Hi all,
Has anyone of you already done the 1/2 IM of Sherborne in the UK ?
This year it’s becoming an IM, which I am planning to do on the 21st of August :
http://www.ironmanuk.com/home.asp
Do you have some more information about the race ? Sleeping facilities? How cold 
is the water ? How are the biking and the running parts ?
Cheers 
David
David
you may be better off on tritalk.co.uk
.
thanks I’ll try there as well, I didn’t know about this forum
.
David,
Did the HIM at Sherbourne in '03. Bike course was an ‘undulating’ 2 lap affair. As an IM I’m unsure, but it isn’t flat down (I’m in York) that way.
Water was fine, though I recall the start was delayed for an hour becuase a mist had formed over the lake and you couldn’t see more than 10 yards!
Run was round the deer park, though I believe the IM course basically takes you to Yeovil and back. Great.
Lovely setting though. Enjoy.
JC
Thanks! I was also told the bike part is not that easy. I have a rear disc wheel (corima), it’s pretty light but do you think it will make it ?
About the swim, I have a sleeveless wetsuit; is that sufficient for the water temperature ?
Sorry David, I have no experience of disk wheels - a disk would be entirely wasted on the basis of my paltry cycling ability.
Pretty sure that a sleveless jobbie would be fine in the lake at the back end of August.
However I’d refer you to ‘tritalk’ on both if you are at all unsure.
JC
Thanks very much JC, I just asked the same questions at “tritalk”. I could also read, it’s 2375 meters of climbing 
, which scares me a little bit since I am living in the Netherlands (lol).
Thanks, David 
No hills in Holland? 
You’ll be fine - suspect it won’t be a super fast course though.
JC
David, use your disc I did both years, it’s not an issue. Most of the course is “lumpy” but on roads that are for the most part relatively straight, one thing is for sure you will need to have trained hills.
Not sure about the run course, when it was a half it is a multi loop (3 if I recall correctly) and had 3 steep hills to climb and descend per lap. If it is outside of the estate it will still be hilly.
If you have trained open water temperature will not be an issue in the lake. A word of warning would be to position yourself honesty, it was the most aggressive mass start I have done (comparing 4 IMs and 6 1/2 IMs). Also, if the swim is anti-clockwise stay away from the bank on the return at the top of the lake, it has a lot of hidden water lily pads and weeds.
Hope this is a help.
Thanks for the advises … and all right! Sherborne Here I come … with my disk (;
JC, if you want to know how flat is the flatland (; You can have a look there:
http://ciclismo.sitiasp.it/motore.aspx?sid=50d035382f404c7fa37e23854cfdf2d5&lingua=eng&da=az
Still, Holland is nice for biking with lots of special traks for bikes and “cool” weather in summer.
Bye, David
go say hi to Olaf who is racing there instead of zurich (cut his foot on a metal plate and had to pass on zurich).
he wanted to talk to you about some of the stuff you are doing research wise.
that sounds cool, I will. But if I want to have a chance to see him, I’d better go before the race (lol) (;
Heading for the hills myself. IM Switzerland - 9 days and counting.
On that subject I Had the worst ride ever yesterday.
July 7th 2005 - Summer time aledgedly - It was 10 degrees C outside, howling gale, sideways rain, soaked to the skin in minutes. At one stage I could only manage 13mph. I was a sorry state when I got home and was left wondering if I should bother flying out to Zurich at all!
I hate the UK and its poxy weather.
JC
I love the UK, but sometimes the weather mystifies.
Yet its a lovely day today and is set fair for a few more to come? I don’t get it.
It’s pretty basic meteorologly really. Look at out geography, a triangular shpaed island no wider than 180 miles at its widest point and usually less surrounded by large masses of water. IN it’s most basic form weather systems do not hang around for long before strong winds move them off and replace with another different system. When the winds drop (usually in summer) a system will stay for sometime but will take a storm to move it on again. THat is what happened this week.
JK,
You are obviously a more learned gent than me. I was just on a downer from a shitty ride home! Sun’s out today, no wind and everything is tickedy-boo! Funny that.
Now I’m wondering if they’ll let me swim in my westuit in Zurich next sunday? Always something else to keep an idle mind occupied…
JC
David - i did the half last year and here are my 2 cents (or 2 penneth!)
Swim: was a semi mass start (two waves) and still pretty crowded. it’s a narrow lake and i think with 2000 could be mayhem. definitely go with JK’s advice and honestly position yourself.
Bike: the course on the map covers some of the 1/2 course but extends a lot further. i would describe it as rolling with a couple of short steepish sections. the roads are pretty rough in places but i rode 160psi and it was ok for a 1/2.
Run: the course is completely different. the half was brutal with steeps and rough trails but i believe the full is an out and back to yeovil. roads on this section seemed pretty smooth and again rolling though nothing steep from what i remember.
accommodation: i stayed in yeovil and the event reccomended place. was a disaster - it’s basically a pub full of townies drinking till 2am when you’re tryint to sleep. food is also terrible. a friend did the home share whcih turned out to be a boarding school and was all athletes. a nice vibe, very inexpensive and low key. it might be full but give it a shot. it’s also much nearer to the race (~ 5mins drive)
Thanks pbashfor, I have had some very similar inputs from some other former participants. One of them lives in the North of France and was saying it’s a very nice race, he is actually planning to go there and watch it. He liked it so much that next year he will have this race as main goal of his season. For sleeping facilities, I may try to sleep outside, in a tent (english ?); everybody said the atmospher is great in this setting!
Good luck JC with Zurich ! (a friend of mine is also doing it, I have only heard good things about this race).
David - time for hard training now (;