Day 1 started with a sprint in the late afternoon on the edge of the old town of Koper on the Slovenian Coast of the Adriatic. A little touristy but beautiful, a typical Northern Mediterranean old town with a port. Our age classes had grouped starts to make things more interesting so I had an hour or so’s wait whilst Holly and some other club members rattled round their courses before I got my turn. There was a great atmosphere in the square and the start boxes themselves became a spectator point as well as the adjacent finish as people crossed the line.
I started out quite hard thinking I could probably keep the pace high for the 3-4km needed. To start with the course was quite straightforward but as I got into the old town heart with lots tiny alleyways twisting and turning, keeping on top of the nav, planning ahead and trying not to run into anything became very challenging. During the middle part of the course, my legs started to protest a little but I managed to keep it going.
I made one small mistake (perhaps losing 15-20 seconds going down the wrong alley) but generally had a good run. I sprinted for the finish exhilarated and managed a 5th place which I held until the end. Holly also had a great run gaining 4th, ahead of some strong competition in the W14 category.
After the race we wandered the old town, eventually ending up in a little restaurant and enjoyed Rabbit Stew & Gnocchi and a Slovenian Craft Beer, a great end to the evening.