Challenge Roth 2024
Summary
Took a whole tribe to get me to the finish line of my 9th Ironman distance race at Challenge Roth. This race has unveiled several insights about my mind, body and how unlimited we can be. I had several challenges (i.e. fitness, rotator cuff pain, work commitments) while training for this race. Sticking to a good training plan, adjusting to life challenges, having a good race strategy, dialing in on nutrition and great family support are the key takeaways for this race.
Pre-race
Challenge Roth is renowned for its
fantastic organization and enthusiastic crowds. The Solar hills are well known
for the Tour De France experience with huge crowds lining up to support and
urge you. The days leading up to the race were filled with nervous anticipation
and meticulous preparation. The main concern was the 15-hour cut-off for the
race. My previous Ironman in New Zealand was completed at a dismal 15hr 39
minutes. If I wanted to make the 15-hour cut-off, I had to train hard and race
even harder.
Proper training had started around
early February 2024 and it was going well for the first few weeks till mid-March
2024. I was trying out different tools
to make my swim faster and used the fins, paddle board & pull buoys. Due to my not-so-perfect swim strokes,
extensive use of paddles started hurting my shoulders. My rotator cuff became
quite sore and any overhead movement would result in great pain. Tried resting
for a few days and days became weeks with no cessation of pain in the
shoulders.
After 4-5 weeks of no swimming practice,
I called Dr.Hamid, an orthopaedic surgeon, in desperation. A fellow runner and
member of Thaarumaaru Runners group, he responded very quickly to my message
and agreed to meet me on very short notice. Just 2 days later, I was at his
office, and after a battery of mobility tests & MRI was performed. It was
confirmed that there was swelling of the tendon of the right shoulder which
resulted in shoulder impingement. After exploring options, I decided to go with
the injection option. This will reduce inflammation and provide protection for several
weeks while natural healing can take place.
2 weeks after the injection, I was back swimming without much pain or
discomfort. With about 6 weeks left for the race, I aimed to be race-fit
without any injury. Swim sessions were just easy sets steadily increasing my
mileage week after week.
Like any age grouper, work commitment
was piling, and it was hard balancing a challenging job and training for a Ironman distance race.
Race Week
I travelled to Munich and met my
buddies at the airport and we then boarded the bus to Nuremberg. My buddies and
I took the Triathlon package from Tri Travel and they organized everything
meticulously from the start till the end of the race. Given that Bike Transition, Run Transition
areas and Finish/Expo areas are far apart, traveling to each of these areas is
a major challenge. We are very thankful
for Tri Tavel in providing all the logistical and technical support during the
event.
Race Day Troubles
Bike check-in happens the day before
the race and check bike or run bags depending on where the transition stations
are. It is usual practice to deflate the tires of the bike as the hot weather
may cause the tires to burst if left at full pressure. On race day morning, as
I tried to pump the tires, the tip of my tire tube became deformed due to
excessive force. This then led to the front tire to be completely deflated.
With just an hour to go for the swim start, I panicked. Luckily my friend
Praveen helped to change my tires and we managed to pump it to the right
pressure and went to get ready for swim start. Phew! That was close.
With 30 minutes to go for the swim
start, something told me to go back and check the tire. To my horror, the front
tire was almost deflated. I tried to stay calm and immediately pumped the tire
again. I then brought it to a bike mechanic and after frantic attempts managed to
get his attention. He calmly looked at my bike, said it was fine, and asked me
to come back 20 minutes later if the tire became deflated. The anxiety and
stress was building up. With less than 30 minutes to go before my swim start, I
couldn’t afford to be running up and down the transition area to check on my
bike.
I went to my transition area where my
bike was meant to be parked and waited for 20 minutes constantly pinching the
front tire of my bike. It seemed like an eternity. Every 5 minutes, a swim wave would be flagged
by firing a blank cannon round. That sudden boom added to the increased
pressure and anxiety that I was experiencing. With less than 10 minutes to go
before my swim start, I hesitantly made my way to the swim start area. The front tire seemed fine but it was weighing
heavily on my mind.
Swim Leg
As I looked up the bridge close to the
swim start, thousands of supporters gathered there and there were also many
supporters across both sides of the canal. The swim took place in the calm
waters of the Main-Danube Canal, providing a scenic and fast course. Despite
the initial jostling for position, I settled into a steady rhythm early on and
focused on maintaining a strong pace. The support from the spectators lining
the canal banks added to the adrenaline rush, pushing me to swim my best.
I had to put aside my fears that my
bike front would be deflated when I completed the swim leg. While swimming and
jostling with other swimmers, I was preparing myself to quickly bring the bike
to the race bike mechanic in case the front had to be fixed.
As I came out of the water, my watch
read 1h 34 mins. Feeling a sense of satisfaction, I made my way to the
transition tent and changed into my bike gear. As planned, I took about 7-8
minutes to change from my wetsuit to a dry tri suit and wore my helmet, gloves,
glasses & shoes. As I made my way to my bike, I was praying aloud and
hoping that the bike would be fine.
The front tire stayed inflated. Thank
God! Pushed the bike out and hopped on
it past the transition line. What a sense of relief! Just couldn’t understand
what was going on. Anyway, I turned my attention to navigating a tricky start
to the bike course. We were warned earlier by Tri Travel to be very cautious in
the first 5 km of the race as there were several sharp turns.
Swim Time: 1h 34 mins
Bike Leg &
Nutrition
The bike course at Challenge Roth is
known for its deceivingly flat and fast route through the Bavarian countryside.
It only has 1700m of elevation gain 😊. The early kilometres flew by as I settled into
my aerodynamic position and began to tackle the route ahead. I stayed focused
on my nutrition and hydration strategy, essential for maintaining energy
throughout the grueling ride.
Nutrition-wise, I made some major
changes in fueling. I decided to religiously follow a minimum of 60 grams of
carbs & 1000 mg of salt per hour. This is almost double the amount that I
used to take in my earlier races.
The support from the cheering crowds
in the small towns along the route was incredible, providing much-needed
motivation to keep pushing through the challenging sections. The famous Solar
Hill, where the crowds line up the street like spectators in Tour De France
race, was beyond amazing. As one rides the hill, the crowd
thicken and all you
is a narrow passage with thousands of people on both sides shouting and cheering
you up the hill. What an emotionally exhilarating experience.
There were many fast cyclists on route
and I had to keep reminding myself that Germany drives on the right side of the
road. I was chided by several riders to keep to the right as I kept veering to
the left.
From a performance, what surprised me
was that I was riding about 30 watts above my target levels consistently. The cool weather (14C) kept these effort
levels fairly comfortable and heart rate was actually in the desired Zone 2.
Either the new pedal power meter needed re-calibration or I was just pumped up.
After the ride, there is still a full
marathon to be completed.
With a few unwanted toilet stops and
hydration breaks, I was frantically trying to keep to my average bike pace to
target race time. Thankfully the last 10
km had several long down slopes and I managed to come close to my target time.
Total bike time 6hr 48 mins
Finally, I got back to Transition 2 and after a
quick toilet break and change of shoes and gear, I started my run. Transition time:4 mins
Run Leg
I aimed to maintain a steady pace and
was mindful of my hydration and nutrition. Gels every 4 kms, one salt in between
gels which worked out to be also every 4 kms and isotonic at each aid station.
That fuelling strategy would have given me at least 60g of carbs and 600mg of salt
every hour.
Kept the pace well within Zone 2 and I
was very happy with my pace. The 42km run was predominantly a 30km loop along
the canal where we had swam earlier and 12 km along the Roth town centre. As I settled
into a steady pace, my eyes kept scanning for my group of friends who started the
race with me. Saw Kana (my Ironman brother) along the route, gave each other a
good hug exchanged a few words of encouragement, and carried on with our runs.
Soon after I saw KC, Effendy, William, and Praveen along the route. Glad that
everyone made the bike cut-off time.
Challenge Roth has several cut-off times which
is more stringent than the typical Ironman race. Firstly, Challenge Roth has a 15-hour finish
time instea
d of 17 hours for most Ironman races. Secondly, there are several
earlier cut-offs on the bike, especially the run. With the strict cut-off
timing weighing heavily on my mind, I was
certainly feeling the pressure. I was telling myself to treat the run leg as a
30km race and celebrate the remaining 12kms.
All the nutrition strategy was working
well but my bladder started filling really fast. Not wanting to waster time, I found
a way to relieve myself while running. Intially it felt very awkard running and
pissing at the same time but after a while , I got into the rhythm of it 😊. Just had to
make there weren’t people around me .
As
planned, completing 30km happened like a charm. I was on track to run a sub-5hr marathon but unfortunately, my Garmin watch went dead. The
metronome & vibration setting on the run leg of the triathlon setting drained
out the battery. After 30km and flat watch, I was running more on feel. Occasionally,
I would ask people for time of the day to gauge my speed. That slowed me down a
bit. The last 5-7 km of the race has a long ascent and that really sapped my energy. As I turned into the stadium for my finish, I raised both my hands and started
mimicking a bird gliding and swaying from side to side being carried forward by a tailwind. All the pent-up emotions of
joy, anxiety, fulfillment and fatigue were coming to a climax. As I crossed the
line, I was awarded the finisher medal and guided to the Finish test. I paused for a while and one of the run-bike
songs that I usually played during the countless sessions was being aired. It
was “Good Feeling” by Flo Rida. It was hard to hold back my emotions at that
time. It was certainly a Good Feeling! My finish time was 3 minutes short of my personal
best that was set 10 years ago in Melbourne. Furthermore, this was also 2hours
of my last race in the 2023 Ironman New Zealand.
