Ironman Cascais 70.3 Race Report
When the new Ironman event was announced in 2016, I knew immediately that this was the event that I had been waiting for as my first overseas race. It was made even more special by the fact that my sister and husband, my Ironman support crew would be joining me in the adventure. Most importantly, it gave me the opportunity to visit my family in nearby Madeira.
I approached the race and decided upfront I would be a tourist. No time goals with only the goal to enjoy myself and soak up the magic. With this decision made, it was a no brainer to rent a bike for the race. This removed all the stress of getting my bike in one piece to the event and the return journey home.
Cascais is situated about 30km from Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. It was a long flight from Cape Town to Dubai and then Dubai to Lisbon, Portugal. It was totally worth it! The location of the race is in a picturesque town. There was a concern over gale force winds the night before race day. For the first time, I did not rack my bike the day before. Yes, it felt a little strange to still have a bike with me the night before the race. We only collected our timing chip with the instruction to rack from 5h00 the following day. Fortunately, the wind would prove not to be factor on race day.
The swim included an Australian exit. Don’t worry I had no idea what this meant either. Simply put an Australian exit means you start the swim and exit on land and then get back into the sea and continue your swim. A great example closer to home is the Slanghoek Tri.
Race day arrived and the sea was perfectly calm. I managed to get myself into a group which helped me navigate the course. Yes, I admit it I did not study the swim route in detail. In my defence, I had plenty of people to follow. J The upside of being in a group is that you are going faster than you think with less effort. The downside of being in a group you tend to get knocked and have to watch out not to be kicked in the face. I am happy to report that the only casualty was a stopped watch.
With all the South Africans at the event, there were lots of athletes greeting each other on the bike course while overtaking. The first 50km of the bike is fast and flat. It is really easy to go too hard in this section. The following 25km includes 700m of climbing in the direction of Sintra. The last 15km are mostly downhill or flat to transition. The wind did not play too much of a role except on the last bit of climb in the direction of Sintra which seemed a little cruel considering it was the steepest part of the course. All in all, the bike went really well on my rental bike!
The run is always tough in a 70.3 in the heat of the day. Just to make it a little more interesting, we did not have a flat run course. The elevation was just enough to tire weary legs. The upside of a hilly route is the downhill.
My race fell a little apart on the first lap due to insufficient nutrition on the bike. I knew I had to take on board some race nutrition if I wanted to finish strong. Unfortunately, the race nutrition/bars on the course tasted awful. The bars did, however, do the job and I recovered to finish strong. It made me realise that we are very lucky in SA to have some great sponsors who make their products available at Ironman races. 
I loved every moment of my race. It was a complete bonus to achieve a personal best at the race. If you are considering an overseas event, this event is rated very highly.
Other notable achievements
Cape Ultra Tri – 23 September
| Time | Age category position | |
| Niel Thiart | 05:21:02 | 4 |
| Miguel Netto | 05:35:22 | 5 |
| Jacques Bouwer | 05:35:59 | 6 |
| Riaan Boshoff | 05:36:39 | 7 |
| Cobus Fourie | 05:41:27 | 8 |
| Willie de Witt | 05:55:16 | 9 |
| Susan Booysen | 06:42:10 | 3 |
| Werner Schmidt | 06:42:26 | 16 |
| Ferdinand Booysen | 06:44:10 | 17 |
| Morne Laurie | 06:46:52 | 19 |
| Elizma Geldenhuys | 06:52:16 | 2 |
| Barno Pieters | 07:03:24 | 3 |
| Derine Sanderbergh | 07:19:05 | 9 |
Cape Ultra Sprint
| Time | Age category position | |
| Camm van Rensburg | 01:13:39 | 2 |
| Jacques Badenhorst | 01:19:51 | 7 |
| Andro Theart | 01:26:20 | 9 |
| Bennie Hickman | 01:26:25 | 24 |
| Alec van Wyk | 01:28:01 | 13 |
| Michael Hayes | 01:29:57 | 34 |
| Petro Neethling | 01:31:50 | 3 |
| Elmaree Stapelberg | 01:35:10 | 9 |
| Beverley Schultz | 01:37:42 | 11 |
| Carol-Ann van Eeden | 01:38:22 | 13 |
| Nicole Thompson | 01:38:28 | 14 |
| Sonja Swanevelder | 01:38:39 | 3 |
| Carl Schultz | 01:43:50 | 17 |
| Riaan van Heerden | 01:46:03 | 27 |
| Marilize Laurie | 01:49:26 | 20 |
| Jean-Pierre Roux | 01:54:58 | 70 |
| Anneke Cronje | 01:56:11 | 22 |
| Marilize James | 01:56:35 | 23 |
Freshpak Fitness Festival – 30 September
Swim
| Cobus Fourie | 1.5km | 27:28 |
| Jandre de Milander | 1.5km | 29:13 |
| Petro Neethling | 1.5km | 39:17 |
| Carl Schultz | 3km | 52:20 |
| Miguel Netto | 3km | 53:14 |
| Bennie Hickman | 3km | 01:10:17 |
Biathlon
| Time | Age category position | |
| Rudi de Wet | 01:27:58 | 2 |
| Petro Neethling | 01:15:51 | 2 |
| Bennie Stapelberg | 01:17:47 | 4 |
Duathlon
| Time | Age category position | |
| Cobus Fourie | 01:10:50 | 1 (2nd overall) |
| Niel Thiart | 01:11:58 | 2 |
| Bev Schultz | 01:31:33 | 2 |
| Alec van Wyk | 01:34:28 | 10 |
| Hein Brand | 01:34:47 | 11 |
| Derick Nieuwoudt | 01:47:05 | 14 |
| Carl Schultz | 02:06:24 | 19 |
Triathlon
|
Time |
Age category position | |
| Miguel Netto | 01:15:37 | 14 |
| Almari de Milander | 01:32:36 | 9 |
| Andro Theart | 01:32:40 | 15 |
| Dirk Nieuwoudt | 01:33:56 | 45 |
| Niel Thiart | 01:37:56 | 55 |
| Carol van Eeden | 01:49:17 | 8 |
| Susan de Wet | 01:51:58 | 12 |
| Nico Claase | 01:54:06 | 48 |
| Riaan van Eeden | 01:57:10 | 52 |
| Petro Neethling | 02:03:33 | 18 |
| Alec van Wyk | 02:10:14 | 64 |
Slanghoek Triathlon
|
Event |
Time |
Age category position | |
| Carol van Eeden | MTB sprint | 01:37:45 | 2 |
| Riaan van Eeden | MTB sprint | 01:49:12 | 16 |
| Event | Time | Age category position | |
| Jandre de Milander | MTB long | 03:16:04 | 10 |
| Kevin Harker | MTB long | 03:34:40 | 10 |
| Event | Time | Age category position | |
| Petro Neethling | Road sprint | 01:38:24 | 11 |
| Lize Esterhuizen | Road sprint | 01:41:18 | 15 |
| Roelof van Heerden | Road sprint | 01:48:27 | 19 |
| Christine Thoresson | Road sprint | 01:52:16 | 27 |
| Anneke Cronje | Road sprint | 01:52:41 | 23 |
| Event | Time | Age category position | |
| Niel Thiart | Road Long | 02:20:51 | 3 |
| Riaan Boshoff | Road Long | 02:27:52 | 2 |
| Cobus Fourie | Road Long | 02:30:27 | 4 |
| Michael Hayes | Road Long | 02:48:35 | 23 |
| Peter van Wyk | Road Long | 02:49:03 | 5 |
| Jack Akers | Road Long | 02:50:51 | 6 |
| Etienne Barnard | Road Long | 02:50:55 | 7 |
| Bennie Hickman | Road Long | 02:51:52 | 25 |
| Andro Theart | Road Long | 03:12:15 | 33 |
| Derine Sanderbergh | Road Long | 03:19:08 | 20 |
| Event | Time | Age category position | |
| The Has Beens – including Jenny Close | Road Long Team | 02:33:01 | 1 |
| Elmaree Stapelberg | Road Long Team | 02:57:51 | 5 |
In the STBB4Good MTB held on 21 October 2017, Petro Neethling was 2nd overall in the 30km in a time of 02:05:20.
At the PPA One Tonner held on 22 October 2017, Irma Theron was 20th overall and 3rd in her age group in a time of 06:18:05.
Upcoming events
Scroll down below for a list of events for September to keep you on track.
Race 2 Stanford – 18 November 2017
A new ultra distance triathlon will be taking place on 18 November 2017. The event organiser is Paul Ingpen. This ultra-distance race kicks off in the Hermanus Harbour with a 1.9km swim followed by a 90km loop from Hermanus to Stanford through the Hemel en Aarde Valley. The 21km is comprised of 3 loops along the banks of the Klein River. At the finish you can expect a farm style festival including beer, wine, cheese, food, art and live music.
Lomond Triathlon – 16 December 2017
A new offroad triathlon will be taking place on 16 December 2017 at Lomond Wine Estate in Gansbaai. There are two distances on offer, the full (1.2km swim, 30km MTB, 12km trail run) or the sprint (400m swim, 15km MTB, 6km trail run). Registration and late entries will be available at Lomond on 15 December between 17:00 to 19:00 or on 16 December between 06:30 -08:00.
Entry fees:
Full Solo R400
Full Team R450
Sprint Solo R300
Sprint Team R360
Jailbreak Triathlon
Unfortunately this event has been cancelled for 2017 as no suitable, reliable and safe venue could be secured for the event. The event will be rescheduled again for December 2018.
Upcoming Events – November
| 3 November | Rally 8km Run – Series 1 , False Bay Rugby Club |
| 4 November | Boschedal Orchard Half Marathon & 10km, Pniel Dwarsriver Sport Complex |
| 5 November | Landmarks Half Marathon & 6km fun run |
| 5 November | 1st SOMS |
| 10 November | Spier Twilight Trail Run |
| 11 November | Blue Boost Winelands Marathon |
| 11 November | Langebaan Country Estate Lagoon Cycle Challenge |
| 12 November | Langebaan Country Estate Lagoon MTB Funride |
| 12 November | Delheim MTB |
| 12 November | Swim at Calais Wine Estate Entries via Quicknet.co.za |
| 13 November | Brian Curtis Mile Swim, Eikenhof Dam |
| 16 November | B2Run, Green Point Track |
| 18 November | Edgemead 10km |
| 18 November | Oyster Catcher Ultra |
| 18 November | Waterfront to Heads Half Marathon |
| 18 November | Winelands Charity Swim, Calais Wine Estate |
| 18 November | Race 2 Stanford Ultra |
| 18 November | Sanlam MTB invitational |
| 18 November | To Hell and Back MTB – 2 days |
| 19 November | 94.7 Cycle Challenge |
| 19 November | Cyclo Sportif #5 |
| 22 November | Sanlam Niel Joubert Plaaswedloop 13km |
| 24 November | Rally 8km Run – Series 2, The Range |
| 25 November | Die Vlakte Marathon, Half & 10km |
| 25 November | Mitchells Plain Titans Half Marathon |
| 25 November | NOFSA 5km Family run |
| 25 November | Double Century Team Ride |
| 25 November | Pennypinchers Origin of Trails – 2 days |
| 25 November | Brian Curtis mile at Oceana Boat Club |
| 26 November | Blooming Trail Run, L’Avenir |
| 26 November | Tantivvey Guest Farm 5km Trail Run |
Club apparel
You can order your club apparel from Estelle Kock. Kit available includes triathlon top, buff, arm warmers, cycling top, running top and gilets.
Yours in fitness
Julia le Roux
Triathlon Captain
@ julia@capemultisportclub.com
Website https://capemultisportclub.com/
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