2010 Ironman World Championships – Kona Hawaii
October 9, 2010
In the weeks leading up to the race my training was not going quite as planned. I managed to get most of my weekend sessions in but the weekday workouts were often missed due to commitments at work and weather. I wasn’t sure how I should be feeling about racing in Kona. I knew that I wouldn’t be competitive with the sharp end of my division, but I didn’t want to just go through the motions either.
After speaking with Fiona we determined that I needed to set out some goals for this one. I decided that if I could finish in the top third of my field then I’d be happy. The other important objectives were race execution (pacing, nutrition, mental) and if that went well, then I wanted to break 10 hours.
Arriving a full week before the race let me get used to the heat and do a couple of training sessions to prepare for race day and see some of the course. On the Sunday before the race we had a good group to do our last 3 hour ride which was planned to Hawi and back. The cross winds were blowing so hard that we were often leaning sideways into the wind to try to maintain balance. We saw many people out training who were walking their bikes for fear of crashing and a few others who had actually crashed by being blown off the road. I managed it well and thought that if it blows like that on race day, that I would likely handle it better than most. On the way back from this ride I hit a bump and broke a clamp on my handlebars. We were unable to find the right size replacement clamp in town but luckily enough a friend was able to bring the necessary part from Vancouver the following day. I also broke my seat post on Wednesday before the race but the boys at Cervelo were quick to fix me up right away. After all that my bike ran flawlessly and felt really good for the last short ride.
I had a great sleep the night before the race. We woke up at 3:30 so that I could start fuelling with my standard pre race meal; toasted peanut butter and jam sandwich and 3 boosts. Depending on the amount of peanut butter, that’s about 900 calories.
We arrived at the start with plenty of time to get the last few details taken care of. We met up with the other NRG athletes racing and took a few pictures. The weather was looking decent with a breeze and good temperatures.
The swim started at 7:00 like every other Ironman. I decided to start on the left side as I’d heard that it is a very aggressive swim start. This position should give me clear water and good sighting. As a decent swimmer, I sort of expected to swim in the 56-58 minute range even though there were no wetsuits allowed in this event. There were some rolling swells out there but nothing too bad. I exited the water in 61 minutes, so was not very impressed with my effort. In the end, I think I swam too far away from the buoys and didn’t get myself in with the faster swimmers like I’d hoped. I didn’t let it get to me as it’s a long day and I also didn’t know how others had done. I simply told myself to get through transition and get pumped for the ride.
Once I exited transition and on my bike, almost immediately the stronger cyclists and the over confident cyclists started to pass me. As in any other race, I just let them go. The first 90 minutes of the ride did not feel great. I didn’t think I had great power numbers and I was being passed by groups of testosterone packed guys who all wanted to crush the ride. In the end, my patience paid off. When the winds came up as we headed out towards Hawi, I just stayed down on my bars and started to go pass the people who were having trouble. It was great to see Fiona and Nigel out on the course as it gave me something to look forward to. On the climb up to Hawi, there was a headwind and crosswind that made bike handling skills a premium. It was a slow but steady climb but I was feeling better and better at this point. My negative thoughts during the first 90 minutes had completely changed and I was gaining more confidence with each passing kilometre. Once I made the turnaround, I knew it would be a thrilling ride down due to the tail / cross winds. There were some sketchy moments on the decent but I continued to pass other riders who were not quite as aggressive or as silly as me. Being blown from one side of the road to the other at 70 kph, forces one to concentrate and hang on. By the time I got back to the corner where Fiona and Nigel were watching, I knew I was riding well and making up time. The winds had calmed down by this point and I concentrated on my nutrition while getting back to Kona as efficiently as possible. One thing I did notice as I continued to pass guys on the way back was that not only do most people head out too hard but when they do fatigue, they tend to sit up more catching lots of wind. I was surprised to see the number of high calibre athletes that don’t use their aero bars for the entire ride. My final bike split was 5:06 and 194 watts. This result was my best every power numbers for an Ironman and it tied my best bike split. Therefore I was very pleased with my overall bike effort.
The bike to run transition was better than the first probably because there were less people around but I was able to get my gear and change fairly quickly. As I put on my running shoes, I looked at my feet and hoped that they would avoid blisters like they did in Coeur D’Alene.
As I left transition, I felt good and was optimistic for a good run. My goal was to run sub 3:30. I would have been happy with 3:29:anything, so I left concentrating on my pace and nutrition. Fiona let me use her Garmin for the run to help me pace especially for the beginning. I settled into the run pretty quickly with the first couple of miles likely a bit quick but I thought of it as a bit of time in the bank for later. I knew I had to be cautious not to burn too much too soon so I backed off just a bit. The run heads out along the water for about 5 miles then turns around to come back towards transition before heading out to the Energy Lab down the highway. I felt great through the first 10 miles and was pleased to see that I was less than 78 minutes to that point. When I climbed up Palini Drive to get to the highway I saw Fiona and Nigel again and was very positive with the progress. The highway section out to the Energy Lab was hot and felt really long. I think it was about 4 or 5 miles but it felt like an eternity. This was my lowest point of the run. I just kept looking up for the solar panels that are at the turn off the highway. When they finally came, I made the turn and tried to turn my spirits around. Although many people complain about the 4 miles in the Energy Lab, I was telling myself to just get in and out as best I can. It was only going to be about half an hour in there, and then it’s the home stretch. I knew I was slowing down by the time I turned back onto the highway but it was only about 6 miles to go. I kept telling myself that the last mile didn’t even count so all I had to do was get myself through the next 5 miles which was the section I didn’t like on the way out. Fiona and Nigel were out on their bikes so I was surprised to see them at the 20 mile mark but it was perfect timing. I needed that boost of energy from them. As it would happen, the section along the highway on the way back was not so bad. When I got to the turn off the highway to run down Palini Drive, it was time to soak it all in. I knew that I was going to have a PB and I wanted to simply enjoy the last mile to the famous finish line. I zipped up my race singlet to look as good as possible for my fans and photos while running with my hands in the air for the last quarter mile. My marathon split was 3:32 which gave me an overall time of 9 hours 47 minutes 1 second. I didn’t run under 3:30 but it was still my best marathon split by one minute and an overall PB by five minutes.
Overall this was an amazing experience. I didn’t really know how to look at it leading up to the race but I’m so happy that it came together as it did. Having Fiona and Nigel there for support and to race with friends who all did so well was a complete privilege. I’m proud of myself for the accomplishment and am very thankful of my coach and wife, Fiona. Without her this may have never happened. She is a complete inspiration and a wonderful role model for all who know her. Thanks baby, I love you.
Thanks to everyone for there well wishes. I hope all my friends have the opportunity to have a similar fulfilling race experience. After all, this is why we do it.