IronMan Cozumel - TriathlonFull Ironman

The course was a long rectangle with the start and finish in the middle of one of the sides. The mass start obviously created a mess for the first 10 minutes or so. I don't think I took a stroke without hitting someone for the first 10 minutes. Then it started to clear out a little. I found an empty spot and headed for the first turn around buoy. As expected, it got crowded again at the buoy. This happened at every buoy. It got less and less crowded as the swim went on and everyone separated.

The conditions for the swim where perfect. The water temperature was comfortable and there weren't any waves. Completely flat. The water was about 20 or 30 feet deep and you could see clearly all the way to the bottom. There was a lot of corral reefs and colorful fish in some areas. It was kind of like swimming in an aquarium. Very cool!

I finally found the swim exit and worked my way up some large wooden steps and got out of the water. I was very happy with my time of 1:06.

Nothing, everything went fine.

Grabbed my bike gear bag off the rack and headed into the changing tent. I didn't change clothes. I just put my shoes, helmet and number on, went to the bathroom and ran to my bike. I had a great spot for my bike near bike exit. That meant I didn't need to run far with my bike. I've lucky this year with transition spots. The transition area was nice and organized. It went very smooth. Great volunteers, but limited English. No issues though. I jumped on my bike and took off!

Nothing.

The bike course was 3 loops around the island on a nice paved road. They closed the entire road which was great. We had both lanes to use, but most stayed on the right. The majority of the road was very smooth. There were only a few bumpy sections. Nothing bad enough to impact the race.

The route made 3 counter-clockwise loops. Leaving T1, we went south. There wasn't much wind on this section. The course went by the majority of the hotels and then turned east into the wind. This was the toughest part of the route because of the headwind and no scenery. Then the route turned north along the east side of the island. The road went right along the beach. The views on this side were amazing. Large waves crashing into rocky cliffs. But, what makes large waves? Wind! The cross winds on this section were tough. The route turned west and we got the benefit of a nice tailwind. I used this part to take a little break and "coast" into the city. As we got closer to the city the streets began to fill in with spectators. At first it was a few families cheering by the road. By the time we were in Cozumel, the streets were packed. Looking ahead at a few turns, I wasn't sure if there was enough room to get by the spectators. Seeing all those people cheering got me pumped!

I loved the bike course. I was able to see Courtney and my parents outside of our hotel twice. The wind picked up with each lap. Looking back, I pushed too hard on the bike. It is completely flat which makes you want to hammer it. But, the wind really pounds on you. I shouldn't have fought the wind as much as I did. My plan was to ease into the wind, but I didn't. I guess that's what experience is for.

I also took into too many calories on the bike. There were 18 aid stations on the course. I began taking in fluids at most of them. At the time it felt like the right thing to do because it was getting hot and I was thirsty. And, I kept thinking that I have a marathon to finish after this. Taking in too many calories caused my stomach to shut down. I didn't realize this until about half way through the run.

Take it easy and stick to my nutrition plan. I am going to get help with nutrition.

I was happy to get off the bike. My legs actually worked. I put on my running shoes and organized myself with the help of the volunteers. I did stretch a little and "shook off" the bike ride.

Nothing

The run was 3 out and backs through downtown and along the water. I wish they could work on the run course. Three out and backs is a little crazy! The run started off great. I felt fine and was pacing with a guy from Brazil. He lost his brand new Garmin 310 in the water. Someone kicked it off. He ran with me to keep track of his pace. But, he was used to kilometers per minute. I don't think I was much help.

It was really hot on the run. The overall temperature wasn't too bad, but the humidity was very high. After the first turn around you face the sun head on and that was it for me. I hung on for a while and began walking at the 6th mile. I think I walked 2 straight miles which got me back into the city. Once again, the streets were lined with spectators in town. Very loud and enthusiastic!

I figured I might as well start running with all these people cheering for me so I ran a half mile then walked. After that, I walked a half mile and ran a half mile. I did that the rest of the marathon. About half way through I realized my nutritional problem. My mouth was dry and my body wanted fluids / calories. But everything I drank just sat in my stomach. I was getting bloated. I just started to take little sips of water. They had these little tubes of water that you could carry with you. When you wanted water, you would just tear one of the corners. Kinda neat!

I was mad at myself for walking so much, but I didn't have anything left in me. I was weaving a little when I walked and my legs were tight and sore. I got over it and just focused on the finish line. The Ironman is very difficult!

Finishing was pretty dang cool! There was a great atmosphere, but it was a little bit of a blur. I just remember people, lights and orange. The finish line area was very orange. The first thing I did as an Ironman is wobble to the side and sit down.

Work on nutrition and run more!

I sat down near the finish and tried to get back to normal. I ended up throwing up about a gallon of fluid in a public bathroom about an hour after the finish. That was all of those fluids that wouldn't absorb. That made me feel better. I actually yacked all over my medal by mistake. We got a cab home. I wasn't able to stick around until midnight. That was disappointing, but I didn't feel very good. I ate some food at the hotel and yacked again! Courtney said it was like taking care of a drunk person!

I went to bed and prayed that I would wake up alive. I did and now I am planning to do this all over again! Crazy!!!


This is a great race. It's a first class event. The local residents make it a great experience. They come out and support you by volunteering or just watching and cheering. They really embrace the event. They make you feel like a professional athlete. A kid even asked for my autograph!!

The organizers of the event also have it together. The transitions, aid stations and special needs areas were perfect. My only complaint is they did not have enough C02 for everyone. You can't fly with it so you count on them to have it for sale at the expo. They ran out. I heard 2 rumors. One person said they had plenty, but people were buying about 10 each. Another person said they only had 2000 available for 2300 athletes. Not sure who to believe. It didn't turn out to be an issue.