Club member Dave Rose completed his first Ironman last month, read his story here…
Last month I completed my first Ironman in Vichy, France, The Ironman challenge consists of a 2.4 mile open water swim followed by a 112 mile bike ride, then finished off with a full 26.2 mile marathon….
In 2010 after struggling to complete the Great North Run in 2hrs6mins, this encouraged me to join Wreake Runners, which kick started my competitive challenge obsession. Once completing numerous running events I became interested in Triathlons and entered various sprint-distance Tri’s.
After completing a number of Triathlons I dared to think about the ultimate Triathlon race and wondered if I dare enter a full Ironman challenge – after researching the European events the Vichy race stood out due to its flat course and guaranteed nice weather, this would turn out to be more than I had wished for!!
9 months later, after training twice a day, the race loomed and I headed to Vichy with some friends for support. The weather conditions were HOT HOT HOT, which resulted in the organisers banning wetsuits for the swim which caused added stress as I had never swam anywhere near the distance without one.
After 1hr 36mins I was delighted to be leaving the water and to jump onto my bike where I definitely felt more comfortable. The two lap bike course covering 112miles of French countryside became more of a mental challenge, with only food stops to break the boredom. 5hrs33mins later I was back at the Ironman village and happy to see hundreds of encouraging supporters on the marathon route. By this time the temperature had reached the early thirties, so I made the most of the drink stations and people with water hoses to keep cool. The 4-lap course was well supported which helped me to keep an even pace right to the end.
The Ironman red carpet covers the last 100m of the race and is set in a small arena with hundreds of people cheering on the athletes. I had watched people completing the 70.3 race the day before and was determined to enjoy this last 100m no matter how I felt.
I crossed the finish line in 11hrs, 11min, 33sec -with my marathon time of 3hrs52mins.
Can anyone complete an Ironman challenge…… With determination and a good training plan definitely.