Not long before transition closed, I returned from handing in my special needs bags to find my dry bag missing from where I had left it ,on top of my wetsuit, beside my bike. I checked the dry bag area, but it hadn’t been handed in. I thought it was gone forever. Another athlete in my area was also missing her bag. I don’t know what happened for her, but I see that she won her age group so I guess she either found it or swam without her wetsuit.
My training partner happened to have a spare swim cap with her which I used (I was the only age grouper in yellow!). A very nice young man responded to my desperate plea for goggles and delved into his bag and handed over a pair no questions asked, but in my panic I gave him the wrong name for the RV park we were staying at. I shall be eternally grateful to my anonymous goggle donor as I’d travelled from New Zealand to do the race, but I’m not the best swimmer in the world and while I could cope without my lube etc, I would have struggled to do the swim without some eyes.
My bag turned up in the dry bag area after the race so I can only guess that either some “helpful” volunteer had picked it up, or someone with a fuddled race brain had picked it up by mistake and later realised their error.
I am still in Canada/North America and would like to either return the goggles to the donor, or at least pay for a replacement pair. So if you loaned me the goggles, or know who did, please let me know.
Many thanks.