The Coolangatta Gold Part One

The Morning started off at about 0400am. Too nervous that i would oversleep an alarm if i went back to bed, I begin preparing for the days' torture test that was to come. A couple bites of protein bar, gatorade, banana, water.

Suit. Goggles. TYR Singlet. Watermans Sunscreen. Gels. CamelPak. Everything was set.

We left for Surfer's Paradise for the race. At 0530 in the morning, the streets near the beach already started to hum with the traffic of competitors, officials and support crew. The venue was up and waiting - Sponsors' banners rippling in the southerly breeze that began to rise.

A light warm up, numbers stamped onto both arms and legs, and it was time to GO.

As we lined up our craft, music began to creap out of the PA while Phil McGibbon announced our names. A long list of accomplished Australians, New Zealanders, South Africans, and one stupid American.

When they said the race would start at 7am sharp, they meant AT 7am. The Ski's were being handled by the handlers at the water's edge, while we waited - for what seemed an hour. It has been said that in times of great preasure we fall back into our most natural (primal) state of being. So, with music in the background, and adrenaline starting to creep in, my feet started moving. A high step here and a twist there, and the mood started to lighten up - even if only for myself, for a brief moment.

A call to the line. The starter with gun raised in the middle of the lineup.

The feelings of unpreparedness had all but vanished. Yet, there was no shaking this feeling of an unknown... !!!CRACK!!!

It seems slightly odd that 56 men would start out a 46.65km race with a flat-out sprint into the water to jump onto their skis. But that is exactly what we did. Into knee-deep water, ski's awaited. A jump-start on the run and we were away in, what I would reflect upon later as, probably my cleanest start to date.
Drive the legs, relax the arms. Don't want to blow your arms at the start of a 23km ski.
The words of Phil rang loud and clear in my head as we rounded the first can and headed south towards Coolangatta.