IronMan - raceday

(apologies for very late post) Excitement built for race day as one can imagine. An 'army' of volunteers assisted 1,678 athletes to get registered and prepared for the big day; but more than that....flat sea ! Everyone was excited, especially since last years IronMan was a very difficult swim in a very rough sea.

One of the reasons for this very late post, is that for me race day was a huge anti-climax. I had been sick for 3 weeks prior, I was frustrated by my illness and the inability to train and without those 3 weeks of training, I think I had lost the excitement of my journey. But more than that; if you have done the training, it's easy to finish the race. Having said all of that, I enjoyed race day thoroughly.....

We started with the drums as we walked over the timing mats onto the beach for the swim. Crowded together before the start you can feel the tension of one and a half thousand athletes ready to 'battle' IronMan. There are prayers, jokes, whispering, encouragement, wisdom.....everyone psyches differently.... booom....the cannon fires and that tension uncoils into a mass of wetsuited bodies rushing into the sea, running, bumping, splashing, bumping, swimming, bumping.... swimmers everywhere, arms everywhere, legs everywhere, bodies everywhere...there is just not enough space in the sea ! I thought I was prepared for it, but 'man' its a war zone. I tried to swim out of the mainstream, which cost me some time as I swam further and got wounded anyway ....after someone kicked the perfect uppercut that cleared my head clean out of the water; I decided next year I keep my line ! Anyway, the swim done in target time of 1h15, I was stoked...and on my way to transition....

Again...bodies everywhere; some even changed outside the tent. My transition was smooth and 8 minutes later I was on my bike and heading out on my first 60km bike lap....but oh hell... I can feel my legs are already done. I decided to take the first lap easy, but that strategy didn't work as the second and third laps were even tougher. Slowly I resign myself to the fact that my 3 weeks of being sick are costing me dearly. I decide to enjoy the view and and the ride and hope that my running legs woke up this morning, because my cycling legs definitely did not ! The route is great; 3 laps of 60 km, mostly flat and a long section along the sea shore; very little wind; this should have been a great ride. Frustratingly 7 hours later, I am back at transition with time to make up. Another 8 minute transition and I tell myself that the time has gone, forget it, and just focus on the run....

Out on the run course I discover to my total dissapointment that my run legs never woke up this morning either ...but hey, I have time to finish and reach my first objective: finishing IronMan. The 42km run course is long, very long. After 3,8km swim, 180km bike and the prospect of another 42km on my legs, "excitement" is not a word that sprang to mind ! But hey, I am doing it... I am finishing IronMan ! The spectators 'made that run' - they excellently supported and encouraged all along Marine Drive Port Elizabeth, spectators line both sides of the run and really encourage the IronMen (15% of the field are ladies). You race with your name on your number so everyone encourages you by name; its awesome. The weather is still perfect, but the day getting long now as sunglasses start getting removed to accommodate the setting sun.....darkness comes quickly and highlights the loneliness of my quest... I have seen some friends along the way, but IronMan really is a personal quest. The evening is so perfect that spectators are sitting on the side of the road burning candles - with no wind to blow them out !

On my last lap, 8 km out from the red carpet I start planning my finish.... I have visualised my run alone down that red carpet so often... and that moment is now....

Suddenly after a long day, time seems to suddenly speed up because I am here, at the red carpet and I am immensely sad that its all over... and ironically, I cannot really remember my run down that red carpet, maybe because I was dissapointed with my time, dissapointed that I never had the legs on the day, dissapointed that months of preparation and expectation are now over....but...today, at this moment... and forever... I am an IronMan ! Objective achieved. Relief. I have never been so pleased to get a finishers medal. It has been a long day... 14 hours and 32 minutes long....

What a great day, what a great race, what a great organization...what a journey!

I cannot describe how pleased I am that I took on this challenge. As Avron told me months ago "IronMan changes your life". I now understand why all the faces lit up of those people that I spoke to about IronMan.....'man' you gotta do IronMan !