Ironman Lanzarote 2013 (3rd weekend in May?)

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Comments

  • Hokori wrote (see)

     

    I will be back in 2014 and show SA around.


    Fantastic report mate, from the heart, true pirate spirt

    Oh and I cant wait for 2014

  • great report Hokori.i was so pleased to see you got your finish line momentimage

  • Fabulous report Hokori, brought a tear to my eye image

  • That's a great dvd piertown, loads of pirate appearances!!

  • Really enjoying the reports and I'm really excited about being there in '14!

  • Well done Hokori - great report.

  • Great report Hokori and true pirate guts "n" stuff both during the race and in the preceding months

  • Fantastic spirit and race Hokori.

    If you think you can or you think you can't you're probably right.
  • Iron Pingu wrote (see)

    That's a great dvd piertown, loads of pirate appearances!!

     

    That is because we were moving slower than everyone else - makes it easier for the cameraman image

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    Woo hoo Hokori, great report, great support. Go us!!! *big kiss*

    Remind me, are you going back to Wales?

    Cheesy - the photos are fab, thank you so much for your support and for taking them.

  • wonder who the pirate at 18:12 is image

  • Me Report!

    The pre amble

    I ended up on the Lanza journey after feeling a bit lost after Outlaw last year.  A combination of being in Lanza last year just after the race and there still being a buzz in town about it and the Lanza thread started by Barlos (yes it’s all his fault) saw me getting my credit card out last August and signing up. 

    Training was a fecking nightmare in the early months of the year!  Long bike rides were replaced by long sessions on the turbo as it was just too cold to go out and when I did go out it was just unpleasant.  But still, I think I did enough training and managed to avoid injury so I was looking forward to race day when we headed off last week.

    Me and daughter Pingu met Meldy at the airport and had Foggy as a neighbour on the plane. The plane was buzzing with competitors so there was lots of gossiping on the way out. 

  • The Drama.

    The bike … I was nervous about travelling with my bike.  What if it broke!  Hmmm. 

    After we arrived I put the bike together and it was all ok, or so it seemed… A quick spin around the block showed the left shifter wasn’t moving the front cassette and instead of clicking was clunking.  It seemed a simple fix twiddling with the cable (thing) and then it worked...  Or so it seemed.  It was just weird.  The gear would change when there was no pressure on the bike but as soon as someone was riding it, it just wouldn’t change….

    More twiddling, still no joy, so on Friday morning I headed over to a bike repair shop near we were staying.  The (lovely lovely) guys in the shop were very calm and took the bike for a look.  As the hours ticked by the calm was replaced by mild panic, cables were stripped and replaced and still the bloody shifter would work!!  Anyway, to cut a long story short, as racking opened the day before the race I was renting a bike too big for me for the 112 mile jolly the next day!  There was time for a 5 min cycle round the block on the new bike and we were off to rack! 

    I discovered on race morning when I was sticking my gels to the bike that the brakes were the on the opposite side to UK bikes. … Yay!

  • The Swim

    I knew the swim was going to be quite rough and scrappy so planned to start well back and just take it easy… however, my times usually put me middle pack so when I stood at the start and looked at all the people that would be in front if I started way back I thought sod it and just went and stood in the middle. 

    What I did notice was how few women there were, waaay less than usual at these things and there seemed to be a lot more testosteron flying around that normal!

    The first half is a big scrap with not a lot of swimming.  Not pleasant but you just keep going.  The second half was a lot better as the field spaced out.  First half was in 37 mins, so on target and I finished in 1.18.  When I got out, the 2 guys in front peeled off there wetsuits and it was Barlos and Ferret!  1800 affletes and the 3 of us came out at the same time.  It really made me smile.

    Transition 1

    Bike bag grabbed and into the tent.  It was packed and a bit overwhelming.  I found a spot and emptied my bag, heard a familiar voice, it was a half-naked Rafi, apparently I’d just missed a fully naked Rafi.  I did a speedy transition for obvious reasons and was off on the bike image

    Time 9 mins

  • The Bike

    The bike start, wet cold and windy, wtf!  But to be fair, us GB affletes had spent the last 4 months training in this, all we needed was some snow and ice to feel right at home J.  First 30 miles quite good actually, averaged about 15/16 mph got some good scenery, if it con’d like this it’d be easy !! ahem ….. there must have been a tail wind.  Then it got hard.  And then it got harder.  Head winds, hills, head winds, hills.  I think my Garmin broke between mile 50 and 70 because it felt like every 0.1 of a mile took FOREVER!!!  There are 2 long descents where it is so windy you’re fighting to go downhill, I went down one in the small ring at 13mph, you feel cheated!

    The borrowed bike was fine for about the first 50 or so miles then it started to get really uncomfortable, giving me an achy hip and knee, but the worst thing was that the saddle bag was rubbing on the back on my thighs!  Every peddle, rub rub, I have some fabulous chaffing!  Tbh though, the bike was fine and got me through, it was probably even better on the descents than mine would have been as it was a sturdier beast…even with the fecking brakes being the wrong way round!

    Saw some more stunning views and looking back on the bike ride it really is an amazing course.  The top of Mirador, wow, just wow.  By mile 90, I was flagging, you hit what can only be described as a section of road that feels more off road than on road and there’s (surprise surprise) a massive head wind.  The last 20 or so miles aren’t so bad though and passed in a bit of a blur.

    I’d been hoping for a 7-7.30 bike.  Came in in 7.51. 

    Transition 2

    This is a bit of a blur.  The transition area is so long, it just seems to go on forever.  I grabbed my run bag, went for a pee (in a portalooo I might add, us girls can’t just pee anywhere!) put my run shoes on, feet still with sand from the swim, chatted to an Irish guy and headed out. 

    Another 9 min transition.

  • The Run

    The run is a flat course along the sea front.  6 miles out, 6 miles back, then 2 sets of 3 mile loops.  Big head wind out, tail wind back.  Awesome support.   The first half went to plan, aiming at about 5.5 miles an hour and it felt ok.  Then, the dreaded gut problem.  Washing machine tum L. 

    My biggest gripe about the whole race was that there was no flat coke on the course and instead there was fecking Red Bull.  Red Bull !!! The runners were avoiding it like the plague.  There was also very little to eat on the course.  Oranges, bananas and thick gels.  Loads of runners were begging supporters for coke and I saw one guy with a McDonalds.  A lot of the slower runners were complaining of being hungry and I totally bonked.   I managed to get my daughter to get me a coke and I think that’s the only thing that got me to the finish, I was desperately hungry and there wasn’t anything savoury on the course.  This is something I’ll put in my feed back to the organisers. 

    So basically horrid second half of run only improved by seeing the other pirate guys on the course.  A very smiley Mousey and Meldy for starters! 

    Wanted sub 5 on the run … came in in 5.45!! Argh

    Felt terrible when I finished, a combination of sick and space cadet.  Shared a moment on the way to get my stuff with Symes where we just starred at each other traumatised!  Still a post race fish and chips sorted me out image

  • To conclude

    I was always confident I’d finish, confident because I’d done Wales and a lot of people have said Wales is harder…. (maybe I went in a bit too confident)  But … my bike time was 10 mins slower and overall time was 10 mins slower than Wales and I was much much perkier at Wales during the run!!  So I think Lanza is a harder just because the wind is so relentless.

    But … It’s a really great race made better because of the Pirate company.  Would I do it again, hell yes!! 

    … oh and Foggy, remember at the airport when you said goodbye and asked did we knew where we were going?  We got on the wrong bus and then had to sit in some random off site airport carpark till about 1am!  Oh joy J

    Ha .. didn’t I ramble on!

  • Fantastic report Pingu! Well done on dealing with the nightmare of your bike!

  • Great report Pingu, it almost makes me want to do it, oh hang on a minute

     

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    Pingu you were definitely the bravest pirate. Keeping your cool about the mysterious bike problem and riding a random bike was outstanding. I don't know how you did it. Well done you. 

  • Well done Pingu. I can't believe how well you coped with the bike change. Brilliant stuff!

  • Awesome Pingu. Loving your attitude to the bike problem.

    Well done.

  • piertownpiertown ✭✭✭

    Great report and race Pingu,you coped so well with the bike change

  • HappychapHappychap ✭✭✭

    Great reports, keep them coming image

    Pingu you were so fabulous with the bike nightmare.  A really fab, well deserved finish...

  • Well done IP, great report. image

  • IP....respect for not letting the bike ruin your day...image

  • Pingu -   I popped into the bike shop this afternoon to drop of the CO2 canisters and the guy was telling another customer about this 'brave women' who did the bike on one of his bikes as hers had a mystery problem with gears! even he was very impressed with your calmness!! image 

  • M..o.useM..o.use ✭✭✭

    Raf - just out of curiosity, did the shop 'loan' the gas? A few people said about taking it back. 

  • nope - paid for them, but thought  i would do my bit for the environment and let the bike shop 'recycle' them image 

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