Melbourne Chronicles - Day 4

Race day eve.

Excitement's building up now. Since the 11am swim practice at Frankston was cancelled, we slept in a bit and took our time. We packed our bikes and transition bags (after checking and re-checking several times to make sure everything was there) and took the long way to Frankston. We did this so we could take a drive down the Eastlink Tollway, where the bike course is.

Overall, it's pretty flat-ish. Except for the tunnel section with it's steep descent and steep climb out, the rest of the course looks flat with slight inclines and declines. Of course, there are false flats but nothing much to worry about. Unless there's strong winds tomorrow. Scenery-wise, the course is pretty boring although there are some interesting-looking sculptures along the way.

When we got to Frankston, the water was really rough. But since Senn needed to try her new wetsuit, and I wanted to see how cold the water was, we jumped in for a swim. We didn't get very far before we decided the swells made it unswimable. We weren't the only ones, there were a few others who jumped in, swam a few strokes, then called it quits. They say the winds won't be as strong tomorrow, so the water should be calmer. Water temperature wasn't too bad, cold as you first get into the water, but it warms up after a while.

Then it was bike check-in time. And for the first time since we started Ironman, there were no dramas. We queued up, got our bike's picture taken, racked the bikes up, deflated the tyres, racked our run bags, collected our timing chip, weighed in, racked our bike bags and that was that. Done. No bike dramas. Phew!

Racked and ready

After that, a quick lunch, then we drove back to St Kilda along the run course. Again, it's pretty flat, especially the first 20k. Then there are a few small hills, nothing too serious. No double hills or Hartamas or Ammah Hills. Just small little "pinches", as the Aussies call them.

The big worry about the run course are the long, flat straights. You can literally see the road for miles ahead of you. That's going to be mental! Well, I guess if it was easy, it won't be Ironman!

Anyway, we've just checked into a hotel about 2k from the finish line. Gonna have a quick dinner then it's off to bed. It's only 7:30pm now, but we've got a long day ahead.

To those doing Kenyir Tri, Kuantan Century, and Sarawak Cyclefest, all the best, stay safe and have fun. See you all at the finish :)