Swim went ok and I felt good through out most of the swim. The start in waves makes for a more civilized experience without getting punched/pushed down as much. When I saw my time of 1:18 I was a little disappointed since I thought I had swam faster than that with the advantage of a wetsuit, but considering that I had only done a max of 1 swim/week and it was only my second time swimming with a wetsuit, I cannot really complain. BTW, great crowd support along the canal!

Increase my swim training to more than once a week and focus more on drills/technique. With limited time, the swim is what I choose to sacrifice the most (about 10% of the race)

Volunteer support was great and as soon as I entered the tent to get my bike gear on, a really nice girl got my shoes and helmet out of my bag, took my wetsuit and goggles and pack them into the bag and off I went. Probably my fastest T1 ever for a full IM

Nothing

I was a little concerned about the bike since I was using a borrowed road bike with my clip-on bars and was only able to test it only once for a 1hr ride.

I started the bike feeling strong and highly motivated, but after 20 miles/1hr into the ride, my back started killing me and I was also having trouble shifting gears. At the next rest stop I went straight to the mechanic to try to get the bike adjusted and then proceeded to ride. Unfortunately, it was obvious by then that the bike was not the right fit for me and that I would have to suck it up for the remaining 5 hours of the ride. I was hoping to come in below 6 hours, but then had to adjust my expectations and just hoped to finish the bike with as little damage to my body as possible. It was a loooong ride with lots of people passing me, so I decided to enjoy the ride as much as I could and to focus on not screwing up my nutrition/hydration and just getting into T2.

We had two major climbs in each of the loops and one of those was the famous Solar Hill, which is packed with cheering fans and athletes have to ride in a single lane throughout the climb. This was one of those amazing experiences that pumps you up and puts a huge smile on your face. Over the course of the bike I tried to interact with the crowds as much as possible, which is always fun and invigorating and to thank the volunteers at every stop. We also faced some major winds, especially in the 2nd loop and I ended up finishing 1hr later than expected in a time of 6:44. I was thrilled to come into T2, feeling exhausted and with severe back pain by then.

Train harder on the bike. Try as much as possible to ravel with my own bike, especially for a full IM distance tri. Also work more on my nutrition/hydration since after about 4 hours into the ride I could not see another gel nor bar, only water.

I was exhausted and with severe back pain when I arrived into T2, so I took my time trying to stabilize myself as much as possible before heading out for a marathon. Again, volunteers were great hear which made for a pleasant experience in T2. 7 minutes later I was out, stating the marthon

nothing

Getting into the run was tough both mentally and physically after the problems with the bike. However, I was committed to finishing at whatever cost, so I started running really slow, trying for my body to stabilize a little and trying to find a comfortable pace to follow. I decided not worry about time at all and just focus on getting from food stop to food stop, every 2kms without walking and then only walking through the food stops. This is easier said than done, but I was able to manage it through out most of the race, with my biggest motivator being that I was going to be able to see my family at the end of the race and did not want them to have to wait more than necessary.
Through the stops, I could only manage to take in coke, apple slices and water, so I was hoping that it would be enough energy to get me through, without having to walk.
I was tempted many times to "walk a little", but kept pushing myself and at the end was able to pass a lot of people on the run. After 4:49 of being out there pushing myself, my biggest thrill came when I approached the finish line and was able to see my family for the 1st time in the whole day. I stopped to give them all a big hugh and thank them for their support and then, since this was a Challenge Race, I was able to run into the Roth little stadium with my two daughters, niece and and nephew, all carrying flags from our country of Guatemala. After crossing the finish line in a total time of 13:03 and getting my medal, I then fell to the ground and stayed there for a little while trying to regroup myself, but with a huge smile in my face.

Train way harder on my bike/run bricks and focus more on dialing in the proper nutrition/hydration strategy.

I went into the finishers tent for some hydration and a massage. I was cramping badly and shivering a lot, probably due to dehydration/improper nutrition during the race.
After the massage I went to get my changes cloth bag and changed into something warm. I then went out to meet my family with a huge smile on my face.



The challenges with the bike (fit, mechanical issues with the gears) affected my time and physical/mental endurance. But I knew what I was getting into by having decided to borrow a bike since it was not possible to travel with mine, so it is no excuse. At the end, one can always train more and focus more on nutrition/hydration to be better prepared to race this distance. Experience is very important since its the decisions one makes, when unexpected things happen during the race that determine the outcome.


This is an incredible race that lives up to its reputation. Between the beautiful Bavarian villages and country side, along with the amazing crowd and volunteer support, this is the best Iron distance race I have done so far (out of three) and would definitely recommend it to everyone. Being able share the experience of the finish line together with my daughters and nephews by my side and watching the happiness on everyone's faces is one the biggest highlights and most memorable experiences to date!
I would love to do it again in the future, but with my own bike this time!