube and CO2 cartridges for race day. 

I still had time before lunch to get out on the bike, with some pick ups to race pace and above.  I quickly transitioned to a short 3 mile run, again, with some work at and above race pace.  For the rest of the afternoon I rested and took the time to put the numbers on my race bike.  It's looking pretty sharp!

The Welcome Dinner started quite early at 5:30pm, and I'd arranged to meet one of my age-group competitors Andrew Tyack.  I also ended up meeting Ryan Waddington, another guy in my age-group.  It was great to meet both guys and chat about the race this weekend.  I know the three of us will have a good battle out there on Sunday.  The dinner itself was good, with nice food and a great tent for the evening.  There were a number of guest speakers, including last years winners.  There was also the race briefing, which quickly covered the rules for the race - nothing too different than other events.  Tomorrow morning the last bit of training will be done, then it's off to rack the bike and hand in the transition bags.