Thanks to Stewart McKenna for this top notch insight into what Ironman is all about -it makes for interesting reading to anyone curious about this ultra-endurance aspect of the sport (apologies for not flagging the two new club records earlier; impressive stuff):
Ironman Nice 2010
It all started as a joke Scott made after the Sligo Triathlon last year – my first ever race.
I never really believed I would do an Ironman but a year later; there I was at the starting line for Ironman Nice, commonly thought to be the hardest Ironman course in the world.
Training:
9 months of training, starting from 8 hours a week, working up to 20 during the final few months. I used http://www.trifuel.com/triathlon/ironman-workouts/ as a guide and I would recommend it to anyone approaching their first Ironman. I didn’t stick to it religiously but as a rough plan it was fine. Generally – 3 swims a week (which I did in sports complex Mon/Wed/Fri mornings before work) 3 runs a week (which built up to a Warrior’s run, a half marathon, and a 10km mostly done in the mornings before work) and 3-4 cycles (done in the evenings and a long ride on the weekend).
Training gets much easier and more fun as the longer days and warmer weather of the spring approach but there will certainly be many cold, dark, wet, windy mornings when it takes a lot of dedication to force yourself to go outside at 7am to train. But it’s absolutely worth it; every day was better after getting outside, although it may have been difficult at the time, the rest of the day was great, I felt awake, I felt I had already accomplished something and the day had only begun. Psychologically the difference exercising makes is vast. Everything gets easier when you have your body in order. I was sleeping better, eating better, losing weight and generally feeling much healthier. This is why Ironman is so addictive; it’s the natural high you get from the exercise.
It’s not cheap though. I estimate that since signing up for the Ironman I have spent nearly 10 thousand Euro – including the entry fee, flights, accommodation, new bike, and all the other races I’ve signed up for in the build up for Nice. This is fine for me as I’m not married nor do I have any kids, but it’s something to be aware of.
Race Day:
Nice itself is a gorgeous city with loads of cafes, restaurants, art galleries and a popular beach, all of which are ample to keep family members and yourself busy for the few days either side of the race. Accommodation was pricey but if you look around enough you’ll find something affordable.
Swim:
Nothing can prepare you for the start of the Ironman in Nice. It’s an emotional place. There are 3000 competitors gathered onto a stony beach with thousands more spectators watching as the sun is rising over a sea - like glass, as helicopters fly around and people nervously discuss the swim route, picking out lines and clambering to be front of the queue.
The gun fires and you pile in the water on top of everyone else and people behind pile on top of you. The first 50 metres don’t feel like you’re swimming at all as you’re just being pushed forward by the crowds. In Ireland these mass starts always dissipate within a few minutes but in Nice, it never stops. For the sake of my sanity – and my face, as Niall discovered, I swam to the far outside of the group, taking a very wide berth around the first few buoys. This may have added a lot of distance to my swim but I would make the same decision if I were to do it again. The swim is 2 loops, one 2.4Km long which brings you back to the beach for a very short run and followed by a shorter 1.4Km loop in the other direction. The water conditions are perfect, temperature is a lovely 17 degrees, very flat and with great visibility.
The swim then leads to T1 where you pick your bag from the rack and with the help of a steward change in separate male/female tents. Then run approx 400m through the bike park and head out onto the roads of the Cote d’Azur.
Cycle:
Everyone who has done Ironman Nice will tell you repeatedly about how difficult the climbs in the cycle are and how they have been the breaking of many a good triathlete – but they really aren’t that bad. The climb is about 2km in altitude most of it within a 40Km section near the beginning of the race. It’s true that we don’t have climbs like this in Ireland, but because the road quality is so perfect, I found it much easier than say – the ‘Wicklow 200’ or even our own ‘An Post 150Km’. The views are spectacular, there are aid stops every 20Km with every manner of food/drink you could need. Each of the small towns you cycle through is prettier than the last and the spectators will shout for you as loud as they can if you simply say “Bon Jour tout le monde”. This made it so much fun, as did the descents. These roads are cycled in the Tour de France and in great condition, they are closed to traffic for the day, so on the descents you can really go for it. Imagine James Bond driving the winding mountain coast roads in his sports-car at high speeds, this is better! It’s as exhilarating as anything I’ve done (including skydiving and bungee-jumping) and was definitely the highlight of the race for me. The long decent also gives the legs a chance to rest before moving onto the run.
Run:
Last year the temperature was 38degrees, apparently we got lucky with 31degrees this year – but you wouldn’t have known it. It was hot, really really hot. From the start of the run I was tired. My family and friends were in the crowd to support me throughout the course and that’s what got me through. The run is a soul destroying 4 laps of the seafront promenade. It’s completely flat with water/food station every 2km and showers you can run through to cool down, but there’s nothing easy about grinding out the miles in the scorching heat. It was exhausting both physically and psychologically. I distracted myself by thinking about how much effort I had put into getting this far, both on the day and over the last few months, I thought about how I had brought my family all this way and couldn’t disappoint on the final stage and I thought about how good it would feel to cross the finish line. I had also developed a few private competitions with random other competitors who I had passed, and been passed by, during the race, damn Alexandro he got me in the end! The atmosphere was electric throughout and the support from the masses never waned. The 3rd lap was the hardest for me, but once I got onto the last 10km my pace picked up knowing that the end was so close.
The finish:
After 11hrs 15mins I sprinted up the ramp to the sound of raucous cheering, I’ve never been so happy and so relieved in all my life. It was easily the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and easily the most rewarding. The sense of achievement is massive. I am an Ironman. Those words ring in your head for a while as you lie on the floor!
After the race some people were getting medical attention, IV lines and the like. I just got a massage and went for a few drinks with “my support team”. It was a really great finale to a tough, sometimes gruelling, but always rewarding year of training.
My final splits were 1.01 / 5.49 / 4.15 leaving me around 400th overall, about 50th in my division and 2nd of the Irish competitors. All of these things are added bonuses but the real glory was in finishing at all.
I would recommend Nice as an Ironman race due to the exemplary organisation, great road quality and lovely swimming conditions, but I don’t think it’s a great idea to start your Ironman career with the most difficult one there is, and the heat is just not something we Paddys are built for! I certainly won’t be doing Nice again anytime soon.
The future:
I had previously said I would only ever do one Ironman, and then be done with it. But the lifestyle (and it is a lifestyle) is completely addictive. I prefer my life since starting training and I can’t see any reason to quit just yet. It is a huge commitment, and I wouldn’t dream of playing it down in any way – but I think it just forces you to organise your time better. You can still train, have a job and a career and an active social life, it just takes organisation. It means you have to cut out all the “in between time”. No sitting around watching TV. Every moment has to count. I think it’s an incredibly fulfilling way to be and I’m enjoying every single day.
I’ve already signed up for Ironman Frankfurt for next summer – a much easier race.
Maybe I’ll see some of you there
