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 Swim
Comments: The cannon went off and we all rushed into the water. I stuck to my usual game plan - go wide and avoid the crowd. After the first turn I managed to get into some open water. There were quite a few good swimmers, so I had company for most of the first leg. The second leg was a little more quiet. The challenge with the swim was the long portion of the 'L' which was about 700m. There were no intermediate buoys and the only way you could see the turn buoy was if you were on top of a wave and the buoy was also on top of a wave. All in all, I managed to keep a pretty good eye on the buoy (and other swimmers). It was a challenge swimming parallel to the beach going up and down with the waves. What would you do differently?: Not much. Wanted to exit under 1 hr and managed to do that :). Maybe I could have pushed it a little harder.  Transition 1
Comments: Average HR 131. Got into the changing tent and took my time putting on socks and a cycling jersey which was loaded with nutrition. I swam in tri-shorts and a tri-top so I did not need to take that off. Volunteers applied sunscreen and then I found my bike and headed off. What would you do differently?: Move a little faster. That being said, I am always a little slow in transition.  Bike
Comments: I made a specific point of making sure I took it easy on my first lap. The ride out went well. There was a steady grade for the first 14km and then rolling hills thereafter. All in all it was not a 'hilly' course but it did have some vertical. The ride started by heading out into the countryside - beautiful scenery. As in all my tri races, I have the pleasure of getting passed by large numbers of people on the bike. This race was no exception. I just figured that I would see most of them again (hopefully) on the run. The ride back was along the coast. Massive waves crashing into the rocky shoreline. Great scenery for a race - see attached picture. Towards the end of the 1st lap I got caught by a group of 40 riders. Yes, I did join them for a little while, until they dropped me on the early part of lap 2. Speaking of Lap 2, on the hill section of lap 2 my quads started to cramp-up and become really sore. This did not make me very happy. I had put in the mileage. Or, at least I thought I had. I started to get really worried about even finishing the bike portion of the race. I just kept my head down went into an easier gear and took the cadence up. By the end of Lap 2, the legs were officially shot. I started Lap 3 and then realized that my steering column / head set was loose! I tried for a manual fix on the fly, which did not really work. I had thoughts of pushing through, but then figured having the handle bar disassemble itself at 65kph would not be a pretty sight. I pulled over and cranked down on every bolt I could find. I am not surprised the thing came lose as the road was really rough. For the first two laps this was not an issue. But on Lap 3 I was getting tired and the quads were screaming. I felt like I was riding Paris-Roubaix. My time slowed dramatically on Lap 3 but I managed to complete the ride in under 6 hours which was the goal. What would you do differently?: I was disappointed with my (lack) of muscular endurance. Time to Bike MORE, Ride HARDER, Use LARGER gears. Transition 2
Comments: Average HR 111. Got off the bike and was barely able to walk into the changing tent. I took my time in T2 - changed my socks and applied anti-friction cream to the feet. Took a deep breath and said 'Bring it On'! What would you do differently?: Not much. Was not in good shape coming into T2.  Run
Comments: I was very surprised how good it felt to run. Or, perhaps I was just too happy to be off the bike. Anyway, I started running a solid pace (8 min mile) for the first 10km. Then things started to lockup and I had a new definition of pain. My pace dropped for the second and third lap, but I managed to keep an even pace for the last 30km and finish under 4 hours - which was the goal. Pleased to say I did not walk. The support along the run was fantastic. There were 30,000 people lined along the course. Most had been drinking all day which provided some great entertainment. The course had great stops. Water was handed out in small blue plastic bags - this is a great idea. On the third lap the sun started to set. When I started running it was in the mid-80s. By the time I finished it was in the low-60s. I was really glad I left a thermal shirt in the Run Special Needs Bag. I picked up the shirt on Lap 3 and it was just what I needed to keep warm as my HR was down in Z1 - my muscles could not go any faster without locking up. Finished Lap 3 and it was getting dark. Ran down the chute and heard the words 'You are an Ironman!' Nice to hear :) What would you do differently?: Bike More! Post race
Warm down: I was greeted by a swarm of volunteers, who asked if I needed the medical tent. Umm, guess I did not look that 'fresh and energetic'. I said no, 'just take me to the food'. Hit the food tent for about 30 minutes trying to fuel up with soup, pizza, ice cream, etc. The temps by now had dropped into the 50s. Fortunately I had a full change of clothes in my Transition bag. I wobbled over to the massage folks; picked up my bike and headed to the hotel with all my stuff - tired, but very happy :) What limited your ability to perform faster: Bike strength. Event comments: This was an awesome race and I would strongly recommend it to anyone interested in a race outside the US. The race is well organized and the locals are super nice, supportive and willing to help. Profile Album Last updated: 2010-01-15 12:00 AM
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South Africa
Triangle Events
24C / 75F
Sunny
Overall Rank = 267/1654
Age Group = M40-44
Age Group Rank = 36/282
First and foremost I would like to thank my wife and daughters for their great support during the months leading up to IMSA. Without their understanding of what is involved in preparing for an Ironman, the experience would have not been worth the effort. Thanks.
As this race involved traveling half way around the world, I will add a few additional details/thoughts. I arrived on the Friday afternoon before the race. My bike and mega suitcase survived the 28 hour journey; as they should have considering the $200 Emirates extracted from me for overweight luggage.
So, I arrived in Port Elizabeth. The great thing about a small airport is that it is easy to get around. There were dozens of volunteers there to help racers with their bikes. Everyone was super nice and friendly. I quickly located a transport company and made the 15 minute journey to the hotel. I booked into the City Lodge, a kind-of upscale Motel 6. I chose the hotel as it was only a 5 minute walk from the expo/registration and start/finish area. I unpacked my bags and assembled my bike - no missing parts :). I did have to make some minor adjustments on the rear break, but got her all sorted out.
I then headed over to the registration area and picked up my race pack, special needs bags along with all the other stuff you get during registration. The swag was a nice-ish transition backpack. On the walk over to the registration area I started to realize how cold it was. Of course this is relative, I was used to training in 40C, so 12C was really cold. I was wearing every piece of clothing I brought, and was still praying for warmer weather on Sunday.
The expo was small-ish and anything with an M-dot was absurdly expensive. I did not want to jinx myself, so NO M-dot apparel until I finished the race. The race briefing / pasta dinner was 25 miles away in a large warehouse. The race organizers had arranged for buses to transport everyone over to the start - the logistics were a little confusing, but it seemed that eventually all the racers made it over to the warehouse.
IMSA is truly a South African event. About 1550 of the 1800 competitors were from South Africa.
On Saturday morning I headed over to the start area to get in a swim and test the water. The swim started at a place called 'Shark Point'. (Ummm, I was counting on the fact that sharks could tell the difference between seals and humans in wetsuits.) Anyway, there was some heavy surf (2m waves) and the water temp was around 17C. I was glad I tested the surf and reacquainted myself with the shock of cold water - it had been a long time. After the swim, I hit the bike to make sure there were no loose parts and then a short run. While I was out and about I could not help but notice that the locals were in shorts / t-shirts. I was still wrapped up in fleece.
On Saturday afternoon I headed over to check in my bike and hand in my Cycle and Run bags. I was glad to get this done. Once I handed in my stuff there was no longer a need to stress over what I might have forgotten. I went to bed early on Saturday with little doubts entering my mind as to why I sign up for these types of things. The last remaining question was "Do I put a thermal shirt in a run special needs bag or not?".
I woke up at 3am for breakfast (oatmeal and a bananna) - definitely wondering why I do this to myself. Tossed around until 5am then got up, got dressed, applied sun screen, lube and ample quantities of body glide. Started to have some GI issues, probably just nerves, but still took 1 Pepto tablet and Gas-X just in case.
Took the short walk to the start. Checked-in on GingerToo (my bike). Tires still had air :). Loaded my nutrition. Re-checked my transition bags, dropped off a special need run bag with my thermal shirt. It was cold, dark and windy. Everyone was shivering, so pretty much everyone had hopped into their wetsuits (reminded me of Roth, without the rain). It was about 12C, but the prognosis was for a beautiful day in the mid 80s.
As the start got closer all the athletes huddled on the beach like a pack of penguins trying to stay warm. 5 minutes to go - the mayor of PE gave a speech, there were some African drums (could not see the dancers) and then the following warning : "Athletes! The surf is quite rough (2 meter waves). If you get into trouble, raise your hand and we'll try to fish you out before you go down". Nice!