Challenge Roth - Race
report
The good news is that I
met several of my goals:
- I completed the race, which is all it matters at the end
- I completed the race within the cut-off of 15 hours (in Ironman branded
races, we typically get 17 hours to complete the race)
- I enjoyed the great race atmosphere, particularly climbing up the
Solarerberg, and finishing in Roth in the biggest stadium of triathlon
history
However, I wasn’t happy
with my time, or with my performance in general. But let’s start from the
beginning…
Pre-race
I flew to Germany on Wednesday prior to the race, just to find out at the
airport that my bike hadn’t arrived. There was no chance that I was going
to leave the airport without my bike, so I waited approx. 4 hours for my
bike to arrive. Not a good start of the journey and not good for my
nerves… But I was relieved when I was rejoined with my bike.
On Thursday, I rode part of the bike course, and I was reminded that,
despite the good times that the Pro’s typically pull out in Roth, it
wasn’t going to be an easy ride. I also swum a little on Thursday and
Friday in the lake close to where we were staying in Enderndorf am See, a
little town about 30 min driving from Roth. It was very refreshing to get
in the lake as temperatures were rising by the day. On Saturday,
temperatures were reaching 32C, though it sometimes felt even hotter. The
forecast for race day was sunny and warm, and possible thunderstorms in
the late afternoon/evening. Generally, preparation felt good, as I was
eating like a Pro, sleeping like a Pro, and otherwise trying to emulate a
Pro, since I was sharing lodging with a Pro.
Swim, 3.8km/2.4mi
(1:36:17)
On Sunday morning at 6:30am local time, the first of 16 waves was ready to
start (with all men and women Pro’s). The swim takes place in the
Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, around 10 km outside Roth and is a single
counterclockwise loop. My wave (all age group women) started at 6:45am. I
was a little in the back entering the water, which meant that by the time
the shot went, I still had to swim to the start, i.e. about 100m extra to
swim. Because we were “only” about 500 participants in our wave, the level
of kicking and being kicked was pleasantly low. All went well until
halfway, when I started to feel nauseous. Few minutes later I felt like I
was totally empty of energy. I was swimming fairly close to the bank, so
more than once I considered stopping at the side to catch breath, but
instead I continued, just a little slower. I was very glad when I finally
reached land and T1, though I was a little disappointed about my time…
Bike, 180km/112mi
(6:39:21)
The bike course uses a two-lap course on the countryside, mostly south of
Roth. The course is mostly rolling with a few tougher hills, such as the
Kalvarienberg and the Solarerberg. From the moment I started pedaling, it
was clear that my legs had very little strength: no fast time today, was
the immediate verdict. So, I decided to just enjoy as much as possible the
race atmosphere. It was quickly getting hot. Luckily my nausea vanished,
which allowed me to keep drinking and eating sufficiently, or so I
thought. The atmosphere on the bike course was incredible. There are ten
so-called Stimmungsnesters (or atmosphere zones) during each loop of the
bike course. The Solarerberg is absolutely crazy, like a wall of people,
all cheering like you are the biggest star in the world. They say that
there are about 25,000 spectators just on that hill, moving aside only
just seconds before the cyclists come up, similar to what you see on some
of the climbs at the Tour de France. Kind of scary… And I am still feeling
the goose bumps when I think about it!!!
While my bike time wasn’t particularly fast, at least I felt that I could
keep a fairly constant pace, not really fading in the second loop, like
many athletes who I saw stopping at the side of the road to catch breath
in the shade. I was glad to finally reach T2 though I knew that the rest
of the race would even be tougher.
Run, 42.2km/26.2mi
(6:10:06)
The final marathon run is mainly a flat effort and has two out-and-back
sections with several turning points. The major part of the course is
along the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, with the finish in the centre of Roth,
in a big stadium built especially for the occasion.
Unfortunately, the run didn’t go well at all. From the start, I felt light
headed, and I wasn’t really able to run for more than a few hundred meters
in a row. So, I combined short bouts of run with somewhat longer bouts of
walking. My assumption is that the “iso” drink that we were given at the
aid stations on the bike course may have been diluted too much, and that I
might have not ingested enough sugars and salt, despite drinking
sufficiently, at least in my opinion, but I don’t know for sure. The
weather continued to be warm and humid, which made things even more
difficult. Halfway through the run, the forecasted thunderstorms finally
arrived, which meant I had to run a good part of the course in (sometimes
hard) rain. I didn’t really enjoy the run, with exception of the last few
kilometers, when we returned to town. The last few hundred meters were
totally amazing, and the welcoming spectators in the stadium made all the
pain go away and the smile come back on my face. For the books, I finished
in a time of 14:40:07, not a particular good one. Nevertheless, # 23 is in
the bag!
Immediately after the race, as a precaution, the medical team gave me not
one, but two IV saline solutions to help me recuperate from my dizziness.
Apparently, the medical team had a more than usual tough day in providing
support to triathletes on the course and after the race.
Closing remarks
Typically, Roth is a very fast race, where world records on the ironman
distance have been set in the past. However, statistics apparently
revealed that this year times were not as fast as in previous years, and
that 33% were DNF’s, which is almost unbelievable for an ironman distance
that is considered one of the ‘easiest’. Well… It is called ‘Challenge’
for a reason… So, maybe I should be happy with my performance after all.
Next on my agenda is Challenge Weymouth in Dorset, England, on September
14th. But let’s first enjoy my vacation a little longer.
A final note to
acknowledge the performance of Sister Madonna Buder (83 years old) who
completed the race, making her the oldest athlete (male or female) to
finish an ironman distance triathlon: a new world record! While she had an
‘unfair’ advantage – another Sister was spotted helping and supporting her
in transition – her performance is simply amazing: a true inspiration!
Eva
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