The Preparation
Coming in to the race in Kilrush I had been in good form having competed well in Lough Cutra Olympic and Carlow sprint tri. I was hoping for another good display in Kilrush as I always seem to be in the top 5 or 6 in the last few years. I had heard that a few of the cat 1 athletes would not be around so the rumours going around were that it would be between me and Mick Davis for the win ( Mick had beaten me in Joey and Lough Cutra but not by much on each occasion ) but I also knew that Jason Fitz, Alan Webb and David Brew would be up there.

The Swim
On the long walk down to the start of the swim I wasn’t as confident when seeing Dave Richardson at the start but I knew that he had not been training allot and I was in good swim form. I also got more confident thanks to my new wetsuit I got from Liam Kennedy and Sailfish…Emoji I got off to a great start in the swim and lead the field to the first buoy and all the way back past the Marina. Me and Dave exited the water first with Mick and Jason not far behind.

The Bike
My biking has definitely improved this year and I was confident of getting a lead into the run. I passed Dave through the first 5k mark but he did not dye off and kept fighting which was to be expected. We were having a good battle until Dave got a puncture which took some pressure off me. At the turnaround point I saw Mick, David and Jason all pushing hard. The return trip on the bike was really hard with the undulating surface as well as the threat of the 3 boys chasing me down. Afterwards I found I had the fastest bike split of the day which I was very happy with.
The Run
Coming into the second transition I received great support from my family as well as all the gotri family. This was the fastest transition of my life as I knew Mick was running faster then me this season and I knew David Brew is like a white Kenyan. I did not dare to look around coming out of transition or for the first few hundred meters as I was always told that this a sign of weakness, instead I ran like fuck…I passed STL about 300m out of transition and he said I had a “good gap ” which made me relax a small bit. I was pretty tired on the run and then the mind comes in telling you “there going to catch you” and “you will never get your first win” so I tried to ignore the little voice and concentrated on my stride, as well as remember all the training and effort I have put in over the last few years and replaced those negative thoughts with the ” you deserve this” and “COME ON TO F**K PUSH ON”. So I did push on and when I reached the water station at about 2.5k I looked around and there was no-one in sight. This was probably the best feeling I have had on a run to know you can relax and enjoy your first victory.
The Finish
Coming into the finish line was a special feeling. Especially as my wife Annie and daughter Eve were there watching and cheering me on. It was lovely to be able to throw my little girl up on my arms as I crossed the line for my first ever win in a triathlon and its a feeling I will never forget…EmojiEmojiEmoji