Ironman France - TriathlonFull Ironman

Swim Map: http://www.triangle-events.net/netautor/napro4/appl/na_professional...

The swim entailed 2 loops, one of 2400m followed by a second one of 1400m, with an short land exit of about 20m at the end of the first loop.
I headed to the beach that is full of little round rocks "galets" which is not so great for the feet. There were already many athletes in the water warming up. I warmed up for 10mn and came back just 10mn before the start. Trying to get out of the water with all these little round rocks is actually not so great. But they had volunteers to help us get back on our feet.
I found my French friend Olivier and we chatted a bit. I asked him why he was tense and he told me that the swim was what was getting him nervous. He had done the race last year and he surely knew what was awaiting ahead. I did not necessarily pay attention. I knew it would be a bit hectic at the beginning with 2500 athletes lining up for a massive start. My plan was to survive the first 5 mn and then cruise focusing on my form. I was also telling myself this is the easier of the day, keep some.
When the horn blew, things got quite interesting. You start walking, get into the see and it's just chaos. You can go right or left, you can't find any rhythm, there are just bodies struggling, fighting with some quite bad kicks. I kept telling myself, don't get hurt, take your time. Just 1 mn in the water I got hit in the left eye which moved my goggle. I managed to put it back in place and fortunately, I did not lose my contact lens. I kept moving, hoping things would get better and never trying to be aggressive. Sometimes I would find a place and I would jump in it, sometimes I would be completely stuck, sometimes having to stop. Many times I got passed over or passed myself over others. After 10-15 mn, I really thought it would get better but it did not. My breathing was ok, my form too (well I think so) but I never managed to swim nicely for more than 2-3 mn in a row. Even after 1st bouy, people starting going in different directions. Because of the choppy water and so many people, it was indeed hard to spot the next one. And the same happened for the 2nd and 3rd bouy. After the 3rd bouy, we were heading back to the shored to complete the first loop. At that time, things got a bit better, finally. But as I got closer to the shore, people starting to be very close 1 to the other. Finally I finished the 1st loop just to plunge back for the 2nd. People were cheering for us while were were running. That was quite nice. The 2nd loop was better than the first although again, I did not swim by myself but just among many people, passing some, getting passed by others. At least the hits reduced in the 2nd loop so that was good.
When I finished the 2nd loop, several volunteers were helping us getting out of the water. The waves combined to the rocks made our exit a bit more difficult than a regular lake or river swim.
I checked my watch and I saw 1h14. I told myself, great just in time. I was thirsty and I was really looking forward to my water. The salty water also leaves this salty taste in the mouth that reinforce this feeling.
The crowd was everywhere and it was quite nice to both hear them cheering and knowing there would not be more kicking and fighting for the rest of the day.

I ran towards the Bike transition tent and I grabbed my first transition bag. With so many athletes getting out of the water at my time, running through transition area is a challenge and you end up walking some of it too.
In the transition tent, I went towards the end of it where there were available seats and not too many folks. I took out my wetsuit (I did not need help from the volunteers) and I took care of all the bike stuff (put some butter cream on, helmet and glass, bike shoes). And I put back my wetsuit back in the bag before heading out of the tent where I dropped the bag.

I ran through the looooong bike area where you had a sea of bikes. I finally made it to my row #26 (there were something like 80 rows). There were still many bikes there so that gave me a good feeling.
Out of the transition, I started my journey to the top of the Col de l'Ecres, the highest point of the bike course (altitude: 1120m). I executed my strategy: take it easy the 1st hour, then go through all ups at a comfortable hard pace and bomb the down hills.
The bike course is one of the most beautiful courses one can do, passing through many beautiful stone villages, with views from the mountains where you can see as far as the sea itself. I really was thinking how great is this place I've been raised in. And I understand why this IM attracts so many nationalities. There were over 64 nationalities present this year with over 60% of athletes from foreign countries. I think the bike is one of the main reasons.
On the downside, the bike course is also very technical. The total climbing altitude is about 1800m ~ 5900 ft). Some ups hills were also quite steep (we reached 10% grade for half mile as the very first ride, like they had put this on purpose to warn everybody... it was like climb of Timberman, everybody up their saddle, breathing heavily). The up hills are not the only difficulty of the course. The down hills are also challenging as you just can never keep your speed. You are constantly braking, cornering and accelerating back out of the turns. I really felt like being in one of these mountains stages of the tour de France, especially when we were sometimes following each other quite closely (within draft limit) and all bombing, turning and so on. Quite an amazing experience.
The water and food stations on the bike were every 20km and very well manned. There were providing water, Infinit bottles, Coca bottles, Banana and Gels. They had places before and after to throw the bottles (they had partnered with a ecological company) and that was a great thing. I just wished all athletes were respecting this as I would still see some bottles 1 mile after on the ground.
My nutrition plan was quite simple and I focused on staying hydrated. I drank Infinit, water and coke through the bike course with a couple of bananas, 1 gel and 4 clif shots. I also had to pee which I did in a downhill after checking nobody was behind. I took a chance there as my friend told me before the race this was not allowed.
To go back to the course, I reached the mile 45-50 in good conditions and knowing the most difficult climbs were behind me, that gave me a boost. So I picked up a bit the pace on the flats and I smashed gears down hills. Interestingly, I thought I would have some downs on the bike, but I guess not only I felt good but I had so much to see around and so much to be careful about that I never truly had time to meditate or think. After the very last long up hill, it was going to be all down hills followed by a 15 miles flat stretch. I checked my watch and I was on target to go under 6h15. In the down hills, I saw a couple of bad accidents. There were several times some treacherous turn where you had to almost get to a stop to turn 180 while going down. A guy in front of me did not negotiate his turn well and finished in the very steep hill. Fortunately and luckily, he did not injure himself as he managed to stop at the top without going truly down the hill. He caught back up with me and we actually finished together, him 30secs in front of me. At another time, they had not put proper marking on the ground (that was an exception as the rest of the course was well marked). But this caused 2 bikes to crash.
At mile 95, I stated to feel a strong wind coming from the sea. That was bad news as we had to face it for 10+ miles on a flat. So I tucked and focused on my stroke. We were all fighting the wind. I saw a few folks drafting . I pushed quite hard to maintain 19-20 mph thinking about the time. My legs were feeling good and I was already thinking about my marathon. I stopped all the solid food 30mn and I kept hydrating.

As I un mounted, I ran through the bike transition in line with others to give my bike to a volunteer. I stopped by the potty pot to pee a second time which was a good sign as I was well hydrated. I then grabbed my bike bag and I found a seat in the Tent. There a very nice volunteer helped my by spraying some suncream on my neck and shoulders. This is where I thought I could probably have applied my sun cream before going on the bike (my cream was in my Run bag. That is something that I need to change for my next race as spending 6 hours under the sun without cream is obviously not recommended). She also asked me if I wanted to water and she gave me a glass. She even helped me to put the helmet back in the bag. That was nice.
I headed out of the tent, grabbed another glass and starting the run in a crowd completely energized. The man at the microphone was boosting everyone along with some pretty cool music. This is where people finish and it is a great feeling to run through this crowd.
The run course is a 4 loops run on a flat run on the sea shore. It is a very nice race as you can get to see the sea on the left and the beautiful old buildings on the right facing the sea. At the end of each loop, you receive a bracelet ("chouchou") to count the laps along with a good energy boost with this hysterical crowd.

The run course consisted of a 10,5km loop that had to be run four times and it was flat. There were 3 aid stations that you could stop at both ways.
Out of Transition, my legs were surprisingly feeling good and I told myself, ok, you're good now. Just take it nice and easy the first 3 laps and start the race at mile 20 for the last lap. I sticked to this plan and I turned just below 1 hour each lap. I actually felt very relaxed and my breathing and legs were good the first 3 laps. At the end of my first loop, I saw the first male finishing up and that was one again the Spanish star Zamora that won for the 4th consecutive time IM France with a race record of 8h30. The French Herve finished 2nd for the 3rd consecutive time although they both beat the race time from last year and despite being late on their bike splits because of the head wind. It's always quite amazing to be soo close to all these stars. I also had a chance to see for the first 2 laps the 1st and 2nd women. You can see them from far as there is a beautiful lady rolling in front of them with a pair of roller blades and a pretty large flag attached to her back. Can I have one too? :)
Back to my race, my plan was to stop at each water station and run between each. My mother and father in law were there for my 2nd and 3rd loop and I stopped to hug them and thank them. I also found another friend that did Nice a couple of times and that was good to see them.
My nutrition/hydration was very simple and repetitive: 1 gel every hour, 1 endurolyte every hour, and for the rest of the time, I would drink half a glass of water, then half a glass of coke, then an orange slice and finally a bit more water. Since we were under the sun with no shade, I really focused on staying well hydrated and avoid any cramp. This strategy worked well for me as I reached mile 20 without really any pb - it is usually where I hit a wall in a regular marathon race. I started my 4th and last loop with no cramp just my quads that I started to feel. I kept telling myself, that's it it's just a 6 miles race, push now, race now. And I started to run faster. I was checking quite a lot my watch wondering if I could not only go sub 4 which I knew I could at this time but also finish under 11h30. I passed the end of the last loop in 10h59:56 and I thought, jeez this is going to be tight. If my legs that are now tired don't allow me to keep my pace, I won't go under sub 11h30. But I kept pushing as hard as I could, focusing on all the great moments I had with my friends and family in the months leading to the race. I also pictured myself reaching the end and I focused on getting through the transitions without stopping too long. In the last mile or so, with the crowd cheering and the music, I picked up the pace, checked the watch and I made up my mid to sprint to go sub 11h30. I ran as hard as possible in the last 300 meters, thanking at the same time the crowd as I was bombing through the blue carpet. I passed the gate, with just 9 seconds left.
I was extremely happy to finish strong and to meet or beat all my objectives. After the gate, I received a very nice medal. That's it, I'm an IronMan! My father in law was waiting for me just out of the gate and we hugged each other. Quite a memorable moment this finish!

I headed out to the post race place to grab my street wear bag and to be massaged. Being massaged after an IM is really mandatory I would say. I had my quads shot from the run and it helped me to keep walking for the rest of the evening. I received a nice Zoot Finisher technical shirt. Zoot was the main sponsor and I also bought a hat and another short from them the day before, just to keep some souvenirs that I can actually train with. I ate a little bit too at the food tent but I was not truly starving yet and I was feeling good overall with the exception of my quads that were shot. I picked back up my bike - there was a bit of confusion there as nobody knew where their bike was as we were giving them to a volunteer on our way back from the bike and pretty much nobody paid attention what row the volunteers were waiting (it was first come first served). Fortunately, 2 ladies were with 2 laptops and they helped us find our bikes. It was no biggy, the race was done, I was not going to complain because of a bit of time to wait.

In the evening, I celebrated this with my mother and father in law. My wide was the 2nd to know thanks to my mother that called her as I was passing the finish line. I called her in the evening and I also received several calls from the family. Then I really started to be hungry. So I had a beer, a pizza, some champagne - come one, that needs to be celebrated! - plenty of water, some pasta, some chicken, a yogurt, some fruits…
Later in the night, I was having some hard time to fall asleep although I was tired. I could feel my pulse that was still beating quite fast while all the images of the day were going in sequence in my head. I finally fell asleep with the pure joy of having reached a major goal in my life.

I would like to thank first of all my wife and both my sons without whom I would not have been able to train for so long. They are the ones I kept thinking about during my long hours of training, my 4h45 am early rides that started this winter on my Compu trainer, my early workouts of the WE before the soccer practice, swim pool and other family things to try to conciliate with the work outs.
Being an IronMan is truly first about finding a proper balance in one's life between family (1st priority), work and sport.
My thanks go to the rest of the family too, my mother and father in law in particular being my strongest supporters after my wife and kids. Major thanks to all my friends from France and USA that checked on me through my trainings an race (France: Olivier, Seb, Rob, USA: Michael L. from DC Club that trained with me once on Mt Weather and that did a very good race in 14:16, Matt from DC that I met a few times while training and that also performed very well that day with a time of 13:12, RATS members in particular Kevin K. and Erik M., ). I also have a special thought about those that had planned on racing and that did not join or finished: Dave Glover my coach, Shawn Clark and Olivier Pascallon that started with me on the swim but did not complete the race - he puked on the bike and had to stop 20 miles in the race.
Finally, last but not least, a huge thank you to Team FeXY that provided me great support throughout my training phase to be ready. I would like to thank in particular Scott Baldwin for his great tips, great spirit and his team focus before himself, Reid Keiser for being a great friend to both train and race with, Craig Ellis for being so fun and supportive. Many thanks to the rest of TeamFeXY members that I have met the last 2 months too for the great support too.
I probably am missing many persons to thank and I hope they will forgive me.

I would definitely recommend this race to anyone wishing to enjoy a race well supported in a foreign country. The bike course is absolutely beautiful while challenging, the run course is awesome on the sea shore. And the aid stations are very well manned and providing all support you need.

I wish everyone a great 2009 training and racing year. May all your dreams come true - and not only in sport . If I may give a piece o advice and a credo, here they are: Nothing is impossible. Just plan, work hard, stay motivated and focused and execute come race day the plan you have trained for so long. It is truly at the end all about execution.


Excellent race, very well organized. I highly recommend it.