Well, I am finally getting around to posting a little note on the Oliver Half Iron. I am starting to wonder if the Rain Gods have started to follow me around, as the last three major races I have done have been absolutely horrid with regards to the weather. The Oliver Half Iron was no exception. The trip down on Saturday was great, with sunny skies and a temperature of about 29 degrees - perfect for racing! We registered loitered around the community center for awhile, and then it was off to Nk'Mip Golf Course for a pre-race dinner and get together with about 25 people from the Balance Point Racing Team. About half of them were racing, and the other half were spending the weekend in the area to get some training in on the IMC course. Before dinner I did a little blurb on Polar and the cycling and running monitors and set a few people up with the demos to train with over the remainder of the weekend. Then it was off to bed to try and get a good nights sleep.

The next morning, to my dismay, the sun had dissapeared and had been replaced by rain. Not just a drizzle, but full on rain. There were a lot of glum looking people in body-marking and transition and a few people even packing up their stuff and leaving. Most people though just tried to grin and bear it, including Michellie Jones who was racing in Oliver this year. She turned out to be the top female, with Tom Evans coming out on top for the men. Personally, I struggled with this race. After a decent swim, I got on the bike and a sore back which has been bugging me for the last few weeks flared up and caused me some grief. However, I pushed on through and after the first few km on the run (being up-right again!) it was feeling better. Not a race for my PB record books, but a good day of training and prep for IMC in August. Hopefully the rain stays away for the rest of the summer!

P.S. The bright red "Polar Poncho" was a hit for this rainy day . . . .