Its been 11 days since Ironman UK and about time I posted a race report. If anyone is still reading this blog I thought I would right this race report and a then a report on our trip to the Hawaii to watch the World Champs before calling it a day.
We arrived in the UK a week before the race and spent time with family before heading down to a cottage near the race site the Thursday before the race. Although the weather was nice the morning we landed it was a short lived phenomenon and for almost the entire week it rained and rained and then rained some more. Much of the country was flooded and rain was accompanied by high winds and low temperatures.
By the time I picked up my race packet I was really beginning to worry about the weather for race day. It had been almost 7 weeks since Lake Placid but I still had not fully dried out and memories of the rain that day were still very vivid.
The Saturday before the race we were joined in the cottage by friends and family and had a very pleasant meal which really took my mind off the race itself. Unlike Lake Placid after I had picked up my race packet I had not returned to the race venue. I had taken the opportunity to do a loop of the bike course and my initial impression was although the course was a bit hilly and the road surface a little rough it was still a fairly nice course - I later came to change my mind.
Race morning we were up early as usual. The race was scheduled to start at 6am which is an hour earlier than most of the North American races. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was not raining race morning and although it was not warm it was not too cold either. Wendy, Ben and I arrived at the race site at about 4.30am with the rest of my support crew arriving a little later. For this race I had quite a large fan base consisting of my parents, my brother and his girlfriend, my mother and brother-in-law and a close friend of the family.
At about 5.40am I left Wendy and Ben and I had to muster in the transition area from where the organisers were going to shepherd us to the race start. At about 5:45am the organisers started making PA announcements that there were cars on the course which needed moving before the race would start. I also got the impression that it was too dark to start the swim and it was something like 6:20 before we were corralled toward the race start. I had lined up with everyone else but the way it worked out I was very much toward the back of the line as we made our way to the edge of the lake. From the edge of the lake it is another 500m swim to the actual race start.
The Marshall's started to tell us to hurry up as the race was about to start. This was pretty annoying, there was no way of forcing my way to the front and I was worried that I would not make it to the start line before the gun. I also wondered why the race was scheduled for 6.00am as it seemed to me that it was always likely to be too dark at that time in the morning. As it worked out I did just about make it to the start line in time but many others didn't. The 500m swim before the start did give me a great opportunity to warm up and get over the initial cold shock. I think the water temp was about 60 deg and that actually turned out to be ideal for me.
Swim 1:09:00 (341/1295)
As I said I was a little bit anxious that I wouldn't make the swim start but I did manage to the get to the start line and lined up toward the right of the line 1 or 2 swimmers back from the front. The course was a 2 loop swim following a centre line of buoys. The lake did dog leg left which meant that you could cut the corner on the way out but needed to 'bend' round the buoys on the way back.
The start was not quite as busy as Lake Placid but in order to get between the first buoy and the edge of the lake there was a bit of a bottle neck and I had to fight for the first few minutes. After that the race stretched out and I the only other pushing and shoving was at the turnaround buoys.
The lake itself was a bit muddy and visibility wasn't great but as I said the water temperature was just right for me and I had a pretty comfortable swim (I did wear 2 swim caps). When I looked at my watch at the half way point it was something like 32min so I was pretty pleased (I failed to appreciate it wasn't quite half way as I still had to swim back to the edge of the lake where we first got in).
The second loop was much the same as the first. I did get a couple of very short drafts and from the taps on my toes someone must have been drafting off me. I did feel noticeably less tired across the arms and shoulder than at Lake Placid and the long swims had certainly paid off.
I got to the edge of the lake and looked at my watch which read 1:08 so I was very pleased with my swim. There was a great crowd at the edge of the lake and I got out feeling pretty good. Sub 1:10 for me is a massive improvement on my half ironman swims which took me over 40 mins and my Oly swims which used to take me about 30 mins. It was also within my A race goal pace.
T1 (Timings were available but are no longer listed)
T1 went pretty well for me. There were no seats available and not as many helpers as Lake Placid but there was plenty of room. I decided to throw on a pair of arm warmers as there was still a chill in the air.
Bike 5:45:40 (72/1295)
The bike course was a 3 loop course. After leaving transition there was short ride to the looped course which involved a steepish climb. The first part of the course headed due south from Sherborne to almost Dorchester. This stretch was mainly gentle rollers but it did have one very distinct climb half way toward Dorchester. It is worth noting that the road surface on this leg was really rough and actually got pretty annoying by the end of the race.
The course then took a 90 degree turn to the left and there was a very long climb which took you up to the top of the local hill. This section was very exposed and I did have a couple of exciting moments as the wind moved me and my bike (zipp 606 wheelset) a few feet across the road. I would strongly advise against disc wheels if the wind is strong.
After the climbing there was a very fast short descent and then the course made its way through some narrow country roads before the last section back toward Sherborne which consisted of some horrible rollers and was all into a strong head wind. This was by far the worst part of the course for me.
The first loop went reasonably well. I had a slightly different nutrition plan. At Lake Placid there was a very well organised special needs bag drop for both the bike and the run. This allowed me to put 3 fresh bottles in my special needs bag which contained Gatorade along with Carb supplement. At Ironman UK the special needs was ad hoc at best. It was up to you to supply the bag and there was absolutely no guarantee that you would get your stuff back. You would also have to stop the bike and sift through the melee to find your own stuff.
To get around this I made up one bottle which I filled with Gatorade and loads of carb supplement. It tasted like treacle (s@#t) but my plan was to pour some of this mixture into my aero bottle and water it down with the stuff available from the aid stations. At the first aid station I was after Gatorade but was given water. Be aware that the bottles handed out were not transparent and all had Gatorade written down the side but half of them were just water.
After the first aid station I made sure I was getting Gatorade and my nutrition plan seemed to work. I supplemented my drinks with a little power bar and some banana.
The second lap of the course was very lonely and probably due to the bearings going in my rear wheel my bike was making a lot of noise. Despite the wind and the noises coming from my bike I was still averaging 20mph and was pretty happy. By the 3rd lap and mile 70 I started to tire. At IM USA I didn't really tire until the last 10 miles but this time my legs were heavy with another 40 miles to go and a hell of a lot of climbing.
I did end up talking to myself. I was tired and the wind was relentless. The only thing that made it more bearable was that by now I was lapping some of the slower riders and continued to pass some of my fellow 3rd lappers who were also clearly suffering. The last 8 miles before I turned off the loop back toward the start were some of the hardest riding miles of my life and I saw plenty of weaker riders weaving all over the climbs and one or two people reverting to getting off and pushing their bikes.
I was very happy to get back to transition at Sherborne Castle. I did go slightly quicker than IM USA but to be honest it was a much harder ride which I think I can put down to the wind. It is also fair to say that a 2 loop course is psychologically easier to swallow than a 3 loop course. Arm warmers and toe warmers turned out to be exactly the right amount of extra kit for me and one small mercy was that my core temperature remained about perfect. It did threaten to rain a few times but never actually happened.
T2
No problems. Pretty quick and easy. Transition was very quiet and I took the time to wipe my feet and apply sportslick.
Run 04:25:55 (497/1295)
I left transition feeling pretty good. Holden had really worked on my bike to run transition and I found as I left transition that my legs were feeling really good. Unlike IM USA where I left transition and was immediately forced into stopping and stretching this time I was firing on all cylinders.
As you can see from the clip I was smiling and the clock was only at 7:02. If I could hold a 3:30 marathon I was on for a 10:30 Ironman which would have been great.
The run course took you around the castle grounds and an out and back on a dirt track which then turned into a very very muddy pot hole ridden path which followed the castle walls before kicking you out into Sherborne town. The course then weaved through the town before heading back to the castle. You were given a wrist band as you passed transition and had to do 3 loops before you could veer off to the finish line.
The first loop went pretty well. I really wish that they would publish chip times for the various laps as the first one should have been around the 8 min mile pace or better. The town was quiet the first time I passed through it but the dirt tracks really sucked. As I said at the start it had rained all week and the paths were in an awful state. I did twist my ankle in one of the potholes but fortunately not badly enough to affect my run. I saw one guy who had clearly taken a fall and was deciding whether or not he could continue.
The second loop was not quite such a success. I was watching the clock and I started to notice that my pace was slowing. By the time I got to about mile 13 everything started to go 'Pete Tong' and my pace really ground to a halt. I started to get aches and pains all over my legs. My knee caps hurt, my hips hurt, my groin hurt, my calfs hurt, my ankles hurt and to add to my misery I developed a massive blister on my right foot (which didn't happen at IM USA even though I wore the same trainers and socks??). In fact I would say that every injury I had ever suffered in the last 30 years came back to the surface.
I saw my friends and family but I was unable to raise much of a smile. The crowd in the centre of town were great and my race number 118 was the same as the British directory enquiries number which carries the tag line 118 118 "got your number" and features two actors dressed as 1980's runners complete with sweatband and afro hair. If I hadn't of felt like total crap I am sure that the cries of "got your number" from the crowd would have remained funny but to be honest by the third lap my sense of humour was at an all time low.
As I hobbled round the course I did the sums and realised that a sub 11 hour finish had gone by the wayside but a sub 11:30 finish was achievable. I managed to drag my sorry ass back to the castle and I finished in 11:27:07; 191st place overall.
If I am honest this race was not as well organised as Ironman Lake Placid and the course, especially the dirt tracks on the run leg, was pretty awful. The road closures were also a little ineffective and I had to deal with a few cars during the ride. I ordered a medium T-shirt and although I finished 191st there were no mediums available and I didn't get a cap although the announcements had said that they were being handed to the first 250 finishers. The lack of an effective special needs station is a big factor and I also missed the wetsuit strippers. Those in the US who were tracking me on line reported that the on-line timings were not accurate and were eventually taken down before the end of the race. I would be interested in seeing my transition splits and the splits of the individual loops but I am not sure if they will become available.
On the plus side the volunteers were very pleasant and the finishers post race curry and beer went a very very long way to making up for the hardship of the day. A nice cold larger and a spicy hot curry are almost the perfect pairing at the end of an Ironman. Curry is the most popular food in the UK and I am not sure everyone appreciated the food. I did hear one US female athlete asking the caterers if there was anything less spicy to eat. I am also glad that my family and friends got to see me in an Ironman.
It was a massive relief to finish. I have posted a clip of me finishing and my glance back at the clock sums up how I felt. I know if I kept racing Ironman I could go faster still. My race revolves around my inability to hold my marathon together but I am glad to say that I do not retain any desire to try and keep improving my Ironman time.
I am a long way from qualifying for the World Champs but I am glad that I had such a great opportunity to give it a shot. In only 10 months of training Holden and Cadence have managed to take my 6+ hour half ironman personal best and turn it into a sub 11:30 ironman. I have also had the opportunity to meet some great people, not least my fellow Cadence Kona Challenge finalists, and my fellow Grand Finalist, Mary Lou.
I am a two time Ironman and have a great story to tell Ben when he gets older. In the meantime I can now bore people with tales of Ironman USA and UK and can enjoy watching the World Champs with a beer rather than a bottle of sports drink.
We rounded out our 'sporty' trip by watching a stage of the Tour of Britain. I feel sorry for the US riders who must have found the weather during the week a real shock, we were all certainly glad to get back to the warmth of Virginia.
Thanks for all the support.
James
