Ironman New Zealand 2023

I signed up for this race 2 years ago to "celebrate" my 50th birthday in 2022. But due to the late reopening of New Zealand borders, this race was deferred to 2023. The last time I took part in a full ironman race was 7 years ago in Hawaii. 

Training for a full ironman requires an exponential training effort compared to half ironman races.  After 7 years and more than 7 kilos heavier, I could feel the difference. My aim was to train hard and finish the race strong. "Just get to the finish line and get that medal" That's the mantra

I was also excited about the new Team Tri-Makkal tee shirt that was printed for this race. My son Amresh helped to draw and design the tee shirt that we managed to print just in time for the race. 

Race Week - Left Singapore on 27th Feb and arrived in Auckland on Tuesday 28th and took a 3-4 drive to Lake Taupo with my ironman brother Kana. The drive to Lake Taupo brought us through sweeping agricultural, grazing land and pine tree-laced forests. We arrived at Lake Taupo just in time to get a beautiful sunset view at 8pm. Lake Taupo is a dormant volcano and crater Lake as big as Singapore.   https://www.newzealand.com/sg/taupo

We were 4 days from the race, and we had to acclimatize and train to keep up the fitness level. After the long 4hrs drive, my ironman training partner and myself assembled the bike and got ready for the next day's practice.

Water temperature was at 19C when we swam the next day. Right after the swim, we took the bike for a 1-hour ride.

Our 3 friends arrived on 1st March and it was great having 5 of us staying in a nice cottage close to the race site. Praveen, Shankar, and Navin were taking part in the Ironman 70.3, and Kana and I were taking part in the full Ironman race. 

There was friendly banter and jokes flying around the accommodation room from daybreak to sleep time and there was never a dull moment. 

Swim Leg

Race day came too soon and we were standing at the bank of the river 30 mins before gun start. There was a very stirring and spirited traditional Maori performance on the banks of the lak that amped us prior to the start.

The artillery gun goes off and the mass swim starts. Nearly a thousand swimmers made their way through the swim course.  I started at the end of the pack as I wanted to ease into the swim pace. My new goggles started fogging up and I had to stop a few times to clear them before swimming again. I was watching my pace from time to time and was happy with it till the  2km mark. My hamstring and calf started twitching and I wasn't sure whether I was kicking too much.  I also felt that I may have pulled up my wetsuit too much that it was pressing against my crotch. Every stroke was getting painful. Cramps started coming in and I had to stop any forceful kicking of my legs. I was very tempted to put up my hand and wave for help to steady myself and work on getting rid of the cramps. With a number of swimmers behind my back, I was worried about swimmers who may push me into the water. Fortunately,  I managed to perform some minor stretches while floating on my back and started swimming very cautiously.

For the next 2km, I made very light fluttering leg movements and just used my arms. My constantly fogging google wasn't helping the situation as I had to tread water to clear the lens.  As I exited the swim, felt my left hamstring cramped up. Had to hold the barricade to steady myself and stretch before heading to transition.  

Swim time: 1hr 41 mins  [Calories burned 886 Cal]

The transition tent was almost 400m away from the lake so it was slow 4 mins walk as I tried to calm my legs which were threatening to cramp up.  I received my bike gear bag from the wonderful volunteers as I walked to the transition test. As I sat to change into my bike gear, I requested a volunteer help to pull out the wet suit. It was so tight that we struggled with it for a while. I didn't want to risk getting another bad cramp by doing it myself.

Finally, after some pulling and tugging, off came the wetsuit. Changed into my bike gears and rested for a few minutes.  As much as I knew I had to keep my transitions short, I took my time to compose myself before heading out to the bike. Took the bike off the rack, and shortly walked towards the bike mount line.

Transition time - 17 mins :(

Bike Leg

 Onwards with the bike. Felt quite groggy and cold, so I took the first 45km as a warm-up and kept my heart rate at an easy pace (below 135 bpm) The bike course was 2 loops of rolling hills. As tough as it was, it was also quite scenic. The course brought us along the country and farms.  I had a rain jacket which I wore for the first 30km and took it off after the sun came out. It was a clear beautiful day. The first 45km seemed pretty smooth and as I turned the corner to head back, I quickly realized that it was going to be a tough ride as the headwind was against us. And I have to do this twice. God, Have Mercy on us! 

Finished the first loop of 90km and headed back into the country roads for another punishing 90 km. As expected the last 40km was tough. The day became warmer and the headwind stronger too. Given that the last 20km was a climb with headwinds, it was a double whammy.  I tried to overtake a rider at a time to keep my sanity in check and that little mind game kept me distracted till I reached the transition tent.  

Bike time: 7hr 30mins  [Calories burned 3312 Cal]

Run Leg 

I took my cycling gear, lay on the ground for a minute, and put my legs up on the chair. It has been 9 hours since I started my swim.  I have burned more than 4K calories which is 2 days' worth of calories. I am now starting the run leg of 42.2km on fumes.  

My goal for the run was to pace myself well in Zone 2 before ramping up my effort. The Run was 4 loops along the banks of Lake Taupo. It took us through parks and the back of houses. There were supporters constantly waving and shouting words of encouragement. 

The first 2 loops were actually going really well. I kept my heart rate around 140 bpm (low Zone2). That made sure I was comfortable and it kept my cramps at bay. But the leg muscles were very fatigued from the constant pounding and bad running form. The quads were aching badly and some ointment from the medical tent provided some temporary relief.  Parts of the run course were very quiet and I had constantly motivated myself to push through with the constant aching muscle threatening to cramp up. 

After the 2 loops (20kms), there was a beautiful sunset followed by a cold quietness along parts of the course.  This is what I call the mental "no man's land". The run during the 25km to 35km mark was peppered with walk-runs, gulping copious amounts of Gatorade, and eating bananas or chips.  There were many enthusiastic kids with their parents volunteering for the event.  My friends, who finished their race earlier in the day, were kind enough to buy a hot cup of tea that brought some immediate relief from the cold night. 

 

As I was nearing the 32km mark, my hopes of finishing the race below 15hrs became very dim. I did some quick calculations and realized that I may even cross 16 hours at my reduced pace. That was not an option that I wanted. I picked up the pace and started pushing up my heart rate and also attempted to lift my knees a bit higher. Surprisingly, it helped alleviate my aching quads but my inner abductors were threatening to seize up.  As I ran past the walking race participants, my confidence grew stronger and stronger.  I still had some time to make it within 16 hours and clock a 5hr+ marathon.  

As I turned into the finish pen, I was just so glad that I could push through the pain and complete the race. Heard the announcer calling out my name " Ramesh Dharma, You are an Ironman" 

Sweet music to my ears. All the pain that I endured for the last 15 hrs melted away as I was presented with the finisher medal and a towel. What a relief! 

Headed into the finish tent and got some medical attention due to my shivering after the race. A hot water bag was placed on my lap and a cup of hot soup warmed me,  My ironman brother Kana was waiting for me at the tent. We both had a quick massage and a hot meal before heading back to the car. 

Run time: 5hr 57mins  [Calories burned 3125 Cal]

Race Time: 15 hours 39 mins

Post Race Thoughts

There was decent preparation for this race and I followed my training plan up to 90% of the time. So there was a certain level of confidence that I can finish the race. There are some areas to work especially lower leg strength training and proper running form. I intend to focus on the run post-race and make strength training a very regular affair. As I am writing this exactly 1 week after the race, I am missing my friends and the good times we had during and post the race. Well, all good things need to come to an end to make way for better things to come along. Till the next time!

Words of encouragement from primary school kids in Lak Taupo. We received this hand written letter as part of the race. It really moved me and I did think about the letter and words of encouragement during the difficult moments of the race. 

2023 Nutri-Grain IRONMAN New Zealand Race Day Rewind