It would have been easy to copy and paste the report from last year to sum up my experiences this year but somehow it felt different this time. The arrival in the back of a van with the bikes was a stand out difference but aside from that we arrived in time to rack our bikes and make the traditional visit to the “Race day fresh” toilets. The “no bags in transition” rule had spooked a few but actually helped to tidy up the transition area as there seemed to be a lot less gear strewn about the place. |
The Swim
In the brief the previous day we had been told about a blue-green algae alert which had caused the swim start to be altered and there were going to be showers as we exited the water to remove the threat from our neoprened bodies. Feeling more confident second time up, I started a bit further up the field and as the hooter went 200 racers went off at full pelt, after about ten seconds of flailing about I took stock and got in to a rhythm, tagging on to the back of the nearest pair of feet to conserve a bit of energy. Whack! A foot to the head encouraged a new stock take and from then on in I was able to swim pretty much in a straight line and actually found myself moving up the field, drafting others but aware of my surroundings. I only got punched in the head once, so that was a result! |
Transition 1 to Bike
After a brief jog in to transition it was a fairly smooth changeover in to bike gear: helmet, glasses, shoes and race belt on and it was off around the lake where I saw the family for the first time, a smile but no wave, as I would have probably fallen off! Out on the road I stuck to the plan of a steady ride, only hindered by dodgy road surfaces and one busy roundabout where I needed to skid to a halt. Having adjusted the bike position following a training ride a couple of weeks earlier, I felt comfortable enough to hold the position for the majority of the ride, only rising to climb hills and negotiate junctions and feed stations. The first feed station arrived surprisingly quickly and I bagged myself an outlaw bottle to replace the one I had lost from the previous year, inexperience of taking on a full bottle whilst moving caused a bit of a wobble and for a moment I thought I was going to meet tarmac. I was able to regain control and get back in the middle of the road for the nice steady downhill section that followed. |
Soon, is was on to the second section of the course, the southern loop, the shorter of two and then I could start to tick off the miles as Holme Pierpoint started to get closer. I remembered last year there were quite a few who seemed to have run out of energy at this point and I started to count myself as one of these. However looking at the time it was clear I was faster then before and was set to come in under 3 hours, one of the targets of the day. The surface deteriorated further approaching Pierpoint Hall and it looked as though there was a wedding on as a car stood, decorated outside. |
Transition 2 to Run
Easing out of the bike shoes for the last section of the course, transition 2 approached. Dismounting the bike, never wanting to sit down again, I had sudden feelings in my legs that they were just not going to function for this run! I leant on the bike for support just to get me over to my spot. Slipping on the running shoes, I began the trot out on to the run, a timely reminder from a marshall to “turn my number around to the front!” I had formulated the plan to take a steady run to not have to go through the pain and be crawling to the end. I would walk through the feed stations so as not to chuck the vital rehydration all over myself and take the opportunity to thank the volunteers who were out there for the long haul. The plan worked and with around 4-5 miles to go I could calculate the distance remaining and the time I had left to get in significantly under my PB from 2015. It was nice to see the family again and fro the kids to run alongside me at their vantage point and I could see that John was having a good race as he didn’t look quite as dead as last year! The flat coke at the feed stations was divine! Could have kept me going without anything else. I didn't take any gels on the run, the stomach did’t fancy it. I stuck to a jaffa cake, a few crisps and some of the High 5 energy which was available in cups from the willing volunteers. |
The last two miles arrived and it was a proper slog around the end of the lake past the final feed station for a final thanks. The finish line arrived in a blur and the cheering posse gave one last high five just before I crossed the line. This year’s time: 5hrs 22 minuted 20 seconds around 13 minutes faster than before. The dry conditions helped but I have to admit surprise at the time, as the training really hadn’t gone to plan. John crossed a few minutes later and had smashed his own PB by about half an hour, a real achievement, his final time 5:15:38.
After demolishing the post race food, it was off to collect the bags and bikes from transition. A chap who had overtaken me earlier with the same bike as John, was chatting away to a friend. John shouted over “You get that hat in the Planet X Sale? £25 quid yeah? Bargain!”. He replied: “Actually I’m sponsored by Planet X so I get everything for free.” “OK, no-one likes a show off,” I chuckled. “I guess I better not tell you I was the winner then…” came back the retort…from race winner and course record breaker, Karl Alexander…oops!
John and I both swore we would never do the race again and there was no possible way that we could do a full Iron distance. John starts his Donk Fink full Iron training plan tomorrow….
John and I both swore we would never do the race again and there was no possible way that we could do a full Iron distance. John starts his Donk Fink full Iron training plan tomorrow….