Ironman Western Australia Triathlon Busselton 2007

Ironman Western Australia Triathlon Busselton 2007

The Journey to Triathlon

Heading over to Busselton is accidental. In fact, I've had no ambition of doing any triathlons despite doing all the associated training more than a year ago. I have been running for the last few years. Swimming and cycling have been part of the cross training that I engaged in.

Training hours of 12 – 15 per week have become a norm. With the hours spent, I subconsciously acquired proper training mileage for a Half Ironman, and, needless to say, a triathlon (Olympic Distance).

All the hype surrounding Singapore's first Aviva 70.3 lronman Triathlon has been on the cards for a while since last year Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon '06. What's the great deal? It is just half an Ironman! I just couldn’t understand why some folks are so worried/hype up about the event. They are marathon finishers, why is there a need to worry about an event which will take around 5-7 hours? This is just an event that is equal if not slightly longer than a marathon!

I tried out an Olympic Distance triathlon on my own in the gym (1.5km swim, 1.5hrs bike(stationary), 10km run outdoor) during a orientation trial and found it like a normal routine workout. What's the big deal about it?

I signed up for Aviva 70.3 to prove to myself and show others that that the concern was uncalled for. Fate had a way to make the course more challenging and I signed up for the Desaru long distance triathlon that was held 14 days earlier. 2 long distance triathlons, with the Army Half Marathon (21km) sandwiched in between, make it a serious sequence of workout. At the end of these events, I realised that a long distance triathlon is well within my capability and I am convinced that I should be able to finish an Ironman – How tough can 3.8km swim/180.2km bike/42.195km be?

Training for Ironman

How difficult it is to upgrade my training from 70.3 to Ironman? My weekly typical training regimen has 70.3 in the making for months without realizing it. Surely pushing a bit more should be okay. According to the IM guru in the gym, coupled with some research, I had to spend 30 hours per week to train properly for it.

What odds were stacked in front of me? Sweetheart refused to allow me to own a bike (therefore I couldn’t train properly on it). Thanks to a few wonderful sporting pals, I managed to salvage enough stuff to do my trainings on the bike (without owning one) and prepare for the event. SC5, Penguin, Balasing, Gentle, Shortlegs, Choonwei, Mythos, IM Guru(G) and a few others have provided much needed support, advice and assistance to get me across the finish line.

Similar to preparing for 42km marathon from previous 21km distance, it is a steep curve to prepare for this. I signed up with Planet Fitness and engaged in various SPIN classes to get myself acquainted to using a bike.

I had 2 weekly sessions in the pool. I did long distance swims of 2.5km – 3.5km typically. I know I ought to do swim drills and intervals, but I guess my mind was preoccupied with the bike which was my weakest link, hence I neglected my swim.

I had to use a MTB on the road (courtesy of Penguin). It was a steep learning curve on the road. Bike parts kept falling apart, tubes kept bursting. I had to learn the hard way - learning to change tubes after tubes in quick sessions (even had to push the bike for 2:15hr in one instant at midnight). I couldn’t cycle fast with MTB (it was an entry-level bike) and I had to train by myself (at times I will have another buddy), since I feel bad to drag a whole group of cyclists back. It was tough cycling on the road weekly with an average speed of 22km/hr with 4-6 hours on the road (provided the bike (parts) don’t fall apart and cut the session short). Unearthly hours of either midnight or 3am bike out on the road alone are tough mentally. Losing out on sleeping hours is a norm.

I had to cut short my running from 3 times per week to twice. The training had to be quality sessions. Although I have deliberately toned down the distance, I still managed to clock a few 30+km during the last 2 months leading to the event. My cardio base on the run should be sufficient to get me through.

Typically woke up at 5am+ on weekdays; 3am+ on weekends. Rest days were a rarity. How to squeeze so many workouts in 1 week when I am working full time? It was a struggle to manage work/play and family. Not to mention the $ to sustain the interest.

Despite all these, the maximum weekly training hours are 25 and still short of the required 30 hours. Due to mishaps on the bike(mechanical problem), I did not complete some of the intended longer rides. In short, I did not have enough training mileage going into the event.

Heading to Western Australia Triathlon Busselton 2007

Although I have signed up for SCSM 07, I have no interest in taking part. In my opinion, it is a disgrace that the organizer of the event is not doing enough to promote it to a premium event.

Shortlegs has indicated her interest in Busselton. Since the event fell on the same date as SCSM 07, instead of going for Macau Marathon I can head over for a reunion with her. Busselton seems a much better option than Langkawi given what I have heard/read. It is SC5's report of last year's IMWA event that made my intrigued by triathlon in the first place.

2 December 2007, Western Australia Triathlon Busselton 2007. This will be it as I attempt my first Ironman.

Busselton – Western Australia

Busselton is a small town in Western Australia, about 3 hours drive from Perth airport. I arrived and met up at the airport with George, Paulinela, Jess, Seivland and Paul on 28th Nov.

It is good to come in early to get a feel of the environment. The misguided advice and various unreliable sources on the weather condition in Busselton are bad. My expectations of a hot weather (typical of Singapore), with less humidity did not materialise. It was COLD and WINDY. I didn’t prepare sufficient clothing for such weather. I was shivering for most of the trip. I feel I can still sustain the cold weather thus didn’t purchase warm clothing in the town/race expo. Temperature is at lower portion of 20 Degrees Celsius and dipping underneath more often than not.

Had a swim/run and bike session in a couple of days to get myself use to the terrain/weather. Would have love to do a couple more, alas my fellow IM mates have different preparations plan.

Ironman Western Australia Triathlon Busselton 2007

The race attracted slightly shy of 1000 participants. 350+ of them are from overseas. This is a big event for the town. Local newspapers have various reports of the event. The list of participants' names was displayed for a few days; posters/stickers of the event are posted everywhere.

It is a very well organized event. Everything went like cogwheel without hiccups. For an Ironman event, as a participant, we might not aware of how much logistic is put onto it. The swim/bike/run portions require people of different skill sets to manage. The volunteers and organisers did a fabulous job. The ordinary folks on the street came out of their home to give tremendous support to the event.

Race Information

Swim Course (3.8km) – 1 loop around the Jetty

Bike Course (180.2km) – 3 loops of 60km

Run Course (42.195km) – 3 loops of 14km

Show Time

Woke up at 3:45am and prepared for the long day ahead. I had muesli bars and chocolate milk for breakfast. I can’t find any 3-1 cereals in the supermarket ever since I landed in Australia. No choice, but to make do with what is available locally since bringing in food stuff into the country is prohibited.

Left for the race at 4:30am. It was a cold morning when we checked into the arena. Body marking is unique. Instead of race number on the shoulder and side of the leg, they painted the age group category on the calf. This is the Ironman, the race is between the age-groupers for the coveted Kona slots.

The electric atmosphere at the beginning of the race is good. After weeks of training, it’s SHOW TIME!

The Swim

Even with wet suit and hood on, I am still slightly chilly from the wind and water. I realize that I had running nose before the start of the swim. The race start line is 20 meters into the water (away from the shore). I stationed myself at the last (slowest) pan for the swim.

The horn sounded at 6:15am and we make our way into the sea, swimming along the jetty. As usual the mass start provides lots of splashing and traffic jam. I stick to using breast stroke at the beginning to get myself comfortable in the water. It was cold but nevertheless I moved forward. The water isn’t clear as expected. Visibility is down to less than 3 meters which could be attributed to all those splashing in the water.

Soon, the participants are more spread out as most of them have surged ahead. Only a handful of swimmers are left within my sight. I am not a fast swimmer, in fact I could consider myself a slow swimmer, and it is not unexpected that I am at the tail end of the swim segment.

Around 400-500 meters into the swim, something within myself went crazy. Heart rate went up, breathing was difficult and rhythm went off. For a minute, I panicked. It is not the first time this had happened. I want to seek for assistance. I do not want to get pulled out of the water. I try to calm down, slow down, and take in some deep/slow breaths. It took me another few minutes before everything went back to norm. Phew!

Interesting sightings during the swim portion. One swimmer doing back stroke and was surging away from me! Another swimmer had one of his arms (belted up), think he injured his arm and swam freestyle with ONE arm! Saw some fishes and stingray along the course.

The course is a 1.8km straight along the jetty, cut across to the other end and head back to shore. I didn’t bother to look at the watch as per norm and keep going at a slow and steady pace. It was a long swim, the distance marker was going further from me and my progress was so slow!

Those taking part in the team event (15mins behind) started to overtake me even before the end of the jetty and continued to do so until the end. I was way too slow. The wet suit has kept me pretty warm and that is something I enjoyed. I just wanna finish the swim, no matter how long it's gonna take. Slow and finally after 1:31hr I stepped foot on the shore! I was very surprised at the time, though I expected 1:30-1:40hr, at the pace I am going, I still can manage to get such timing.

Legs are wobbling on the way to the transition area. I almost fell over. I stabilized myself and pick up my bike transition bag.

I changed to bike gear; take some water to clear away the salt and a few bites of powerbar before I took the bike out on the road at 1:38hr. Swim to Bike transition is 7mins.

The Bike

The bike circuit takes 3 loops of 60km. The route is very flat. The cold, windy weather made it just as challenging.

First loop, I was feeling okay except that my left hamstring felt a bit tired after I started the ride. The pace is pretty decent. My bike computer is down, so I didn’t know the pace, which is not important as I have not managed to get the bike computer to work properly in any of the triathlon races so far. The aerobar (which I'm using for the 2nd time) was not tight enough and it kept coming loose. For the entire trip, I had to keep tightening the screw with my fingers. The head wind is pretty strong; at times the bike is so slow, I believe walking will be faster! At times the side wind kept drifting my back wheel. I was taken by surprise each time this happened. Estimate 2:05hr for 1st loop.

2nd loop, I was feeling tired and my running nose continued to plague me. The pace has dropped significantly over the last 10-20km. It was pathetic to a crawling pace. After 10km, I stopped by the roadside and took an unofficial toilet break, did some stretching and hopped on the bike. I was feeling so much better! I should have come down earlier to do some stretching. I attribute this to inexperience in long distance cycling. I completed the 2nd loop in 2:15hr.

3rd loop, again I have the same feeling as that on the swim. I just wanna finish the bike portion. It has been a long ride – 180km. It is really very long! I keep praying; please let me finish the cycle without any breakdown. According to beliefs, 10% in Ironman is attributed to luck. And of that 10%, I believe the bulk falls on the bike itself. 101 things could have happened. It is unpredictable! Bike off at 8:14hr. Split time: 2:18hr. I was glad that I am back on solid ground!

Interesting sightings during the bike portion. One Japanese guy using a small wheels bike.
I recalled reading somewhere this guy is promoting the bike and using this race as a show case. Various OVERSIZED cyclists on the road, looking at their butt! They can fly(cycle fast)! A few well developed ladies with their beautiful tops in aerobar position definitely made the cycle more interesting. :p

The bike supporter took over the bike as I attempted a slow jog to the transition tent. I was hopping around like a rabbit after coming down from the bike. I decide not to make a fool of myself and risk falling flat on my face and decide to take a slow walk back.

Took over the run bag and went into the changing tent. Felt a bit shy to strip in front of volunteers. There were even female volunteers around since the men's changing tent is also the tent for collection of the bag that we deposited early the morning. Went to one corner and got myself changed! Bike to Run transition is 8mins.


The Run

Started my run at 8:24hr. It was windy and the Sun was beaming strong. It is around 4pm local time. 3 loops of 14km along the coastal. Should be a good, flat and fast route. After 8 hours of continuous effort, it might not be easy. Nevertheless, with the training I have on the run, I should be alright.

The transition between bike and run is normally the most difficult. After 10-20 mins of running, I should be good to hit my normal run pace. Water point is 2km apart. I started the run with some difficulties as expected. Took a water break at the first 2km. Tried to run for another 2km, but I can feel the right feet is having some pain, whenever I arch my feet, it hurts! This is INJURY! I resorted to walking to let it rest and hopefully it is not that serious and can recover by itself.

The pain on the right feet went on and off. Running seemed to be getting harder with each step forward. I cannot understand what happened. Am I tired? I don’t think so, but somehow I felt the effort and heart rate seemed to be hitting high notes easily. These are bad signs.

I felt pretty cold and continued to be disturb my running nose. I do not know why. Is it that I do not have enough energy (due to insufficient nutrient replenishment) or the cold weather plus windy condition? My arms were icy cold; fingers were numb. On a few occasions, I felt like throwing up. These are new sensations to myself. I will need to understand what actually happened when the dust are settled.

In a typical marathon, if I am tired, I will adopt run/walk that could be typically around 27km onwards. It is an extreme long way to start my run/walk after 2km from the start of the run! As per saying, THE IRONMAN starts after the bike session!

Given the circumstances, I could have walked and still make it within the cut off 17hr time. After putting in the hours, the last thing to do is to walk! At least I must do justice to the training I have put in! I ran until I got tired or when the foot started giving problems, then walked for a while. That is only 100-200 meters run and 10 meters walk! A long day ahead!

It is demoralizing when you run alongside folks that are 1 loop ahead or heading back to finish line. I still have a super long agonising road ahead.

At the drink stations, I took in water, endura and cola at different locations. At one station, I tried to take in a sandwich, since I am feeling cold. Alas the sandwich was spread with vegemix! The taste is something that I hate! I had to spit it out at the nearest rubbish bin. Never take in anything new during race day!

Breaking down the run into many small portions, though moving at slow pace, I did manage to overtake quite a lot of folks along the way. I can see that most of them are a bunch of fit looking runners. The problem is that the long duration has taken a toll on their body. Most have resorted to walking pace.

Slowly but surely, my persistence run/walk led me to complete the 1st loop in 1:30hr, 2nd loop in 1:40hr, and the last one in 1:40hr.

Interesting sightings during the run portion. The one arm swimmer (spotted in the swim leg) had his hand shoved into his pocket and was running strong. A few cute Japanese ladies certainly made the run less painful (later I realized one of the cuties is Singaporean!). Some veteran runners (60-72) are strong and steady, 15-16 hours of effort, is great stuff.

As I ran down the last bit towards the end, I picked up the pace as I wanna make sure I am well ahead of other finishers so that nobody will share the limelight when I came into the chute leading to the finishing line. Ok, I am vain. At least let me do it once! Start to rehearse in my mind what I wanna do at the end of the run! I intend to buy my first official finisher photo!

Swim: 1:31hr
Swim/Bike (T1): 7mins
Bike: 6:35hr
Bike/Run (T2): 8mins
Run: 4:50hr

13:10:50 hr after the start of the event, “Keng Seow Han, You Are An Ironman”!


More pictures available here.