Surprised you say that. There are some quiet areas for sure but Pembroke, Narbeth and Saundersfoot are packed.
I’m referring to the run, not the bike.
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Ah yes, agree with you there. Apart from those nutters having a party at New Hedges roundabout, that run at Wales can be a bit twighlight zone until you’re back in town.
Was that in 2009 maybe? I did it that year and it was shocking, that bike course should never have been allowed.
Yep 2009 my first year of triathlon. These days I would step off the course rather than do that bike; would have been nasty in the dry, in torrential rain it was insane.
Interesting to read about Midnight Man, I remember an interview years ago with a truck driver that used to crush that course, Dave Clamp? I do recall he was older but punching out amazing times.
Dave Clamp is a legend in multi-IM events. a regular at Decaman, Double Deca etc.
Saw him on a static bike in Total fitness Chester.
Quiet unassuming type, did he not win some crazy long distance tri ?
They call him Deca Dave !
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Dave did one of the ones I was at, was aiming for sub 9 but didnt quite make it as it may be flat but it has a lot of dead turns so isnt the fastest bike and really saps the legs for the run also.
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Dave Clamp was my German teacher at Tottington High School. I didn’t know what tri was back then and all we knew was our crazy teacher used to ride his bike miles in the wrong direction to get to school then run home 
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I share your pain!
I did however, get 3rd fastest T2 of the day, and was a full 20s faster than a Ms Charles-Barclay (lets not compare results for the rest of the race though)… 
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Legend … is a word used far too often on social media…
But there’s one for sure
What a quiet unassuming total cardio monster
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Thanks!
Oh, right, him not me
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Obviously both of you…!
There’s a Deva Dave in us all… mine will stay hidden forever…
Duck that
IM is far enough
My favourite ever race report on here was by a guy I think was called Martin who did the double IM worlds and won. Tall guy, MTron or something (I may be getting mixed up).
I’ll never forget the bit when he was talking about chasing 2 people down then one of them had a break and he was being passed food by his crew on laps etc and about 35 miles into the run he said “I thought about walking but to walk is to fail” 
Then he ran into 1st and won.
How in holy fk are you not walking?!
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MTriton, Matt. He’s an awesome athlete. Before that race at a club session I said to him good luck next week “luck doesnt come into it when you work hard enough” cant believe he never Kona Qd, he was a far better athlete than another guy in our club who did get there but he picked races better and actively targeted it. He could run sub 2.45 mara fresh, could swim mid 50s and had a great bike but his fastest Switzerland iirc was 9.20something.
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Read this with interest…hopefully not too much repetition. I didn’t read it as 70.3/140.6 but most of mine are indeed that. Obviously coming at this late and with far less experience but my votes go to (drumroll haha)…
Best swim…Liverpool. Easy to follow the course. Straight out and back. And as a scouser, dear to my heart to be doing something so mad as jumping in the docks for a swim. You’d probably have been hung for that 150 years ago. Anyway, couldn’t see shit. I’ve never done a swim overseas so can’t comment on “seeing anything” under the water, but I did at Tenby on my second lap and it scared the bejesus out of me (massive jellyfish, obvs), so I’m ok being blind.
Best bike…again, out of all of them Yorkshireman came closest for me. Breathtakingly beautiful in places, but maybe a few too many miles running parallel to the A1 on the way back in. Still, helped get the old average speed up!
Best run…they’re all bad as far as I’m concerned! But if I really had to choose…and not based on doing ok (the longer the better!), then Hever Gauntlet is at least a bit different. Although the 2016 version please not the 2018 mudmare.
Worst swim…deffo Hever gauntlet In September, bloody freezing and I have a major aversion to water lilies which combined with crap sighting equals gobfuls of the things…the horror, the horror.
Worst bike…I’d like to say Tenby as we are still not on speaking terms haha, but that was down to me rather than the course itself. So probably my first ever tri, northwest triathlon in Nantwich which I obviously remember fondly in some ways as it was my first but I do go down that route often these days and the road back to Nantwich has no equal in terms of wheel-wrecking tyre-shredding potential. A shocker. Just lucky it’s flat otherwise it’d be lethal…
Worst run…Can’t say I much like the deva triathlon run course. Too much gravel and slip sliding in bloody trainers has left me with blisters on the hottest days.
Best bag…been v lucky and got some great ones. But the one they gave us for Bolton Irnmn 2018 (yep, the short one) for it being 10 years is pretty fancy…(I’m a bloke talking about bags ffs)…cos it has both rucksack straps and a handle…
Best supporters…I’m torn. Between Bolton and Tenby. On the one hand, Tenby had terrific affection for it’s race, one spectator had a little word with me when I was cramping on the bike leg and genuinely made me get going again and the atmosphere late (very late) in town is amazing; even the police joined in. BUT: Bolton had the wrestlers, the masked DJ playing rock in the town centre all day, the group who played “sound of the police” when the cops turned up while I was just starting up Hunter’s hill the 2nd time round (SOOO eternally grateful to not be the subject of everyone’s attention just then) and the old guy in town who thought “support” meant shouting at people walking, calling them “Jessies.” I mean, some of my best brother-in-laws are gay, but he cracked me right up. So verdict: Score draw.
Finish line announcer…I like the Irish guy with castle tri, no idea of his name though.
Best finish…Outlaw, Yorkshireman, Hever…as they all encourage you to take your kids over the line with you if you do so respectfully of others. And so I have some bloody cracking photos and memories.
Best T shirt…any that still fits. Obvs longer the distance the better. Got me a 2xl IM Wales and I certainly have room to move in that. It’s a bloody tent.
Best medal…genuine love for the Deva tri medals. Plain but mahoosive discs. Was on for 5th year running this year and was going to frame them. Just a bit of a local thing. My wife was on for 5 Diva devas too so thought I could do a nice arrangement of them all. Fuck you Covid. Next year, next year.
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That’s the one. What is he up to these days.
He moved to Surrey some 10 years back, mainly ultras, the odd ironman still thrown in.
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First Ironman Alaska last weekend, could be a contender for this thread, looked beautiful.
Crisp 18c water mind, not one for @jeffb 
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