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Like the others, it involved road-bike, kayak and mountain-run sections. The race would start in the Powerscourt Estate just outside Enniskerry, with a run up and down the very steep and rocky Sugar Loaf, a 2k kayak on Vartry reservoir, and about 35k of biking to join it all up. I hadn't run as much as a mile since my last WAR in April 2011. Training followed much the same routine as before: four flat runs of 8/9k, ramping up to four hill runs of about the same distance. The final training run up Fairy Castle and Three Rock was on the Monday before the race, and I was a bit ahead of last year on the splits. I didn't do any extra miles on the bike, but instead turned the normal midweek (evening) and weekend spins into faster training rides.
I awoke on the day with normal pre-race nervous anticipation. The bike was checked - spare tube, pump, drinks, powerbar taped to the crossbar - and the morning was spent hydrating, loading up on carbs and basically pacing around the house annoying everyone. Richenda and the girls were planning to cheer me on at the finish.
Race start was 1pm and I was there an hour beforehand to make sure there were no last-minute glitches. The weather was perfect, clear and not too warm, with no wind.
What could possibly go wrong...?
