The Course:
Swim
The swim course is in the Rocky Valley Storage Dam, and the water quality is excellent. The water is quite cold by triathlon standards (~17 deg), but by race day I would expect it should be fine for a wetsuit (full) swim. If in doubt, simply use an extra swim cap. Also, for those of you that haven't raced in a lake before, expect relatively flat conditions, even when very windy the lake doesn't get too choppy. This should make buoy sighting very easy.
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| Rocky Valley Storage - Out on the lake |
Bike
The bike course is a scenic multi-lap course on an out and back loop along the Bogong High Plains Road. The course could be described as twisty with moderate undulation over the middle section of the loop. I would expect to be in and out of the aero quite a bit over the first and last 3-4 km of each lap. There are also couple of small hills of note each about 5-6% but only a few hundred meters in length, so no real concern.
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I've received lots of questions about the road surface (in lieu of all the flats at last years 3Peaks ride) but I have to say its quite good. I have ridden it with no problems and likewise others who train at Falls have found the same. I was speaking to a guy from the resort management board during the week and he also said the road would be swept before the race. No concerns here.
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| Bogong High Plains Road - Surface |
What should be stressed is the narrowness of the road. Mostly the road is only about 6m wide which means you can't legally fit two cyclists (per lane) going in opposite directions on most of the course. The twisty and hilly nature of the course means people will be in and out of the saddle a lot and I expect the hilly section will become quite congested. Be very careful here as the corners in this section are fast down-hill but steep enough on the ascent to mean lots of people will want to pass, under no circumstances should you cross the centre line of the road (if its painted before the race). Drafting WILL be a BIG issue (my prediction) so do your best to stamp it out.
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| Bike Course ~ 4km mark, Basalt Hill |
Run
Again, the run course is a multi-loop out and back predominately on the 'Village' Aqueduct Track. Like most aqueduct trails the course is very flat with the climb up the Aitkens Trail the only real climb. Get out and have a look at it once you're in Falls. The main trail is a grassy, but mown, 4WD style trail so is a little softer and more uneven under foot than somewhere like the Tan.
Like the bike there has been conjecture about footwear choice for the run. I am comfortable with racing flats and have run with the likes of Collis Birmingham and Michael Shelly on this trail in flats. If you've run any X-Country over the winter, racing flats should be adequate as a footwear selection. Try and run in the tyre marks (avoiding the grassy centre) as its more even and quicker underfoot. Be aware that on this type of surface you will naturally run a little slower than normal.
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| Typical Aqueduct Trail at Falls |
The Conditions:
Altitude
As I explained in my previous blog the air at altitude is less dense and as a result there is less oxygen available in each breath for your body to absorb. This makes exercise at altitude more difficult as the body struggles to get enough oxygen to efficiently metabolise energy in working muscles.
The good thing is that the body adapts by producing more haemoglobin (amongst other things) to counteract this phenomenon. Unfortunately, the general rule of thumb is that it takes 11.4 days to fully acclimatise to every 1000m of elevation gained. Falls Creek Village is at 1600m so in theory you should already be at Falls if you wanted to fully acclimatise.
My experience is that after about 2.5-3 days you start to feel OK when exercising and I would recommend that you look at getting to Falls on Thursday (or earlier) if you want to perform well.
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| Five Star Accommodation - Fitzgerald Hut |
Weather
The other important factor at Falls is the weather. By way of example, in a 4 hour period last week the conditions ranged from about 10 deg, torrential rain and gale force winds to nearly 30 deg, sunny and still before going back to rain and wind another 4 hours later. In the alpine areas weather can simply blow in and ruin your day very quickly. The bike course in particular is quite exposed (especially as you cross the dam wall) and I would pay very close attention to the BOM forecast for the specific period of the race. My experience is that the high plains are windy more often than not.
To get the best forecast for the important conditions use the BOMs new Forecast Explorer tool and look specifically at wind and rain estimates for the 3 hour period to 11am. Use the following http://www.bom.gov.au/forecasts/graphical/sectors/VIC.php The BOM updates their forecasts at about 0600 and 1600 each day so check in after those times and before you set up transition to make an informed choice about race wheels and extra clothing items such as arm warmers or an extra jersey.
Finally, if the weather is looking like being warm, make sure you keep hydrated and apply plenty of sunscreen. Because of the elevation, you seem to get more dehydrated and sunburnt than usual. The sun has real bite up there, even on overcast days.
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| Looking East from just past the Bike Turnaround |
Environment
Aside from altitude training, my other more educated interest in Falls and the Alpine area is the environment. The Bogong High Plains are a highly sensitive natural ecosystem and one you compete in as a guest. The general ethos you should follow is 'without a trace.' Please don't litter, be aware of native animals such as snakes (which you may well see) and make sure your equipment is clean before you arrive and after you leave.
Unfortunately, Falls Creek Village has one of only two significant infestations in Victoria of a highly invasive weed species known as Hawkweed. When at Falls you will see a number of Orange or Pink survey flags that indicate historic or current infestations. Please do not disturb them in any way.
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| Orange Hawkweed |
The Summary:
Get to Falls early, acclimatise and familiarise yourself with the conditions as it is the altitude and weather that will have the biggest influence on your race day (other than the training you should have done by now). I suspect times will be slow (relative to sea level races) so set realistic expectations about times and perhaps pack some contingency nutrition.
Most importantly, enjoy yourself and have fun in the great outdoors!
References
BOM (2011). http://www.bom.gov.au/forecasts/graphical/sectors/VIC.php Australian Bureau of Meteorology. Accessed 5/2/2011.
DPI (2010). http://www.land.vic.gov.au/dpi/nrenfa.nsf/LinkView/7157B82C7ECBF5CCCA2575BE0024551C2B72296A5108C4FFCA25734F0009F96F/$file/hawkweed.pdf Victorian Department of Primary Industries, Accessed 5/2/2011.
Rupert, J. L.; P. W. Hochanchka (2001). "Genetic approaches to understanding human adaptation to altitude in the Andes". Journal of Experimental Biology 204 (Pt 18): 3151–60.
Supersprint Events (2009). http://www.supersprint.com.au/ Accessed 5/02/2011
Wehrlin JP, Zuest P, Hallén J, Marti B (June 2006). "Live high—train low for 24 days increases hemoglobin mass and red cell volume in elite endurance athletes". J. Appl. Physiol. 100 (6): 1938–45.