Ironman Germany (European Championships) Race Report
Just to recap an Ironman is a 3.8k Swim, 180k Bike Ride and a 42.2k Run (a marathon) all as one race
It was hot…. dam hot as we all attended the pre race briefing and the race organisers announced that air temperatures were averaging in the 40’s in Frankfurt so they had decide to put salt tablets on at the aid stations to help people replace the salts they would be flushing out their systems due to the amount of fluid they would have to consume during the race.
But this announcement was nothing compared to what was to come next … This was going to be the first Ironman anywhere in Europe where competitors would not be allowed to wear wetsuits for the swim. This was a big shock to some of the slower swimmers as this would result in an even longer time spent in the water, but on a whole this announcement was met with a huge cheer … after all “This was Ironman” not a knitting club.
Race day dawned early, I was up for breakfast at 3:45am making sure I was fuelled up for the start of the race and then it was off to get on one of the athletes buses to take us down to the lake, having racked my bike and other gear the previous day.
It was into the lake at 6:45 ready for a 7am deep water start … and nothing, no amount of training could prepare me for this swim as over 2000 athletes entered the water together. After 10-15mins of treading water the gun went off and the race started, I had decided to start at the back of the field to keep out of trouble then pick my way through the field as the race progressed. This was all well and good in theory but with the race underway the whole lake seemed to have turned into a washing machine and as I picked my way through the field I was repeatedly punched, kicked, scratched and shoved under. By the half way point I was feeling good and making good progress thru the field, but as I rounded the last corner and started swimming against the slight current and wind it felt that the last 1000m wasn’t getting any shorter … I could see the swim exit point … but was it getting any closer.
I finally exited the water after what had felt like at least 2 hours but was very surprised when I looked at my watch to find I had exited the water in 1:28 … 12mins faster than I had hoped.
I Run up the hill to the change tent and grabbed my change bag having a moment to look back at the lake and to my surprise there were still 100s of people still swimming (almost 1000 I later learned). It was into the change tent and on with my bike gear, taking time for the luxury of drying myself off first and off to collect my bike, which I ran past twice before I found it amongst all the other bikes racked in T1.
Just as I set off on the bike the heavens opened with the clatter that announced the arrival of a major thunderstorm, with the rain porting in torrents, the sky being let up with the repeated flashes of lightening and the constant rumble of thunder, I smiled to myself … a smile that would stick for the rest of the day … I felt GREAT!
The first 10miles of the bike ride took us into Frankfurt city centre where I started seeing supporters including my wife who was stood by the side of the road in the poring rain cheering like hell. The road of the route had been totally closed off to traffic for the race and I was making good time, for me this was great as cycling is my weakest sport. We exited the city and set off into the countryside as the roads started to turn into rivers… and each time I passed the 40mph speed I could feel my bike starting to loose contact with the road and starting to aquaplane.
The Ride wound its way through lots of small towns and villages in the German Countryside with huge crowds at each, the were 4 big hills on each loop and the crowds at each were like something out of the Tour-de-France as the music blasted and the crowds opened up just in time for you to pass through, I even had a guy dressed as the devil run up beside me at one time.
At about 50miles the rain stopped and the sun gout out and within what seemed like only a few minutes the roads were dry and it was red hot as the temperatures once again hit the 40s. The 2nd lap of the ride, in the heat was much harder work than the 1st and each climb seamed to take more out of me … I took a fresh bottle of drink at each aid station, consuming 14 bottles in total on the ride and then finally I was up the last climb and heading back into Frankfurt
I finished my bike ride in 6:27 which was over an hour faster tan I ever thought possible, I handed my bike to a race official grabbed my 2nd change bag of the day and shot into the change tent where I pulled on fresh socks and a dry top.
I needn’t have bothered with the dry top, as due to the high humidity and high temperature I was soaked wet again almost as left the tent.
The marathon was a 4 lap run along both banks of the river and as I started out on the marathon I was struggling, the heat was getting to me and my mind was all over. I tried to run and my legs wouldn’t seem to turn over, about 1mile down stream at the 1st aid station my wife was there to cheer my on, cheer me up and give me the mind set to go on. I struggled for the whole of the 1st lap with friends that had only been 5mins in front of me at the start of the run opening the gap to about 45mins by the end of the first lap.
At the end of the lap I got my first coloured armband to signify I had completed my 1st lap, in then became an obsession for the rest of the race looking to see haw many armband other runner had, more than me? less than me?
As the laps rolled by I started getting into a rhythm of running some sections and speed marching others, actually passing people who were running while I walked/marched, by the end of the 3rd lap I had made the ground up on my 4 mates who had pulled away from me earlier and even passed some of them, I was starting to feel good and then all of a sudden I had a full set of armbands blue, green, peach and white … this meant as I completed the lap I was directed towards the finish …
… I paused just before the corner to make sure I had the finishing shoot to myself and then I ran to the line, enjoining the raw of the crowds … Marathon time 5:23, just over 1hr slower than my normal Marathon pace
Total time 13hours and 33mins … I was an Ironman … I had made it and about 2hrs faster than i thought i would
And after a shower and a saline infusion I even felt quite good
We all have sessions now an then where we seem to be flying ... feel great ... on fire. Well today was one of those for me.
