Tri-ing experience for Caithness competitors in the Starman Night Triathlon
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IT must have been a tri-ing experience for the three Caithness competitors who were involved in the gruelling Starman Night Triathlon for the first time last weekend.
Kenny Macgruer, Debbie Larnach and Mhairi Ross – all members of the Wick Triathlon Club – took part in the demanding event which involves a 1.2 mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and a 14-mile run. And they all finished the three categories although they encountered "lots of highs and lows " on the way.
The Starman attracted 130 people from various parts of the country and even from as far away as Portugal.
The event started at midnight on Saturday with a swim in Loch Morlich, near Aviemore, then the bike run through the snaking roads of Speyside before finishing at the base of Cairn Gorm and tackling the run from the car park at the ski centre to the summit of the mountain and back through Glemore Forest to the finishing line. There they collected their Starman medals.
Mhairi, who is 44 and is an ambulance technician in Wick, completed the triathlon in 10 hrs 8 mins and 11 secs and raised £1377 for the Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland charity.
Debbie (44), a support worker at Thurso High school, completed the course in 7 hrs 40 mins and 11 secs and was third in the female section.
Forty-year-old Kenny, a timber yard manager also from Thurso, recorded a time of 7 hrs 31 mins and 44 secs to come in 30th place overall.
Afterwards, Kenny explained that the competitors had "a million midges for company" when taking part in the run and said he had a near miss with a badger during the cycling part of the triathlon. "The guy behind me said he did not know how I managed to avoid him. It was surreal but magical cycling 56 miles in the pitch dark."
He added: "It was a lot harder than I expected. It was really tough. Would I do it again? Now that I've had a few days to process it... without a doubt."
Kenny admitted there was a point when he wanted to "throw in the towel" but is glad he persevered and completed the gruelling event.
Debbie described the experience as "traumatically awesome" but added: "There were lots of highs and lows. I was feeling sick for the majority of it as fuelling was hard when your body thinks it should be sleeping. After a couple of days rest, I now say never say never to another Starman."
