Behind us, the Rivington Reservoir.
We all showed up with good appetites
Some are more focused than others.
In front of the Reebok Footbal Stadium
I have my own name for this hill.
It is probably mile 14.
About 800 meters to go.
After a full day of work, and then some.
A special gift for TOMahawk
Now, we can relax together.
The men's pro winner, Phil Graves.
Kasia and Erica dancing their night away while waiting for the last athlete to cross the finish line.And he did!
And that's all folks!Now, the reading part..................................
On August 2nd after having finished Ironman United Kingdom in 12h12min and placing 29th/194 in the M45-49 age group, I celebrated my 10th Ironman race.
First of all, a huge thank you goes to Erica and Phil (BritTOM) for their generosity in hosting Kasia and I during our trip to England. We had a wonderful time staying with them at their house in a very charming town of Kendal. My initial intension was to provide a day-by-day account of our trip, but the race preparations and a busy daily schedule had limited my attempts. I hope you enjoyed reading about the first three days.
Ironman UK, will for a long time, register with me as a very memorable race. The organizers tried their best, but perhaps, underestimated the likelihood of capricious summer weather conditions (read: rain). And indeed, a lot of rain we had that week. The daily rainfalls have significantly compromised the logistics of and the access to the Ironman Village/Expo. In other words, the rain had turned the village and the transition area into a mudslide field.
Saturday, August 1 – Picking up Kasia at the Manchester Airport, racking our bikes in the transition area, attending the athlete’s briefing and the past party. Indeed, for the first time in my racing experience the carbo-load was scheduled (at the Reebok Football Stadium) a few hours before the race. Next, a speedy return to our hotel for a few hours of sleep.
Sunday, August 2 – It was great to arrive at the transition area at about 4:30AM and have enough time to double-check the bike, see no "portaloo" lines, and have ample time to relax before the race. In fact, there were so many "loos" there that it seemed as though everyone had his/her own. It was in a sharp contrast to all the other Ironman race venues I am familiar with. For some reason, there never seem to be enough of them, when needed.
The 2.4 mile swim was held in the chilly and clean waters of the Revington Reservoir. A deep-water, two-loop swim started at 6:10AM. I felt very comfortable during the entire swim and had no trouble sighting. Needless to say, upon exiting the water, I was concerned (read: disappointed) with my swim time (1h24m.) However, as it turned out, the course turned out to be longer by about 400m.
The transition was the real “bear.” As the saying goes, there is always the first time for everything, this time, it took me about 14 minutes to get through T1. In part, it was caused by a few-hundred meter uphill run from the water’s edge and the atrocious conditions on the ground. The other reason was that on that day I was just slower, period. Nevertheless, after having carried my bike from the transition area, I was on the first of three loops through little towns and the sprawling countryside. The bike course comprised of steep climbs, false flats, and quick downhills, which in most cases terminated at sharp curves. The technical nature of the bike course and the difficulty in utilizing the downhill speed assured that, except for one athlete (the winner, Phil Graves), no other professional was able to break the five-hour mark. Neither could I ;o). My bike time was 6h24m. I suppose, it didn’t help me to lose the entire supply (1,800 calories) of Perpetuem somewhere within the first 3-4 miles on the bike course. When I reached for it behind the saddle it was no longer there. Since it was a three-loop course I was hoping to find it somewhere on the second loop, to no avail. Therefore, I was relegated to survive on about 2,000 calories from Powerbars obtained at the feed stations, and needless to say, I still can’t look at a Powerbar.
T2 went much better and faster. After a quick stop at the “loo” I was on my way to tackle the marathon. My legs felt great – snappy and fresh. I know, I had a big smile on my face. I soon realized that there were no mile/km markers on the run, just as there were none on the bike. This made keeping a consistent pace very challenging. The run course was composed of many uphills and downhills, which were especially noticeable towards the end of the marathon.
The first reliable distance coordinates came at about mile 19 from a race volunteer. At this point I was running approximately 3h40m marathon pace. Unfortunately, this also coincided with Powerbar-induced stomach cramps and a couple of unscheduled stops. In the end, my marathon time was 4h3m. At the finish line I met a few new friends, among them Bella Bayliss. She did a great job there wining her third Ironman race this year. On Saturday, together with Stephen, they will compete in Embrunman Iron-distance race in France, which is considered one of the toughest trifecta races in the world, together with Norseman and Silverman.
I liked the progress I made since last year. I am not quite where I want to be again, but I think, I am on my way. Racing Ironman UK will be remembered for a long time. Certainly for the organizational shortcomings, but more importantly, for the fabulous atmosphere of the event. Particularly, for the cheering crowds of spectators on the bike and the run, and our families who were there (and who are always there) to cheer us on, and who endured the ultimate test of Ironman – being our support for as long as they have to – THANK YOU, AGAIN. Thank you to Phil and Erica for being such great friends and to Phil’s parents who came out to watch us give it all. Also, a big thank you to those who kept us in their thoughts and who followed us during the race.
Our last days in England were spent in London. What a great city! But that is a story for another occasion.
First of all, a huge thank you goes to Erica and Phil (BritTOM) for their generosity in hosting Kasia and I during our trip to England. We had a wonderful time staying with them at their house in a very charming town of Kendal. My initial intension was to provide a day-by-day account of our trip, but the race preparations and a busy daily schedule had limited my attempts. I hope you enjoyed reading about the first three days.
Ironman UK, will for a long time, register with me as a very memorable race. The organizers tried their best, but perhaps, underestimated the likelihood of capricious summer weather conditions (read: rain). And indeed, a lot of rain we had that week. The daily rainfalls have significantly compromised the logistics of and the access to the Ironman Village/Expo. In other words, the rain had turned the village and the transition area into a mudslide field.
Saturday, August 1 – Picking up Kasia at the Manchester Airport, racking our bikes in the transition area, attending the athlete’s briefing and the past party. Indeed, for the first time in my racing experience the carbo-load was scheduled (at the Reebok Football Stadium) a few hours before the race. Next, a speedy return to our hotel for a few hours of sleep.
Sunday, August 2 – It was great to arrive at the transition area at about 4:30AM and have enough time to double-check the bike, see no "portaloo" lines, and have ample time to relax before the race. In fact, there were so many "loos" there that it seemed as though everyone had his/her own. It was in a sharp contrast to all the other Ironman race venues I am familiar with. For some reason, there never seem to be enough of them, when needed.
The 2.4 mile swim was held in the chilly and clean waters of the Revington Reservoir. A deep-water, two-loop swim started at 6:10AM. I felt very comfortable during the entire swim and had no trouble sighting. Needless to say, upon exiting the water, I was concerned (read: disappointed) with my swim time (1h24m.) However, as it turned out, the course turned out to be longer by about 400m.
The transition was the real “bear.” As the saying goes, there is always the first time for everything, this time, it took me about 14 minutes to get through T1. In part, it was caused by a few-hundred meter uphill run from the water’s edge and the atrocious conditions on the ground. The other reason was that on that day I was just slower, period. Nevertheless, after having carried my bike from the transition area, I was on the first of three loops through little towns and the sprawling countryside. The bike course comprised of steep climbs, false flats, and quick downhills, which in most cases terminated at sharp curves. The technical nature of the bike course and the difficulty in utilizing the downhill speed assured that, except for one athlete (the winner, Phil Graves), no other professional was able to break the five-hour mark. Neither could I ;o). My bike time was 6h24m. I suppose, it didn’t help me to lose the entire supply (1,800 calories) of Perpetuem somewhere within the first 3-4 miles on the bike course. When I reached for it behind the saddle it was no longer there. Since it was a three-loop course I was hoping to find it somewhere on the second loop, to no avail. Therefore, I was relegated to survive on about 2,000 calories from Powerbars obtained at the feed stations, and needless to say, I still can’t look at a Powerbar.
T2 went much better and faster. After a quick stop at the “loo” I was on my way to tackle the marathon. My legs felt great – snappy and fresh. I know, I had a big smile on my face. I soon realized that there were no mile/km markers on the run, just as there were none on the bike. This made keeping a consistent pace very challenging. The run course was composed of many uphills and downhills, which were especially noticeable towards the end of the marathon.
The first reliable distance coordinates came at about mile 19 from a race volunteer. At this point I was running approximately 3h40m marathon pace. Unfortunately, this also coincided with Powerbar-induced stomach cramps and a couple of unscheduled stops. In the end, my marathon time was 4h3m. At the finish line I met a few new friends, among them Bella Bayliss. She did a great job there wining her third Ironman race this year. On Saturday, together with Stephen, they will compete in Embrunman Iron-distance race in France, which is considered one of the toughest trifecta races in the world, together with Norseman and Silverman.
I liked the progress I made since last year. I am not quite where I want to be again, but I think, I am on my way. Racing Ironman UK will be remembered for a long time. Certainly for the organizational shortcomings, but more importantly, for the fabulous atmosphere of the event. Particularly, for the cheering crowds of spectators on the bike and the run, and our families who were there (and who are always there) to cheer us on, and who endured the ultimate test of Ironman – being our support for as long as they have to – THANK YOU, AGAIN. Thank you to Phil and Erica for being such great friends and to Phil’s parents who came out to watch us give it all. Also, a big thank you to those who kept us in their thoughts and who followed us during the race.
Our last days in England were spent in London. What a great city! But that is a story for another occasion.
