I don't think I would ever had contemplated doing an Ironman or even continued with the sport if it wasn't for the tri club and guys and girls that I have met over the last few years that are now close friends.
I want to devote this post to them as they were very much part of my journey. They have their own stories to tell but I could not leave them out without a brief mention.
First the results:
Paul (608 - position) 11:27:05
Matt (706) 11:38:51
Ray (1009) 12:17:34
James (1325) 12:58:11
Marc / Danny (1606) 13:57:45
Chris - DNF
For Matt, Chris and I it was our first Ironman experience. For the rest of the guys they had done a number previously, so it was great to listen to their past 'war stories' and benefit from their experience.
A couple of comments stuck in my mind - I remember being very nervous a few weeks back and Marc (otherwise known as Danny in the club) told me that when he had previously stood on the start line he was quite calm, mainly because he knew he had pretty much the whole day to do the 140.6 miles and it was best treated like a long training session. Another comment that made perfect sense was given to Chris and I from James, the day before the event. He said if you feel you cannot go on, stop for 10-30 minutes and sit down and rest. Don't give in your number or inform an official that you cannot continue otherwise you are out of the race and guaranteed a DNF ('Did not finish'). After 10-30 minutes then if you are still unable to go on then there is probably a very good reason why you should stop (we will come back to this for Chris), otherwise most athletes decide to continue, and complete the distance successfully.
I consider Paul and Matt to be very good all round triathletes being strong in all disciplines. They train well and consistently and I was't surprised they broke 12 hours. Like me they found the run hard, especially in the extreme temperatures. In different circumstances I expect both could have got even better times but on the day they still had a great result. I have very special respect for Matt who was knocked off his bike a couple of months ago and actually broke his neck (see post: Get well soon - Matt Ryley). When we first heard about the accident most of his friends were worried he would never walk again and definitely thought he had no chance of completing an Ironman. But Matt was determined and his recovery was both speedy and pretty miraculous. Within a month he was back doing some light training and then built it up steadily with the help of Coach MT to be race fit for July 1st. I also need to thank Matt and his Company (Upgrade Bikes) for the kind use of the Reynolds carbon wheels, which I am sure contributed to my own decent bike time.
Ray, was the veteran Ironman of the group and another strong all-rounder. His bikes towers above all of ours as he well above 6ft in height. For being a slightly bigger guy, albeit very lean, the run was a struggle in the heat. Ray was quite weak at the finish and we helped each other get to the finisher's tent for a massage and refreshments.
James, was next in after me. The focus of his training efforts have been on the bike. He cycles with Paul quite often and a number of stronger cyclists. He even entered a 50 mile time trial just before the Ironman race. He would be the first to admit his swim and running are weak compared to his excellent bike fitness and it was not surprising he did not have the greatest marathon time.
Danny is the joker of the pack - always upbeat and great fun. Although he has been involved in the sport for many years he has mixed results with his Ironman challenges. Unfortunately he has not always had the best of luck in his preparation for such races and this time was no different. He was able to improve his swimming as he attended more Club sessions and he was always strong on the bike. This year he even managed a cycle training camp. However as the event approached he had some distractions that threw his training off a little. Like the rest of us the run was a painful experience.
In terms of the competitors that just leaves one person, my old training buddy and close friend and neighbour, Chris. Out of all of us he was the most committed and prepared for the race. I cannot remember him missing any one single key training session and he followed the Coach's plan religiously (the model student). He was the kind of guy that if we were supposed to complete a 4 hour ride and we arrived home after 3:58 he would have to ride around the block to make it 4:00. He even committed to a training camp, hosted by Coach MT, to get him in the best possible shape. I certainly felt he was going to challenge Paul for the top spot.
Unfortunately a week before the event Chris went down with a nasty bug, at first we thought it was a simple cold but it wiped him out both mentally and physically. I drove to Austria with Chris and had some concerns but knowing how much he had committed to this venture tried to keep him positive and recommended he rest right up to the Sunday we raced.
We all felt that if Chris could get to the start line as rested as possible he was strong enough to pull this off. Unfortunately his body had decided otherwise. I have great respect for him as he did start and had a decent swim. I overtook him on the bike after 100km when he knew something was not right. He looked up at me and his face was completely red and swollen. He stopped at our hotel, which we passed on the bike course, fortunately his wife, Sue was there and realised he had a problem when he removed his helmet. An ambulance was called and he was rushed into hospital. As I write this post he is still there - he is much better but the Austrian doctors are being very thorough and checking him out fully. I expect we will never really know exactly what happened but personally I believe that he had some kind of virus that know medicine could help with and then the additional stress he put his body under was a lethal cocktail. Chris will be upset he could not finish (more of CNF than DNF), although there is always another race and your health is simply more important. Believe me Chris will be back on his triathlon journey soon enough.
So onto the supporters, who one lady on the plane across referred to them as 'Wags'.
Chief Wag and who deserves a special thanks is Nigel. He had planned to do the event as well but some relatively unsuccessful surgery on his knee wrote him off for any long distance running. He unselfishly still decided to come and support and drive the van of bikes back with Danny. Before, during and after the event his support and guidance was most welcome, we would have struggled without him.
For Ray, Chris and I, having our other halves with us, really made it rather special - thanks to Donna, Sue and Marilyn.
I cannot exclude Steve and Daphne (Nigel's friends who we met out in Austria) who were absolute 'diamonds' and so helpful with lifts to the hospital and airport. They were also real inspirations in the sport of triathlon.
I hope I haven't embarrassed anyone in this post, I just wanted to recognise this is not the journey you want to travel on your own and my own personal thanks to the guys and girls that were involved in mine xx
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