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 8/4/08

Ironman Australia Race Report 2008 Tim Berkel 4th Place

24/2/08 -Australian Long Course Championships- Huskisson Race Report Nicole Ward
2km swim/83km bike/20km run

After 3 of the biggest training weeks that I have ever endured, I wasn’t quite sure how things would pan out for me on race day at this year’s Australian Long Course Triathlon Championships … Earlier in the week I felt pretty flat and it wasn’t until Friday morning that I started to get some spark back in my body.  I love Jervis Bay and this was going to be my third time racing on the course there.  After the last 2 years of terrible rain, I couldn’t believe it when I woke up on Sunday morning to a perfect racing day!!

I was pretty calm but felt ready to go strong.  My race plan was to go hard from the start and not to let anyone get away on the swim.  After a disappointing swim in Busselton Ironman, it was great to feel strong and back to swimming where I know I should be.  The 2km was over with before I knew it and it was a good feeling to be on the stairway ascent up to transition on the feet of defending champion, Bek Keat.  I had a reasonably quick change over and set off on my bike ready for the 83km, (3 lap bike leg) ahead of me.  I rode hard from the word go and was surprised with how quickly I found a good rhythm.  With the bike leg being my weakest leg, I was determined to stick as close as I could to the lead girls.  Towards the end of my first lap my right aerobar and arm pad decided to undo it self so I rode the rest of the ride trying to hold it in place … (For some reason these things only ever happen in a race and I thought why now of all times, but there was no way I was stopping!!).  The course was very undulating so it felt great to be able to punch the hills like I never have before.  I have been really working hard on my bike strength over the last 6 months, and it was great to be able to ride 8mins faster than I did last year.

As I came in towards the end of the bike leg I knew I was going to have to run tough as I could already feel that my legs were heavy, (especially from riding into a headwind that got stronger and stronger by the third lap of the bike).   I heard the announcer say that I was 4 mins off the pace of the current race leader, Rebecca Keat (last year’s winner and current Australian Ironman Champion), 2 mins behind her was 2^nd place and 30 seconds ahead of me was 3^rd.  I fumbled in transition and couldn’t get my running shoes on quick enough so lost myself a little more time than I should have. 

The start of the run was terrible as my legs felt awful and the thought of running 20km was not a great one.  I knew I was going to have to dig deep and that’s what I did.   My goal for today was to get on the podium so I put my head down and got on with the job.  After a few kms into the run leg I moved into 3^rd place and I started to find my running legs … I was heading to the 5km turnaround and could see that I wasn’t too far off the pace.  When I was then to hear that Bek Keat pulled out of the race, I was ready to really give it all I could to get the win.   It was great to receive so much support from fellow athletes on the course and all the supporters who were screaming for me to dig deep.  I have to say that I pushed hard for the last 10km and gave it my all, but hats off to the English girl who ran well till the end.

It was the best feeling to see that finish line as I truly felt like I could barely lift my legs off the ground.  I was so happy to get second place but to then be told after I had crossed the line that I was the new Australian Long Course Champion was truly something special.  I hadn’t even thought that this would be the case as the race winner was English.  It had to be my lucky day- a 10minute PB and an Australian National title!!! 

Thank you to my super coach Grant Giles, for helping me to continue to reach yet another goal in my triathlon career.  This is my third season in the sport and to look back to where I have come from in that time is just amazing. 

Big thanks also to my family, friends and sponsors for all of your continued support along my journey to date.  I am looking forward to the Australian Ironman Triathlon in Port Macquarie on 6^th April!

3/12/07 -Ironman Western Australia - Race Report Nicole Ward

9th Female overall- 1st race as a professional athlete

 
In June 2007 I made the decision to race IMWA as it looked like an amazing place for both a great race and a nice holiday, and I have never been to Western Australia before. The lead up to this race could not have been much better for me, with a 3rd place overall at Yeppoon Half and 4th place overall at Gold Coast Half Ironman, I decided it was time to make the step up from being an age grouper and I obtained my professional license. It was a big call for me as I work full time as an HR professional, and even though I was going to race professionally I was still going to continue to work full time hours and race on 20 hours per week of training.

A few days out from the race, the weather looked quite concerning for me as I am more of a warm weather girl and the strong winds and icy cold mornings did not look too appealing. When race day came around things couldn’t have been much better, it was still quite cool but at least the winds had dropped substantially. You could see that there were going to be some fast times out there ……

I managed a few hours sleep the night before the race which was pretty good for me and as usual I woke up feeling quite ordinary, which is normally when I race my best. Before I knew it 6am came around and we were off. I have to say it was pretty nerve racking heading off for the professional start amongst a very strong field of athletes. I sat in the second row for the swim start which seemed like a good place for me. The gun went off and I have never seen so many people take off so quickly. I got pretty beaten around and thought I was in a comfortable position. The next minute I realised that the pair of feet that I was following were going a lot slower than I had anticipated and I had missed the first pack. I made a gutsy decision to break off on my own and tried really hard to catch back up to the first group but I realised pretty quickly that it wasn’t going to happen. I basically swam the whole 3.8km solo, which was not the smartest move as I had to expend a lot more energy than I anticipated. This was a big mistake as my swimming form leading into the race was really strong and I have to say I was extremely disappointed to come out to see a swim time of 57mins.

After a quick transition, I put the swim behind me and I headed off onto the bike leg, about 5 mins off where I would have liked to have been. I was already freezing and I could feel that it was going to be a windy day. I didn’t see another cyclist for about the first 5km which felt really strange but soon enough I could see the girls up ahead of me which made me feel better. Apart from the cold toes I felt strong on the bike and ready to ride tough. At about the 40km mark, Jo King and Belinda Harrison came past me and I decided to ride with them. It was good to be able to work with these girls and it made the first lap tick by quite quickly. After about 60km I started to warm up and I focussed on keeping my cadence high, eating and drinking. I felt really good until about 100km when I had a bit of a low point, so I ate my vegemite sandwich and unfortunately had to back off the pace, so I ended up riding on my own again. At about 110km I started to feel better and as I was heading through an aid station heading back into town, I was picked up for drafting as a group of age group men came by. I was really annoyed as I had been making such an effort to sit legal and had been spending most of the bike leg on my own. Anyway, I paid my time by serving a five minute penalty at the end of the second lap (120km). I made the most of the time to stretch and refresh and tried to keep as positive as possible and I prepared myself for a strong last lap of the bike. I rode really hard for the 3rd lap and tried to make up on time I had lost. After all that I was really happy with how I felt coming into the end of the 180km. I eased off for the last couple of kms and spun out the legs from the final turnaround back into the bike finish in preparation for the run.

You never know just how your legs are going to feel until you actually start running so it was awesome to get off the bike and feel good to run fast. I ran pretty hard off the bike for the first few kms and settled into a solid pace early. I really enjoyed the first lap of the run and I could already see that I was starting to make up ground on some of the girls in front of me. I flagged a little on the second lap of the run, again at around the halfway mark. I picked up a red bull from my special needs bag and necked it down as I was feeling a little flat and I didn’t feel like eating my gels. Heading out onto lap 3 of the run I started to feel great again and I was ready to back up well for the final 10-12kms. The last 10kms of the marathon are always so tough as you are so close, but yet so far to the end. My quads were killing me at this point and my left calf was on the verge of cramping up, but I got a final wind and wound it up to run as hard as I could for the last 6km. It was all a mental game now so I practiced my visualisation from training runs to keep my mind in the present.

I knew I was going to do a big personal best, but to do 9hours 44mins was just fantastic. I took 40mins off my IM time from Port Macquarie earlier in the year, and I came in 9th female overall in my first race as a professional. Overall, I am extremely satisfied with my achievement and the great thing is that I still know that I have a lot of room for improvement. I am disappointed with my bike penalty, and took a big learning from my swim experience. I certainly won’t make the same mistakes again!

As always I must say thanks to my coach Gilesy, and the team from Aeromax for helping me to achieve yet another big personal best time. Also thanks to my husband and training partner (Bern), and my fantastic supporters- Mum, Dad, Ana and Sam- your encouragement on the sideline is always so special!

Finally a big thank you to my sponsors at Cyclespeed, Turramurra Cycles, and TriNSW EDS squad for your continuing support over the season.

Shepparton Half Ironman 07' - Race Report Tim Berkel

My first win!- Campbell’s Shepparton half ironman.

Having come out of the Port Mac half a little disappointed with my race, I was excited to return to Shepparton, where I raced my first half iron man, and I was far more relaxed I have to say than two weeks previous at Port Mac. The calm nerves seemed to be a good omen because I had such an enjoyable race and was relieved and stoked to have some good form and an awesome result!
The swim around kialla Lakes gave me a good start and by the second buoy I found I was in the lead, and from there I lead the swim out of the water with about 12 seconds on the group with a time of 24:49, a great feat for me as swimming is usually my weaker leg.
I got onto the bike where I was quickly joined by fellow Port mac training mate, Adam Holborow and we had a nice little lead on the chase group. I was feeling awesome on the bike, considering the rain and wind, and ended up averaging over 40km/hr. With about 10 km to go, I was feeling good and got a gap on adam, entering transition with 1:20 on him and 6 mins on the chase group, with a fastest ride of the day, a time of 2:14.
I got onto the run feeling pretty good and was able to maintain a solid pace throughout, and came across the line, lapping up my first win and PB of 3:58:36, with the legend Pete Murray once again calling me in as commentator. In all it was an awesome race for me, I really enjoyed it and was happy with the form I had on the day. A big thanks to all the support from my mates on the day and a congratulations to some notable efforts: Adam Holborow and John Cornish who was doing an awesome job on the ride before he flatted, a bit of bad luck mate.
Big thanks to my family and sponsor Mum and Mick , Manger Mick Mcelligott Scody Bernard, Erox: Florian and Jacquie, Aeromax: Grant and Mel, Powerbar: Emma and Cadence, Gordon st cycles: Bill & Lloyd, Coastline chiropractic: Darren & Vanessa, Expressway spares: Patrick & David
A very special thanks to Pete Murray and training partners Adam and Benny (Justin timberlake)

1 Tim Berkel: 3:58:36
2 Matt White: 4:03:48
3 Troy Drinigan 4:05:14
4 Adman Holborow 4:08:45
5 Klayten Smith 4:09:13
Cheers Berkel

Port Macquarie 1/2 Ironman 2007 - Race Report by Rebecca Eveleigh

Sharyn with the famous Hawaii medal.

Sharyn McIntyre Hawaii Race Report 07

Ali Fitch

Singapore 70.3 Race Report / 2nd September 2007

I was really looking forward to this event for three reasons. I could find out where my level of fitness was, given my current heavy training load for Hawaii. There were 7 other Darwinite’s racing including hubby Stu, so it would be nice to have friendly faces from home around, enjoying the experience together. And I could try out my slick new 2XU race gear and Mizuno running shoes.☺

Swim
A beach start for a change so Stuey, Michelle from my Darwin Club, and I practiced the morning before to ensure we all knew how to avoid plastic bags, coconut heads, seaweed and steep drop-offs, in the poo-coloured water. Oh, and Stuey made us stand to attention and practice the Singapore national anthem, just to make sure it was “race like”, pretty funny.
A whistle blew signalling the start (yes whistle) and I managed to mix it up with one of the men’s pro packs. The 1st km felt like pretty hard work, with very choppy water, a breeze blowing towards the shore, and the current working against me, not to mention a few floating extras that we had encountered the day before. Needless to say, I drank a good couple of mouthfuls, yuk!
The 2nd km came a whole lot easier, and having grown up in the surf of Sydney’s Northern beaches the rough conditions really suited me. I was sandwiched between other “white cap” people and couldn’t find clear water. But I realised that I wouldn’t be swimming any faster on my own - despite the kicks to my mid section and punches on my back. The pace picked up with 400m to go and I exited as 3rd female, hot on the heels of second, and with a bunch of pro-blokes. Good start to the day.

Transition 1
Quickly on to my bike, just in time to see the pro-men disappearing out front. I was now in no-mans land. Not to worry, this is all good training.

Bike
My new bike position felt great straight away. I sat nicely forward on my seat and could get right over my handle bars.
The course went for 10km from transition 1, then linked up with 4 x 20km loops around a flat but technical course through Singapore CBD.
I worked the first 10km feeling pretty average, hoping that things would feel better once on the city loops. But I never did feel that good and found it quite a tough ride. I was waiting for periods of effortless riding but my legs were not being very cooperative.
I pushed hard for the first 70kms though and despite being a 4 lap course, there were so many twists and turns that I lost complete track of where I was actually riding. I was trying really hard to stay focussed and keep the power on regardless of what my body was telling me. At 20km to go I decided to back-off the pace a fraction, otherwise I was going to pay for it on the run leg. I was 3rd women off the bike, just behind 2nd with a 12 minute bike PB of 2hrs 17mins, yay yay - although the post race consensus was that the course was a couple km’s short.
Thanks Bikes to Fit Darwin for tuning Orbster (my race bike) so well, and getting me through on my new Vittoria tyres.☺

Transition 2
A fairly seamless transition, but I ran into trouble when my gel flask, filled with yummy double latte PowerBar gels, got lost somewhere. I grunted with frustration, and ran out onto the course thinking, “help, help, I need food”, feeling pretty wasted from the bike leg.

Run
The run felt really horrible for the first 8km. I just felt sapped of energy and unusually for me very hot and thirsty. I stopped at each aid station on the first lap to make sure that I got plenty of PowerBar drink, and sponged myself with cold water - ahhhh, such relief!
It wasn’t until I came back through transition after the first 10km lap and heard some “go Ali’s” that I started to get my running legs moving and could finally put some speed into my new Mizuno shoes (well speedier than the first lap). I was a little concerned with my run split at the end, 1:37, but was subsequently told by some gps- toting athletes that the course was probably 23km…..phew, that looks a bit better.
My race finished with a 4th place, a tough training day but a new Half Ironman PB by over 6 minutes at 4.23.03☺, a satisfying outcome given a very talented female field.

Thanks to friends from Darwin Triathlon Club for much support, in particular Daryl and Robyn Stanley, for sharing the 70.3 experience in Singapore, and congratulations to you all for super performances; that includes you too Stu-man♥.
Thanks to all my sponsors and supporters  ●Northern Territory Institute of Sport ●Powerbar ●2XU ●Mizuno ●Vittoria ●Bikes to Fit ●Running Bare
Thanks also to Graeme Hannan and Nick Munting for your support, and your hard work in getting this new race up and going. A great location – I look forward to seeing you in Singapore next year.

And of course thanks again to super-coach Grant Giles at Aeromax Team for continuing to get those PB’s out of me … onwards and upwards till Hawaii☼
Till next race, train safe with a positive mind
Ali*

DAN EDWARDS

From big man to Ironman

Dan Edwards made a dream come true by completing the 07' South African Ironman. When Dan started this process to Ironman he was 115kg's. This is a long round-up of a 5 year road from big man to Ironman and I tell you what it's a damn good read and a lot of lessons in there for all of us so do yourself a favour.

From Big man to Ironman the Dan Edwards story

The Yeppoon 1/2 ironman is my favorite race - held at an idyllic location on the Queensland coast, with race headquarters at a 5 Star resort making for a very pleasant weekend for the whole family.  I also love this race as it was my first introduction to long course racing - an ideal venue for the first timer with its flat and scenic course.

My club, the Mackay Triathlon Club, always has a large contingent traveling down to compete here, also ensuring that this weekend is very social!

Coming on the back of Ironman, I had high hopes of competing strongly at Yeppoon, but an injury 10 weeks prior to the race had me thinking that I would be lucky just to get there.  My training program incorporated a lot of cycling and swimming, with a slow gradual return to running ...on grass.  All that running around ovals must be great for mental toughness, I kept telling myself as the same dog would bark at me every lap I ran.  The morning that the sprinklers came on and got me was too much!

The weekend of Yeppoon was upon us really quickly, and we had a great room on the ground floor in front of "transition". I was excited to be meeting up with Tracey (whom I'd met at the Port Mac Aeromax camp earlier in the year) and a heap of friends from Transitions (an internet forum for triathletes).  The race wasn't even on my mind during Saturday as we spent the day socializing and fine tuning our bikes.  I tried out my new Zipps and took them for a spin, only to find that one of the valves was leaking - thank goodness the local bike shop had 650 tubulars - and I received my first lesson in how to change a tubular!!!

Weather predictions were unfortunately correct, with a 20 knot south easterly wind present on race day.  With the bike course being 5 laps, there is always a section offering a break from the wind, but the ocean swim is not as kind.  Replacing the swim with a 1 km run along the beach had been discussed by the race directors, but thankfully this did not occur.  I'm not a great swimmer, but had made myself train in pretty rough water and felt more confident about swimming than running at this point.

The swim went quickly once I made it around the first buoy - when you are little, tackling the surf (and yes it was surf to us Nth. Queenslanders) is a challenge.  My aim this year was not to get grounded (as I did last year) and although I swam in a zig zag fashion in and out through the buoys I did manage to stay away from the shore.  The choppy water made it impossible to sight buoys until you were about 20 metres out from them, so I relied on watching other swimmers and the lifesavers.  The only buoys the age groupers had to go around was the first and final one - and thankfully I was on course for the last one before catching as many waves as I could to the shore.

Yeppoons run from the swim to transition is long and includes a nasty set of stairs that will always spike the heart rate in the haste to get out on the bike.  Call me weak but after tackling the soft sand I am in no mood to run up the stairs, no matter how much encouragement the supporters give.

My transitions are always a bit sloppy, so I focused on trying to be more efficient here - wet suit off, helmet and race belt on, shoes on (I'm not good at the shoes on the bike thing yet)...gloves - yes/no/yes/no..yes, it might rain and that rough road!!! I make a decision then and there NOT to leave final decisions for transition.

Two club friends mount their bikes at the same time and speed off into the distance.  Focused on my own race, I let my legs and heart rate settle into a nice rhythm before increasing my pace.  My bike computer played up, switching on and off with the rough road, so I turned it off.  As I was not wearing a watch I had no idea of my splits, and so monitered my position in relation to the position of other competitors, something that is easy to do on a five lap course.  I managed to stay in the large front gear ring for the entire course maintaining a cadence of about 90 without my legs getting too fatigued. The rough section down to the resort and back seemed so long, with biddens, tubes and tyres that had been propelled from bikes littering the road.  My one spare tubular was unfortunately one of these with no amount of tape able to keep it attached securely to my bike.  Fleetingly I thought about stopping to pick it up with only 12km to go not even a $70 tubular was going to stop me.  Sorry Scott!!

Cycling into the wind heading towards Yeppoon was tough, but man, flying back towards the resort was fun.  Draft busters are lethal on this course, so I was careful with my distances to other bikes whilst trying to get as much 'legal' draft as possible.  Apart from the top females, not too many other female competitors overtook me, and I did my fair amount of overtaking - which is a nice change for me.  I normally take in some form of nutrition every 10km, but with no computer I picked two sections of the course to do this.  I relied on Enervitene fluid and Gu this race, taking out a banana in case I got the munchies.

Overall I was happy with my bike leg.  A couple of times my mind wandered and my heart rate increased, and I relaxed by repeating my calming mantra and 'remaining within my box' - concentrating on the moment.  I even managed to take my feet out of my shoes prior to dismounting the bike - the first time ever in a race!

The run was something I had not allowed myself to think about up to this point of the race.  The recently healed stress fracture of my right tibia still sometimes gave me pain, and up to race day I had only run on soft surfaces.  I had planned to take it step by step, and just see how it held up.  If I had to walk, I had to walk - no big deal right?  Yeah Yeah - we all love pain, or at least trying to push ourselves through it - so who was I kidding.

On the first lap of the run my calf muscles felt really tight - something alien to me as I normally feel so good initially off the bike.  I stretched, had a pee (in the bushes) and adjusted my elastic laces which always feel too tight.  Magically at around 6km my calves relaxed and my running form improved.  I finally felt good and could smile again. 

Coke, coke and more coke - my only form of nutrition on the 1/2 marathon - funny because I hate the stuff at any other time.  I walked the aid stations, a strategy that I always stick to - but maybe in future races I need to take 10, not 20 steps each time.  For a lot of the run I could hear the commentary at the finish line, which always spurs me on.  Plenty of competitors sprinted past me, but without scrunchies it was impossible to know whether or not they were on their last lap - so it was very important to stay to my own race plan. 

The last 7km I increased my pace, and it was my turn to overtake others.  The distance signs that I love to hate at the beginning of the run, soon became more friendly as the finish drew closer.  Prowsie was commentating at the finish line, and with a high five and a big smile I finished in a time of 5.23 - a PB of 13 minutes in the worst conditions I have ever raced in.

To top it off, my leg felt fine after the race, and still feels good a week later - a bonus.

Nicole Ward

Race Report / Yeppoon Half Ironman 07' / 3rd place overall

Sunday 19th August, 2007- Yeppoon Half Ironman

The great appeal of the ‘escape from winter’ drew me back to Yeppoon again for the second time. Little did I know that we would see the breaking of the QLD drought and strong winds on race day …?

After having a strong 06/07 season racing as an age grouper and upon the advice of Gilesy, I decided to give it a crack racing against the big guns in the open category. I was pretty calm the week leading into the race but just as I tried to go to sleep the night before I started to get really nervous and couldn’t sleep a wink (typical!)

The alarm went off at 5:00am and I ate my usual pre-race breakfast. I felt pretty rotten after the sleepless night and really heavy in the legs, so this was not a great sign. The wind was pretty strong outside and it looked like it was about to pour down- (for some reason it always seems to rain when I decide to race a triathlon!!!)

The great thing about this race is that you don’t have to check your bike in the night before so I strolled down to transition and leisurely set up my bike. I looked around me and started to feel really nervous as everyone looks so much fitter and better when you rack your bike in with the pros! Anyway, I tried to stay focussed and calm, and think about my own race.

It was a long walk down to the race start but soon enough we were off. It was a beach start with the pro guys so I was ready to get pretty beat up but I managed to get off to a great start and settled into a good pace nice and early. It was a really choppy swim and I am better at flat swims, so I felt quite ordinary to begin with. For the first time I could actually see where I was going though (thanks to the flash new Erox goggles that I purchased the day before). In the end I had a pretty solid swim and came out perfectly, just off the first few elite women (who are very good swimmers), so I was very pleased.

My swim to bike transition was a shocker, as two of the girls that came in behind me where through transition and about 1km up the road before I knew it. This is definitely something that I need to work on for next time as I lost a good few minutes here.

The first lap of the bike was tough as there was already a strong headwind and it took me ages to get my pace going. I built with each lap but rode on my own the whole way through the bike leg. I seemed to feel stronger and get faster with each lap, so looking back I think I needed to push the pace a bit harder earlier on.

I couldn’t quite tell where I was coming, but I believe I was in 7th place off the bike. As always I was looking forward to the run and I was ready to give them hell and see how many people I could run down. Again, my bike to run transition was very slow as I had problems racking my bike and getting my running shoes on, so this is something I will work on for next time.

I hit the run and my legs felt okay but I got a terrible stitch which I had for most of the first 5km. After working though this I started to feel really good and ready to roll. I got into a really good rhythm and overtook 2 of the girls ahead of me by the second lap. I didn’t look at what time I was doing but I ran by feel and it felt good!. I paced off some of the good guys that were running just ahead of me and this helped me to keep the momentum. By the third lap I had overtaken 3 girls and I was running fast. Just like on the bike leg I built with each lap on the run and started to feel better and better as I went on. In the last 1.5km I ran down another one of the girls and much to her dismay I ran myself into 3rd place. To be honest, I thought I was coming 4th by that stage, so when I crossed the line to hear that I was 3rd female I was completely ecstatic!!! I ran sub 90mins so was absolutely thrilled- this was almost 7mins quicker than I did on the same course last year (and it is a slow run course). To have the second fastest run time to Bek Keat was an awesome feeling!

Overall, I am really pleased with my race. Honestly, I would have been happy with a top 5 finish for my first open race but to come in 3rd was just fantastic. It was a great first race for the season and I did 12 minutes quicker than last year on the same course in much tougher conditions, so what more could you ask for.

A big thank you must go to both Gilesy and Tom, for pushing me to a new level over the last few months. As Gilesy has always said, it is all about patience and consistency and I have to say that the strength focus on the bike and the track sessions with Tom, have been the key to my new success. I also wish to thank my swim coach John from Warringah Aquatic Centre, for helping me to keep pushing with my swimming through the cold winter months.

Also, big thanks to Turramurra Cyclery and Cyclespeed for all their support in providing me with the latest top of the line equipment and gear, for this expensive sport !!!

Tim Berkel / Race report / Ironman Australia 07'

Tim finishes 7th - slightly happy!

Ever since I started doing Triathlon 5 years ago I have always wanted to do an Ironman and what better place to start with than the Ironman in my hometown of Port Macquarie.

My preparation wasn’t the best after only 7 weeks of running under my belt due to an injury, so I knew the marathon was going to be tough.

With the lead up to the race I kept myself positive because I knew I was going out there to give it all I had.

I was happy with my swim, coming out of the water in 14th place[49:05] feeling good , I found my bike bag easy and I ran through the change tent and sat down as my mate , Dave McDonald [with a fractured arm] did everything for me, thanks Ronald! As I got on the bike I was with one other bloke, I thought I was in no mans land, but as I was going down Lake Cathie straight I looked behind me and I saw the Shortis train! Further down the road we picked up Crowie and Clarkey .After having a strong ride the wheels started to fall off around the 150k mark, I had a powerbar [cookies and cream, the best], and a narna then I came good. The most enjoyable part of the bike was riding up Matthew Flinders with Prowsie commentating and revving up the crowd .

I came off the bike in 8th place[4:57]. I was feeling pretty good at this stage and with the huge crowd support around town I was pretty revved up for a good run. The 1st 25ks I ran I was feeling strong and I was in 6th place at this stage and I was getting closer to 5th place but for the 2nd time the wheels started to come off again and it became a very slow run to the finishing line. I was grabbing everything I could at the aide stations to get me home, but I was gonski!!!! With 3k to go I got passed by Mike Neill from Canada, the crowd really got behind me and got me home in 7th place[3:10]. As I was running down the finishing shoot the pain and soreness went away, I was greeted by my mate and commentator Pete Murray with a bear hug that nearly squeezed the last breath out of me. It was the most exciting feeling and I now know why people do the Ironman! I’m addicted!!

Now I’m looking forward to a trip to Europe with Gilesy, Florian and the Erox Aeromax Team.

A huge thankyou to my family that travelled up from Albury/Wodonga, all the local support and a huge thankyou to all my sponsors Aeromax team, Erox, Powerbar, Expressway Spares, Gordon St Cycles, Coastline Chiropractors. A special thanks to my mate and coach, Gilesy.

Tim Berkel

Mike Mahady – Race report of the “average” age grouper / Ironman Australia 07'

Saturday

After the race briefing, it was time for final preparations and gear check in. A lot of tension in “the house” started to spill over with edgy competitors with different plans sharing transport and space. The best thing I did all day was get out of the house, check my gear in (virtually ready since Thursday) and spend a few hours in the bowling club having lunch and relaxing with my support crew (Mum and Dad) in air conditioned stress free environment.

Sunday

The Alarm went off at 4am and I awoke to find I had had about the best Pre Ironman Sleep in my life. For the first time the alarm actually did awaken me. Feeling Fresh I climbed from the bed and headed for the kitchen. Kettle was started, plunger loaded with coffee, I settled down to make toast with ham and cottage cheese with a glass of apricot juice, and the other members of the unit commenced arriving in dribs and drabs. I found a place on the couch and ignored all others while consuming breakfast. Coffee preparation ready by the time brekky was eaten, I quickly poured a cup which was followed by another and then grabbed my bags (packed the night before, including bike drinks! – Knowing how forgetful I am, there is no way drinks are left in the fridge the night before.) I like to arrive when transition opens so was driving myself, Mark Griffiths, being nearly ready, joined me for a lift.
We arrived to a fairly open transition and quickly pumped up tyres and loaded drinks on bike and headed off for a warm up run. I like to find a quiet public loo about 10 mins run from Transition where one can complete what the coffee and jogging have started. The peace was somewhat shattered by having to share the facilitiy this time, but ablutions complete we resumed the run back to a now busy transition. It was time to enjoy a little of the bustle without being involved before donning the wetsuit and heading to the swim start.
I started the Heart Rate Monitor timer at about 6 mins to go. This was just to ensure the watch was secure under the wetsuit when I started. A former Aeromaxer (Glenn Dobson) had mentioned losing a watch in the swim, which made me do this as well as putting a spare in the bike bag which I wouldn’t need today. Time would be 6 mins out, but I wasn’t pressing buttons when the cannon fired. Started the swim in what I consider strong and steady without a real sprint start. Found it fairly easy going most of the way. Gaps opened up fairly readily when blocked in. Parts of the swim were difficult to find rhythm due to constant interference and swimmer up front, but other moments was able to really get comfortable and wind up the pace and reach. One such moment had me swim over the feet of someone doing breastroke, whose subsequent kick in my nose certainly knocked the steam out. I just got going again, trying to find the lost rhythm, but not stopping to worry about the assailant – probably oblivious to me. With pretty inconsistent training, I was happily surprised to come out in about 1:05 (about 1:02 for previous 3 races).
Transition was simple. Wetsuit off, Helmet, sunnies and number on and let the assistant bag the gear. Shoes were on the bike. I am always amazed at how many people I pass in transition, Many walking from the swim, considering it a rest in the tent, and not running to and with the bike. After taking Grant’s advice, I have cut about 15 minutes off my combined transition times. This is EASY time (Like peeing on the bike) and takes almost no effort compared to the rest of the race. I ran my bike well past the start line to clear any unsteady starters, and rode well up the road before putting feet in shoes to ensure I wasn’t anywhere near an unsteady rider.
Next was a quick drink and some nutrition before heading through town and into “section 1” outbound hills. After blowing my legs last year, I was planning to do this section in the right zones, and not smash myself going up these. Took the first full section of hills before my heartrate recovered to E2B. This is pretty normal as a result of the swim, adrenaline and the hills, so didn’t worry. A lot of enthusiasm at the big hill from Prowsie and crew certainly helped the adrenaline keep firing. Entered “Section 2” flats heading out into a bit of wind and sat around 30/31 km/h in E2B. Tried to stick in behind a few riders to take the heat out of the wind. Then into “Section 3” out of Lake Cathie and into the rolling uphill Ghost road. Not as bad as Port Mac Hills, but a little work. I kept in mind that the return trip with rolling downhill generally followed by a fast flat section was worth looking forward to. I stayed on the aero bars and really enjoyed this return trip. On arriving back at Matthew Flinders, I remembered from last year that the hype was much worse than the bite. However I heard some rubbing noise on the bike after the first section, and approached the aeromax camp peering down at the bike, looking for a source. Fear of Grant seeing me appear to look “negative” with my head down overcome my concern for the bike, and I surged past the top of the hill. (I stopped just around the corner to straighten the rear wheel alignment which was rubbing on the frame). Problem resolved I pedalled on.

Back into town which is relatively easy with flat sections and crowd cheering you on. Returning for the second lap, I tried to find a group to hit the flats with. While not optimal, I jumped on the back of a small group and let the heart rate slide down a bit to high E2A for the flat section into the wind. Even jumping out for a look had the effort increasing significantly so I settled in. The third lap around was probably slightly slower, but not by much. I still felt strong and new I should be able to run off the bike without too much trouble.
Entered T2 barefoot again, Only had to load nutrition, socks, shoes and hat and ran out with a V (drink). Felt the usual leg muscle fatigue and assumed this would ease and time would be OK. My run sections are broken down into 2km to match the signposting. I work out a 2km pace and try to hold it. Came out of the first 2k with 10:10 (aiming for 10mins / 2km) and was a little surprised, but thought lets see how the next one goes. Started for Settlement point, and seeing the Km signs, kept thinking how short this section was (3k out after first bridge), rather than how tediously boring it is. Rolled along at close to my aimed 5min/km pace and completed the first ten in about 51 minutes holding low E2B pretty much all the way. Restarted the timer (easier to view) and headed into the hills. Second 10km was a little slower at around 55 minutes, but given there was a little more difficulty I didn’t worry. Just set myself for the next 10km. This was head game time as this was the section I really suffered in last year and walked a fair part. I kept convincing myself how much better I felt and how good I was doing and concentrating on completing my 2km sections. Stomach was starting to object at this stage but not too seriously, and I maintained the running till settlement point ferry turnaround where I started walking the aid stations. Return trip was slowing. I was not quite maintaining the pace, and had a couple of small spews. Hit the hills again and had to force the legs to keep running up the first hill, which really seems to sap them. Over this hill, and It was just a steady concentration of continued running. Continued eating and walking the aid stations, but ran out the remainder of the course.
Last leg returning from the hills got a good pump from the aeromax crew, legs were sore, but I wasn’t going to walk any sections of the last 6kms. Only managed to drink water at the last two aid stations, but forced myself to run through. Didn’t seem able to pick up the pace, but at the last km, found an extra burst and started to spring past 3 or 4 people in front. As I reached the turn 100m from the finish line, my hamstring said STOP now and decided to cramp up. A couple I had just past went by as I walked / stretched a few steps, before hobbling back into a run (to the cheers of the crowd) and completed Ironman Number 6.
My previous years blowout with a 2 hour visit to the medical tent had certainly left me with a few demons which I believe are exorcised now. Still things to learn on race nutrition, pacing, and the mental game as well as general nutrution and can still see some improvements to come if I have the focus to implement changes over the length of years instead of months. Look forward seeing you all out there stronger and more determined next year.

Steven Newman Race  Report  Ironman  Australia  07 -

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ALISON FITCH RACE REPORT / 2ND PLACE IRONMAN MALAYSIA

24th February 2007.  

My story: For my sister Krissi (25 July 1968 – 24 January 2007)

It’s been a week now since my extremely satisfying 2nd place finish at IM Langkawi. Unfortunately I have been bed/couch bound for 3 days with viral gastro, most unpleasant, but today feeling a bit more “with it” to tell you all about my, quickest to date, Ironman race in the sun.

Even getting to the start line was a hard decision, emotionally more than ever. Thanks to the support and encouragement of my family and friends (special thank you to my brother Tony and my great mate Maria) I made it.

After arriving in Langkawi both Stuey and I suffered the sore throat/ear thingo that seems to come with tapering, travelling and new places. So on the morning of the big race we both decided to just have a hard training day........it turned out a little better.

SWIM
Usually I feel quite confident and ready to rip into things in the swim leg of an IM but with an altered preparation for this IM, I decided to build into it to avoid an early horrible burst of lactate. The plan worked to great effect with a very comfy, enjoyable swim indeed (head and body clashes still a given). I exited a couple minutes down on my normal time but felt positive I’d made the right decision. There was along day ahead of me.

TRANSITION 1
Had a shocker (even Stuey was faster),
My helper was inexperienced and did not speak English, and I was their first athlete. Bella Comerford seemed to be instructing her helper with more success and was first onto the bike. Bugger, I was off to catch her.

BIKE
It’s an interesting bike course alright with hills straight away that made me very nervous. The Wednesday prior to the race both Stuey and I got severe death wobbles going down one of the hills. It scared the crap out of us, and I made the decision to take it easy in the race (Stuey still content with his 80km/hr!).

So task accomplished, I made the first big descent, went to stand for the following hill seeing Bella in my sights and my chain came off (swear word!). Next was a very embarrassing push of my bike up the “massive” steep hill as I couldn’t get back on without falling off (Yes, some bike skills still yet to learn). To no surprise, I was left behind, but still early days and my race mantra “maximise your own performance” (thankyou Grants psych notes) had started in my head.

I felt quite rotten on the bike till about the 50km mark, my back was extremely painful (big history here) and I didn’t know if I could push through it. I drew strength and staying power from Krissi at this stage (I had her photo taped to the top tube of my bike). She was so strong and determined till the end, and I would continue as best I could for her.

I pretty much rode on my own the whole way but not without entertainment……
3 cows crossing the road at the 80km mark, monkeys continually darting onto the bike course, and a bus doing a 3point turn at the 100km mark?? (Very scary indeed, thank you brakes). Oh and not to mention all the little kids trying to steal your drink bottle whilst going 40km/hr! (cash incentives for them).

With 60km to go I started feeling stronger and stronger. I kept repositioning myself to manage my back pain, but seeing that I was closing the gap to Bella and Nina gave me confidence I was still riding well( not to mention always having the girls behind me in check).

I caught up to one of the age group guys who had blown up - he had gone past much earlier in a pack. He sat on my wheel the whole last lap which normally would frustrate me to no end but I reserved my energy to maximise my race and gave no energy to abusing him (quite happy I managed that- thankyou again Grant psych notes, ps, I dropped him by the end, yippee).

There were moments I felt intense flushes of heat out there on the bike course but I think my training in Darwin definitely helped me cope with it.

With 10km to go I noticed motor bikes and cars up ahead. I wondered what all the kerfuffle was then I realised that it was Bella and Nina leading the pro girls. I could not believe I had caught them. With a few negative thoughts of “I can’t ride past them”, I decided “why not” and off I went to enjoy the experience to the fullest, riding on past and leaving them behind. Nice feeling.

With a missed transition chute dismount…oops….reverse, reverse, I still managed to come in first off the bike. This created much confusion with the race commentators who could only keep repeating my name and saying that I had passed the race leaders. This brought more of a smile to my face than actually coming in first………ok……..maybe not 

TRANSITION 2
A more experienced helper this time, but still not my flashiest transition, race belt went on with goo’s and cool gel assorted and with my frangipanni ornaments attached (that Krissi had previously made me-she would be with me again) I was off into the real heat now.

RUN
I felt, hmmm, ok, to start. A strange goose bump feeling encompassed me and my back hurt, but I knew that it would settle with the support of my race belt once I got moving. My biggest fear on the run leg is achilles pain and foot numbness and to my great relief, there was none…whoopee…finally I could concentrate on running.

Nina took off right from the start- “see ya”, Bella a little more conservative. I felt Bella’s pace was quite comfy but I knew I couldn’t maintain it for 42km so I let her go. The run was bloody hot, 1km drink stations were still too far apart. At the 5km mark I caught Bella, she was walking through the aid stations, and from then on it was cat and mouse for the next 6km. At this point we heard that Nina had dropped out, wow wee, we were first and second - bit exciting 

Bella then surged and moved ahead of me, I concentrated hard on maintaining good form, relaxing and running my own race. Bella couldn’t cope with the heat just after I went past her at 21km and dropped out, I was in first place. It was a very special feeling leading the race, with many emotions running through my head. I maintained a fairly good pace till 27km when my quads started to give in.

I knew Nicole Leder was catching fast but my focus was now more about surviving and not breaking down. The aid stations were now out of water, so Coke and Enervit were my new substitutes for cooling, bit sticky but who cares hey.

The last 10km were extremely painful. I walked through every aid station to cool the thighs, and drank whatever was available. It was certainly mind ruling a reluctant and failing body. Nicole passed me with 12km to go 

Then it arrived; the last 1km but it felt like forever to get to that finish line. Motorbikes and cars surrounding me, it was all so special and painful at the same time. And so, my first 2nd place IM finish with a new PB. Yippee. Me, very happy. 

To Grant: A massive thank you for helping me achieve this result. For knowing what works best for me and always being so positive. I look forward to getting stronger and faster yet again.

To Flo: Thankyou for all your hard work in organising team Erox/Aeromax. Here’s to many more podium finishes in the future.

To Stuey: Well done Ironman. A 10.43 in your first IM, and a trip to Kona! You must have a great training partner. Thank you for your timely encouragement and support.

To my Dear sister Krissi: You were with me the whole day out there and I dedicate this race to you. I miss you and am always thinking of you. ♥

See you all at Im OZ- Go team Aeromax!

Ali ☼