The Accident

After completing my first race with the club I thought I knew the best parts of associating with a group of like minded individuals doing the sport that we love. However this was nothing compared to what happened on September 27, 2015.

I was ready to complete my second race with SBTC, This race was the longest distance I had attempted so far with an 800m swim, 32km ride and 7km run in Robina.

I was really excited as the swim was wetsuit legal. However there was my first problem. The wetsuit I'd bought didn't quite fit at the time I bought it, but it was my reason to lose weight. I did what I'd been told to do. I applied Bodyglide over the areas that needed it, my feet were in shopping bags to slip through the legs of the wetsuit easier, I'd put my gloves on to not rip it with my finger nails.

I was able to get my legs in and arms in but closing the zipper was not happening. It would have been hilarious to watch, I spent a good 15 minutes probably looking like I was having a fit, trying to get myself into all different positions to get the zipper closed a little bit further. Turns out, it's a lot easier to relax your shoulders and get someone else to zip it up for you.

I got in the water and we were off. Swimming in a wetsuit was something I'd never done before, but I found it amazing. A wetsuit makes your body more buoyant. It lifts your legs reducing the drag in the water. I finished this swim in record time and was not the last person out of the water which was a first for me.

Luckily taking the wetsuit off happened so much much quicker and easier than putting it on. I found my bike, stood out of my wetsuit and then left with my bike. Everything was going great, I was getting up to speeds of about 40km/h on the straights and getting faster each lap. I got to cheer for the other SBTC members I was passing on the course.

There was one slight issue with the course where there was a gap of about 2 inches in the road when you were coming onto a bridge. Due to this people were losing their drink bottles and other items that were attached to their bikes, cluttering up the road. This Meant an official needed to pick up the items whenever safe to clear the course.

On my last lap I came around the corner and got up to a speed of 41km/h. I was right onthe centre line as I was in the process of passing two other riders coming up to the gap in the road. Looking down at the gap I intentionally lifted my front wheel over the gap to minimise the effect that it would have on my speed. I looked up as I safely got over the Gap and BANG!

I'd clipped the wing mirror of one of the officials motorbikes. It was parked in the middle of the bridge on the centreline as this was supposedly the safest place for it to be while he was collecting the debris.

I hit the road and within a few seconds I got up, grabbed my bike, and in a bit of a daze headed to the left side of the road. I jumped onto my bike about to finish the ride before hearing "NO!! don't get on your bike!" seconds later an official was there putting on the back of a scooter to take me back to the medical tent.

Back at the medical tent they did a basic clean of my wounds. I asked for someone to tell anyone from South Bank that I was there so people wouldn't worry. Within minutes there were at least 5 club members around me wanting to help me. I asked Ben to take my car and stuff home and Kim went and grabbed my phone so I could let Sapphires Aunty know I was going to be late picking her up.

They paramedics put me onto the stretcher with a neck brace, but before putting me in the ambulance they did the most two most important things, they let me take a selfie and took photos of me being loaded into the ambulance.

After a quick call to a teary mum letting her know the details I was able to put the all important update on Facebook.

I was taken to Robina hospital where they cleaned my gravel rash, gave me a sandwich and had me under observation for concussion. Ben messaged me letting me know that he was waiting out the front and he'd give me a ride home when I was ready.

This was the group experience I was after.

Injuries

*Concussion (broke my helmet)

*Bruised ribs

*Gravel Rash to my arms and legs