Swim - 57:04
What an amazing start. Crowds lined the bridge above the canal, massive hot air balloons set off into the sky and emotive music played in the background. I was racing in the Sub 9 wave. All 200 athletes in the wave were top end age groupers that were targeting that time. The down side of this was that all 200 athletes swam at very similar swim speeds and the canal was only so wide!
I was hoping to swim around 55’ which I had done in training but I wasn't sure where the best place to position myself was. At the last moment I decided I would start bang in the middle about 2nd row back and hope the current of everyone swimming would drag me round. Once the cannon launched the wave, it was a complete war in the water. I was punched, kicked and grabbed. Constantly getting sandwiched between swimmers with nowhere to go just fighting for my own space. This may have been exclusive to the Sub 9 wave as in most other age cat waves you will get a broader spread of abilities.
Bike - 5:03:13
Straight after the swim in T1 disaster struck!
I had borrowed a lovely set of Enve wheels - the reason being my usual set up is a disc and a tri spoke, but one is a tub and the other is a clincher so it makes repairing a puncture tricky. In practice the wheels felt great they were fast and smooth.
On race morning as I was going through the normal bike set up procedure, I decided to put a little extra pressure in the tyres. I pumped them up to 110-115 (normally run them around 100), but I thought as the roads were so beautiful and smooth I would go higher. This would cost me dearly. This extra pressure expanded the tyre to the level which the wheel was wedged in my frame and I didn't check it pre race!
So hopping on my bike for the rear wheel not to move, was not a great start. If I had a clearer presence of mind I would have stopped right there in transition and got it 100%. However, with my race brain on I just wanted to GoGoGo. I fiddled with it in T1, but had to stop 3/4 times in the first 10min. Let a bit of air out and fiddled further with the wheel adjuster screws. Even then it was making a faint noise, so after an hour I stopped at a service tent and got it back to 100%. I lost 3min 12sec (what my Garmin recorded on auto pause) in stopped time, plus the time in T1, plus the getting back up to speed and a little in resistance from rubbing. All in all i think it cost me around 5min, but it also lost me the ability to ride with the groups of solid riders that disappeared up the road.
The roads in Roth are amazing and even though it is known as a fast course, it is not as easy as you would imagine. I think it’s tougher in terms of elevation than the Outlaw, but the road surface is just beautiful. I spent most of the 1st lap by myself stewing in my own negative thoughts and cursing myself for being so stupid and not checking my bike properly but it was done now and all I could do was make the best of the rest of the race.
The bike leg did feature the single most amazing race experience I've ever had. Riding up Solarer Berg with the crowds parting way as you approach them and cheering you on like you are winning the Tour de France was mind blowing. With the energy that the thousands of spectators gave you, it was impossible not to put out an extra 50w and get to the top grinning like a mad man.
It was a very honest bike ride the threat of an extra 1km run + 5min for drafting kept everyone on there toes. I still felt strong at the end of the bike and although my split was about 15min slower than I had wanted, I still had a faint hope of hitting my ambitions for the race.
Run - 2:53:41
Before the race I thought I would be happy if I could get off the bike needing to run a 3:05-3:10 to go Sub 9. Now I had to run below 2:55 to go sub 9. Having never gone sub 3 in an Ironman marathon before this was a lot to ask of myself, but I came here with the target of sub 9, so I just pushed all my chips into the middle of the table and set off like a nutter with the 1st km coming in at 3:35 (probably a bit too crazy).
I settled into around 4min/km and just blitzed straight through the first few aid stations. It felt comfortable and at that pace I started to quickly move through the field. The course is just one big lap with a few out and backs, so you knew that everyone you caught was an overtake, not just going past an athlete on a different lap.
I don't think my body liked what I was doing with it, but it kept playing ball. I had already had 15 gels on the bike + Pro plus. I had planned for a further 2 caffeine gels on the hour (1 & 2) and 3 pro plus on the run on the half hours. That all chased down with coke at every aid station was not exactly your 5 a day.
At around 30km I really started to believe I could do it. I was still holding a smooth form and although I was starting to grunt and grimace, my legs were staying strong. The only doubt I had came at around 34km which featured the biggest hill on the run course which was 1-2km long. My pace slowed to 4:47 and it really started to take it’s toll. If I could not get them turning over after the hill it was still a long way to the finish and I didn't have much time in the bank to lean on. Fortunately running back down the same hill gave them the impetus they needed to kick on and get close enough to the finish that I could take it home. I remember thinking all I've got to do is run 5km in 25min.
I finished with a 2:53 marathon which was the 10th fastest of the day and the 2nd fastest non pro. It gave me an overall time of 8:58 and I was the last athlete of the day to go Sub 9. I did it the hard way and ticked off the sub 3hr run in an Ironman at the same time. But most importantly I've taken the Cov G Ironman belt off Lucy. Looking forward to the crowning ceremony!
I am so pleased with my comeback from a less than ideal start to the race. By overcoming the obstacles that the race threw at me, it made the accomplishment even more satisfying upon crossing the line.
Over the next couple of months I've got 3 weddings (one being my own), moving to a different area of the country (Midlands), buying a new house and starting a new job with Race Hub (https://www.racehub.uk). How hard can it be!