Race Day - Final part: The RUN - Let’s get this party started
Before we get into the last part of the IronMan 70.3, make sure to check out part 1 the swim and part 2 the bike as well. You can also find all the pictures of this day in my photo gallery.
The RUN (21.1 km / 13.1 miles, ~ 100 m elevation)
Usually it’s either the Swim or the Run that people dread the most during a triathlon. As you probably know me by now, the Run was my territory. I couldn’t wait to get running! During the swim and mostly during the bike ride I was thinking all the time: Get me back to transition and let me ruuuuun! I WANT TO RUN and finish this race on the red carpet! Only thinking about it, got me so hyped! Also, I knew that I’m going to see my friends and their dog somewhere waiting for me and cheering me on! I really really needed to see their faces and share this experience with them!
So you can imagine when I crossed the run start line, I had the biggest smile on my face, I was pumped with pure joy and at that point I knew: I am going to finish this IronMan 70.3! No matter what, I am going to finish it.
So off I went on to the flat course along the beach and coastal town center of Weymouth. There were so many people still on the run course and walking, sweating, dreading it and quite frankly they didn’t seem to have a good time. Me on the other side, well, I was energized and ready to get this party started. Keep in mind that I was one of the last ones to get out of the water, then I made up a good amount of places during the bike ride but during that run, honestly and hands down: I kept overtaking people all the time and no one was overtaking me anymore. I was completely in my element. I was thinking about that girl I met before the swim who was worried not to finish the run and I kept cheering her on in my thoughts.
A very confusing and funny moment was when I heard people screaming my name and cheering me on! I was like: What? How come they know my name?? And then it clicked: That’s the reason why you have to wear your BiB number at the front during the run because it also states your first name and the flags of your home county. Haha! That’s just brilliant! Thanks to everyone who yelled my name and the one person who even tried to cheer me on in German. Priceless! :)
This run course is perfect for the spectators and the runners because the spectators line up all along the run leg. It’s just so refreshing and energizing to see so many supportive people - especially when you’ve been racing for a couple of hours at that point. So many people got really creative and dressed up, played music, held up self-made signs, etc. It was true fun to run a few loops.
Other aspects I loved about this run course were the Finish Line and red carpet were in sight so you could see, hear and feel the energy which got me even more pumped. Also, I saw my beloved trails on the other side of Weymouth. You have to understand how much I love trail running - especially on these home trails. Thus, only looking at them gave me extra energy and kept me going.
Aid Stations
The aid stations on the run course were quite frequent. I was positively surprised that there was an aid station ~ every 5 km. But I was glad that I put on my running race belt with some nutrition and a 500 ml water Salomon flask. Why? Because even though there were many aid stations, they only had water in this tiny cups. I didn’t want to stop and drink 10 of them and then continue running. So every time I passed an aid station, I grabbed two of these mini cups and also had some of my water additionally. It was also quite warm by then and the sun was shining at its brightest :) So staying hydrated was key! They also did a trial during this IronMan 70.3: One of the running aid stations didn’t provide water cups. Instead we were given re-usable cups at the registration which we could use. That means that practically you had to remember where exactly this aid station was located, get your re-usable cup ready beforehand, stop so someone can refill it with water and then keep on running. Yeah, I get the sustainability thinking behind it and I appreciate it but that’s practically not working for me during a race. So I brought my own re-usable flask :) Win-win for me and the plant :)
Tracking devices
In terms of tracking devices, I used the following:
Garmin Fenix 6X Pro watch
Garmin triathlon heart rate strap
The official IronMan tracking chip on my ankle
What can I say: Even the best tracking devices let you don’t from time to time. It’s not unusual that my GPS is not picking up from the beginning or loses connection in the middle of the session or that my heart rate strap doesn’t pick up my heart rate correctly or not at all because it got completely confused by the other 2,000 signals which were trying to connect to the correct watch LoL. There are many different reasons for that; i.e. weak connection, weak battery life, the pads on the heart rate strap weren’t wet enough, pressing the wrong button and so on. So I wasn’t surprised when I found out later that, for example, my GPS failed in the middle of the swim. So on my Strava it looks like I drowned in the middle of the sea. Or that my IronMan GPS lost me for ~4 km during the run which lead the IronMan company to not officially accept my time post race. I understand now why many pro athletes wear two heart rate straps and two watches. For them it’s crucial to have 100% working devices on them. In my case, it didn’t bother me at all. Honestly. I wasn’t there to win or earn money or qualify for the World Championship. What it meant for me was that I didn’t get an IronMan 70.3 certificate as a PDF to download. Well, I don’t need that anyway. Why am I mentioning this? Because many people get too caught up in the formalities. They think ‘If it’s not on Strava, it didn’t happen.’ From experience I can say: That’s not a healthy attitude and obviously, it’s also not true. My advice is, during the race, challenge or training sesh to stay present in the moment and enjoy it as much as you can. Don’t get too caught up what your watch or Strava says. At the end of the day, I know what I have achieved regardless of if it’s 100% accurate on Strava or not. It simply doesn’t change the fact that I finished the whole distance and I couldn’t be more proud.
Seeing my friends
Talking about tracking devices, ask my friends who were following me on the official IronMan tracking app…well, they tried to follow me ;) On the app I was jumping forth and back making it look like I’m flying LoL and obviously hard for them to figure out where I actually am. Hands down: This experience of GPS tracking and the event apps was the same story in other ultra trail run challenges I’ve done. So this isn’t specific to IronMan.
They decided to stand in the middle where the road split. That way they could be sure they’ll see me either way and they did!! The whole run I was screening every face right and left to me trying to find them in the crowd. Finally I saw them! This feeling when I finally saw them screaming my name, cheering me on and the dog going crazy happy to see me :D No words can explain this feeling and what it does to me. It feels like a current of energy is running from my toes, through the whole of my body up to the head and charges me with extra power and joy! I was already running fast and when I saw them, I started sprinting. My body just wanted to run, and run fast. Pure enjoyment. I was in the zone. Also, I remember screaming to them: “I am doing this! I am really fucking doing this!” There’s also a video as proof ;)
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for my friends to come and support me and for my other true friends following me on the app and cheering me on from other countries. Your support honestly means the world to me.
FINISH LINE (= dopamine rush)
As always, for me the reality of finishing a challenge or race kicks in during the last few kilometers. That’s when I get real emotional and start sprinting as fast as I can, leaving it all out there. It was absolutely surprising and crazy to feel this burst of energy after such a long and challenging race. It is so true that when you think you can’t go any further or faster, you still got ~40% in your tank. What a feeling! So I’m sprinting my way to the red carpet, I hear ACDC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ blasting out of the speakers, I turn left and here I am: On the red carpet of the IronMan 70.3!! I start crying, throwing my fists up in the air and screaming from deep within, from the top of my lungs! This was one of the most liberating moments in my life. If you read my other articles, you know that I had a very tough time the months leading up to this race and that I considered cancelling it multiple times. And here I am now. Finishing it. I’m even tearing up right now writing this article. I visualized this moment for so many years and it exceeded every visualization I had. It was all worth it. And the best thing about it: I could hug my friends and share this moment with them. I will cherish this moment for the rest of my life.
I hope you enjoyed this series of Race Day articles. If you made it until here, I’d like to take a moment and say THANK YOU for reading my blog. I truly hope that everyone finds some inspiration in my blog in some kind of way - may it be to go vegan for environmental or health reasons or just because you’re curious, may it be to exercise a little more, may it be to spend more time in nature or overcome your biggest fear. Whatever it may be that lights up your light, please please do follow your heart and take action. Stay curious and true to yourself. Love, Tamara