Note: more photos from Andrew Oberg's report can be found at the end of the event photo gallery.
The Jinadabyne Multisport Classic did not go unnoticed to the Goulburn contingent of Mark Stutchbury, Andrew Dawes, Jacqueline Oberg, Kelvin Martin, Kerry Baxter, Rod Smith and Andrew Oberg. Most of these competitors are pointy end finishers of the classic Triple Triathlon in Canberra (“Giant 440 Woddies #4Pete” whom were 5th outright in 2016). For the first time, a team was formed by this energetic lot, “JindaBeanThere & DoneThat - #4Pete” who eagerly headed out to tackle a multitude of demanding legs.
Unlike the traditional triathlon format, this event throws in an additional challenge - kayak legs! Right from the first kayak leg, it became apparent that this discipline would be a steep learning curve. Fellow competitors had immensely impressive crafts. Their slick, streamlined and intimidating vessels, would prove to be far superior when compared to the Goulburn team’s craft. Goulburn’s humble little machine would look more at home trout fishing in the local area than racing the magnificent waters of Lake Jindabyne.
Kayakers, Andrew Dawes, Kelvin Martin and Rod Smith all had solid performances, albeit in different conditions. Andrew had a windless ride with a lake as flat as the Sri Chinmoy post-race pancakes. Andrew prepared extensively for this leg, which was clearly evidenced from his super-fast finishing time. He even spent hours constructing a customised hydration system for this leg to maximise paddling time and efficiency. In the second paddle, Kelvin whilst out racing, encountered equipment difficulties. His paddle separated in the middle and with sunscreen all over his hands he was unable to rejoin it, until he had assistance from the water safety crew. Regardless, he still managed a strong performance. Rod had to endure the third leg. By the time he began his leg the lake was becoming a surfer’s delight with waves breaking over the bow. Many of the slick race crafts that were dominant in the earlier legs become victims of this situation. Consequently, Goulburn’s stable little boat would prove its worth after all. By the end of his leg, Rod came to shore battered and sore after suffering the tough conditions.
All of our swimmers were proven performers in the H2O. Mark Stutchbury, Andrew Dawes and Jacqueline Oberg swam in that order. Per usual, Mark and Andrew were formidable forces in the water. Both athletes managed category placing’s in the top five, in turn, helping establish strong leads for the team. Jacqueline got to enjoy a picturesque ferry ride across the lake to her transition area on a remote beach. Her swim started in ocean like conditions becoming increasingly calmer the closer she got to shore. When she emerged from the swim, she sprinted up the bank to tag our last kayaker, proving why she was selected as one of our team runners also.
The mountain bike legs lived up to their respective reputations. During the first leg, Andrew Oberg snapped a chain only 3kms in. Luckily, he was able to repair it in around five minutes to still post the 16th fastest ride for this course. Mark Stutchbury showed his time trial prowess and his ability to scale a barbed wire fence in order to conquer the course, subsequently making up a few more positions during the second MTB leg. Kerry Baxter, racing on a brand new bike reveled in the hilly conditions of the third and longest ride. This involved him conquering over one kilometre of total elevation.
Whilst waiting for our first runner to get underway, Kelvin took the opportunity to do a spot of fishing amidst the chaos! To everybody’s surprise he pulled out not one, but two trout from the water, both were returned to fight another day. Jacqueline got our run campaign started and ran well without incident over the undulating cross country course. Rod took on the second run leg which was easily the most arduous. Given the courses colossal difficulty, the team had plenty of time to have some lunch before the later legs. Andrew Oberg ran the final 5km run leg in just over 20 minutes. The Sri Chinmoy photographer for some reason was twice seen by him on this short run leg. Hence, not wanting to look weak for the lens added a little more pressure to his run.
The team came home in 10:35 minutes and were the 22nd finishers overall. They were the seventh team in the open category and had an absolute blast! The post-race lentil burgers were enjoyed immensely by all and were scoffed down in record time. Following the race, the team commenced strategising for the next year’s event. The “JindaBeanThere & DoneThat - #4Pete” plan on returning next year, bigger, faster and smarter across all 12 demanding legs. With a more fine-tuned race plan, they hope to scale the leaderboard and return more victorious one year from now.
