Aurelie’s Report on Henderson ITU Long Distance Tri World Champs
Aurelie Almeida is the GB team therapist for the ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships. She reports from Henderson:
It’s always a pleasure to look after the Long Course Tri British Team. They are truly made up of the nicest people.
I’ve been working as part of the BTF support crew since 2009 and many of those racing this year were regular patients including 6 from my Tri Club, Thames Turbo. It was a great opportunity to provide consistent physical care to those racing and give others the chance to experience a triathlon-specific treatment onsite. Many competitors have raced for GB in Perth in 2009 and Immerstadt in 2010 so every year is also the occasion of a catch up. There was a feeling of family reunion at check in (thanks Nirvana Europe).
Dave Taylor, our team mechanic from Sigma Sport did a grand job looking after hundreds of bikes. We made sure the team therapist and mechanic shared the same ‘Fixing Room’: for bikes and bodies. This year again we were one of the very few national teams to benefit from our own support crew so we were always in high demand.
Over a hundred British elites and age groupers competed on Saturday 5th November under the experienced management of Tim Whitmarsh for Age Groups and Dave Newport for Elites.
Only 30 minutes from Las Vegas, and a couple of hours from the Grand Canyon, Henderson was a great location. Shame it was so cold on race day (13 degrees in the water) that the swim was cancelled (a bit chilly for 4k).
Never the less, what a fantastic set of results for team GB all round! 4 medals in total including incredible performances from Rachel Joyce (Elite ladies winner) and Leanda Cave (Elite ladies silver medalist) just 4 weeks after they both finished 4th and 3rd at Kona!
Our men Elites included Scott Neyedli (9th overall) and Nic Ward Munoz (13th overall) making our Long Distance Elite team one of the strongest in the World.
In our age groups Tracy Cook won silver in the 35-39 females category and so did Gill Fullen in the 45-49 female category. Well done everyone. It’s easy to forget that qualifying for the race & getting there uninjured is an achievement in itself. Let alone finishing the race and getting on the podium.
As for my job, which I thoroughly love, it was all about relaxing muscles, easing any physical discomfort pre event, giving last minute injury advice and taping. Some of the specific issues encountered were asthma, painful cracked heels and infected toes, which the altitude and dry desert air contributed to. Also old injuries resurfacing such as calf strains and dislocated ribs.
I ran a free triathlon-specific stretching class on the Thursday to help ease tired and stiff muscles from the flights.
There was also a fair amount of moral support and mental preparation involved, as well as cheerleading on the day, taking photos, sharing achievements and personal challenges.
All in all Henderson was an excellent and successful trip for our athletes.
Until next year, keep well everyone.
