Kevin's epic ironman - report

Tempted to do an Ironman? Read Kevin O'Neill's report may help you make up your mind one way or the other:



"Over the last few years I’ve done a few triathlons ranging from sprint to middle and have watched inquisitively from a distance at people doing the full distance race and wondered how & more importantly why. One drunken evening with friends last August I decided to find out and entered the Forestman at Sandy Balls in the New Forest, for my first and possibly only ‘Ironman’ distance race. Mostly because it was local, which seemed as good as a reason as any. It also happens to be the hardest full distance race in the UK. For the non-triathletes amongst the cycling club, as I expect most reading this will be, it’s a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride culminating in a 26.2 mile shuffle.
Contrary expectations of what constitutes an ‘Ironman’, I was not and still don’t consider myself to be a natural distance athlete. I was an average footballer whose principle asset was speed not endurance and in pre-season training we would be faced with 2x12 mins fartlek sessions that would have us all reeling at the excruciating session awaiting us; and for the very few lucky ones sickness behind a goalpost. In training for a full distance race you quickly learn to rationalise the event into manageable segments and it all becomes very normal and self-absorbing, but as I or my wife or I mentioned the race to people recently it became clear how heretics (or non-Triathletes as I know them) perceived the event. After ‘retiring’ from football some years ago and an aborted attempt to start up again which abruptly ended with the requirement for an ACL reconstruction (rehabbed wonderfully by our local club physiotherapist Mr Hards), I decided to get active again. So after rehab and a many sedentary years I did the Fleet half marathon and waddled across the line in 2 hrs 6 minutes. Not exactly a time to frighten Mo Farah’s trainers off his athletic feet. Little did I realise where the journey would take me and indeed where it may end - one day! So the moral of the corny story is that if I can do anyone can do it.
Swim (3.8 km / 2.4 miles)
A gloomy and misty lake beckoned us for a 5:30am start at Ellingham Lake, but at least there was an expectant atmosphere and you could tell people were keen to put months of hard training into practice. For my part, swimming has always been a chore. I’m not very good at it, so I don’t practice it, which I recognise makes little sense. In fact I hadn’t swum since February or March, which I’m assuming most training manuals wouldn’t prescribe as ideal Ironman preparation. However, I was confident I’d be able to saunter round and simply take it from there. I took up my usual position at the back to let all the budding Michael Phelps’s go off at break neck speed and I could ease away gently at my own pace without being beaten, eyes gouged out or punched in the head. After about 100-150m I thought my race was about to end, a complete inability to breathe came over me and I thought I was going to climb into the nearest canoe and get them to take me back to the bank. A small amount of pride and a large amount of eternal shame urged me onwards. I rested, doggy paddled a bit and then breast stroked for a couple of minutes before getting into the swing of things.
I settled into a nice rhythm after a half a mile or so and formed a touching bond with the chap next to me. We were swimming at exactly the same stroke rate and breathed so that we looked longingly at each other on every stroke – and we continued to do that for the next 2 miles! I just couldn’t shake him whether I speeded up or slowed down and this proved to be quite amusing when you’ve nothing else to think about. Frankly, I’ve had relationships that haven’t lasted as long as this one, but in some small way – and one he’ll never know – he helped me get through the grind of the swim. So thank you whoever you are.
After the troublesome first lap, the rest of the swim was relatively uneventful and I came out the water in 1:14mins for a lengthy T1 getting ready for the bike leg.
• Official time 1 hrs 20 mins (inc T1);
• Overall placing in swim leg 88th (of 125).

Bike (180 km / 112 miles)
Two weeks ago on a Saturday club run, I was ready to pull out of the Forestman and I was completely dejected. We rode down to Petworth and it wasn’t an especially quick ride (Garmin said 17.6 mph over 70 miles) but I think I had my brakes on the whole way and to say I struggled would be an understatement, I was colossally worried. A ride length that I’d been doing easily all winter easily was now suddenly a major problem. At one point I thought Terry was going to offer me a tow lift on his bike so we could get moving again at a reasonable speed. I was hoping it was either a minor virus or overtraining. Only time would tell.
Back to the race! The bike course was described by the Event Director as “honest” and I think this was a perfect description. It was 3 laps of an undulating New Forest circuit with only a couple of steep hills to speak of. We were warned the first couple of laps would feel easy; then the last lap has a habit of biting your saddle sored backside if you’ve gone too hard. The course itself was beautiful, made all the more amusing for the suicidal horses, cows, donkeys and sheep that clearly haven’t read a highway manual or seen the Green Cross code adverts from the 70’s. They’d just wander out into the road, paying no attention to the brightly clad lycra idiots on TT bikes approaching rapidly. All on TT / road bikes, that is, except one eccentric gentleman who decided a mountain bike, trainers and toe clips was the way ahead. I cannot fathom how long his day was.
This should be my best leg, the one where I had the chance to make up time lost in the swim, but as this was first Ironman I was conscious of going too hard and rendering myself incapable for the upcoming run leg. I concentrated on keeping my watts and heart rate to a steady state, but was still passing constantly passing people; and amazingly my restraint came through for once and that’s exactly what I did. The key to Ironman success, I have been assured, is in delicate pacing and this was at the fore of my mind all day. The whole ride felt exceptionally comfortable, which is more than can be said of the chain gang on a Thursday night as I’m unceremoniously ejected from the rear. The only real element of difficulty I had was staying down on the aero bars from 70-80 miles onwards as I was getting some pain in the back of the neck. The most pleasing thing was that not one person passed me on the bike leg and that’s never happened in any other event, so the bike training must be paying dividends in some small measure.
I’d like to say the ride was uneventful, alas it wasn’t quite perfect. One puncture (which amazingly happened at the exact spot my wife & family were watching), one mechanical incident with brakes rubbing at and a broken rear bottle holder all impinged on my time, but apart from those and the expected feed & toilet breaks I couldn’t have been more pleased with my ride.
• Official time for the bike leg was 6 hrs 03 mins;
• Overall placing in bike leg 27th;
• Actual ride time (minus punctures & mechanicals) was 5 hrs 45 mins according to my Garmin which would have been good enough to place me about 10th. Fastest guy did it in 5:06.
• Moving speed on the Garmin was 19.8 mph;
• Average Watts 180, max power 500 watts;
• Average HR 128;
• Total ascent circa 1400 meters over the 3 laps.
Coming into to T2 at about 7 hours 30 minutes, my private target time of 12:00hrs was still looking eminently achievable and gave me nearly 4 and a half hours to play with on the marathon. A sub 4 hour marathon would see me smash it.
Run (42 km / 26.2 miles)
Purgatory. That’s the only word that can do justice to the final leg. A marathon at the end of an Ironman is never going to be easy and the Forestman prides itself on being the toughest full distance event in the UK and the run is the principle reason why. It a very hilly, off-road marathon made to destroy the souls of men & women! Destroy, is exactly what it did to me.
In 25+ degree heat, I set off at a very comfortable 9 min pace, with a plan to run this pace on the flats and walk the uphill sections to conserve energy. The plan was going well at halfway which I went through in just over two hours, but I could tell the heat and hills were beginning to take effect. Nevertheless, the next half in under 2:20 would still see me beat my target time – still achievable - I thought.

At about 18 miles after lifting my very heavy 4 year old daughter and heading back up one of the many hills, I could begin to feel every stone on the track, the intense sun was also beginning to take its toll and I was spending longer and longer at each aid station, downing gels like they were the elixir of life and trying to keep well hydrated by drinking and pouring it over me. I was still ‘running’ but getting slower. One of the aid stations was manned by Farnham Triathlon Club and there were a couple of people that I’ve met on club runs before (sorry can’t remember your names) and they very kindly looked after me and gave me a good pep talk after we’d talked about bikes!
Average mile pace was beginning to drop off rapidly and there was nothing I could do about it. The support each and every runner got at the aid stations from volunteers and other spectators was incredibly lifting and it’s one of the most redeeming qualities of triathlon. The spirit of camaraderie is unmatched, even competitors cajole each other on, because for the majority of us average athletes, it’s not really about beating someone else it’s about your own personal performance.
On the third lap I got my blue band to signify I could make my way home. A puny 5 miles was all it was. In normal circumstances that’s a little over half an hours running but this was going to take a little more. For the first time at 22 miles I had to resort to walking with the sun beating down and my calves hurting. Within half a mile of the finish line I got into competition with a chap to see which of us could run the slowest without resorting to walking, I won and he beat me to the finish by half a minute. Actual run time was 4:43.
• Official time 4 hrs 52 mins (inc T2);
• Overall placing in run leg 36th.

Overall
Total finishing time was 12 hours 17 minutes - finishing in 25th position overall.
I didn’t quite break my target time of 12:00 hrs, but for my first full distance event on such a hot day, on such a tough course with the bike problems, I’m exceptionally pleased. I’m still no closer to answering the question of how & why people do these events but I know that even with painful feel and sunburned shoulders, I have absolutely no doubt I’ll be back for more, though my wife may not be too happy to hear that!
The highlight of the day was reserved for the very end though, with family and friends waiting at the finish and running over the finish line with my children in each hand to rapturous rounds of applause and cheering. It was the final act of a great day that will live long in my memory! Now just off to get drunk and plan what’s next…."