Ironman New Zealand 2017 – Dinner is served

Travelling to Taupō is a little like travelling home – over the last four years I forged friendships, met a lot of new people and had some of my best races. Due to the duration of the flights, it feels like travelling to the other side of the world (figuratively and literally). I always like to fly to Auckland about a week before the race, as it gives me time to disconnect from the busy day to day we all have and relax for the race.

This year was no different – with a larger than usual group (Esra racing the Ironman, Michael Stone racing the 70.3 and a surprise sherpa – Steve Richard) we swam, biked, ran and did some sightseeing in the area. No different than previous years, too, Athlete Check-in was looming for Thursday and before we knew it we were  officially registered with wrist bands,  bags and other swag. All the pre-race proceedings were uneventful and we felt so comfortable, that Esra and I made last minute changes – remember the old saying “nothing new on race day” – well, a different shoe model surely doesn’t count – right?

Amuse-bouche (aka “the morning of the race”)

When we woke up in the middle of night, we heard the waves crashing on the beach in front of our hotel and the winds howling. While we expected a “little rougher weather” mentioned in the weather forecasts, this was certainly the worst I’ve seen in my four years racing here and made me review the “contingency plan” from the Athlete guide. Even Mike Reilly’s statement on the beach in the morning “when the sun comes out, the wind is going to ease up” did not help to calm the pre-race nerves.

Appetizer (aka swim) – 1:27:39

This was the slowest swim in all 9 Ironman races I’ve done. The waves were so high, that sighting presented a challenge, I had to sight multiple times in a row to see the buoy and then swim that way. There were waves that tried to flip you over and overall all this made for a tough swim and even though a ”personal worst” – I’m happy with the swim – I kept my breakfast in, swam right next to my wife for a while and finished with time to spare.

Entrée (aka bike) – 6:55:00

As I was getting through transition, I wondered what would shield me from the winds – bike jacket, thermal arm warmers? With Mike’s weather advice still in my head, I settled for the light sun sleeves and stuffed an emergency blanket under my one-piece suit – well, I should have unfolded one before – those things are huge – I had to fold it four times over and even then it came out of every gap in the suit (which explains my sliver neck lining in the picture).

The bike course at Ironman New Zealand is straight forward – two laps and after a few twists and uphill sections, it is mostly straight and downhill for roughly 20 miles to the turn around. Given the strong wind on race day and it’s easterly direction, I made quick work on that section from Taupō to Reporoa, only to find that the combination of downhill and tailwind becomes quite evil when you turn your bike 180 degrees to go back. So back up the hill I sloughed, only to find the same grades and winds on the second loop. On the bike I saw Esra and Michael, who both were flying downhill, just to find the same uphill / headwind combination on their respective trips toward Taupō, too.

Dessert (aka run) – 6:38:58

After getting shaken, twirled and beaten during the swim and bike, I headed off to the run. In Taupō it’s my favorite of the three, as there are tons of people out to cheer you on and the course is very scenic.

Thankfully the sun came out in full force, so the wind slowed down a little and it became hot – which is good and bad, as you need to drink a lot more in hot conditions. Since I did not keep up enough with that concept initially, I got a headache and my balance was slightly off – steps felt “deeper” than they should have. Thanks to advice from Michael and purplepatch coach Paul Buick, I upped the water intake and added coke to get more sugar – that did wonders.

Recently I won the purplepatch camp “relentless bastard” award and this year I wanted to be “relentless” – thanks to Esra, our support crew and Paul on the course (and my stupidity to share the tracker link with him – he found me multiple times and threatened to take my award back)  I ran / walked all the way to the finish line.

This is my second fastest Ironman run time, second only to IM NZ two years ago on the same course. However – even if it was 5 minutes slower, I feel this was a breakthrough run for me, as my body was certainly more damaged from the swim and bike this year and I still run / walked the entire distance.

Ice Cream (aka Finish Line) – 15:24:51

Esra says “there is always room for ice cream” and this year I said I would walk the finish chute and take it all in. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans – as Steve was running with me, I asked him how close the next competitor was and he said “about 100 yards and closing”. Seems there is a competitive gene in my body, as I told him “that will do” and sprinted to the finish line.

Finish lines are always magical – especially after a long day with the wind we had and hot temperatures later in the day. Esra and Michael were there to put the finisher medal and towel around my neck and walk me into the finisher tent. There I got a massage, some food (darn, they used to have ice cream) and then we made our way home.

Looking back – it was a brutal, but honest race day. While an Ironman is never easy, some days are easier than others. I feel glad I have this experience in my “tool box” and if I encounter tough situations again, I can look back on Taupō 2017 and say to myself, I’ve seen and handled  worse, so thank you Ironman New Zealand – see you next year.

While we are on “thank you”: Ann and Arthur – you guys are great friends and I’m always amazed where you show up on course and during race week to support. Michael – for being a friend and sounding board – I know I can always count on you. Steve – thank you for making the trip last minute (1,320 minutes to be exact) and supporting all of us. It’s been a pleasure to spend some time with you outside CMS. Matt Dixon and Paul Buick of purplepatch – for coaching me and pushing me on every workout (and even out on the run course) – I feel privileged to be coached by you.

Last but on least my wife and love of my life. Most of us know it’s never easy to juggle training, life and work, but it’s truly difficult when two people are training for an Ironman. I knew after a disappointing Ironman Boulder last year, this race was especially important to you and still you supported all my training and made my life easier whenever you could. I’m so happy you had a great day out there and I’m hoping to re-pay the debt when you start playing in the mud to train for your next (XTERRA) races.