Ironman Canada - TriathlonFull Ironman

The swim exceeded my expectations by quite a bit. I stayed focused and relaxed and my new wetsuit that I bought on Friday felt awesome. I had struggled all week in training and thought that my wetsuit felt too tight in the shoulders and decided to make yet another investment.

I tried to stay on someone's toes and draft as much as I could and I did a pretty good job. Got bumped around a bit...someone behind me kept groping my calves so I gave them a "gentle" kick to say back off! lol Typically in past races, I've stopped a lot and breast stroked for a few seconds every couple minutes. Didn't happen on this day! I just focused on being smooth and strong in the water and before I knew it we were at the first turnaround...I knew I was relaxed when I waved to the divers which were watching from below. We then headed towards the second turn and I thought...hey only 1800m to go and swim is DONE! One by one the big orange buoys went by...they were 200m apart so it was great mentally everytime you passed one. Off in the distance you could see the hotel and beach getting closer and closer, and then you could see the crowd. I thought you know for someone that is always negative about the swim...this wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. As I started to hear the crowd I pulled stronger and eventually reached shallow waters...I stood up and realized I was done the swim that I had dreaded all year. I looked up at the clock and was shocked to see 1:21. It was a great way to start the race.

Absolutely nothing. I felt comfortable and relaxed most of the way which is unusual for me in the water.

I enjoyed the enthusiasm of the crowd as I let the wetsuit strippers whip off my wetsuit. Ran into the change tent and tried to find a chair...it was so crowded in there but I managed to find a chair at the far end....sat down and put on my tri top, helmet, socks, shoes, race belt and sunglasses. Walked out the tent and the volunteers lathered me up with sunscreen. I ran over to my bike and realized that mine was the only one left on that rack...I thought WTF! I had a great swim and still the last bike left on my rack? Oh well...I stayed positive and thought...these athletes must have all been swimmers...lol. I ran with my bike to the mount line and saw the HUGE crowds which was awesome!!

I thought I had a good transition but when looking at my T1 time after...it looks like I stopped for a picnic or something. I guess I should pick up the pace next time!

The crowds on main street were amazing as I mounted my bike. The cheering was so loud and I tried to just maintain my focus and think about my plan on the bike. It was cool to see Jarron and Julie from Regina who I work with as I rode by...it was hard to miss them...Jarron was screaming like madman! Cool!..

My plan was to ride easy for the first 60k out to Osoyoos. I pretty much stuck to the plan. There were times when I really wanted to go harder but I held back. The first climb up Mclean Creek road was a bit tough since you go from totally flat to a pretty steep incline but it was a good way to get the heart rate up. I kept thinking strong, smooth and in control as I made my way up the hill. My nutrition consisted of a 4 hr concentrated bottle of Perpetuem which I tried to drink a 1/4 bottle every hour, water, and 2 Thermolyte caps every hour. This seemed to work well. I tried a couple banana's at the aid stations which were ok as well. I also tried a couple pieces of Hammer Bars but my stomach didn't seem to like them so I dropped that part of the plan.

After Osoyoos was the start of Richter Pass which is a series of 5 climbs back to back. I'm a good climber so I was actually looking forward it. My plan here was to allow for an increase in perceived effort here but to still stay in control. I passed a lot of riders going up the hills just keeping a steady pace but always feeling like I could go harder. One by one the climbs passed until I got to the top of the last one and then it was time for a cool descent....for me to say cool descent is an accomplishment. I'm typically really cautious going downhill due to a couple wobbles I had 2 years ago on my road bike. I hit over 60k/hr a couple times...WOOHOO!! :)

The next part was the series of about 7 rollers which really aren't rollers but big hills in my opinion. They were challenging in that you had to gear correctly as it was tough to stay in big ring all the way down and then keep enough momentum to make it all the way up the next hill without down shifting. I did well for the most part...rode big ring on the downs and then carried the speed as long as could up before shifting to the small ring.

The Cawston out and back at Keremeos was challenging....it was pretty cool to be able to see other athletes I knew for the first time in the race and see how they were doing. The wind picked up here and I started to notice the heat more. At about the 1/2 way point of the out and back was the special needs station. As I passed the volunteers I called my number out so they could get my bag ready for me on the way back. The volunteer at the turnaround 50m further was saying gear down...I didn't really pay attention and turned around and realized I could barely pedal since I was in my heaviest gear! I didn't realize it was that much of an incline but I managed to grind it out to the flat part where we got our bags.

I looked inside my bag and reached for my Snickers Bar which I was looking forward to. The volunteer commented that it would be melted and I thought...who cares...I'll lick the wrapper if I have to! LOL...ya it was melting but that didn't matter...it tasted awesome! I also had one of those instant ice packs in the bag but when I went to shake it up to activate it...the stupid thing wouldn't work! Oh well...I grabbed a bottle of water and mixed up my other bottle of Perpetuem (3 hr)...then grabbed a couple mint Lifesavers from the bag which tasted awesome. I gave my bag back to the volunteer and offered the rest of the Lifesavers to her as payment for the great job she was doing...she laughed and thanked me.

Next up was the climb up to Yellow Lake....it's tough because it starts at about 120-130k. It seemed to go on FOREVER...but I focused again on being strong, smooth and in control. The wind picked up but it was nothing compared to what we're used to in Saskatchewan....we may not have the mountains but the winds make up for it! The crowds up some of the climbs were so inspiring...it made me push harder. I saw a lot of familiar faces here including Dan from Level 10, Coach Chris and Kendall (who was cheering like crazy!) Thanks Kendall..you were awesome!

Finally reached the top and descent into Penticton which again for some reason seemed to take a lot longer than I thought. I was relatively cautious though since the winds were swirling and I didn't want to end up in the back of an ambulance. I also started to get some pain on the ball of my right foot which got worse towards the end...probably time to invest in some new shoes. The ride in on main street seemed way tougher than it should have been but I guess that was because of the wind. It was cool seeing some of the runners coming the other way, and I thought...Oh ya I gotta run a marathon now!! The crowds near T2 were amazing again...I dismounted the bike and thought wow my legs feel good...I could have gone harder!


In hindsight....probably up the intensity over the entire ride. I think I could have gone sub 6 but I rode smart which is a good thing.

Once again I apparently had a picnic here. I thought I was quicker than my time indicated. Took off my cycling gear and threw on my cool new Asics visor and shoes. Had a Hammer and gel and felt sorry for the guy sitting across from me who sat motionless in his chair with his head in his hands. I really hope he was able to recover and start the run. I ran out and directly to the porta potty then for more sunscreen application from the great volunteers. I told them how awesome they were and asked if I could stay all day and have them pamper me...lol...so the one woman starts massaging my neck and shoulders and a said that's it! I'm staying! And actually I stayed for another 30 seconds...lol...hence the looooong transition time.

Pick up the pace and wait until the END of the race to get a massage! :)

So after the picnic in T2 it was time to run a marathon. Again the crowds were phenomenal...when I turned onto Lakeshore drive for the out and back I was amazed at how many people were there cheering....how can you not be inspired by that. Towards the turnaround I saw Gwynne, Pat and Pam...it was awesome seeing some familiar faces again...I high fived them and made the turnaround. I repeated to myself...strong, smooth, and in control....and I also now added...quick feet and stay in the moment.

My plan was to stay in the moment and not look ahead to the magnitude of have to run a full marathon after swimming 3.8k and biking 180k. In my last 2 half Ironmans I seemed to have trouble with staying tough mentally...I gave in to the temptation to walk far too soon and for no real reason other than I was tired. I wanted to run as much as I could between aid stations and then get proper nutrition when I arrived at them. I could really feel the heat and wanted to make sure I focused on hydration and electrolytes. I would grab 2 sponges at every station and squeeze the water on my head then put both sponges in my tri-top...one in front and one in the back...they were amazing! I tried a banana and some grapes at the first staion and my stomach said F-YOU! So I put a stop to that. Oranges were good so I stuck to them as well as gatorade and water as well as 2 Thermolyte caps for the first 1/2. I would also take ice..put some in my mouth to suck on...then held the rest in my hand until they melted which really worked well to keep me cool.

The run along Lakeside drive was so scenic and I tried to use that to my advantage mentally...to take the focus off how tired I was at the time. I continued trying to keep the turnover quick but my stomach was starting to rebel a bit. I stopped at the next porta potty and an evacuation was just what I needed. The hills on the run course were up next and they're a bit nasty but hey if you wanna be an Ironman might as well make it tough. I did a fast walk up the steep one's and then enjoyed the descents. Finally up ahead I could see Okanagan Falls and the turnaround point. There was a huge crowd here and they were loud as I called out my number for my special needs bag. I looked inside and grabbed my bag of Ruffles All Dressed chips which I was so looking forward to...problem was I had a couple and then realized they didn't go down well because my mouth and throat were so dry and there was no water or aid station at this point. I took out a pack of Cliff Shot blocks (which I never used) and looked at my long sleeved shirt I had in there in case it got cool and laughed at the thought of putting anymore clothing on in this heat. As I walked throught the crowd I offered the chips to a couple happy kids who were thrilled with them. I saw Jason coming the other way...high fived him and thought it wouldn't be long before he caught me. I looked down at my watch and realized I had run the first 1/2 in 2:31 and I would have to at least duplicate that to break 13 hours...fat chance of that I thought at the time.

The climb back out of OK Falls was tough. Mentally it was tough to get through the hills again...my stomach was starting to rebel and I really didn't know what I wanted at the aid stations. I decided to switch to water, Pepsi and chicken soup. Everything seemed to be sloshing around in my stomach and the thought of putting anything into it made me want to gag but I knew I needed some calories. I started to walk a bit more and felt things slipping away a bit but there were so many people walking that I kept it all in perspective. I would walk for 20 seconds then run again to the next aid station. At the last hill our swim coach Dave from the Tucson camp was out on his bike and he chatted with me for a few seconds. He told me how strong I looked and this seemed to lift me up....I ran up the entire last hill and realized I was back to the flats.

At that point there was about 12k to go....I could see Skaha beach off in the distance and I was pumped that I ran up the last hill. Then it all hit me.....In 12k....I WAS GOING TO BE AN IRONMAN! I looked down at my watch and thought...what's 12k? You've been out here this long...all that's left is 12 frickin km! It was almost as if a switch flipped inside of me saying...stay in the moment, keep the turnover quick and light, stay strong in mind, body and spirit AND you're not frickin' walking between aid stations!

I had found "the zone" for the first time ever during the run portion of a race. I focused on getting back to main st. where I had picked up my pace. I saw a friend from College who I hadn't seen in 15 years...we got reacquainted during the week and she was standing there cheering on the side of the road. I also saw super fan Kendall again and ran through the station where the announcer proclaimed it as the "no walking zone" so how could I walk now? By this point I was passing a number of runners and up ahead I could see the turnoff where south main turned into main. I ran 32 to 37k thinking about my friend Tara who inspired me with here Ironman talk at the Running Room 5 years ago when I first got into running. When I turned onto main...there was a long incline all the way up to Safeway in the distance. Again...I thought...you're not walking! Quick turnover and before you know it you will be at the top....and I did it. Before I knew it I was at the top. From there it would be all downhill. The last part 37-42km was in honour of my dad who passed away from lung cancer 3 years ago....no pain was going to stop me and I didn't feel anything. I ran through the last aid station on main and before turning the corner there were some big crowds there....they were cheering so loud and saying "Go Nick" "look at him go"...I was really moved by this and put my hand on my chest and clapped to both sides of the crowd to say thank you and when I did that the noise must have doubled! And then it happened...I started to cry....the magnitude of it all started to hit me. I will never forget that moment with the crowd!!

I turned onto Westminister then Winnipeg and reached Lakeshore for the out and back. It's unique in that you look to the right and the finish line is 30m away...the hear the crowd and the announcer and see the bright lights of the finish line...BUT you have to turn left and do the 2k out and back or whatever the distance is. Lakeshore Drive was absolutely AMAZING! There were so many people yelling and cheering loudly...it was constant! They would see your name on your race bib and yell it out. I thought about everything I had gone through in my life to get to this point...this was my time to celebrate all the hard work and sacrifices.

I reached the turnaroud point...less than 1k to go! I saw my buddy Jason coming the other way and got pretty emotional as I high fived him....we ran our first half marathon together five years ago...I remember how hard that last 1k was. Today...we were going to be an Ironman...and this was the easiest 1k EVER! I started shaking my head in disbelief that was all coming true. I saw the first Powerbar arch and the bleachers full of people. There was no one else within 15 seconds in front or behind me...I came onto the finishing chute and the boisterous crowd...looked upwards to my dad...pumped my arms in the air and listened "FROM REGINA...NICK DOULIAS...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!" I grabbed the finish line banner and held it above my head with both arms as if I had won the race. I had negative split the marathon and finished in 12:51:15!!!

Try and figure out nutrition a bit better but I think I did a pretty good job considering how long the day is. Also maybe try and find the "zone" sooner but maybe now that I found it once I'll be able to "access" it more in the future.

Jarron, Mike, Patricia and Gwynne all from Regina were there to catch me at the finish line...it was so awesome!!! I gave them all big huge sweaty hugs...lol They all looked at me and said..."you did it ...you are an IRONMAN!" I repeated it back to them..still in a bit of shock. Got my medal, shirt and hat and walked around. I felt great and just wanted to walk around....I couldn't eat anything though. I sat down a bit and then slowly my stomach started feeling crappy and no food looked good. I chatted with some friends as Jarron tried to entice me with a buffet of chicken soup, pizza, watermelon...nope...wanted nothing. I layed down on the grass and chatted with everyone...Johno(starcorp) and Jason also had great races and we chatted about our day. I got up and went and got my bags from transition..changed into some warm dry clothes and before I got my bike decided to puke which I knew would make me feel better and it did (although next time I'll use a Neti-Pot instead of chicken soup as a sinus flush! :) We grabbed our bikes and walked the 5 blocks back to our condo...congratulating and encouraging the racers coming down Main St. We watched the end of the race on TV. At 16:57 a friend from Regina came rushing through the finish line!! What a great end to a PHENOMENAL day!


Nothing...I did the best I could on this day for my first Ironman


The whole Ironman experience was INCREDIBLE and YES it is a life changing experience. IM Canada and Penticton put on a FANTASTIC event with over 4000 incredible volunteers....as a race director myself...I can't thank the volunteers enough for how incredible they were.

Throughout this last year of training there have been challenges and sacrifices. There have been so many great training sessions....and a lot of tough ones. There were friends and family who were so supportive...and some who didn't "get it". There were times when I wondered if I would be able to handle it all. Now that it's all done....I realize I wouldn't have changed a single thing....it was all worth it. I used to wonder what all the fuss was about doing Ironman...and now that I AM AN IRONMAN...."I GET IT!" It's almost like magic....AND IT'S ALL WORTH IT!

Oh ya...and I signed up for next year! :)