Ironman Barcelona 2014 – Race Report

Setting up the Scene:

Everything started last October 2013 when I crossed the finishing line in 10h01m03s.

My aim that day was to beat my PB of 10h27m but I never imagined I would’ve got so close to the 10hrs mark.

I signed up for Austria and I worked very hard throughout the winter. Unfortunately this put my body under a lot of stress and I got sick from mid February to the end of March where I hardly trained and threw away all the hard work done.

Morally I was destroyed as I felt the pressure of the sub-10 in Austria which was only 3 months away.

Thankfully, my friend Pearse Fahy stood by my side and after a few calls and emails I got back on track mentally. THANKS PEARSE!! You really don’t know how much you helped.

I went to Austria on the last week of June very fit again and with full energy.

The week before the race I started having some serious stomach problems which unfortunately I wasn’t able to shake off until mid September.

That situation proved crucial on race day and I finished in 10h00m51s.

Only a handful of seconds away from my dream goal.

I was very sad and annoyed but this is our sport: ANYTHING can go wrong. The longer you go, the smaller issues can determine your success or failure.

I went to the doctor but we couldn’t figure out what was wrong. All blood samples and tests were good.

After an endoscopy I got diagnosed with a stomach bacteria called HP which in Spanish it would probably refer to Hija de Puta!

I took 3 different type of strong antibiotics for 10 days and I was ready to push hard again without worrying I’d make a scene J (Good news for BCN which it was only 2 weeks away now).

Game Changer: OOB Coaching

My good friend Thomas Rohde (a 9hr Ironman and Kona finisher) called me one day and took me through his OOB’s Guidance plan. I was on holidays in Barcelona and we met up for a wee run... As I got to the track, he said “ready for the first test?” ... what? From that moment, I was an OOB athlete!

  

My training took a big turn that day.  I increased my training load (especially on the bike) from an average of 9-10hrs since march to 11-12hrs a week. 

I went from doing 3hrs of routine bike a week to a proper power-based 7hr/week bike training.

I lowered considerably my run mileage but worked much harder on my running pace.

And finally, I kept my swim calendar but OOBs sessions made it clearly way less boring (new fresh sessions every week).

In summary, it was 9 weeks of intense training following OOB’s guidance plan. It just amazes me how much I learned in the last two months and what the outcomes have been on the bike.

I was planning on cycling a 5h12 (5h10 max) as I knew Barcelona’s course was about 8mins faster than Austria)... little I knew that I almost broke the 5hrs.  Thank God I wasn’t aware of this fact during the race; otherwise I would’ve probably tried to break it and could’ve jeopardized my run afterwards.

Anyway, BIG THANK YOU to Thomas Rohde for putting together that guidance training plan in front of me and the advice given the week before the IM. Your target paces and watts were spot on! I’ve never raced so comfortably in my entire life!

Pre – Race:

It was a crazy morning: a very lightening and thundery day full with non-stop heavy rain and strong winds.  

While we were waiting for the organisers to decide if it was safe to swim, I was completely turned off and full of negative thoughts. Then Cormac O’Riain came along to say hello full with positive energy and optimistic thoughts. Just seeing Cormack with such a positive attitude made me realize that I needed to change my mind and stop worrying about things outside my control.  

The organisation finally simply postponed the race start by 30mins until the electric storm was gone.  

Even though it stopped raining, it was still a very windy day but luckily the wind was LLEVANT (Catalan name for western winds) which meant that it would mostly hit us on the side.

Swim: 58m22s

The swim start went well. I positioned myself on the right hand side of the group-start for two reasons:

• It was shorter to the first buoy (we were turning right).
• I wouldn’t have any swimmers splashing on my face. I saw a lot of wannabes around me.

For the first time in years, I actually started on the 3^rd row (instead of the very first front). Not for any particular reason but simply because I was late.

The sign went up and we hit the water. Within 30secs I was already in the top ten (max) and I turned the 1^st buoy probably on the first top 5 which made it very easy to swim at my own pace.

I struggled with my right goggle which leaked a bit but not too much, I moved it 3 or 4 times in the first 500mts and then it stayed in its place - happy days. Another problem solved!

Within 5 minutes we already started catching up with the group in front which reinforces my belief that wave starts should NEVER be done based on AGE groups. That’s simply stupid. For two main reasons:

• The slow swimmers get swamped with hundreds of other swimmers swimming on top of them – specially when they least expect it as the new swimmers keep coming in waves from behind. It only adds up to their stress and fatigue unnecessary.
• For good swimmers it constantly breaks our swimming pattern and breathing as we constantly have to sort them out. We also have loads less visibility as their heads look like buoys on the water. (Especially if they wear yellow and orange hats).

I went out hard at the start as it felt really nice and easy. The water temperature was lovely.

It was quite wavy on the long stretch home of 2350mts but nothing mayor. Waves were hitting us on the side quite parallel to the beach so they didn’t really change the swimming direction too much.

At the half way I checked my watch and I saw 26:50mins so I knew I was on track (a bit faster than I thought). 

Around the 3km mark, I started feeling hungry & a bit dizzy and some swimmers started to overtake me. I eased on a slower pace and looked for a pair of feet to draft off for a few minutes in order to save energy. 

[Note to self: ALWAYS bring two sets of goggles: one with clear lenses and one with tinted lenses].

I got out the water in 58min22sec which was as planned. (Happy: 1^st discipline ticked the box).

T1: 4min36s

I took a gel before I even jumped on the bike to make it up for the energy wasted on the swim (I was hungry which it’s too early to feel that way).

I also took an Imodium to avoid any stomach surprises.  

Bike: 5h03m44s (35.5km/h)

I rode out of town watching out for the multiple speed-bumps & pot-holes and dodging the big puddles of water (that’s where I had two punctures 2 years ago with brand new tyres and tubes). Average speed was crap (26km/h) but worth taking those precautions.

I hit the road and my average went up to almost 38km/h which I decided to maintain. According to my plan I could still push a few more watts but I decided to be around 5% less as I knew the wind would be on my face on the way back to Calella.

The first 20kms passed by and I realized that fuel stations only provided ¼ bananas or gels.... and also I didn’t recognise the gels’ brand.

Ironman events are supposed to be sponsored by Powerbar and that’s all the products I’ve been training with. Bad mistake from my side for taking things for granted.

I panicked as I only had 2 powerbars and I was counting on taking another 3 from those fuel stations.

I tried to ration them but I knew it was simply not enough. By the 70^th km I had already almost eaten them all.

 

I also had 2 small pieces of dark chocolate which tasted really nice.

... By the time I hit the 80^th km I was forced to take one of those gels they offered on the course. I was hungry and I didn’t have anything else in my fuel bag... it was a Godsend!!! They were incredibly yummy and I ended taking about 6 or 7 throughout the rest of bike course (All strawberry flavour).

Actually, they felt better on my stomach than the bars! (another lesson learned)

My average speed went down (as predicted) to around the 36km/h mark by the time I finished the first lap ... I sustained that pace until the 115^th km by taking advantage of the tailwind from Calella and controlling the headwind back to town [Wind was very strong but it was mostly hitting us on the side throughout the entire race, so VERY HAPPY with that].

The sun was up and burning my back which lacked of sun-cream due to the fact I thought it would rain the entire day.... but the strong side winds kept us fresh.

Drafting this year was particularly bad. I saw about 6-7 big groups of 30 to 50 cyclists together. At times they were even drafting in front the motorbike marshals but they would still not disperse.

It was a bit annoying to see these cheaters pass you while you were working hard on your own. I must have counted about 40 competitors that passed me on the bike in a fair and square manner without drafting.... but then 4 or 5 big groups also passed me on the bike.

Personally, my goal and mind in Ironman has always been focused towards MY FINISH TIME .... but I gotta admit that it hurts to see that 200 cheaters (mostly French and Spiks) have overtaken me dishonestly. An absolute disgrace.... but hey! this is life.

Finished the 3^rd lap with a really good feeling and speed average (35.5km/h)

T2: 4min36s

Something really strange about IM BCN ... why do they have the end of transition matt just before the Run bag tend? It just doesn’t make sense.  Basically my official T2 time was of 1min and the rest was added to our run times. Weird and stupid!

I changed my socks and put on loads of Sun cream which took a toll on my T2 time but totally worth it.

I also took a 2^nd Imodium tablet... I rather don’t go to the toilet in a week than going 3 times in the marathon like in Austria! J  

Run: 3h35m56s

I started the run in great shape and legs felt really fresh running at 4:45 pace for the first 10kms (my overall target was of 5:10).

The 2^nd lap was a bit harder and I dropped my pace to 5:00 which made the first half still under the 5min mark - delighted to see that.

I crossed the 21.1km point and I started making funny calculations (you shouldn’t be allowed to think while running!):  I simply added 2hrs to my time and realized I would finish in 9:58! Great! I thought. I had 2 spare minutes ... hold on!! if something went wrong that meant I would need to sprint the last kms!, oh no!! Panic started.  

A few more kms in and I realized that if I kept the pace up, I’d be doing every lap in about 55mins so I actually was fine.

The 3^rd lap in Barcelona is definitely the worst of all as you’re really tired and you know you still have to do a 4^th last lap!. My average dropped considerably to above 5:20!  The overall average was still 5:05 so I was doing fine.

The 28^th km was a real boost as that’s where I struggled so much last year... as I was getting closer to that sign I kept filling up my mind with positive thoughts! “You’re doing great, man! Keep up the pace, last year you had to do a complete stop right here! You couldn’t even freaking walk 10 mts!, look at you now, still hitting the miles with no a bother!... keep it up!!”

I had written my kids names on my arms to remind me how much Triathlon has taken a toll on their lives in the last 6 months but especially in the last 9 weeks. Niall cried his head out on Thursday night went I left to the airport and Erin couldn’t stop crying while we were on Skype on Saturday evening!

Not to mention every time I had to go for a 5-6hr session every Saturday.

I owed it to them; I owed it to my wife!... I had to keep pushing; this race was as much for them as it was for me.

On the 4^th lap, I checked my watch again and saw that I could potentially go sub 9:50!! Happy days!! ... I pushed a bit harder... 2kms in, my stomach gave up and I thought the Austria experience was all over me again... a couple of farts later and a really bad 34^th km (5:40), I was back on track and I ran my way home clocking the last km in 4:04 feeling super fresh! J

God had definitely been on my side from start to finish on Race day.

I felt that every time I hit a roadblock, something else came along and changed the situation. Coincidence? You might think that but I believe God was taking care of me. THANK YOU!!!

Finish line:

I crossed the line in 9h47m42s

3.8k Swim: 58m22s
180.2km Bike: 5h03m44s (35.5km/h)
42.2km Run: 3h35m56s

After 364 calendar days, 361 training sessions and 420hrs of 207km of swimming, 5.000km of cycling and 2.150km of running, I achieved my sub-ten dream! J.

It definitely sounds like a lot of training for a 14min gain, doesn’t it? J

Thanks everyone for your support.

Ernest

Post Race:

Being able to share this experience with my Mum and Dad is priceless.  

Moltes Merces per sempre estar al meu costat, Us estimo molt!

Ironman Barcelona-Maresme 2013 (Challenge brand)

Pre-Race:

I went to BCN with no pressure to perform as I had encountered a few obstacles along the way in my previous weeks:

-          This year I based my training regime on the middle distance and every time I raced outside that distance I underperformed.

-          My average training time this year has been of 8h21m which it´s a bit challenging when it comes to Ironman. Basically, on race day, I would cover more time and distance than I would have done in a whole week of training.

-          I had also only received the invitation to race 7 weeks before the event (long story).

-          Unfortunately, a few weeks ago I had a terrible bike crash that left me without my racing bike and a sore hip.

-          The result was obvious: I got a bit scared of the road and the longest I´ve ridden in the past 2 months has only been 3 sessions of 90kms and 1 of 100kms. The rest of my longest sessions have been considerably below the 60k mark.

 

Said all the above, I still wanted to get the most out of this event and I was prepared to go as hard as I could.  

During those two months I focused my training on my running and I maintained my swim levels by swimming twice a week.

Race Day:

I was pretty nervous. I didn’t understand why as I really thought the fact of not having any clear competitive target in my mind would make it easy to deal with.

Stupidly, I mostly worried about things that were outside my control at that point: Racing with a training bike, not enough distance on my back, my wheel had a hole on the tyre, there was forecast of winds and rain for the afternoon, fear of the heat, my hip was sore, etc.

I knew I was very fit but I had real question marks around completing the full distance at a decent speed due to my recent lack of training on the bike.

I kept telling myself that I sould definitely try to go for my PB (10h27m) as my run gains should outweigh the bike loss. (I expected my swim to be pretty similar to my last IM.)

Swim:

The sea was in a very reasonable condition and my swim felt quite smooth from the very start.

Most of the time I swam on a straight line and I didn´t think I wasted much extra energy or space by swimming in zigzags.

My goggles fogged-up after 150mts aprox but I managed to see enough to keep going. Overall I had to stop 3 times to clear them off but nothing out of this world. (Note to self: buy a freaking new pair of goggles!).

As I said, I felt pretty comfortable and I was at the top of the group throughout the swim. Mostly, I swam on my own avoiding the masses.

I checked my time at the 3^rd km and I realized that I had clocked 47mins. This meant that I was still on target for my 3.8K swim in about 1hr…  quickly I found out that the last buoy wasn´t really the last one as there was another one at distance.

I pushed slightly harder but when I came out the water and saw my time (1h09m42s), I got really disappointed.

I didn´t quite understand what had gone wrong as my pace seemed fine and I strongly believe I had swam on a very straight line (with the odd small usual turns).

Later on - after the race - everyone pointed out that their swim had been around 8-10mins slower which made sense as everyone’s GPS watches would suggest that the actual distance had been increased by a good 500m (4.3k swim).

 

Usually, I don’t mind this sort of differences as they are the same for everyone but when you’re racing against a specific time, it really changes your plans and mindset.

Anyway, the true fact was that I was 8mins behind my target of Sub 10h27m. Not a pleasant feeling but such is life and this is part of racing!

 

Bike:

 

I went into the bike leg with very little confidence on it (mainly due to low millage trained on it and the fact that I was using my training bike).

I rode the first 3kms quite easy (that´s where I had 2 punctures last May) before I got to the main road.

Unfortunately, the little sticker that covers the valve of my disc covers came off and left a big hole on one of the sides of my back wheel. This was bad news as it meant the air would get into my back-wheel not having a way out so it could only increase the drag. Nothing I could do, so I smiled before I cursed a wee bit and carried on.

 

As soon as I got out of town I made the decision that my race really started there.

I couldn´t allow to lose any more time vs. my 2011 IM, so I aimed to get a similar average (roughly 34.5km/h).

 

On the first lap I felt extremely comfortable with an average of 36km/h. My legs could even still throw-in more power to those pedals but I was aware of the challenge ahead (distance-wise) so I kept holding myself back.

 

At km90, I was still managing the same average (above 36) with hardly any effort and I wondered if I should push a bit harder – I´m glad I didn´t!

After 3hrs on the bike the wind kicked in and started to hit us a bit hard on the side. This meant really bad news for me as not only I was riding a disc with a hole on the side but also it was gonna hit me at the distance that I hadn´t really trained for.

 

 

More “good news” on the way: around the 120^th km, a massive storm covered the road where we were and I panicked. Bad thoughts of coming off the bike again crossed my head and I got scared at every turn or downhill … Not a pleasant feeling but everyone seemed to slow down too so I guessed the wind was also affecting everyone else and not only Catalan donkeys like me afraid of water!

My average went down to 35.7, then 35.5 and 35.0… I lost an entire 1k/h in just 20kms.

I wasn´t happy with it!

As we entered the last lap I got a bit of a boost: “Yes man! You did it!!, you´re on the very freaking last lap and still feeling great”.

 

I kept my nutrition extremely consistent no matter if I was hungry or not. This consisted of a 1/3 of a Powerbar bar every 15kms and drinking in between.

 

On the last 15kms we got another big shower and my average dropped even further to 34.7 but safety and the will to finish with “fresher legs” came first at all times.

As I got back to Calella town and hit the last 3kms of the bike course we were told to slow down considerably as the pavements were very wet (sometimes floated) and full of turns with slippery tiles.

My end average was of 34.6 which was simply 1 minute and a half faster than my previous IM experience.  (5hrs11min).

 

Run:

I started the run feeling extremely strong and fresh.

I ran the first 3kms below 4m30s but I knew I would never be able to sustain that pace. I kept telling myself to slow down but it took me right up to the 8^th km to start racing at the desired pace I had planned for the first half of the marathon.

Every time I drank coke (redbull coke – which has a disgusting flavor) my stomach cramped very badly.

It took me a few fuel stations to realize that so I stopped drinking that coke. Unfortunately, I also realized that I couldn´t eat anything else either as I had the same symptoms straight away.

 

I decided to only drink water and keep going as I still felt ok (just a bit tired) after all. I kept the pace up to the 16^th km but running only on water it´s definitely not enough (especially at this stage of the race) and I quickly paid the price.

I hit the 21km mark severely dehydrated and in desperate need of calories but my stomach wasn´t tolerating anything but water. The REAL Ironman race just started!

Macca always says: EMBRACE THE SUCK! - Well, not sure I embraced it but I surely shared a few long moments with it on the day and I didn’t like it.

I struggled for practically the rest of the race and I had to battle for every single meter left on the course.

Fortunately around the 24^th km I realized that for whatever reason my stomach tolerated isotonic drinks and very small bits of bananas, so I immediately started nibbling those at every fuel station right up to the end.

After crossing the midpoint of the marathon I tried to stay positive thinking I was already on my way home but my hip started to give out.

Sadly, this pain (caused by the accident that I had a few weeks ago) would not go away for the rest of the race but to be honest it was the lesser of my problems.

My weakest moment of the race came around the 28^th km mark where my body suddenly ran out of fuel and my system started giving me cruel signs of shutting down.

I made a complete stop and I put my head down leaning forward while keeping the balance with my hands on both my knees.

No one was around and all I saw was a long straight road in front of me. I felt very dizzy and I couldn´t find any clear reason why I should keep running.

Every effort to stay above the pain line seemed wasted and I thought of sitting down for a moment (which thank God I didn´t). I was desperate for a sugar boost but my body didn´t tolerate anything so I thought I had to call it a day.

The finish line was still very far away (14kms to go) and I knew I had practically run with my eyes closed for the last 8kms (since I pretty much started the 3^rd lap).

I still don´t understand what made me go ahead as I was on a state of extreme confusion and disorder … but I do remember myself thinking that I would try to get to the next fuel station (about 2.5kms away) and drink there.

I strongly believe God was by my side there as I still can´t figure out what made me put one foot in front of the other, then jog and a few meters later run again.

It was a hot day for Irish standards probably around 24ºC but thank God it was cloudy most of the time.

I finally made it to the 30km fuel station and I stopped to drink as much ISO as I could, I also gave the bananas and oranges a shot and kept running.

 

Eventually I made it to the last 4^th lap and my body started to rebuild enough energy to keep a pace between 5:30 and 5:45 which at that stage I was delighted with.

Finally, the 41^st km sign came into sight and the last fuel station with it. Normally in all races I never bother stopping at the last fuel station (specially being so close to the finish line) but this time I did another full stop and drank 3 full glasses of ISO and ate an orange.

 

Obviously, at that point I had no clue that I was so close to the 10hrs. (I had stopped my watch during the race by mistake and I didn´t know my overall time.)

I thought I must have been around the 10hrs and 15 to 18mins so running or stopping at that stage would´ve made no difference. I had already beaten my previous time and I was very with that!

Then it hit me that my watch also had the time of the day on it, so I checked it and I realized it was 18:39.

I knew I had started the race at 8:41 on the dot, so that could only mean that I was 2 minutes short of a 10hrs race!  CRAP!!!

I immediately looked up and tried to figure out how much left there was in the race.

By the position of the 41km mark and the finish line I must have been around 750mts away from the finish line.

I sprinted at full speed hoping the last sign was placed wrongly and I ran my last few hundred yards at a 4min pace (the maximum I could sustain at that moment).

I kept looking at my watch and the finish line every 10secs but unfortunately the sign was placed correctly and the 750mts proved to be too far for a sub 10h race.

I slowed down in the last 150mts, relaxed and enjoyed the very final stretch soaking up the amazing finish atmosphere.

 

I´m very happy to have finished a 10hr (01m05s) Ironman and I don´t regret having done anything on the day that could´ve shortened that time by those 65secs.

  

Few Facts & figures:

- Air Temperature: 21-23º C
- Humidity: 65-83%
- Water Temperature: 20º C.
- Mostly overcastted with a few spread heavy showers and cross winds.
- 11.200 calories burned
- Finishing Position: 123rd out of 1162 AG Athletes.

 

Half Marathon: 21.1k – Athlone / Sept. 2012

Half Marathon: 21.1k – Athlone / Sept. 2012

 Pre-Race:  

I arrived Athlone at 9:45 and park beside registrations. I got out of the car and it felt really cold. It was 14.5 degrees but somehow it felt very chilly… I registered and started shivering as I was really cold. Don’t understand why. I got in the car and waited for my good friend Paul to arrive.

Once we arrived, we shared few jokes and relaxed a  bit laughing and watching other athletes running around… all the sudden, we realized it was time to run and we hadn’t warm up… oh well, we never do anyway, so today it was no different. J

 Race:

There were 676 athletes on the day which coming from a triathlon background it felt really packed but most runners were happy with the “low” turnaround.

I had a target of 1h30m race (4m16s/km) but I wasn’t sure it was very realistic as I haven’t run more than 11km since the Long Distance Triathlon World Champs 2 months ago.

- First km (3:47), I ran faster than intended to make sure I’d lose the “crowds”.

- The next 6kms (3:59 – 4:02) were fine as I followed a very small group of 6 runners who were running at a comfortable but serious pace.

- Kms 7 to 9 (all at 4:00) – I started to question whether I could sustain that pace for the rest of the race but then I set myself a target to beat my 10k Personal Best time which it was (41m30s).

- 10^th km (3:52) - This is it! Beating the PB wasn’t a challenge anymore so I thought I would try to beat a sub40m for a 10k… I love playing these games while racing… I needed to do a sub 4m/km… I thought even if it’s tough, I’ll do it and then worry afterwards about the rest of the 11km left in the race J.  I crossed the 10k line in 39m43s and I shouted “yeaaaah!!!! A new PB”… the rest of the runners in the pack looked at me probably thinking “weirdo”!

- 11^thkm (4:12) – this was a tough km and I started to struggle following the 4:00 guys

- 12^th – 14^th  km (4:06 – 4:07) – Stubborn as I am, I rushed and sat just behind of the 4:00 group and stayed there until I would literally not be able to keep the pace.

- 15^th km (4:05) – this was probably the toughest km that I ran in the race as that’s when I lost the 4:00 guys by 5-10secs… I must have been around 20meters behind the group but this time I just couldn’t make the effort to stay with them, so I decided to go at my pace and secure my 1h30m target.

16^th – 18^th (3:58 – 4:08) – All the sudden (when I thought I was losing the group), I realised they were still 20meters ahead of me.  I checked my pace and I was still running around the 4min mark so I was quite happy with it.

19^th – 20^th km (4:12 – 4:13) – All the sudden I felt a very tiny sharp pain on my chest (heart area) and I freaked out!! I thought “shit! There it goes the race” … I prayed to God to make it go away and it did! “great stuff, back on the race”.. I slowed down to secure my sub 1h30m race – I had no idea what time that pace was gonna get me through the line – I though it’d be around the 1h29m mark but I promised myself I wouldn’t check the overall time until I would hit the last km.

21^st km (3:58) – Finally! I was almost there! I could almost smell the finish line.  Before I checked my time I started doing my calculations: If I see a “1:25” in my watch and I add another 4m for the last km, it will get me under the target!.. I checked my time and I saw a 1:20:50! I just couldn’t believe it! If I ran at my current pace I would clock a 1h25m race! … unreal! Very happy…  I don’t remember anything about that last km… I just simply smiled and ran enjoying and soaking up the finishing atmosphere…  one runner overtook me and said, come on, we can go under 1h25m! but I didn’t listen, I just had enough… I wasn’t tired I just wanted to enjoy  my last few meters .

Finish time: 1h25m12s

Finish position: 54^th out of 676 runners.

Quite happy!

 
 

Post race:

I finished as fresh as a flower… I even felt bad that my legs didn’t hurt afterwards J

2012 ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships - Vitoria-Gasteiz

  4k Swim / 120K Cycle / 30k Run

PRE-RACE:

The usual pre-race nerves kicked in the day before when we had to rack the bike and leave the running gear in T1 and T2 (Transition areas).

Early on the day (7:15AM) I entered in T1 to check that all my bike material was still in its place and I started with the usual pre-race rituals: Pump tires and get hydration, nutrition & Kit (shoes, helmet and glasses) ready for the race.

It was a nice surprise to see that all the Irish team were together so we had a few good laughs before they called us in.

Seeing Irish Legend Matt Molloy getting ready for the day ahead made me realize what sort of a challenge I had in front of me.

The scope of Athletes in the field was incredible… We were side by side with the Japanese & Australian teams but not far from where we were we had the English, USA & Canadian teams.

Top three Elites of the Day were the Aussie Double Ironman Champion Chris McCormack “Macca”, Local Basque Eneko Llanos and Dirk Bockel from Luxemburg.

SWIM:
4km - 1 lap // Start Mechanism: Beach Mass Start
The swim course took place in the waters of Ullibarri-Gamboa lake, in the heart of the Provincial Park of Landa, of high ecological value due to its oak forests and wetlands, not far from Vitoria-Gasteiz.

I usually tend to lead the swim (ie. in Athy I was 1^st out of the Water), so before I start any race I tend to stay on the left side of the pack (I breathe on my right) so that I can track how fast I leave everyone behind.

My first mistake of the day: All cocky, I placed myself at the centre of the beach-front as I thought it’d be easier to leave “everyone” behind and still be at the most straight point to the first buoy.

The gun went off and everyone rushed into the water… within 2 minutes I found myself surrounded of swimmers kicking and elbow fighting. I thought “you idiots, I’ll show you what swimming is all about”… I pushed as hard as I could for about 200meters until I practically ran out of breath.

At this stage, this is where I as I usually leave most of swimmers behind before settling into my normal swimming race-pace.

Well, that wasn’t the case, after those 200meters I was still surrounded of fast & strong swimmers who were still fighting for water space from both sides… 

The swim “fights” went on for the entire 1.5k “straight” line that goes to the first turn buoy.

Once we turned, everyone seemed to have dispersed a bit so it became a bit of a more enjoyable swim.  I still managed to swallow some water after myself and another swimmer swam into each other (my goggles were fogged-up and I imagine his were too).

We turned again at point 1.8k and the sea seemed a bit more aggressive with a lot of small waves going all directions. This played in my favour as it’s really important to have technique within your core competencies (otherwise you start splashing around).

I passed a few red hats (the wave group in front of us) and that gave us a bit of a boost but unfortunately it also slowed us down a bit as it was a bit confusing who was who in the water.

After the first half of the swim (2.1k), I started feeling really tired. There had been a lot of fighting and kicking that had wasted everyone’s energy.

Anyway, we still had to do a few more turns ahead of us and I lost all notion of where the hell I was. I only knew I had to swim towards the next blue buoy but I had no idea how far I was from T1 anymore.

That second part of the swim became very lonely and I swam it practically on my own.

Eventually, I got back to the beach and for the first time since I started doing triathlons 3 years ago I thought “I’m glad the swim is over”.

The GPS recorded a 4.56K Swim. This can only mean that Garmin still hasn’t mastered the Open water distance with their so-called “advanced technology”.

I came out of the water in the 23^rd position but it felt I was the 200^th.

 

BIKE:
120km - 2 laps
The course runs through the beautiful landscapes of the plains of Alava, along the spectacular lake Ullibarri Gamboa and parallel to the Elguea mountain range, through small towns of great cultural and scenic interest, and sharing part of the course with the Way of Saint James.

The Bike turned to be the most enjoyable part of the race. I loved it from the start.

I jumped on the bike and immediately drank about half of my water bottle, ate ½ a bar and I started cycling quite hard to make up for the time and energy wasted fighting in the water.

After the first 14kms, I found myself going a bit too hard as usual (40km/h average) so I settled into my desired race pace… my legs responded very well to the challenges that I got from other cyclists and the actual course (a lot of rolling hills). I was still clocking an average of 38.5km/h by the time I got to 40^th km so I was very pleased.

I kept drinking and eating powerbars. (In total, I ate 2.5 bars and I must have drank about 4x650ml of Aquarius – don’t ask me why they gave that grab instead of high5).

The wind picked up a wee bit on our way back to Vitoria-Gasteiz (1^st lap) and we cycled for about 20km against it… nothing mayor though. At around the 65^th km I was still going over the 38km/h mark.

Up to that point we were a group of 8 cyclists pacing each other (not drafting!) which kept the speed up. An American, a British, a Spanish, a Canadian, a German, a Japanese & a Portuguese.

All the sudden my bladder felt really full. Being afraid of de-hydration I drank too much (way above my sweat rate). I tried to pee on the bike, but I couldn’t… if anyone knows how to do this, please let me know! J

Anyway, a few more kms in, a drafting group of 20plus cyclists caught up with us, overtook us and disappeared into the horizon… …a few minutes later, I saw them again and realized that they had been forced to spread. They had a motorbike along the side controlling the drafting rule of 12 meters (not 10!).

Unfortunately, this caused us to slow down as it was really difficult to overtake 20+ cyclists at once, so every time I passed one cyclist, I got quite close to the guy in front, making the Marshalls a bit paranoid all the time… my average speed went down quite quickly (low 36s) but as soon as I passed that group I was on track again.

All the sudden a bee got stuck on the side of my helmet and I almost crashed as I was trying to get rid of it with my hand at a really high speed. In the end, the bee flew away but not before she stung my ear. Not a very pleasant feeling but not any worst than my legs’ pain.

At this point there was only the German, the Portuguese and I in the pacing group.

We turned towards Vitoria-Gasteiz (25kms to go) and the headwind picked up again. (This time a bit harder or maybe it was the tiredness playing tricks). At about km105 the Portuguese stood up from his TT position looked at us and said that he was finished, so the German and I went ahead and kept making sure that we wouldn’t drop the pace too much against that wind.

10km to go, both of us started to feel quite tired but I must have got a 2^nd wind so I gave it a go… this time the German didn’t follow me and I cycled into the city on my own. I checked my watch and my Average speed was just below 37km/h which I was very happy with. Later on I found out that I was among the top 100 fastest bikes of the day (out of 802 world-class triathletes).

I got into T2 in the 17^th position so things were looking quite positive.

RUN:
30km - 4 laps
The run course starts and finishes in the heart of the medieval district of Vitoria-Gasteiz and the 7,5 km course runs entirely through the most beautiful pedestrian promenades of the city.

The run proofed to be a beast on its own. The crowd was amazing and as soon as I left T2, I found myself surrounded of thousands of people chanting my name and nationality all the way.  I really can’t describe the feeling. It was overwhelming.

I ran my first km in less than 4 minutes (way too fast for my desired target pace of 4:45min/km).  

I maintained a 4m37s pace for the following 9kms.

Even though I was putting my body under a lot of pressure, it was very disappointing to see all these runners constantly overtaking me.  I tried to go a bit harder but I just couldn’t (well, at least if I wanted to run the entire 30km at that speed).

At the half point mark (km15) my average was already at 4:40 and runners were still overtaking me as if I was walking (note: this is a 3h16m marathon pace!!).

I got extremely demoralized by this situation and I dropped my pace even further (4:50) in order to able to re-gain my breath.

I’ve never been a great runner and this race showed me that I still have a big job to do when it comes to running.

On my third lap, I began to struggle with the nutrition and my stomach played a few tricks on me but I somehow managed to control it. 

Unfortunately this wasn’t it ... a few kms in I developed a really strong chest pain and I could hardly breathe. It really hurt to the point that I thought my race could be over.

I came to a full stop 3 times in a matter of 200 meters. Things didn’t look good.  I’ve never experienced such pain so I’m not so sure what it really was… the good news is that the pain “only” lasted for about 2kms so I was back running at my controlled pace in “no time”.

The last 4^th lap was full of emotions… I was in big pain but I knew I didn’t want to give up on the dream of going sub 7h, so I kept it steady up to the end.

A funny anecdote was that 5kms to go (while I was running at about 5min per km) I checked my time and saw 6h29m and I thought to myself “5min/k x 5km =“30”mins… Crap!!, I won’t make it to the sub 7h mark even if I go mental now!!” … This shows how tired your mind can get in these situations that can’t even calculate 5x5 properly neither add 29+”30”! J.

In the end I finished my 30k run in 2h30m which equates to a 3h35m marathon.

Finally, I finished on a decent 32^nd position after an agonizing Run.

 Post Race:

I crossed the finish line, stopped my watch and I saw 6h56m09s! …  I made it!!! I did a sub7h race!!!  VERY HAPPY!!

This equates to a 9:35* Ironman time so very happy to have pushed to my limits in all three disciplines.

As soon as I crossed the line, I took the chip off my ankle and handled it back to the organizers who gave me the finisher’s medal.  I walked into the nutrition tend, grabbed two bottles of water and sat down completely exhausted… I remained there for about 15mins asking everyone who was passing by to handle me more water.

I placed two really cold water bottles on my neck to cool down and left them inside my tri suit for the same purpose. It was the right thing to do… well, at least for a couple of minutes only… basically, I forgot about them and ten minutes later I started shivering and I didn’t know why. They even put a Red-Cross blanket on top of me. Oops! J


The BIG price of the day was to leave the post-race tend and be able to see and chat with Chris “Macca” McCormack for few minutes. He is something else. The day could’ve not turned any better, not only I achieved a sub7h race but I also met my “triathlon spiritual leader”!! J

I grabbed a marshal and asked him to take a picture and send it to my e-mail.

Last but definitely, not least…. My parents were the BEST supporters anyone could ever wish for and I thank GOD for having given me the opportunity to race at such magnificent event.  

I will never forget it!!

*Rough Ironman calculations:

1h06 equates to a 1h02 3.8K swim

36.8km/h equates to a 4h55m 180k bike

5:06equates to a 3h35m marathon