“After a good block of training through August, which included some running in Italy, swimming in Cornwall and cycling on Exmoor, training has been all about building up to another Ben Nevis Braveheart. With just one long ride remaining and one hilly run I’m feeling as ready as I’ll ever be!
“As part of my build up I was looking to do some racing to really put some efforts out there and its gone pretty well. West Bay was not only a fun and tough race, but a nice day out that is fairly local to me. With just an hour to travel race morning, it was good to be feeling fairly fresh at the start.
Birthday boy enjoys early lead
“I had an almost gun to tape lead, taking pole after two of the three lead pack athletes took the wrong line and I was first out of the swim – something that doesn’t happen too often! I then led until the last three miles of the bike when someone flew past me, only for me to take the lead back within 200m of transition on the run.
“I ran hard not knowing how close anyone was to me as there was a sprint race on simultaneously. After some epic climbing on the Jurassic Coast, I descended back into West Bay, cheered on by friends. My brother Jon, who looked surprisingly fresh given that he was competing in the sprint race himself ran alongside me for the last 200 metres.
“I crossed the line and after an initial moment of confusion from the race organisers we established I had won. We also established that Jon’s fresh legs were the result of a puncture 3km into the bike leg which forced him to pull out. A satisfying birthday win for me!
TrailX breaks Matt out of comfort zone
“The following weekend involved a trip to Eastbourne to catch-up with Intrinsic Director Chris Roberts: a quick swim in the dark followed by a well-earned beer and an attempt to get Chris on his MTB the next morning was ideal prep for the Pippingford Off-Road Triathlon.
“Run by an old college friend of mine and my wife Laura’s, I was really looking forward to this race. I competed for the first time in 2018 and it finds me truly out of my comfort zone. It’s a very laid back atmosphere but the field was pretty strong including ex-pro and multiple World Champion Richard Stannard leading out the swim.
“I held my own on the swim – through three different lakes – and exited the water in the top five, but the 24km MTB leg was something else. I felt like I was going backwards as some seriously impressive riders flew past, leaving me to ride the 2nd lap pretty much on my own and dropping back to around 10th overall. But knowing my strength was yet to come I gritted my teeth and worked hard to reach the run in good shape.
Fair play lands Intrinsic with Pippingford upgrade
“I knew I had a lot of time to make up, but went hard from the start hoping to make my way back into the top five. The run course was superb, and probably played into my hands; it was technical and hilly but with some confidence in running downhill fast I managed to make up positions. After a hard chase over the last mile, I crossed the line in 01:59:54.94 taking 5th place overall – one up on last year’s debut – and 2nd senior male behind some seriously quick Vet men in the field. No shame there.
“The race director upgraded my position when the athlete ahead of me admitted that he’d made a mistake on the course and graciously accepted a 3 minute penalty. He said he wouldn’t feel right knowing that he’d inadvertently made a mistake which might have gained him time.
“Fair play to him. His demonstration of sportsmanship was indicative of the day – it’s a race against yourself, the course and the elements.”
Notes
- Team Intrinsic represents the combined interests of Intrinsic Facilities Engineering and Intrinsic Facilities Management.
- West Bay Triathlon, Bridport, Dorset – Sunday 1st September 2019 (1500m sea swim, 26km bike, 5.5km run)
- Pippingford Park TrailX Off Road Triathlon, East Sussex – 7th September 2019 (Full Fat standard distance: 1000m lake swim, 24km MTB, 8km trail run)
Team Intrinsic Race Stats – Pippingford Park TrailX, 7th September 2019
Matt Cox (Male 30-34) – 1:59:54.94 (O/Pos 4th ; Cat/Pos 2nd)
Swim 13:39.7 ; T1 0:47.8 ; Bike Lap 1 34:22.1; Bike Lap 2 35:55.4 ; T2 0:24.0 ; Run Lap 1 17:09.4 ; Run Lap 2 17:36.2
