Race Report Ironman Australia 2005

It was always going to be difficult backing up 5 weeks after Malaysia. It is possible to have a solid race with only 5 weeks between Ironmans and it has been accomplished before by other athletes. My problem was that my preparation for Ironman Malaysia was far from optimal, I failed to build a solid foundation of fitness through base training after a siginificant period of injury at the end of last year and the 5 weeks of maintennance between Malaysia and Australia resulted in the erosion of my endurance even more.

I knew I was lacking in strength endurance when I could only last 50k of the 80k cycle leg in Torquay before capitulating. Unfortunately, at this stage it was too late to do anything about it. I had a week to go to Malaysia and the 5 weeks between Malaysia and Australia were for recovery/maintennance.

In hindsight, I should have listened to Kate and my mother (who knows?….) and reneged on Ironman Australia. However, I had commited to the race a long time ago and everything had been organised, including a holiday in Sydney after the race, so I was reticent to pull the pin at the last minute. Further, I am the eternal optimist and was hoping that Malaysia may have contributed to building some extra strength I could benefit from in Australia. In the real world, Ironman Malaysia only acted to tucker me out, especially as conditions on race day were so extreme.

The race itself for me was not a pleasant experience:

I knew I was unlikely to have a great day as soon as the horn sounded to get the race underway. I was somewhat subdued mentally and did not start the race with my usual agressiveness and vigour and was dropped from the gun.

When it had all settled down, I found myself towing a chase group for the best part of 1.5 kilometres before starting to fatigue. At this point, the throng swallowed me up and we stayed together until the finish. I exited with a large group that included both Mitch Anderson and Chris Legh at around the 52 minute mark.

I had visions of riding with Chris Legh, but he bolted immediately and was almost out of sight by the 20 kilometre mark. Mitch came passed at around the 10 kilometre point and I rode with him until just after the first turn around point before being dropped. I then rode solo for the rest of the first lap and by the time I reached Forster, my status as a competing pro was tenuous at best.

Mentally, I was a wreck. MacCormack and Luke were minutes up the road and I was making no impression on a group of athletes that I was trying to catch. Further, the roads were extremely rough and the elbow I gashed and bruised after falling off my bike the Monday before the race was hurting.

The thought of riding another 90 kilometres, under the circumstances, was not a very attractive proposition. I "tigered up" somewhat and resolved to get through the second 90 kilometre lap. When I realised I could not turn a gear with a tailwind that I normally use for a headwind, my resolve started to wane. It disappeared totally at around the 120 kilometre point when a group of around 5 athletes went passed me. It was at that moment that frustration got the better of me and I decided to save it for another day. There was no point going any further.

It is not a great feeling pulling out. It feels as if you are not only letting yourself down but also the loved ones and sponsors that support you. I found it particularly hard to deal with in the first few hours after my demise. I watched the rest of the race and saw so many people out on the course suffering to attain their goals, while I had taken the "softer" option.

The next day I had come to terms with it all and realised that the correct decision had been made. I must thank Kate, Mark (100%Cycles), Neville and Ralph (Ryders Eyewear), Leisa (Kensington Travel) and Darryl and Steph (Carboshotz) for all their understanding and support.

Ironman Australia was not a wasted exercise. It presented some issues that need to be addressed in the future.

I learnt that I am in desperate need of a base phase and will undertake one as soon as I recommence training on Monday. As a result, I will not be racing the Busselton Half Ironman.

More importantly, it has been reinforced that it is not worth racing unless 100% fit and ready to perform at your best. You do not do yourself justice by doing anything else.