White Oak

Tri Squad

What a weekend

By Domonic Course

Ouch! Wow!!

Big race atmosphere does not even come close to describing it. A packed bridge and river banks at 6am to watch the swim start. Emotional music, a gun blast and thousands of flash bulbs going off in the early morning half-light. Incredible feeling. Even better returning to the transistion with the first bit done.

The bike was hard due to the weather. The 'go faster roads' were wet and exposed to a strong wind. Pleased I bought a thermal top at the last minute. Amazing crowds with their roadside beer tents at 7am! 3/4 of the way round the bike loop was a steep climb absolutely crammed with spectators. The crowd parts to make way for you up the hill. Some people shout your name courtesy of the tannoy announcements. It makes you really look forward to the second loop.

By the end of the bike I had had it. The wind had picked up and everyone seemed to be flagging. Luckily the young boy who took my bike from me at T2 didn't speak English as I was quite serious when I told him he could keep it. Very glad to be back on two feet. A can of Red Bull and an immodest change of clothes helped by a nice lady, hat, shades and radio on and I was into the crowds again, actually running. First 10km fine, then my radio went and all I could pick up was some German radio play about a guy on his death bed (lots of coughing and wretching - just what you need).

Disaster, I started to think. Oh no, won't beat PB. Why am I doing this? I promised my legs that I wouldn't make them do this again. I won't break 11 hours now, why bother? Stomach in spasm. Really hungry but cannot eat. Never want to see another banana in my life. What kind of sick individual wants pickled gherkins and slices of lemon at aid stations? (seriously!). Hit the wall and bounced straight back off. Time goes out the window. By 25 km its shuffle and survive. Lifted by seeing other team-mates, all looking fine and on course to finish. Caught up with my girlfriend and finished the race together (AAaaaahhh!). The finish is something else again - all the reasons why you do it become clear. 11:57 (brilliant - "11 hours something") GF did 12:52 first Ironman (I'm persuading her to say "12 hours something" rather than "nearly 13").

After a snooze on a bench started to find other club members. Matt (e-group regular) absolutely flew - and so did his GF "the Irish Whippit" now officially Irish Womens Ironman Champion I think - They are off to Prague to drink beer for the rest of the week, I'll let him tell his own tale.

Eight of us went out, only seven finished. One of us came off on the bike, early on, got bandaged, got back on, finished the bike and started the run with a seriously inflamed knee (some say stupid, I say balls the size of watermellons) But unfortunately got carted off to hospital after 23km. Another was on a drip in the field hospital at the finish for 3 hours. This sort of brings it home. Ironman is blooming hard. But we are out the other side and we are far from an elite squad.

Well done to all involved, good luck to all those training for/thinking about one.

It is do-able, it is worth it, and no matter how much you promise yourself that you won't do another.....