GB professional triathlete Julie Dibens has triumphed in the inaugural Abu Dhabi Triathlon taking the $50,000 prize money with Leanda Cave second. It was the first triathlon of this size to be held in the United Arab Emirates. The organisers, no doubt helped by the huge prize purse, attracted a top international field of athletes for a race with its unique distances of a 3km swim/ 200km bike / 20km run. 203 finished the long distance course including 39 female athletes with the overall average time just under eight and a half hours. ( Average overall times for men was :08:33:33 Average Time Women:08:08:26 )
Julie finished in 7 hours 8 minutes 25 seconds some 4 minutes ahead of GB’s Leanda Cave. Spain’s Virginia Berasategui Luna came home third. Julie’s splits were as follows Swim: 00:39:18 T1: 00:01:32 Bike: 05:07:43 T2 Run: 01:19:53. Leanda’s splits were equally impressive -Swim: 00:39:19 T1: 00:01:37 Bike: 05:10:52 T2 Run: 01:20:36 . Although Julie is renowned as a phenomenal biker but she had to train specifically since she had never raced before over 90 km.
She took an early lead in the first lap of the 3k swim in what are shark infested waters but was overtaken nearing the end of the lap by the ever improving Czech athlete Lucie Zelenkova (who is now resident in South Africa ) but Julie was happy to run up the beach and start the second lap keeping in touch with the lead pack and emerged from the sea second but, with an unusual for her smooth transition, she went out on the bike in the lead!
In an uneventful first 45km of the bike Julie put her head down but tried to hold back a little with Leanda Cave riding strongly in 2nd place behind her, and Tereza Marcel in 3rd. At about the 45km the bike race entered the fantastic new Yaz Formula 1 race track. That was for Julie the highlight of the race, zipping round the circuit and, she admitted, fantasizing about being Jason Button while she dug in and took the hairpins.
Back on the flat roads all went well up to the 75 k marker when she got a flat rear tyre and , having lost her “Pitstop” puncture repair aid when she’d hit a bump earlier in the race ,she decided to labour on for some 20 k riding on the rim. She was eventually rescued by the sag car where the race bike mechanic handed her a replacement rear wheel. She then focused on chasing and making up the time lost. In fact she was angry and tuned into that as the race entered the Yaz circuit once again, using it to push herself harder than she’d planned and taking risks. She caught Leanda and managed to extend her lead into T2 some two or three minutes ahead of the field.
In the heat she simply dug in taking on fluids and surprised herself going into lap 2 that she had extended her lead to some six minutes. She admits to easing back at this point and to being in hot and in pain and having to go into auto pilot mode to try and make the finish. Although delighted with a win she had to cut short an interview to be violently sick and then spent an hour or so in the medical tent.
Julie swam for Great Britain as a junior and began Triathlon Training in the Summer of 1997. Since then she has an outstanding record of racing achievements and continues at the highest level with a a grueling schedule of training and competing all over the world both in Elite Triathlon and Xterra mountain cycling races. Julie is the ultimate athlete , a winner and the consummate professional with carefully planned training and nutrition. She also combines racing with coaching. She is a formidable opponent and the experience of most of the competition is a view of the back of her heels.
Next up for Julie after a recovery week will be the St Anthonys Triathlon , St. Petersburg ,Florida in April, followed by the Wildflower Triathlon , Lake San Antonio , Monterey ,California in May.
Full Abu Dhabi results here CHALLENGER WORlD.COM and you can keep up with Julie’s progress here JULIE DIBENS
2010-03-19
