Ironman Lanzarote 2019

I started thinking about taking part in IM Lanzarote after spectating at the event in 2017. I loved the atmosphere, the fantastic crowd support and the island but in all honesty, I thought the race was too hard for me to take part in. The mass sea swim start worried me and my overactive imagination of what might lie beneath the waves concerned me as well. Cycling in Lanzarote is as hard as it is fabulous, because while you have the smoothest of roads, superb variation of short and long climbs mixed with fast descents and glorious scenery it does get incredibly hot and very often incredibly windy, which makes cycling conditions a bit interesting at times. Running in the heat, is something that does not overly worry me, but running in the heat when there is no shade and off the back of a challenging bike ride is hard.

The “Toughest Ironman in the World” as it is billed, felt well out of reach for me and while Adrian and our friends registered for the 2019 race, I was left contemplating if I might find the courage to enter the race another year.

But somewhere along the line I began to have second thoughts. It started when I met my friend Heather for lunch, a multiple ironman finisher who explained she had decided to go for it as life really is a bit too short not to try. Messages with another friend Paula, a five-time Lanzarote finisher and also age group winner of this race, had so much enthusiasm for anyone considering entering meant I was gradually thinking maybe just maybe, I could do it.

Although I have completed two ironman events, each one is different and just because you have finished one does not mean you can ‘easily’ do another. So while my best finish time of 13 hours 5 mins might suggest I could do similar in Lanzarote, once you take into account that time was on a course with a flat calm lake swim, on a bike course with half the elevation and none of the wind and heat conditions and finished with a very flat and shady run, you start to appreciate that time would not transfer over to the Lanzarote course for me.

I read the race results from the previous year, looking at the slower times and working out if I could make those. I reviewed the bike cut off times and calculated where I thought I might be depending on if I had a good or bad swim. I watched the race highlights on youtube over and over again and finally decided I was going to do it.

I signed up without telling Adrian. I pressed the button and sent him the confirmation email that said, “Congratulations you have entered the 2019 Ironman Lanzarote” and my journey to the finish line had begun.

Training for the race went reasonably well. I missed some training in December due to illness but other than that I was well and consistently training.

My swim fitness was good. We had consistently built the endurance up over the winter and this year concentrated on swimming longer sets in the pool which I felt built my stamina well. Both of my previous 3.8k swims had been 1hr 20m and going on my pool times I should have been confident of a similar time for Lanza, but having been out there in March I was feeling increasingly nervous about the sea swim. Whenever, we got in the sea I would be fine until the bottom dropped off and then I would start to feel panic set in. Also, the last time we swam it was choppy and there was a pretty big swell. I got out from that swim worrying about race day and if I was going to manage to complete the swim at all. That feeling of fear did not leave me all the way to race morning.

I had concentrated hard on my bike fitness. Hours on the turbo seemed to be paying off on the road. The Lanzarote trip in March had boosted my confidence and I knew the course route well. I felt that as long as I could get out the swim I could easily make the bike cut offs. I was aiming for a 7hr 30 bike time and felt that was really achievable based on my training rides. As long as, I got off the bike by 4.30pm I would be winning and have plenty time to get through the run.

Then three weeks before the race I started to feel a soreness just behind my left ankle which I recognised as tendinitis. Having had this before when I increased my running load I knew the only way to repair it was to completely rest it. This meant I missed my last long training run and I did not run again for the best part of two weeks. Five days out from the race it started to feel healed so I managed a couple of short 15 minute runs before race day. I was not overly worried as I know I can get through the run, but I did think I probably lost some run fitness.

Race Day

I slept well the night before the race and got up with the alarm at 4.30am. Managed to eat some breakfast, have a coffee and left the hotel around 5.15am. We were a short walk to race transition. Stashed our nutrition on the bikes, quick check of the bike and run bags, toilet stop and then got our wet suits on.

Adrian suggested we go in for a practice swim, check the googles and do a quick warm up. We did that and then it was time to get lined up for the swim. We bumped into Grace, who as a fast 1 hour swimmer was lined up at the front for the swim, we wished her luck and walked further back to our start points. Adrian walked me to the under 80 mins sign we had a hug, wished each other luck and he went off to his point further up the front. I spoke to a couple of other competitors and was pleased to see Lou, who I had met at the parade of nations a few days before. She was as worried as me about the swim, we had a hug and stuck together to start. All of a sudden, the crowd moved forward, the gun went and we were off.

I am not sure how to describe the swim. I approached the water and there is just a sea of arms and legs flying everywhere. I remember getting in and thinking oh god this is a bloody nightmare, I was being battered around the head and body with every stroke. It was carnage but you just had to dig in and swim. I stuck to my plan of swimming close to the buoy line. I knew I was going to get smacked on the outward leg but I did not want to go too far out. It worked well. I rounded the first buoy in touching distance, I was getting thumped and pushed in every direction, but I was on course. I found the buoy line again and just concentrated on swimming along it. There were bodies everywhere, the swell got up a bit but nothing I could not handle. A few times I looked for Lou and she was right next to me, shouting oh my god or bloody hell which was hilarious, I kept checking she was alright for that first lap, and in doing so realised I was actually fine.

We got to the next turn buoy quicker than I expected, again I hugged the line down to the next turn and then we were on our way back to start for lap two. I managed to get a bit of a draft and started to get space to get a decent stroke on. I was out of the water and on the beach before I knew it. As I ran around to get in again for lap 2 I had a quick look at my watch it was 7:40am so I was absolutely on track for a 1.20 swim, I could hardly believe it. The start was less crowded on lap 2 but still a few knocks and kicks, someone lifted my legs and pushed me at one point, which was actually quite helpful as I got shoved forward. I did the same as lap 1 and stuck to the buoy line, it was a good tactic. The swell on the outward leg seemed a bit larger but I found I was enjoying it. I looked down and noticed a huge manta ray below me, I was not scared I was marvelling in the beauty of it.

By the time I had turned back to the finish for the last time I was relaxed and really enjoying myself. The crowds were cheering as we ran to transition. I got my hat and googles off and my wet suit half way down. Grabbed my bag and bumped straight into Paula we shouted “Well done” to each other and shot off to get changed.

Got changed without much of an issue, sun creamed all over thanks to a helper, although I looked like a ghost I had so much on my face and arms. Grabbed my bike and headed up to the mount line which was bit of a hike from the transition area particularly tricky wearing my bike shoes. Got a high five from Kenneth Gasque (the man who started the race on the island) on my way out and off I went.

I was really happy to be on my bike. It was surprisingly overcast and a bit cold for the first half of the ride, but I was thankful for that as I know how hot it can get. I was on schedule and doing well. There were lots of people ahead of me and overtaking me but I stuck to my plan and my power numbers well. I was drinking in fluid and eating religiously as nutrition is key to getting around. It was windy but not that bad on the road down towards El Gofo, I had a brief chat with a guy from Yorkshire who was on a road bike and making it look altogether bloody easy. There were loads of people already on the road heading back from El Gofo as I was riding down, indicating I was near the back of the field but it didn’t worry me. I told myself to “Stick to your plan, your race, your pace, don’t worry about anyone else, keep positive” these were my mantras for the day and overall it worked.

Timafaya is one of my favourite places on the island, it’s a bit lumpy but you are cycling in the middle of a lava field which is an eerily quiet and oddly majestic landscape. There were quite a few motorcycle marshals around at this point blowing whistles at riders ahead of me who were bunched up and waving them to space out but I was doing well keeping out of the draft zone and working within my power numbers. Got to the top of the long climb had a major wobble as I got caught with a gust of wind but then just enjoyed the long sweep down into Macha Blanca. Passed the first bike cut off point, grinned at myself as I was well within the time and pushed on to San Bartholomew. I like this part of the ride, the road is undulating but quick and perfect for sitting in your aerobars and pushing on. I picked up some speed and passed a few riders on the way down to the Monument and then started the long climb up to Teguise.

I was just about at the garage before Teguise when the first male pro riders came flying past, they are incredible to watch and to think they had already done more than half the course by that stage. I climbed into Teguise and the crowd support was superb, everyone cheering Vamos and Bravo Linda which really spurred me on, I was waving and smiling and feeling pretty good. Just before I got out of Teguise I spotted our very own GB Pro Triathlete Nikki Bartlett coming down on her bike. She looked focused, strong and fast.

From that point, I was focused on eating, drinking and pedalling away towards Los Valos where the climb to Haria starts. It started to get pretty hot then. As I reached the bottom of the climb I overheard a rider asking a Marshall where he could quit. I was surprised as he looked really fit and had a properly fast bike. I shouted “come on” along with a few other riders but he shook his head. Maybe something had gone wrong with his bike that we could not see or he had overdone it but either way I was certain I was not for quitting.

Got to the top of Haria and a few riders in front of me stopped, I pushed on keen to get the downhill switchbacks out the way. It is a fast section and I glad to carefully make it to the bottom and up through Haria town. Heading towards Mirador a girl I met in transition the day before came passed me, we had a brief chat before she shot off. She looked flipping strong on the hill and a few others passed me on the way up too. At the top of Mirador, I grabbed a bottle and pulled over for a very quick breather before tackling the long descent. I checked my watch and I was just over 5 hours in, and the realisation that I was unlikely to make it back within 2.5 hours was a bit demoralising, but I snapped myself out of it and just continued on. The descent was a bit hairy in places. Looking at my Strava it seems I descended faster than ever before, probably due to the sodding great tailwind that was shoving me down and at times catching me on the side. I pushed hard from the bottom of Mirador all the way to the turn back up to Tesegite.

The sun was now fully out and I was feeling a bit scorched and for the first time a bit tired. I took out my snickers bar which I had kept for this very part of the ride to spur me on. God it tasted like heaven and I really felt the benefit for it while wishing I had brought another one!

Getting to the aid station at Tesegite, I stopped to grab more bottles and use the toilet. A Scottish voice greeted me and I could not believe it when he said he was from Portobello, he also knew where Duns was, where I grew up. He exchanged a few words of encouragement and I left feeling better for using the loo and in a good frame of mind.

The next part of the ride, I just kept my head down and pushed.

My power numbers were looking terribly low but I had my eyes on the prize of getting to the finish line. There were still a lot of supporters on the route even although the riders were thinning out now. It seems to me that the whole island embraces this race. You will be in the middle of nowhere, cycle round a corner and meet two or three people with a getto blaster dancing and cheering away at you. It was bizarre and bloody brilliant!

On the final 10 miles I started to overtake a few people and realised I was not feeling too bad except a bit hot. I forced myself to keep eating and drinking, although my stomach was sloshing with fluid. Heading back to San Bartholomew was a high point for me, I was nearly, nearly there. Got up the last hill to reach the top of the donkey track to see the rider in front of me get blown right across the road. He almost fell off but somehow managed to hang on. I braced myself but thankfully the wind seemed to miss me, either that or my weight helped to ground me to my bike.

Getting back into Puerto Del Carmen, the crowds were huge and cheering madly. I got off the bike and walked down the hill into transition. God it was hot and I still had to do the run. Transition was a long walk from the dismount line. I had no desire to run at this stage, just drop the bike and grab my run gear. Once again Scottish voices greeted me in the run change tent. Three lovely women who took one look at me and said “you will be wanting some more cream on hen” I almost cried laughing with them. Nowhere obvious to change my shorts as it was communal, but I decided I needed to do it so one of the volunteers stood in front of me while I whipped them off and changed into a clean pair. I really did not care who saw my backside at that point and to be frank I really don’t think anyone was looking.

Changed my socks, got my trainers, cap and sunglasses on and headed out. The time was 5.25pm about an hour later than I had hoped but I told myself never mind you made it to the run, come on.

Out to the run. The start was absolutely packed with cheering supporters, you begin with an uphill run (deep joy) and the first thing I thought as I shuffled up it was it is incredibly hot. I ran holding a small bottle of water and some gels which I started to take on quickly. I was looking out for Adrian and at about 5k in I spotted him running towards me. We stopped and had a massive sweaty hug, both us pleased to see the other safely off the bike, there had been a few ambulances on the course and a couple of accidents, so I was more than relieved to see him. Also, this race was about Adrian validating his Kona slot and I knew he was anxious just to safely get around and tick the race off. We both acknowledged the bike had been hard, we swapped bike times and I was only an hour behind him so we were both slower than we had hoped for. I did feel tired and hot but cheered up immensely by seeing him.

The first lap of the run is 20k. It is a long run out and back past the airport. The planes are taking off and landing all the time, so you are treated to the occasional whiff of diesel. I found my feet and slowly started to catch a few people on the run, as well as a few people catching me too. It is a game of cat and mouse at times and I saw a few people on the run that had been on the bike with me. There is an awfully nice feeling of camaraderie among competitors, lots of well done, keep going shared between us all. It is a lovely community of people.

Made it to the turnaround point, which was early than I had expected and headed back. At some point I remember Paula shouting my name but most of the run is a bit of a blur. I just focused on moving forward, taking on cola, water and gels until I could not stomach them anymore. The heat was getting to me, I walked the aid stations and then ran on. Getting the first band on after 20k was motivating, getting the next one on 10k later even better. By the time I got to the last checkpoint it was dark and had gotten much cooler but with 5k to go I was still jogging not walking. On the last lap I thanked every volunteer, I lost count of the people sitting in the bars at the side of the run route who clapped, cheered and shouted well done. That last couple of miles was so amazing, I felt Iike I had won the Olympics. Running down towards the finish was fantastic. The crowds were awesome, cheering my name and making a huge noise. As I ran down the finisher chute I spotted Adrian shouting at me to stop to take my picture (he had finished 2 hours before me). I ran over the line and held up the banner to have my picture taken, I was then joined by another finisher who in his haste to finish crashed into my finish line picture. I could not have been happier to share that moment, we just both grinned and laughed at each other. It was done.

Ironman Lanzarote is the toughest challenge I have ever taken on. I am massively proud of myself and thankful to everyone who encouraged me and trained with me but especially to Adrian for putting up with my months of worry and doubt as well as for managing my training programme.

I did say I will never do this race again, it is so immensely hard but now one week later I am already contemplating a return and thinking about how to get stronger on the bike and run. Will I ever learn… probably not!

Ironman Wales 2011

IM Wales was meant to be a nice relax race for me. I did IM Switzerland earlier this year and had planned this as a "fun" race. How wrong was I! It turned out to be the toughest IM I've ever done! I guess JP was right - “Don't tell yourself you will take it easy course there is no such thing in Ironman!”

I arrived in Tenby early on Friday 9th Sep for the inaugural Ironman Wales. It was sunny and the sea looked really welcoming and there were promises of a good weekend ahead. The scheduled practice swim on North Beach went well. The sea was a little choppy but not too daunting. It was calmer than Bournemouth had been the week before.

After a quick swim, I got out feeling calm and confident. After checking in at the hotel and a quick registration, I headed out for a recce of the run route.

It wasn't good..... The run route was very hilly taking the main road out of Tenby before turning around and heading back to the castle and up and down the hilly streets of Tenby. Great! And I'll have to do the hilliest marathon I've ever seen after 7 hours + of racing! That's what happens when you don't research the course route thoroughly! Funnily enough, the races’ run rules stated that "No form of locomotion other than running, walking or crawling is allowed"

Race Briefing that evening was funny in a macabre way, as the announcer told us about a potential change in swim locations due to Hurricane Katia. Due to safety concerns, they were considering moving the swim from the more exposed North Beach to the South Beach but it was 1 km from the T1. I mean why not? We were already doing 140.6 miles, what’s another 1 km in the grand scheme of things right? He was obviously enjoying himself as he then described the extent of climbing on the bike course.

It was raining all Saturday morning. We checked our bikes and BIKE & RUN bags in. We were told of the confirmed change in swim location and given an extra transition bag. This was to hold our 2nd pair of trainers at the swim exit so that we could run the 1 km across Tenby town centre to T1. On the North beach, the kite surfers were having a whale of a time out there with the huge breakers. Thank god we weren't swimming there on Sunday.

At the 2nd race briefing, they confirmed the swim will be at the South Beach but made another change to the swim route. (as if we haven’t got enough to think about) After the briefing, I went off for a quick dinner and then back to bed.

I woke up at 4.30 AM on race morning having had the first full night sleep in my 3 IRONMAN races. This should be good!

I had a good night sleep. The swim on Friday morning went OK. The sportive in Tenby in June went OK - Tough but manageable – about 6hr 40mins. The run was tough but I’ve already done 1 lap. I should be OK...

0640hrs on the beach and we were all corralled into a holding area. Then one guy went over the barrier and started walking along the beach towards the 1st buoy and then another followed. Pretty soon, more than half the field was walking down the beach to the 1st buoy. After walking halfway down, we were told to get back into the holding area which we promptly did.... for a while before it all started again....

And then the horn went!

Instead of swimming straight to the 1st buoy, half the field ran down the beach towards the 1st buoy before jumping in. It shortened the swim considerably but also meant that the field was spread across a bigger area. To me, that meant not being bashed about as much and I was able to swim in clear water. The breakers were only about 2 feet tall but there were times when I couldn't see the huge buoys that they had placed out for us!

On the 2nd lap, there were marshals to ensure that we couldn’t run down the beach. We had to swim the full lap and after the 2nd lap, we had to run up a steep ramp to get off the beach. I got my shoes on, steadied myself and jog to T1. There were people already passing me at this stage and it was going to be the theme of the day. Grab my Bike bag, no problem, helmet on, no problem, got on my bike, no problem, ride out of Tenby, and then I realised that the wind had picked up....

Soon, I was getting overtaken by all.... the pointy hats, the disk wheels, as the minutes rolled by so did everyone else. It was brutal heading out to Angle but it was there that we really experienced the full force of nature. On the beach, white crested waves were just rolling in one after another. You could see riders on disk wheels struggling to maintain control of their bikes.

On the bike, I kept my cadence high and my heart rate down, I ate and drank as per my training rides and it was fine until about 40 miles and then for some strange reason, I started feeling sleepy.... really sleepy... I could hardly keep my eyes open and I had to talk to myself to keep myself awake.

By the 55 mile mark, I was a goner. I’ve had it with this crap. There were no flat sections on this course. It was either uphill at 5mph or technical downhills at 30+ mph. I was going to quit triathlon and chuck my bloody bike into the bushes. Only problem was that I was in the middle of nowhere so I had no choice but to pedal on.

At about the 56 mile mark, a feed station!!!! I slowed down to grab a drink at a feed station. As I was doing that, the guy ahead of me came to a complete stop. Fricking heck! I couldn’t stop in time! I went into the back of him and hit the ground. When I got up, my shoulder was hurting but I was determined to soldier on. At the point, I realised I had a puncture as well!

A “quick” change and I was out of the feed station, sore shoulder and knee but aching to finish the race. By then, my pace had slowed considerably. I shifted down to my inner chainring and grounded up the hills, out the saddle with the biggest cog I had…I had no more gears. Some of the hills were horrendous, 16% at Wiseman’s Bridge which seems to go on for a while (and we had to do that twice). In and out of Saundersfoot where we had to ride up the Welsh version of “Heartbreak Hill”. Only problem was that our legs were already shot by the time we got here. So it was another long slog to get to the top and then up another hill following that. Wave after wave of hills kept coming. Seeing yet another hill that you may have gone through earlier in the day but not remembering it is not nice. Anyway you get the picture, my back had held out, but I just wanted to get back to T2 and get on with the last leg of the race.

I finally got to T2. Out of T2, I was running at a steady speed until I hit that long hill heading out of Tenby. I pushed on as hard as I could but eventually I slowed to a walk... and then I started walking.... My legs were shot and I had to formulate a new strategy. Walk up that long hill out of Tenby, walk the feed station and jog (no longer running at this point) the rest of the course. The proprietor at the Albany Hotel where I was staying was out cheering us on as well. He was supposed to provide pints of Brains bitter for refreshments but that didn’t materialise. I’m sure I would have run faster if I had some of that liquid nourishment!

The minutes went on, I took on more nutrition and I ran a little faster.

Soon, I was into the last lap, I walked the main hill out of Tenby but I picked up my pace after. When I hit the turnaround point, I up-ed the pace and started running and reeling in the numbers. I was going to finish. Not sure how long I’ve been out here as I no longer bothered to looking at my HR monitor. I was feeling better and this was the last fricking lap. Back down the hill, into Town…. And I collected my last band. Went round the corner to a flat stretch leading to the finish line..... and I felt the strong headwind again!

But it was not going to stop me now as I sprinted towards the finish line. Crowds thickened on the finishing straight, the cheers of the crowd and then I finally crossed the finish line.

I pipped the guy next to me by a second but we were both just happy that we completed it. I congratulated the other competitors than were staggering around the finish line with me and although my time was a personal worst time of 13:21. I was just glad I survived. The splits were: Swim: 1:02:55, T1: 13:57, Bike: 7:29:24, T2: 6:44, Run: 4:28:45.

Kristen Moeller, the female winner wrote the following on her FB page: "After a stormy swim in the atlantic, cycled a very windy bike course, including 2400m of altitude. Took over the lead at the 1st of 4 loops in the Marathon. The hilly run course with it's 800m of altitude, made IM Wales by far the toughest Ironman i done."

On the way back from Wales the next day, I met a guy at a KFC along the M4 who was also heading home from Ironman Wales. He had done 12 Ironmans including 4 in Lanzarote. He said that IM Wales was the toughest he has done and it made Lanzarote look easy. His finish time was about 11 hours. I later found out from Paula that he was Lyle!

As I’m writing this up with my legs propped up of a sofa.... having opted for early retirement from triathlon. I’ve decided that I’m spending the rest of my time eating pies & lifting pints. In fact, lifting pints is all the training I’m gonna do from now on.

Ironman Santa Rosa 2018

At 4am on Race morning downtown Santa Rosa was already a hub of activity when we arrived. Volunteers pointing athletes in the right direction and about 30 yellow school buses all lined up ready to transport us to Transition 1 and the start line at Lake Sonoma.

I was feeling a bit nervous but as I had slept really well, I felt rested and I had also managed to get my breakfast down. The transfer took about 40 minutes and although everyone on the bus seemed to be wide awake and chatting, I said very little to my partner Adrian, who was also taking part and nodding off next to me (unlike me he had not slept much at all).

Arriving at T1, we were met by a team of body markers who marker penned our race number on our arms and our age on our left calf. I then checked my bike over, pumped my tyres and added my nutrition and drinks. Although it was a beautiful morning, there was a slight chill in the air so I got into my wetsuit early to keep warm. The start line was below the bike transition and with nothing much else to do we decided to walk down early. There was no opportunity to get in and have a quick warm up swim so we waved our arms around a bit, and did a few stretches in an attempt at a warm up.

Soon the announcer asked us to get into our swim pens. I said goodbye to Adrian and decided to seed myself near the front of the 80 minute swim pen box. The sun was just coming up and Lake Sonoma was glistening and beautiful. I was glad I had taken the time for a practice swim a few days earlier as I knew the lake would be warm and clear and I was looking forward to getting in. The American National anthem played, gun sounded and the race began.

The swim is two laps with a short Australian exit and re-entry after the first lap. You swim out, directly into the sun which makes sighting a bit interesting before doing a right and swimming under the iconic yellow bridge into what is a sheltered cove where you loop round and come back to the start before doing it all again. I really enjoyed my first lap, I was swimming almost stroke for stroke alongside the man that got into the water next to me. He had a lovely gliding technique which made me think about slowing my stroke down and eased me into the swim. Lap two was uneventful and although I clunked into a buoy with my head I never got battered or swum over by anyone. I got out the swim feeling good and with a smile on my face before starting to jog up the fairly steep 400m uphill climb to transition one.

(Picture me on left, googles on head)

Half way up the hill there were wet suit strippers who quickly pulled off my wetsuit, pulled me up and before I knew it I was being handed my bike bag and in the tent getting my bike helmet and shoes on. Two lovely ladies carefully smothered me in sun screen and before I knew it I was on my bike and off. Riding over the bridge above the lake was fabulous, you can see swimmers below and there was a lot of supporters cheering. The sun was out and the first part of the ride was a long downhill section which helped dry me off and get myself settled down for the ride. I covered the first 50 miles pretty quickly and I was conscientious about eating, I think I ate a piece of high five power bar into my system every 15-20 mins or so. The aid stations were frequent and this time I remembered to grab water to cool me down as well as an energy drink. I did not stop at any station for the first 70 miles just pushed on until I really need a toilet break and some more sun cream. The volunteers were marvellous. A volunteer held my bike while I went to the toilet and another lady sprayed cream on my shoulders. I cannot fault the enthusiasm and support of the volunteers at this race.

The bike ride was mostly undulating with a few short sharp hills. Chalk Hill was fine, I span up it and concentrated on keeping my power numbers down and so the whole way round the bike I felt I was pushing but not overdoing it. The road surfaces were pretty crappy and uneven. I have cycled on pretty bad roads in the UK but this was a different level. Such a pity as while I was down on my aerobars for most of the ride I felt that I could not really look around and enjoy the scenery as I was 100% concentrating on the road, avoiding potholes and cracks as well as debris from other riders. I had to stop to tighten my bottle cage which came loose but other than that the ride was pretty uneventful. There were a few people drafting and a couple of obvious packs came past which is a bit annoying but that is racing for you. As I got past the 100 mile mark I was desperate for the end of the ride, I was getting a bit fed up with the headwind and I was keen to just get off. As I rounded into downtown Santa Rosa there was lots of supporters on the route and finally the dismount line. I got off and a volunteer grabbed my bike to rack it. My toes on my right foot were feeling a bit numb so I stopped to take my bike shoes off before running, actually more like hobbling, to the transition tent.

(On the bike course on my beautiful Cervelo P2 Picture: Courtesy Justin Lau Photography)

Inside T2 another helpful volunteer emptied my bag and helped me get ready for my run. I got my cap on, sunglasses and trainers and did not hang about, just a quick sun cream application from another volunteer and I was off.

Heading out on the run I felt okay. My legs were fine, my head was in a good positive place as I had noticed my bike time was 6.37 a lot better than my previous IM race. I had no idea at this point what my overall time was as I had intentionally decided not to use my watch in the swim in case my time was rubbish as I did not want anything negative to affect my race at the start. For me long distance is as much about the mental state you are in as the physical, keeping positive keeps you going and makes the race easier, start getting negative and it all goes downhill from there.

The start of the run was through the centre of the town, before hitting the main part of the route which was a mixture of pavement and trail. The support was crazy in the town. Loads of people cheering your name and whooping and shouting. The heat was also pretty noticeable and I was glad there was an aid station positioned early on the course. I started to religiously follow my plan of throwing one cup of water over my head to keep me cool, one cup of water in my mouth and to regularly take in an energy gel. I took a gel roughly every third aid station and while I struggled like mad to swallow it I did force them as I didn’t want to run out of steam. The run is three laps so you are running approximately 8 miles each lap. It’s mostly trail surfaces which I like with a few hilly sections just to keep your quads engaged! It was fairly quiet at the far end of the trail with very few supporters, so you had to dig deep and really keep your focus at times. I was concentrating on my run cadence and all the things that my coach Paul Ransome, has been drilling into me for months about keeping my form, pawing back, and keeping my head up, taking on my nutrition and just easy zone 2 running. I enjoyed the first lap, I was coping with the heat and feeling good. I kept telling myself if I felt this good on lap 2 then I would be winning. I started to look out for Adrian, who I knew would be ahead of me on the course and just kept as many positive thoughts going in my head as I ran forward. Coming back into town to start lap 2 I was still enjoying myself. The crowds were fab and I high fived the volunteer at the turn around point. As I ran back along the trail I spotted Adrian coming in the other direction. We stopped for a brief kiss as we passed and he said he was heading in to start his third lap, he looked tired but okay. Lap 2 went by similarly to Lap 1 and surprisingly I found I was beginning to pass a few people. I was smiling as I came into the turnaround point for the last lap. The crowds were roaring support and I shouted “Last lap” which got an even bigger cheer. I was really enjoying myself even although my big toes were really starting to ache, I ignored them and pushed on. Somewhere around this point my watch died so I had no idea what time I was on or what my heart rate was doing however, having trained for months in heart rate zone 2, I know by feel if I am overdoing it so I was not too worried. Half way round I started to feel stronger again and although I thought I was going to throw up my energy gels I did manage to keep getting them down. Everyone on that run course was an absolute legend in my eyes, the number of people who passed and said “Good job” “Keep going” was just brilliant. I kept encouraging everyone as much as I could particularly those that were walking. The volunteers at each aid station were superb too. During the last three miles the sun was getting low and I started to feel a bit chilly. I heard myself say out loud “Come on, three miles lets go” and then laughed as I realised I said it to no one but myself. Although I had no idea what my time was, I hoped I might be close to 13.5 hours and as it was still daylight I thought that might be about right.

(On the finishers chute)

Those last few miles seemed the longest ever but eventually I was back in the town and heading for the finishers chute. The crowds were building and the noise of people cheering was fabulous. I remember putting my sunglasses on my cap and starting to sprint for the line, like a woman possessed. I threw my arms up in the air and soaked in the moment. Mike Riley, the Ironman announcer said “Linda, you are an Ironman” and I crossed the line elated. I had done it and in a time of 13 hours 6 minutes. A massive PB for me and far beyond what I had hoped to achieve. Adrian, was waiting at the finish line, complete with his medal on and a huge grin on his face. Ironman Santa Rosa was in the bag!