Ironman Australia Port Macquarie Race Report – 6th May 2012
I had been planning to compete in this race as my 2nd Ironman for over a year, with the dream of winning my age group in order to obtain an elusive Kona slot. This certainly created much different pre-race expectations and pressure compared to my 1st Ironman where I was happy to just make it to the finish line. Thankfully, I was given some guidance from coach Campbell Maffett which really helped refine my training and race plan
Swim 59:56
Waiting to be allowed to enter the water is always nerve wracking, particularly when you haven’t seen where the course goes (since they didn’t put the buoys out until race morning) and all the people around you have different opinions on where you turn around to start the 2nd lap. I was hoping there would be plenty of people ahead to follow and I wasn’t disappointed! The swim course was very narrow and very rough, I can’t even count the number of times I got kicked in the head and swam over. I decided to tough it out since there was absolutely no room to get around anyone anyway. I finally got some clear water to do some real swimming after about 3km but this only lasted a couple of hundred metres and before I knew it I was out of the water in under the hour which was my goal, off to a good start!
Ride 5:37:22
Transition went fairly well and I headed out for the first lap of the long bike leg placed 3rd in my age-group. I was feeling good over the hills heading out of town and was trying to remain conservative, there were still lots more hills and rough surfaces to encounter and a marathon to run. Most of the ride was spent avoiding the millions of potholes, attempting to ride on the ‘smoothest’ surface (which was often difficult) and ensuring that I followed my race nutrition plan. On the way back in to town I couldn’t help but think about the nasty steep hill on Matthew Flinders Drive and hope that I would be able to get up it easily. It was certainly steeper than I remembered and my concern was well justified since it felt like I was barely moving and nearly going to fall of my bike and this was only the first lap, I had to ride up it again after another 90k! This thought stayed with me for the rest of the ride and I attempted to ride easily over all of the hills so that I could make it back up that hill again! A few more hills and I was eventually back in town to finish the 1st lap where my husband Wes told me that I was coming 1st in my age group. This was new to me since I had never led my age group on the bike. The 2nd lap was much the same as the first lap, just a little warmer and the wind was feeling a little stronger on the open sections. Second time around I decided to ‘attack’ the Matthew Flinders Drive hill out of fear that I may not make it if I didn’t give it everything I had. I made it up somewhat easier this time and overtook a heap of people but I must admit it was absolute torture and I was gasping for air as I turned the corner and continued to ride uphill. I knew my legs weren’t feeling great riding over the hills but I was hoping they would hold up for a decent enough marathon.
Run 3:30:39
I headed out on my first run lap of 4 still leading my age group and hoping that my legs would loosen up since they were feeling very dead and heavy. I realised early in the run that it wasn’t going to happen and that I wouldn’t be achieving my goal marathon time. Instead I decided to keep the pace to a comfortable run rather than worrying about time and hope my legs would hold up long enough to maintain my lead through to the finish. The first 2 laps were somewhat uneventful and it appeared that I was managing to maintain my lead, by the 3rd lap the course became quite congested and I needed a toilet stop (bad timing since I had to run for over half an hour before I could find an empty port-a-loo!). On the final lap my muscles started to give out and I had to run very cautiously with twinging hamstrings and calves on top of my sore hip flexors, quads and back. Nevertheless, I refused to walk even though I was going as slow as those walking up the nasty hill near the town beach. Unfortunately, this all resulted in me being overtaken by another age-group female within the last km placing me 6th female overall but I gave all that my body would allow on the run. I thoroughly enjoyed the finish chute and the achievement of what I had come to do, win my age group and qualify for Kona!
Finish time: 10:12:14 1st F25-29 and 6th female overall
Ironman is truly a journey and I have many people to thank for all their support:
My husband Wes – Whom I can’t thank enough for everything he does for me
LSD Sports – For believing in me, helping me learn about the sport that is triathlon and providing excellent equipment support
Coach Campbell Maffett – For all his guidance and support, he truly is an amazing person and coach
Bilby’s triathlon club – Gary and Stu for all your excellent training sessions and advice and all of the super friendly people whom I trained with
All my family and friends – for all your support, well wishes and listening to me talk about triathlon since it has somewhat dominated my life recently!
Until next time
Rhiannon Snipe