The team managers and Nirvana had their work cut out from months beforehand, as it quickly became apparent that this would be no ordinary trip on a plane to do a race. There are no British based acclimatisation attempts that can prepare you for 36-40 degrees, dry heat, desert winds and sand storms!

 

I had time to have a quick dip in the sea the day before my race, and I quickly decided when I discovered there were sea lice (which felt like thousands of little nips constantly on your bare flesh) and jellyfish, that I would be wearing a wet suit if given the choice! The desert winds were tough, and that combined with a sneaky gradual 10km incline to the turn point meant focus and pure grit were essential in order to maintain the effort level on a bike course that was essentially on a desert highway.

 

Israel is a unique country, with a very unique culture. The people were very welcoming to all athletes, and I came away learning some facts about their culture that I didn’t know before. For example, the Sabbath is Saturday, as many people know, but what I wasn’t aware of was the rules that surround the Sabbath including not being able to operate anything mechanical or electrical on a Saturday. This meant that I had to be taken into the hotel kitchen on race morning and microwave my own porridge, because they were unable to use the microwave on a Saturday. 

 

It was a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable experience, and I am truly grateful for the endless hours of work that went on behind the scenes, both by the team managers, who kept us right up to date with news and proceedings, to Nirvana who worked hard to ensure the internal transfers went without hitch. Not to mention the bike mechanics, who spent most of their trip to the desert stuck in a basement serving nervous athletes! 

 

Note from the ed: Melanie raced in the sprint distance event and finished in fifth place overall in her 40-44 age-group category.