The first weekend in May is traditionally when Melbourne triathletes surface from under the blankets at an un-godly hour for the first time in a month. My running shoes where tentatively dusted whilst I pondered the free flowing beer and wine of the past month. In the last four weeks no meal had been served without at least one fried item and a gravy side. “Mmm graaaavvvy!!!” (Homer J Simpson) Eltham Tri was represented well with four members taking part; Cam Simon, Stephen Hadley, Tarryn Gooding and myself. The course is 13.2 km, mostly up-hill and the idea for the men is to beat the first train and the women the second. At the start my body was already suffering Sunday morning bacon and egg withdrawals and I was not looking forward to my heart rate being raised above 100. The gun went off, and we were away. The road in front was a haze and I was reminded of that drink driving ad from a few years ago. The one where the bloke is driving home from the pub and the road gets more hazy as the pots stack up on the dash board. For me it was the opposite, with every kilometer there was less haze and one less pot sitting in the stomach. At the finish line, my only thoughts were (like every year) why the hell did I do this! It was bloody hard and hurt like hell. At the same time however, it was lots of fun and a great way to kick start winter training. I recommend more take part next year. All four of us beat our respective trains and finished in great time (considering the time of year). See you all next year. Luke