IRONMAN UK TRIATHLON 2008 - 07/09/2008
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2.4 MILE SWIM, 112 MILE BIKE, 26.2 MILE RUN, 12000 CALORIES, 17 HOUR CUT OFF
This event raised several potential questions:
1. Why on earth did I choose to do it?
2. Why did I think that cycling 70 miles on flat roads was enough training?
3. Why didn’t I manage to loose that extra stone I planned?
4. Why on a circular course is the wind always on your face?
Rising early on September 7th in an attempt to eat something before the big race I forced down some coffee and Weetabix. For the previous week sleep has been elusive, and for someone who does not worry about things this has been disturbing.
I arrive at transition and join the throng of nervous athletes, making small talk, laughing a little too loudly at bad jokes or simply staring the thousand yard stare as they ‘gee’ themselves up.
I’m always sick before a big race and today was no exception. I was just hoping I had kept down enough calories.
We are all herded to the edge of the water for a 6:00 am start. We enter the water at about 6:10 am; it is still dark. I was assured that the lake would have warmed up over the long summer months. This was not true. It was very cold. For some reason the start is delayed as we tread water for 20 minutes, just what you need at the start of a long day like this.
Finally were off.
I stay wide and take it easy, trying and succeeding in avoiding the bun fight . The swim is going well; I’m nice and relaxed and happen to look up just as the sun rises over the lake. It is enough to take your breath away. I am determined to race with gratitude, for the fact that I am blessed to be in a position to even contemplate doing this race. At times like this with a huge sense of well being it is easy.
This feeling of well being is truly shattered as I finish the swim and try to stand; both my calves cramp really badly. I am bundled out of the way to the side. Thankfully recovery is quick and a quick coffee and energy bar later I am on the bike.
I really struggle for the first 40 miles. The going is tough and the hills are really hard. Two huge climbs each lap. A climb and then an 8 mile acccent, but camaraderie is good. It not that it is just tiring, it is just still such a long way to go and I am realising that I have not trained on any hills.
TOTAL DISTANCE 111.7miles
Total Elevation 2070mtrs or 6791ft
As each lap passes I am convinced they have added more climbs and that the wind is constantly against us.
When you run, 2 miles into a race you are running with people who run at your own pace, and so you can feed off each other. In this bike race because of the huge differences in swim times my companions are constantly changing, it basically feels like I am going backwards.
I force myself to eat energy gels every 10 miles and by half way it is making me gag, they are foul.
At about forty miles I am praying for a permanent mechanical problem on the bike so I can retire without loosing face. On each climb I have a monkey on my back telling me to give up.
Beyond half way things begin to improve mentally as I start to count down the miles. Physically though I am beginning to tire and on the third lap I fell like I have six monkeys on my back. Gone are the pleasant quips to be replaced by grimaces and utter silence.
Into the last 10 miles and I am regretting praying for a mechanical failure, as I would have to carry the bike to the finish. Luckily the bike holds out and I am grateful to get off.
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The only positive about the cycle being such hard work is that you don’t have time to dwell on the prospect of doing the marathon.
A brief chat with another athlete and it is worked out that I have seven and a half hours to complete the run
A brief chat with Karen cheers me up and I am sure I am going to do it.
The run is a three lap course. The first half of each lap is cross country. Really muddy and uphill. Two miles in and my confidence in finishing is greatly reduced.
I arrive at the strategy of running / walking the hills and running the descents and flats.
The second half of the course is in the town and the crowds really give us a lift. Running at five and a half miles an hour pace I calculate that ill be fine.
The run goes really well and by the last lap I realise I have a chance of breaking fifteen hours, my predicted time being sixteen.
At last I enter the red carpeted finishing straight, the crowd banging the advertising boarding is really special.
I finish in 14 hours 52 minutes.
- · Swim 1 hour 15
- · Bike 7 hours 58
- · Run 5 hours 18
I am an Ironman!!
Thanks to Karen for help and support always. To the crowds on the route, Paul at Life Cycles and Mick and Neil at the swimming club.
Will I do it again? .... No.!!!!
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End of Blog Simon Bunting (I AM IRONMAN)
Well done Simon from all at LRR
================================================================================================SWISS ALPINE MARATHON DAVOS – 26th July 2008
It was warm...but not as warm as the day before had been when the skies were blue blue blue! It was still far too hot for me and Sue though.
Our race started at 11:30 the idea being that those doing the K78 would meet up with us short K42 coursers after having started their little jog at 8am. Mad dogs and Englishmen spring to mind!!
We arrived in Bergun 2 hours before the start...got changed and waited in town to see the lead 78kers come through...amazing guys and gals they are. The lead guy had about a 5min lead at this point...being 36k into his race, with only 42k to go!! The first lady through was Lizzy Hawker who'd won the ladies 78k event the previous 2 years and was 13th overall at this stage.
We got to our start and found The Green Goddess or her equivalent trying to get us all to limber up. I just stood and watched the lycra....... ……….spiderman was in front of me. (wink)
We started on time..Swiss/German efficiency and started with a small loop out of the town and back into town to run through the high street where we'd watched the K78ers earlier...and the climbing began. The race began on tracks, went to road and then back to tracks winding up 10k to Chants....this section would be the hilly part of a "normal" race but here it was simply the warm up. It took us 78mins to reach Chants...sounds slow but we were 2 mins inside what I thought we'd do...so far so good then.
I took a throw away camera on the race and clicked away throughout...running ahead of Sue to take her picture or stopping at the feed stations...there were 14 on the route serving soup ( which was great), water, ice tea fruit buns and bananas. We stopped at every station which clearly impacted upon our time but, at the same time did mean we could recover and move on without suffering too much.
From Chants the first hard climb began...no running here I'm afraid to say...walk walk walk....just like most other folk.
I forgot to say that the 10k to Chants involved a climb of 460 odd metres.
The next section of 5.7k where we basically walked with everyone else...climbed from 1822metres to 2632metres....and when we reached the peak there was a GP there checking everyone to make sure they were ok to continue...bearing in mind the altitude, thin air, the remaining distance (i.e. 26.4k) and the next steep climb.
Having taken a few photos including one of the jazz quartet...and taking on board some soup and a piece of banana we began the 5.4k descent of 440m across the meadow and into the valley. This was a great section...charging down and across the fields...even passing a lone bagpipe man (I've no idea why he was there but his sounds made the legs turn even faster!!)
The only problem with this section was the thought that it was leading to the next but final major climb...up another 414metres to the Scalettapass. At the food station at the bottom of this section was a rescue helicopter.........I didn't see anyone being carried away thank goodness but no doubt some one was at some stage.
We began the climb...walking again with those around us...zigzagging up the mountain...not wanting to look up! Eventually we reached the point where we joined the route the ultra runners were doing and continued the final strides to the peak.
Lots of people made the most of the massage facilities...we just took the time to refuel...and then Andy, from Runners World met us, having followed us up the track. Very handy that as I got him to take a picture of us both. Despite seeming to be struggling a bit Andy said he now intended to run back down(the final 18.4 k) with no breaks.........
I think we were at the Scalettapass...and just about to head on down ahead of Andy Dixon of Runners World.
We'd walked this section earlier in the week and had part run it then so we knew what the terrain would be like...a bit stoney but generally not to bad underfoot It was 4.3k to our next feed station...well there was one before that but I bullied Sue into not stopping there for more than a mo. We ran down quite well and when we reached Durrboden leaving 14.3k to go I thought we may just get home at the quicker end of my estimate.
The steep down hills had now ended and we were on the mainly downhill final stretch home....should have been easy but it was this section that Sue really struggled on. It was an undulating few miles and the few ups and flat sections got to Sue resulting in several stops and walks...all very frustrating but that's marathons for you...especially this one!
Eventually we reached the timber merchants were we knew there would be a number of the other group members waiting to support us...having either not run earlier like Mike Gratton...or having finished one of the other races such as the C42,C31 or K21. The photo opportunity having been taken we ran up...yes up again!!!!!....into through the wood for what seemed like an age before coming down and into the town of
Looking good...well trying to anyway we made it into the stadium...had our names pronounced and finally crossed the line together holding hands............ we finished in 6hours 35mins.
The time didn't really matter...it was 35mins slower than aimed for at best but just 5mins outside the 6hours 30...and it included all the stops/photos.
As we were returning from picking up our kit we met Andy Dixon once more...we'd got in before him... YESSSSS !!!!
Over and out from Steve and Sue RR (taking a well earned break) !!!!
P.S Pictures posted very soon !!
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WHERE I WAS BORN - by Roger Mawer
I was born in the summer of 1940; my mother was a small, tough, dark-skinned woman, she played in a local hockey team
My father was a bandsman in the Wiltshire Regt, not a sportsman
We lived in a seaside town called Lee – on –
One practice they brought with them from their soldiering yrs was the Battalion Mass cross county run It was now ‘ Battalion road school’
Not many escaped this tradition; a dozen or so boys were needed to mark the course; That took care of the sick, lame and lazy. The rest of us had to run.
We were all transported to the Portadown Hill – part of the Rolling South Downs
It was a tough course but in my second yr I won the race think of that!! – All the school with Boys 3 yrs older than me and I beat the lot!
So I was made captain of the school team and my only talent discovered!
In my last year at school I joined an athletics club; I was ranked 4th in the country over 880 yards (1/2 =mile) and had run this in under 2 minutes
The classic1 mile was done in 4.17.2
I moved to
I went all over the
At the age of 30 I had an acre of land of clay and a house to look after – not to mention a wife and growing family.
I stopped competitive running for over ten yrs, however I kept fit and used running as my thinking time
At home I had a route we called the big circle; my boys also ran.
Later as a PE teacher I used the junior teams to races in the area.
One afternoon instead of going home after the junior race I told the teams there would be a delay before we could leave.
They asked why and I told them I was going to run in the senior races.
It seemed strange to be pounding the mud after ten yrs of absence by this time I was over 40.
The race went well & the other teams & groups were amused to hear my team cheering me on.
There were loads of good senior runners in local clubs and one contender was very good he was Graham Bowman from Diss AC.
I had to beat him and after a couple of races I did. I had by then got to know him and his wife very well. After our next race I finished ahead of him
At presentation he went up as usual to collect his prize. At this point his wife Janet said “hang on” and asked me if I was a vet “No” I replied “I am a teacher”
She realized I didn’t know about the vets system
“Are you over 40” she asked
“Yes” I replied
Graham was not most amused and handed the trophy back.
My career as a vet runner had taken off
Note veteran runners are now called “Masters”
I have since run about 40 marathons
Another sport was introduced to me as a teenager, Rugby I used to go early to games lessons; to play for
Of course my dream didn’t make reality.
My resting pulse was 42 and I was a skinny youth, far more suited to be a runner.
The strange fact was that the
So I did wear the red rose!
Roger Mawer
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GRIZZLY NEWS From Mark and Kevin
The lads went back to
life except some cows and a dog we named Shep. Yes nearly 2 cases of Boddingtons that’s 20 cans and by 9pm we had passed out. After a fried breakfast cooked by me, we headed off to the pub in Seaton and had a couple of pints and a game of pool and darts. Then we got changed for the Hoe Axe Challenge race.
After we had taken part in the Hoe Axe Challenge the day before, Oh what’s that I here you ask only a mile sprint on Seaton’s shingle beach of course Kevin had to win it, I would have been close but the weight of his car keys I was carrying weighed me down so I was 5th out of the 30ish nutters.
However the plan was still to take it easy doing the Grizzly. For those of you that’s never heard of it……….. (not many says LRR website admin) it's a tough 20ish miler up cliffs, through bogs, along miles of shingle beach, through forest and all done in the beautiful setting of Seaton, Beer and Branscome in Devon.
We started in the middle of the field, it took a bit of time to move after the gun went off, and get over the line. Once off it was on to the beach for a mile of shingle then up some monster hills and back down again into Beer. From here it was up more hills, before dropping down for a dip in the sea, Brrrrrrr, water up to the cheeky bits is no fun; you men know what I'm saying !!!!!
Then inland, uphill, to the bog (this is not the slang word for toilet), first of two, the bog is a hole full of black slimy muddy cack (is slang word ;)) that is knee deep, in most places, in others its thigh deep. It clings to you and tries dragging you in deeper, there is no easy way; you just have to plough through and hope you don’t stop.
Then it's up the big hill that has a rope to enable you to pull yourself to the top but Kevin and I did not see it until we had reached the top, the course goes on and on, with more hills, sea, mud, shingle. All but about 3 miles of this is off road, and where there is road it's on a hill, I was managing to keep my effort to medium, chatting to Kev as I went, We through water over each other at a drink station. I say we were just cruising round but Kevin was defo not in racing mode because he was leaving me up hill and I was catching him down, on the flat it was neck and neck.
At about mile 12 there is a memorial sculpture, you get a ribbon, tie it to the sculpture and offer up a prayer to those who are no longer with us. One thing about the Grizzly is there are little signs throughout the course offering word of wisdom, I wish I could remember them to tell you, but only a few come to mind, " I want to live forever, so far so good " and " what’s the speed of dark? " or " the road to excellence has no speed limits ". Kevin and I raced each other to the finish line but he just got it.
I was feeling good, no cramp (for now), no stress, and feeling like I could do it all again, that’s when it hit me, this race isn’t about times or who’s first, it's about enjoyment, fun and running with lots of like minded (mad) people. I never looked at my watch once, and only seen it as I stopped the clock on the finish line and to my surprise, the time was 3hours 32.
That is 20 minutes faster than the last time I did it, figure that out Kevin was 458th and I was
459th out of 1379 finishers
Mark Womack
Well done Kevin and Mark and thanks for the good blog.
Heres a picture of our men in action
http://picasaweb.google.com/DyersGreen/Grizzly/photo#5176124997462794898