Before I sit down and write a proper race report I wanted to put down a few thoughts on the race. I have to preface this with the fact that I had an ITBS flare-up a month or so before the race and because of it I had pulled out of the Aviva (Singapore 70.3) race after 2K of the run. There aren’t too many bad points which I suppose shows what a good day I had!
The Verdict
Swim: 1:11:29
T1: 4:25
Bike: 6:21:59
T2: 4:17
Run: 5:29:13
TOTAL: 13:11:26
The Good
- I am an IRONMAN!
- I made it up the steep section on Matthew Flinders Drive both times without having to get off and push up.
- 3.8K is the longest I have ever swum in open-water.
- 180K is the furthest I have ever cycled non-stop.
- Both the two previous points were achieved consecutively.
- Despite my knee injury and the longest run prior to the race being 10K, I made it up to 18K before it started to hurt.
- A walk/run strategy involving mostly walking (in terms of time) can give you a 5:30 marathon which I think is pretty darned good.
- I have now “run” 3 marathons.
- Vegemite on a stick is AWESOME after 8 hours of sweet, sticky energy gels and drinks.
- Unsurprisingly, nutrition is not a problem when mostly walking a marathon. I ate almost everything available – vegemite, cookies, watermelon, bananas, powerbar chomps, gels.
- The support from the crowd was INCREDIBLE. Random spectators are so encouraging, especially when they see you walking. It’s also fantastic to have your wife cheering you along each lap!
- I loved the way the aid station volunteers would run with you during the bike leg to make the handover of the bottles much easier.
The Bad
- The headwind on the second lap of the bike was TERRIBLE! It was so strong I was struggling to keep at 22km/h while on a completely flat section of road.
- The cross-winds when going across bridges were very strong. I had to fight against them and my wheels aren’t particularly deep (50mm).
- The bike route was by no means flat. There were plenty of instances (other than MFD) when I was on my easiest gear just churning away to get up the hill.
- Walking a marathon can be quite boring.
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