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.

Race Time 13h 44m 13 sec.

 Post Race Thoughts

• The 15-hour time limit: It created a positive challenge. It was not just about finishing the race but making sure that I was mindful of my pace and effort throughout the course.
• Race Strategy - Having a race plan, executing it well during training, and fighting to get an “inch’ all the time
• Resilience Mindset - Ironman races are challenging but overcoming each challenge (i.e. Shoulder impingement, flat tires) and achieving the outcome is satisfying
•  Performance:  Sticking to the training plan, and better nutrition (60-75 g of carbs & 1000 mg of salt perf hours & timing of caffeine) helped in achieving a performance beyond my expectations.  

Challenge Roth 2024 was an incredible journey, and I look forward to participating other interesting and exciting Ironman distance races. For those considering this race, it's a must-do for any triathlon enthusiast. The organization of the event was top-notch, and the support from volunteers and spectators was overwhelming.