Ironman Staffordshire - Race Day
Didn't get a huge amount of sleep the night before the race. Was awake at 3:45 and could her my sister snoring away in the tent next to me. So sleep for the night was definitely over. Rain from overnight had stopped and it was a clear morning although a little misty. This would soon burn off though.
Breakfast was porridge before a 4:30 start to get to Shugborough to get the shuttle bus to the start. This whole process was really well organised and it was clear what and where you needed to be. Athletes first followed by spectators once all the athletes had made the journey. The raids were closed so it may have been tricky for spectators to drive to Chasewater easily. Once on site I had a quick check of my bike and tried to add the socks to the transition bag. No luck though.
Bumped into Norwich based pro Joe Skipper. Total gent. He was happy to stop for pics with everyone and was happily chatting to people. He was odds on favourite to take the win. He finished fourth and was very gracious in defeat.
The water conditions were perfect as well. Was like a mill pond with barely a ripple and not a breath of wind. The water temp was 20 degrees, still wetsuit mandatory though.
Once changed I did briefly see my sister before it was time to start.
The swim went really well. I maintained a nice consistent pace and was sighting well so there was very little deviation in my route. Constant checking my direction. Unfortunately for me there was one swimming who although slightly quicker than me was not sighting properly so was constantly zigzagging in front of me so I was constantly getting kicked by him. Event i punched him in the leg to get him to stop. He took the hint as started to sight better after then and pulled away. Although I did catch back up and over take him towards the end of the swim.Apart from that it was really uneventful and I focused on maintaining good form and consistent pace. Surprising number of supporters standing at the swim finish.
Transition was a 200 metre run from the swim exit where I collected my transition bag. Donned my cycle shoes sunglasses and helmet. For future reference I would add more to the transition bag included over-shoes and waterproofs incase of wet weather and sun cream if sunny. Took on some fuel here as well, Anne-Marie's amazing banana flapjacks. Then off on the 56 mile ride.
Weather was still dry at this point although the dark clouds were very ominous in the distance.
The first few miles of the ride were mostly downhill so felt really good to get the legs turning over and enjoying the route. The road conditions were pretty good all in all and the roads had been closed for pretty much the entire way round. I decided to just focus on my pace and not to worry about what everyone else was doing. So I had a few overtake me and a few i went past as well. The important thing for me was to just maintain consistency. The first proper hill at 4 miles was a very gradual drag up and this was soon passed with ease. This was followed by a glorious downhill sprint which caught everyone out as there is a very sharp incline at the bottom and you need to be in the right gear at the bottom. A lot of people got caught out and right behind me there was a crash I fortunately managed to switch gears early enough to avoid any incident.
The next 10 miles after this were all down hill and I flew through these miles with what felt like barely any effort. At this point the route gets a little bumpy but nothing too challenging and was easy enough to maintain pace a i felt I was selecting my gears correctly. I had the banana flapjacks with me and had 1 every 30 mins. These were total rocket fuel and i'll put in orders for these for all future races I compete in. I dropped my third one when I hit a bump and was devastated for a little while afterwards. Fortunately the fuel stations wasn't much further along and did collect a banana so no energy loss. Then the heavens opened and did it rain. The roads turned into rivers and became really slipper. It wasn't cold though so just maintained form and pace and found I was eating up the miles.
The support on route was fantastic despite the weather and it couldn't help but to make you smile. Into Rugeley and the two big hills of the course. This section you pass those who are nine miles ahead of you. The drag uphill was slow going and I didn't get my gear selection right at this point so struggled up this first bit. After a very brief downhill the long slow drag up was difficult. Did ignore others and got into the right gear and just ground out the hill to the top. Just got steeper and steeper. Here a passed a few people who'd had a spectacular off. One guy had smashed up gears and another a broken frame. Here i was a little disorientated as I knew the route but thought I was further fro the finish than I was so was expecting to have more to do so was a pleasant surprise to realise I only had 3 miles to the end of the ride. The final downhill was so treacherous and i had to take it as gently as possible to avoid crashing. Again really slippery. The last part of the ride you are alongside the runners for a few hundred metres before turning onto the estate and transition 2.
Was great to see Anne-Marie waiting at the bike dismount line. Bike racking was clearly signed and I put my trainers (no socks) on. This is where I should have had socks, talc and vaseline but never mind. Learning for next time. Then out onto the run.
The first lap was nice and smooth and the maintained good pace for the fist few miles. The first time up the hill and it didn't seem to bad although I had to stop at the top for the toilets. Again the stop didn't seem to effect me too much and I was quickly up to pace and was feeling good. As you come out of the village you cross under the railway line and then join the road which still had cyclists coming in from the ride before turning back into the estate. Here it was really muddy and slippery. By now the shoes had started to rub my feet raw and I could feel my pace slowing. I mainly focused on just getting round from here and not worrying about time or being overtaken. The run is three laps so there is always people to run with and everyone is really encouraging and the supports help to provide a really great atmosphere. So the feet were painful but just putting one foot in front of the other and before long i'm onto the final lap. Anne-Marie was cheering loudly near the finish chute. Probably didn't look my best at this point. But once on the final lap I knew i'd finish.
I was getting overtaken by a few people here but you quickly start to notice those one their first and second lap which does wanders for you when you are on your third. The hill which on the first lap didn't seem too bad had now morphed in Mt Everest and I had to walk up it. Fortunately I wasn't alone and once at the top it was only 2 miles to go. Felt a huge relief to be directed to the finish chute where there was time for a quick high 5 with Anne-Marie then over the line.
You're handed you medal which weighed a tonne ! Then on into the finishers tent where there are mountains of food. At this point I just went straight for a monster sandwich or pork and stuffing and a really hot tea. Heaven
After the sock up of food, I collected my finisher t shirt and then thought about heading back for a shower at the campsite.
Here are my swim bike and run stats from garmin connect:
Breakfast was porridge before a 4:30 start to get to Shugborough to get the shuttle bus to the start. This whole process was really well organised and it was clear what and where you needed to be. Athletes first followed by spectators once all the athletes had made the journey. The raids were closed so it may have been tricky for spectators to drive to Chasewater easily. Once on site I had a quick check of my bike and tried to add the socks to the transition bag. No luck though.
Bumped into Norwich based pro Joe Skipper. Total gent. He was happy to stop for pics with everyone and was happily chatting to people. He was odds on favourite to take the win. He finished fourth and was very gracious in defeat.
The water conditions were perfect as well. Was like a mill pond with barely a ripple and not a breath of wind. The water temp was 20 degrees, still wetsuit mandatory though.
Once changed I did briefly see my sister before it was time to start.
The swim went really well. I maintained a nice consistent pace and was sighting well so there was very little deviation in my route. Constant checking my direction. Unfortunately for me there was one swimming who although slightly quicker than me was not sighting properly so was constantly zigzagging in front of me so I was constantly getting kicked by him. Event i punched him in the leg to get him to stop. He took the hint as started to sight better after then and pulled away. Although I did catch back up and over take him towards the end of the swim.Apart from that it was really uneventful and I focused on maintaining good form and consistent pace. Surprising number of supporters standing at the swim finish.
Transition was a 200 metre run from the swim exit where I collected my transition bag. Donned my cycle shoes sunglasses and helmet. For future reference I would add more to the transition bag included over-shoes and waterproofs incase of wet weather and sun cream if sunny. Took on some fuel here as well, Anne-Marie's amazing banana flapjacks. Then off on the 56 mile ride.
The first few miles of the ride were mostly downhill so felt really good to get the legs turning over and enjoying the route. The road conditions were pretty good all in all and the roads had been closed for pretty much the entire way round. I decided to just focus on my pace and not to worry about what everyone else was doing. So I had a few overtake me and a few i went past as well. The important thing for me was to just maintain consistency. The first proper hill at 4 miles was a very gradual drag up and this was soon passed with ease. This was followed by a glorious downhill sprint which caught everyone out as there is a very sharp incline at the bottom and you need to be in the right gear at the bottom. A lot of people got caught out and right behind me there was a crash I fortunately managed to switch gears early enough to avoid any incident.
The next 10 miles after this were all down hill and I flew through these miles with what felt like barely any effort. At this point the route gets a little bumpy but nothing too challenging and was easy enough to maintain pace a i felt I was selecting my gears correctly. I had the banana flapjacks with me and had 1 every 30 mins. These were total rocket fuel and i'll put in orders for these for all future races I compete in. I dropped my third one when I hit a bump and was devastated for a little while afterwards. Fortunately the fuel stations wasn't much further along and did collect a banana so no energy loss. Then the heavens opened and did it rain. The roads turned into rivers and became really slipper. It wasn't cold though so just maintained form and pace and found I was eating up the miles.
The support on route was fantastic despite the weather and it couldn't help but to make you smile. Into Rugeley and the two big hills of the course. This section you pass those who are nine miles ahead of you. The drag uphill was slow going and I didn't get my gear selection right at this point so struggled up this first bit. After a very brief downhill the long slow drag up was difficult. Did ignore others and got into the right gear and just ground out the hill to the top. Just got steeper and steeper. Here a passed a few people who'd had a spectacular off. One guy had smashed up gears and another a broken frame. Here i was a little disorientated as I knew the route but thought I was further fro the finish than I was so was expecting to have more to do so was a pleasant surprise to realise I only had 3 miles to the end of the ride. The final downhill was so treacherous and i had to take it as gently as possible to avoid crashing. Again really slippery. The last part of the ride you are alongside the runners for a few hundred metres before turning onto the estate and transition 2.
Was great to see Anne-Marie waiting at the bike dismount line. Bike racking was clearly signed and I put my trainers (no socks) on. This is where I should have had socks, talc and vaseline but never mind. Learning for next time. Then out onto the run.
The first lap was nice and smooth and the maintained good pace for the fist few miles. The first time up the hill and it didn't seem to bad although I had to stop at the top for the toilets. Again the stop didn't seem to effect me too much and I was quickly up to pace and was feeling good. As you come out of the village you cross under the railway line and then join the road which still had cyclists coming in from the ride before turning back into the estate. Here it was really muddy and slippery. By now the shoes had started to rub my feet raw and I could feel my pace slowing. I mainly focused on just getting round from here and not worrying about time or being overtaken. The run is three laps so there is always people to run with and everyone is really encouraging and the supports help to provide a really great atmosphere. So the feet were painful but just putting one foot in front of the other and before long i'm onto the final lap. Anne-Marie was cheering loudly near the finish chute. Probably didn't look my best at this point. But once on the final lap I knew i'd finish.
I was getting overtaken by a few people here but you quickly start to notice those one their first and second lap which does wanders for you when you are on your third. The hill which on the first lap didn't seem too bad had now morphed in Mt Everest and I had to walk up it. Fortunately I wasn't alone and once at the top it was only 2 miles to go. Felt a huge relief to be directed to the finish chute where there was time for a quick high 5 with Anne-Marie then over the line.
You're handed you medal which weighed a tonne ! Then on into the finishers tent where there are mountains of food. At this point I just went straight for a monster sandwich or pork and stuffing and a really hot tea. Heaven
After the sock up of food, I collected my finisher t shirt and then thought about heading back for a shower at the campsite.
Here are my swim bike and run stats from garmin connect:
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