Cairns Airport Ironman 2013 (2nd Ironman)

Ironman race.. Swim 3.8km , Bike 180km and Run 42.2km... All within 17hrs. What makes any ordinary man or woman embark on an almost impossible mission . To many it is just a crazy event.

But to many ironman out there, it is a spiritual journey. Yes... Spiritual Journey. Dreaming the impossible ...ironman nirvana ....jumping into troubled waters, putting your butt down clocking those miles tirelessly, enduring the elements , digging in deep into your soul and giving it all out, overcoming obstacles, adjusting your mind and goals, cheering fellow racers who are worn out, constantly, painfully pushing your limits and praying for strength .
That's like experiencing life in 17hrs.

Preparation for the Race
We started training about 2 months after Busso Ironman 2012. It felt harder to get back to training, knowing what was installed for us during the upcoming race. And the hilly ride for Cairns Ironman seemed to be daunting. After all the preparations and hard work, we set off to Cairns ... without our ardent supporters. ..our family.  Taking part in Ironman race is an expensive affair... so bringing the whole family to each race is prohibitive from a cost perspective. Hopefully the family can come along when we head down to exotic  race locations. 

The boys at the Airport sending Kana and myself off.

 Checked in Cairns Novotel. Not too far from race site. The weather was cool (20 to24C) with intermittent rain.  Checked in and started exploring the sleepy town of Cairns.  Headed down to the race Expo by the pier.

To meet MACCA face to face must be one of the biggest highlight of this race. Really cool and down to earth guy. He is the People's Champion. Had a quick chat with him . Made my day.


Race Day

Kana at the Transition site with a sea of very expensive bikes.   Out at last after 3.8km swin

 

Started the swim almost 5 minutes late. We were waiting at the Pier when the horn went off . Instead of steadily going into the water, i did a hasty jump which dislodged my goggles. Not a good start .  With a few hundred impatient races around me, putting on the goggles seemed to be a very difficult task :) But I managed ... By the time, we starting swimming the safety boat was right behind us. That meant we were the last swimmers.  Started to focus on the long and relaxed strokes and clearing one buoy at a time. Finished the first 1.9km loop in 45 minutes. Now for the 2nd lop of 1.9km . The waves started higher and rain clouds started coming in. Great ..... Exactly what we needed. Eventually came out of the water really exhausted in 1hr 40 minutes. What a relief!   The transition run to the bike was really a long way.. But glad to be out of the water and now .... off to the hilly ride

Kana enjoying his bike ride

 

The scenery along the Cairns coast was breath taking. But that was not enough to take away the pain of the hilly ride.  The saddle was getting really uncomfortable and i was waiting to start the run.
Thankfully after more than 6hrs 50 mins on the bike and 180km later, i finished the bike portion of the race safe and sound.  Now off to the run leg ... a FULL marathon.
Even after 10 hours of racing, my body was almost depleted of all energy, I was still looking forward to the run. Must the adrenaline rush ... Well that didn't last too long. After 5km into the run, i had my first leg cramp. That kind of scared me .That's too early in the race. So i dropped the pace and made sure i had more electrolyte drinks and food of course.

The skies turned dark around the 15km mark and it was really hard to see the road and feel the sensation of running. The mind goes through funny and sometimes dark moments. I looked up to the skies and thought of my Father. A man of character and a tough cookie who fought hard till  his last breath. "Give me your strength Dad" I said to him..... That small prayer helped.   



At about the 25km mark, i entered Cairns town... Meanwhile my thoughts all about my buddy Kana, whom i had not seen for a while during the race. Very worrying.... After 30km mark, we met. To see your buddy safe and sound completing the race is such a joy and relief. We hugged, glad to see each other safe and still running. The Ironman race is very brutal . Anything can go wrong .. But today it went well for both Kana and myself.  12km to go... This is the hardest part .

When I crossed the finish line in triumph with my hands up, I looked up the skies and thanked God and my late Father. The Ironman finish line ..feels like walking down the gates of heaven, where your fellow ironman and supporters at the end waiting to congratulate me on completing a long, painful, treacherous and arduous journey. The next few hours are amazing. The "high" that one gets after an Ironman is simply awesome. Now, time to enjoy the after race party ..

The impossible is now Possible.....now my mantra is "Anything is Possible"

Back home after a 10 hours flight, our ardent supporters met us at the airport.  All this racing and time invested into our training won't be possible without our family support. So big Thank You to them.

What's next... Melbourne IM 2014 . The spiritual journey continues....