Ironman World Championship at Kailua-Kona, Hawaií
What can I say! A big dream was finally achieved. 10 days of stay in Big Island had passed so quickly.
A race that I savored every moment of it even though parts of it were painful. It did finish too quickly.
Here's the Ironman race recap video.
2. Preparation for KONA Ironman
3. Pre Race
4. Race Day
5. Post Race
1. Qualification for Kona Ironman
I had applied via the Charity Lottery program for World Ironman Championship slots and there were 10 slots allocated. Given the sheer number of people who apply for it, I didn't keep my hopes high in winning the lottery. In fact I had forgotten about it just few days later after i applied for it.
Mid April morning, I woke up to a few missed calls and messages telling that I had won the charity lottery for Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona , Hawaii. What a crazy morning it was.
There are 3 ways to race in Kona Ironman. First is to qualify by coming in Top 3 in respective age category. The 2nd way was to clock 12 Ironman races and apply for Legacy program to gain entry. The 3rd way to was apply for charity lottery program donating a minimum sum of 50 USD.
I was aiming for the Legacy lottery and had clocked 6 ironman races. But to get this Lottery slot, was just unbelievable
2. Preparation for Kona
Once I knew in mid April 2016 that I had 5 months to train for it, I had put all my focus on getting prepared for this race. I was few week from participating Ironman Lanzarote on May 24 and Ironman Cebu 70,3 (Aug 2016) and it seemed like a good preparation and lead up to the Big race in the Big Island.
But during Ironman Lanzarote, I strained my IT Band very badly and it left me with a sore pain on my left knee for a while. The sports doctor advised me to rest for 6 weeks but a long rest was not an option given that I had to start my Kona training in only 2 weeks after Ironman Lanzarote.
The other option was to take a steroid jab on my knees and rest for 2 weeks.
That seemed like a better option but the risk was that the healing was not complete and the jab just merely reduces that pain. The doctor prescribed some exercises to strengthen the VMO and quad muscles to further improve my condition.
After 2 weeks of rest, my coach Eduardo put me on a 17-week training voluminous program that focused heavily on swimming, core strength, and running which seemed to be my weak points.
As the days went by, the weakness in my body strength started showing. As I was trying to compensate for my weak glute and quad muscles, I picked up another injury. The dreaded Achilles Tendonitis. I had ignored the tightness below the calves for a long time but it hit me hard when I was running hard on the tracks.
I had to take a few days off to heal from the initial pain. But this injury takes weeks or months to heal. While it was not a severe injury, it still prevented me from running comfortably at any distance. The only silver lining about this injury was that it didn’t hurt during cycling or swimming.
My coach Eduardo had to take me off running for a week and focus the training hours on swimming and cycling. I learned the importance of proper stretching, strength training, and regular massage session to ward off any injuries.
After weeks, the pain got better and it was time to race in Ironman Cebu 70.3. The race went well and the Achilles tendon became aggravated only during the final sprint to the finish line.
After the race in Cebu, I discovered that my bike frame had a crack near the bottom bracket. Since my Canyon bike was from Germany, I had to write and call Canyon Bikes Customer Service and after talking to their experienced customer service officer and technician, they offered to send over a replacement frame. Meanwhile, I had to borrow my friend Praveen's road bike as my road bike was damaged beyond repair during a practice ride.
The frame arrived within a week and after a training ride, I discovered the cockpit to be shaky and to my utter disappointment, the connecting bolt of the bike frame had cracked. Another round of frantic calls and emails to Canyon Bikes and they offered to ship another replacement frame.
All these bike woes was adding to the stress of preparing the most important race of my life. The frame arrived just 5 days before my flight to Hawaii and my Bike mechanic Ah Chai from Bike Labz, prioritized my bike fix and I rode 10km to test the bike near my neighborhood. Not the most ideal situation but at least bike was road worthy.
I had dropped nearly 5kg from the last 4 months of training and was at my lightest weight (69-70kg) since my Army days which was 22 years ago. The IT Band and Achilles tendinitis was threatening to flare up occasionally if I forget my stretching and proper running form. 2 weeks to the race my weight seemed to be dropping day after day. I guess it was probably due to all the stress of training and preparing for the flight to Kona.
3. Pre race
Left Singapore a week before the race on the 1st of Oct. Landed in Kona really exhausted on Saturday in Kona after a long 18hours flight. Drove to my accommodation which was a nice little cottage at Holualoa situated at 500m above sea level . The cottage overlooked the sea and the race site.
Drove to Ali’i Drive and nothing much was up. Since I arrived early, much of the race banners and props were not yet. Fixed the bike up and brought it to a mobile bike mechanic for a quick check and tune up.
Met fellow Singaporean Ling Er, Allan Soh, and Amos Tan. It was comforting to see our Singaporeans in a foreign especially when I was alone. We hooked up and the following day drove to Hawi and rode about 2 hours of the windiest part of the racecourse at Hawi.
Hawi lived up to its reputation of being really a windy place. My front wheel was swinging wildly as I rode there. Later on I discovered that my bike frame not fully tighten during the tune up and that caused the wobbliness that I had experienced. Sigh! I was really starting to doubt the road readiness of the bike.
Did a few practice swims but didn’t venture very far out. The water was pleasantly cool and the beautiful corals, fish, and turtles provided some relief and reduced the pre-race stress.
Race Briefing – Event started at 6pm with Hawaiian music and traditional dance. Then the announcers shared a few inspirational stories of some participants.
Mark Allen was also featured in a short video. The main advice he gave us , trust in your training, be grateful that you are here and embrace the energy of the island and the race. Wonderful advice that would come in handy during my race on Saturday.
The next day was bike check-in and all final checks were done. There were volunteers who individually guided all participants to the transition area and gave specific directions on race day transition. One on One. I was very impressed and touched by the enthusiasm and care shown by the volunteers
Now it is was time to have dinner, quieten the mind and sleep early. In a few hours, the cannon will go off at 6.55am for my swim.
4. Race Day
Got up at 3.15am and had a decent sleep though I woke a few times to check my clock. Quick breakfast and off to race site by 4.30. Reached the swim pier at 5am and did all the final preparation by 6am. Surprisingly, I felt a sense of calm and collectiveness.
Saw a beautiful sunrise slowly colouring the skies and I told myself, it is going to be a good day.
After a quick warm up, I proceeded to the swim start 10 mins before the guns go off. I placed myself at the back and when the guns went off, I could the see army of swimmers in front of me. So I started swimming at a comfortable with no big expectations but only to finish the swim course in a decent time. The water was an amazing blue and as the sky got brighter, the corals and fishes were more visible and alive. I managed to see a turtle as well. Apparently, that’s a sign of good luck.
As I swam steadily, I notice a boat just ahead of me. I knew that the U Turn point was a boat but I had my doubts. It was 35mins and I thought I had another 500m to go before the U Turn. But it turns that I was swimming faster than my usual pace.
After the turn around close to 39mins. Right after the turn, the woman age groupers, who started 15mins later, came from behind like a freight train. I swam to my left to dodge the powerful female swimmers and the same time overtake some of the male swimmers who started earlier.. I felt the momentum and rhythm being disrupted. Anyhow after a few mins, the pier got nearer and I exited the water at 1hr 25 mins. Fastest swim leg for my ironman races. Came out of the water very happy and even smiled for the cameras.
The tailwinds were amazing. Reached 50+km speeds with easy pedaling but the crosswinds were also lashing out from the sides. Then I remembered that I should choose a gear that wasn’t too easy so that I would have more control of the bike.
Had to tap the brakes to maintain a stable position. I kept telling myself that finishing the race safe and strong was the main goal. Anything else was a bonus. Maintaining a stable position on the bike and keeping to a certain speed was taking a lot of energy and straining my weak muscles. Was constantly aware of IT band that was always tingling and threatening to flare.
The sun was starting to heat up the lava landscape and it was getting hotter. Didn’t realize I was losing water even though I was drinking often and refilling at every aid station. The salt maps of the fellow triathlete trisuits was so white and visible. That reminded me to pop my salt tablets every hour.
Somewhere near the 120km mark, the aid stations ran out of water. Can you believe it.? If this was Ironman Langkawi or China, it wouldn’t surprise me. But in Kona ?!!
Started rationing water and sipped on Gatorade. And then another aid station with no water. This was getting ridiculous. They had food, gels, Gatorade but no water .
Luckily around the 140km mark, water was available and managed to get rid of the dry and sticky feeling on the throat. That’s when I started feeling the fatigue building up. My power watts were getting lower and heart rate was dropping , feeling flat and my butts were hurting really bad. Just couldn’t wait to finish the bike.
Exited Queen K Hwy and into Palani Rd which had a very steep descent into T2.
I was so happy to see the supporters and volunteers and the energy around T2 was amazing. Told myself “ 2 Legs down , 1 more to go “
As I pushed the bike into T2, the announcers called all the athletes name and cheered them on. Passed my bike to a volunteer and wobbled into the changing tent to get ready for the run J
The run route was interesting. We had to run 16km loop on Ali’I Drive and then run on Queen K and Energy Lab for the remaining 26kms . The first 16km run along Ali’I drive was pretty good with the crowds cheering us and spraying water jets and playing loud music. I was able to hold my pace and was looking forward to a good run.
As I turned out to Palani road which a very steep climb, I choose to walk instead of running . After that run on Queen K started. Could see the sun set which quite beautiful. Saw the 10hr+ finsihers coming by the opposite direction for their final 2kms. Oh, How I wished I could be on the other side J
Then I realized that half my run would be in the dark. Didn’t see any street lighting but just huge tall power line poles.The volunteers at the aid station were really encouraging and sincere. There was the usual drinks, gel, food and even chicken broth served.
Somewhere after the 22km mark. the legs became really tired and my run became more of a shuffle.
It was now pitch dark. We only had the moon to illuminate our path. Running in the dark is never easy from me. I can't seem to get a sense of speed and visually it is confusing for me. Started feeling slightly giddy and walked for a while. This is the kind of spiraling black hole or mental No-Man's-land that one needs to survive or pull thorough very quickly. Need to deploy a few mental tactics.
So I decided to run the distance between 3 power line poles and walk the distance between 2 poles. That went for a few kms until i turned into the Energy Lab.
There were plenty of supporters as well a stage where there was alive band playing some music. Wasn't in the mood to stop and appreciate the music. Further into the Energy Lab, it got really dark. Could not see much till i reached a aid station. As I made the U turn at the end of Energy Lab, it was almost 27km. 15 km to go. Just further down was the "Special Needs Station"where i had left 2 cans of Milo and a Singapore Flag.
Once I had the Milo and held the flag , i felt a resurgence of energy. Folded the flag neatly into fuel belt and started running again. Now i had less than 13km to go and felt the finish line getting closer.
A light drizzle greeted me as i took out the Singapore Flag and draped around my shoulders on KuaKini Hwy.
In a distance, i could hear the thumping music, the cheering crowd and famous voice of Mike Reilly.
I had just finished the Ironman World Championship race in Kona, Hawaií.
2 volunteers helped to the tent where i collected my finisher medal and finisher T-shirt. Had a short massage and hobbled back to the Finish line to see the remaining triathlete finish the race.
To say the atmosphere at the finish line is electrifying would be an understatement. All triathlete finishing the race are given a hero's welcome with much cheering and encouragement.
5. Post Race
After all the euphoria of finishing the race, i still had to collect my bike and drive 6 miles back to my hotel. After slowly pushing my bike into the car which was parked at the slopes of Palani Drive, I took a slow drive back to my lovely cottage. Cooked myself a hot pack of Maggi noodles and went to bed a very satisfied man.
Woke up early the next day. All the race nutrition and caffeine was still keeping my body active.
Had a nice Kona coffee and went to the Official Ironman Merchandise store to get the finisher Polo Tshirts. Had a great lunch at Buppa restaurant and went back to the cottage to start packing for the trip home.
As I looked back at race timings, i wasn't too impressed. But I was in Kona to embrace, experience and savor every moment of the race. The only thing that mattered was the shiny medal that was hanging over my neck. I hope to race in the Big Island again. Not sure when it will be, but i will patiently wait for it. Till then Aloha!
No comments:
Post a Comment