Chapter 1: Abu Dhabi
Chapter 2: Yokohama
Chapter 3: Cagliari
Chapter 4: Montreal
Chapter 5: Hamburg
Chapter 6: Sunderland
From where the sea reaches the shore, to where
the beach touches the water, lies a rare
point of interaction. Where does either
begin and where, then, do they end? Neither
can be the same in the same space, yet when
the waves recede and the sands shift it then
can be hard to tell where the divide lies.
The overlap, we can therefore surmise,
creates a space in which the sea and land
are one. The same phenom is true in grand
campaigns such as the one we here observe.
To become king, to be seen to deserve
the title, the athletes enter a pact
with their watchers, one unspoken, an act
few stop to consider. Each contender
strives for greatness only to surrender
their story to be written elsewhere. That
very process is happening here. At
what point do the athletes shape their account?
At what point does their narrative amount
to the utterings of others? Without
the audience, greatness can seldom sprout
from the seeds of trials and athlete’s deeds.
Like the wave on the beach, each athlete needs
the land, they need to move the sand to make
their impression. It would be a mistake
to neglect the sand for it shapes how far
the wave can go, what way it breaks. Bizarre
as it may seem, the athlete is fleeting.
A new wave will come tomorrow. Greeting
the next wave will be the same beach, the same
sand that remains. Sometimes the wave can tame
the beach with unprecedented force. More
often than not, the beach prevails. The war
for the world crown continues on the shores
of Sunderland, however Alex draws
attacks from his support for his absence.
As his wave retreats from this appearance,
Hayden and Leo step forth. Yet without
Alex, there will be some kind of fall-out
from the support upon which he depends.
He can hope claiming the crown makes amends
yet a palpable sharpness in the air
stalks the morning as the athletes prepare
to race. In stark contrast, Hayden is sick
yet readies himself all the same. The thick
coat of expectation, both internal
and external, confers an eternal
pressure to perform. With Hayden unwell,
Leo seizes his chance. Amid the swell
of the sea, he rides the waves and takes
early charge of the day. Although the aches
that plague Hayden slow him, he strives to hold
on as best he can. His moves are controlled
but they do not dent the aggression posed
by Leo. His opening move is closed
but then he strikes again. With two allies,
Leo springs a move designed to surprise
at the end of the bike. Imitating
Hayden’s late dart in Hamburg and baiting
the field to chase, Leo has his window.
Revealing his strength, he flies in full flow.
Hayden, however, shuts the door early
in the run, entertaining the surly
few watching from afar. The observer,
is as responsible for the fervour
of the event as the athlete. Even though
Hayden tries to lift himself and the show,
his vulnerability is all too clear.
Leo and his teammate Le Corre draw near
and reignite the fight. The French look too
strong for Hayden and now they turn the screw.
Leo attacks, then Le Corre, and the pain
on Hayden’s face betrays him. An inane
counter-attack comes that yields naught and soon
after the French break him. Leo and Le
Corre stride clear to victory, although the
race is still to be won. Leo charges
ahead yet at the last Le Corre barges
his way to gold. Leo’s day is therefore
imperfect but breaking Hayden will more
than make up for the win. For Hayden, too,
there is a win to be claimed. While the flu
wrecked his day, maybe it helped win more hearts
and minds than the gold would have done. Some parts
of the crowd relish his courage and their
thoughts and reactions ultimately bear
a heavy influence over the day.
If lightning strikes with no one there to say
if it happened, can we be sure it did?
Action and reaction constitute all
events, triathlon included. A fall
can be a rise, a loss can be a win.
The race is done, let the judgement begin.
—
(The full race report is available here.)
