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PSOF Championships 2014 - Ironman France
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Top report. "Bloody arsehole" Brilliant. Well done.
Nicely done funkin, nicely done.
Fab race and report Mr F (cough) sandbagger (cough).
Well done to all pirates and piratey supporters
.- Never thought that rain would be a problem in Nice...
My descending was rubbish in the dry, I'd probably have got off and walked.
Will be back on the pirate ship at some point, Just finished training to be a divemaster in Tenerife, so I have perfect conditions to train for Lanza.- the wine is cheap and the motivation is low though
Apologies for it being late
Nice race report
It’s been a busy year, lots going on with work and so on. I broke my foot just after Christmas on my birthday celebration run which meant I didn’t start running until March and I’ve been really careful about stressing it too much.
It’s fair to say I didn’t get enough training in this year; certainly it looks like less than last year, but with a better base to start from and the knowledge that I’ve gone long once already. A horrible Bala tri made me feel even worse, so it was nice to swim further than race distance not long before we were due to fly out, and I felt happier swimming in my wetsuit now I’ve figured how far on it needs to go.
The air traffic controller strikes almost meant it wouldn’t be a worry anyway, but the one morning flight from Bristol never seemed to be affected, so it looked like I was going to have to get out there and do it.
We arrived on the Thursday to acclimatise, which was wise as it was rather warm out in the sun. We swam every day, there was a little boat bobbing around, just past the 300 m swim boundary so we headed out in that direction only to find it was sponsored by CompresSport, quickly nicknamed the ‘Teas of Nice’ boat they were offering tea, energy drink and free Nice wrist bands. A 1km swim on Friday (with wetsuit) and 600m on Saturday (sans wettie) go me a pair J I missed the morning run so failed to get a free visor so I said I’d buy one if I finished. Whilst we were there we went to look round the expo, lots of nice IM Nice stuff, which I took note of for Monday morning. I don’t like buying things before I’ve actually accomplished the race. I shall be buying some Outlaw stuff this year as I missed it all last year.
Racking and bag drop went ok, except for the fact that transition was REALLY long from start to finish and there was no sign of any change tent when I went down to rack. It wasn’t until I’d racked and walked out of transition that Mousicles pointed out I was still wearing my race number belt so I had to walk all the way back through to deposit it the relevant bag.
Race day – up at silly o’clock for a tin of rice pudding, couple of coffee and pre race poo. Thankfully we were staying five minute’s walk from transition so we didn’t need to leave to early. Final prep of street wear bag, drinks mixed and nutrition sorted and we headed down to sort the bike. Tires felt ok so I didn’t bother finding a track pump to actually check them properly. Wetsuit on and head down to the beach. I say beach and really mean a huge expanse of rocks and pebbles stretching down to the sea. I gingerly picked my way across to the very furthest reaches of the slowest start pen. The bruises on my soles from walking across the pebbles lasted until Tuesday.
We had 15 minutes to warm up so I splashed about a bit, really didn’t need warming up; I believe the temperature of the sea was 23 degrees so lovely and warm. All called out to get in positions, waiting for the pro’s to go off at 6.25 and the rest of us mere mortals went at 6:30.
I’d been told it’s a rough swim, so I decided to keep wide for the first lap, although I hadn’t intended on making the first lap so wide that it was 2.3km long! But I’m glad I did as even the second lap had lots of pushing and shoving and fighting going on. I swam a much tighter second lap and got out having swum 4.25km in 1 hour twenty-something. I say something as I wasn’t sure where the swim deeded and T1 began, plus we had to queue to get up the steps to transition. Absolutely ridiculous when there was a nice wide ramp just to our right!
T1 – A quick change compared to Outlaw last year where I could have had tea and cake in the time I took. I found one of the very small change tents and a bit of room in it, full change into bib shorts and pirate cycle jersey and lots of talc to make sure my feet were dry and it was a gentle jog to collect the bike and get out
The bike started off really rather nicely. Out towards the airport, thinking it will make a nice run later on, some flat fast sections out, well marshalled at all the chicanery bits that needed signing and out of Nice towards the mountains. You could see them slowly creeping up in the distance. About 20km in there’s a section labelled in the notes as 10% for 500m. I don’t if it’s just me but I think its steeper and longer, and yes I was the pirate walking up parts of it. I don’t know why, I’ve ridden much longer and steeper but I just couldn’t get my head round it. Got to the top and headed out, chatting to a few people on the way. At one point I was chatting to a Brit who asked how far we’d gone, I remember him saying we were only 30 km until most of the climbing had finished. It wasn’t that far from there when I guess we must have started riding up the Col de Neverending. Wherever I looked all I could see was up, little dots off in the distance that looked like people riding tiny bicycles up a hill a long way away (these are small bicycles, those bicycles are far away). I’ve never ridden this sort of climb before, and I guess I need more practice, but I was glad when I needed to stop for a pee. It just seemed to go on forever and ever. My speed was rather slow too, which meant that when the distance to summit markers on the road kept appearing I was thinking in hours to get there which was quite depressing. My big issue on the bike was trying to keep the effort own to have more to put into the run. My heart rate monitor was flatly refusing to connect to my edge on the bike, complicated by it occasionally picking up riders who were passing me or I was passing, so I was having real issues trying to work out how hard I was pushing. I just tried to go on effort in the end, which is difficult on such long hills. There were some amazing people out on the bike course. I didn’t see the person doing it on the Nice version of a Boris bike, but I did get chicked by a 60-64 category American woman (and the rest)
I made up for some of the ups with the downs. I love descending and I can see why people like these long swoopy down hills. Not the long, long lovely ones towards the end though. I hadn’t got there yet!
I can’t remember at what point it happened but it started to get cold. And then it started spitting. And then it rained. And then it poured. And it didn’t stop pouring until I got back about 20km from Nice and transition. It rained so hard that people were crashing all over the place, people were stopping for foil blankets, and lots of riders packed it in, sat under shelters waiting for the sag wagon. I must admit I was nearly one of them. It was horrendous. Sweat from the earlier climbs being washed into both eyes so I was in agony and blind at the same time as trying to descend down a mountain. There was an out and back for 5km out and 5km back. The marshals were hiding in their car, along with most of a feed station later on sheltering away from the tables. Apologies if I scattered lots of bottlers but I needed a drink and there was no one there to hand me anything. I think it was after the out and back that there was an 8km climb up the Col de Notanotherbloodyone and that was pretty much it I think.
Heading down the mountain for the last 30km or however far it was, was glorious. Well, it would have been glorious if it had been dry, but it was sopping wet, so what should have been 50mph was under 40kmh. I had a really nice ride down with a Danish bloke called Steen. We piggy backed each other using each other as sights for getting round the corners, judging braking and so on. We thank each other for a nice descent as we headed along the last 20km flat bit back into town. It was about that point I nearly lost my front wheel in a rut in the middle of the road, a scary moment considering I’d raced down a rather wet mountain with out any issues.
T2 – quicker change, popping running shorts and a Monaco on, loads more talc to try and dry my feet off, trainers on and off to the run. Only 42 bright, sunny kilometres to go. I was glad to be on the run, having had some truly dark moments up the hills on the bike. And after all that rain it was nice to be back in the sun warming up. It was so warm that at the start of lap two I stopped and borrowed some sun cream from Mrs Funkin. About 5 minutes later it started raining. Then the thunder storm rolled and brought a brief spell of hail. I don’t think the organisers were expecting rain so the electrics were exposed which meant an extension lead tripped and the inflatable gantry at the transition end of the run started to deflate. Several volunteers trying to hold it up while I ran under it.
I’d managed to get out on the run with about 6:30 left on the clock. Outlaw last year took me 6:45 to walk with really badly blistered feet so I started the first lap trying to work out what to do. I could walk it in the time allowed. I could try to run until I couldn’t run anymore or I could run walk from the start. I tried running 8 minutes and walking 2. Didn’t like that very much. Nor 4:1. I tried walking a whole mile, got 13:xx minute mile which I guess would have just about done. Trying to do the calculations that work out what time marathon that will get me is one of the ways I get through, keeping my brain busy. I ended up running 100 left foot counts then walking for 50. Occasionally stretching it to 120 left foot running and 50 walking. I kept plodding this out. The pirate support is awesome, from the pirates competing in the race, waves and acknowledgements from Funkin, Pingu, Ben, Garr, Dermot, Dave, Ferret et al; all the pirates in the crowd Mrs Funkin, Meldy, Schmunks et al and all the people all nationalities shouting for the pirates in general “Allez les pirates”. At the end of my 2nd lap I was getting tired and wasn’t sure I could be arse to carry on or not. Mousicles told me I was looking good and was going to do it so I got my second chouchou and headed off to do it twice more. After that it was just more one foot in front of the other until I got band 3. Band envy was ridiculous on that last lap. What I’d have done for that yellow band I wasn’t sure of. Having all 3 bands was great – it meant I was on my way to finish and I only had to run through the stink pee corner once more.
Made it to the finish chute and I was adamant that I would run through it and then stop my watch. Normally my race finish photo is me stopping my watch. I’ve actually got some really nice finish photos. Apologies for not stopping in the chute to say hello to the entire pirate massive properly – I was a bit confused as to where I was going to be honest and a bit tired and emotional. Collect medal, get photo, get changed and head to MacDonald’s for a big Mac and fries before cheering the rest of the finishers in. I felt surprisingly good.
The following morning I got up, breakfasted, went for a walk around the expo and bought a t-short and the compressport visor I wanted (getting free finisher socks for it). Walked around Nice sightseeing a bit, went for a relaxing short swim. In the evening we walked up to the castle viewpoint and then found a nice place doing moules frites. After we’d let the France world cup excitement die down a bit first.
Race done 15:16:22 about 15 minutes slower than outlaw last year. A new marathon PB in there too.
I had really good moments, really very bad moments but the support was great. It can’t have been too bad as I’ve entered IM Austria next year already.
Swim 1:29:08
T1 12:06
Bike 7:46:28
T2 9:41
Run 5:38:58
I still can't believe the weather for that race........
well done on sticking with it......
Nicely paced Mr. S and good report. Well done on your huge achievement and PB!
Great reports Funkin and Mr S
great report Mr S!
I am now expecting the one report to rule them all....
Well done Stoat, and great report
Better late than never (I hope)
http://buccaneertri.com/elaine-ironman-france-report/
clickable link
Even later, but hopefully still better than never.....
I've got no excuse as I've spent most of the past week laid up with cellulitis from an infected insect bite which started coming on the day I got back to the UK. If you're going to pick up an 'injury' you at least hope it will be a bit more macho than that but never mind!
Nice was to be my first IM branded event, after my long distance debut at the 2012 Outlaw, followed by a year off with nothing longer than an Olympic in 2013.
Having joined a gym last October, I'd done much more winter training - mainly 1 hour swim and spin sessions, but as per last time never really ramped up the long bikes and runs as much as I'd planned and would have liked. I noticed the week before the race that the bike I bought last August had only notched up just under 700 miles - oops!
Still, I felt ok, was free of injury and looking forward to the race. That said, I had absolutely no idea what to expect - I'd never swum in the sea before or cycled in the mountains. Still I had a few days after I arrived on Thursday to try these out....but did neither.
I hung right back and to the outside at the swim start and was relieved to find how warm and buoyant the salt water was....for about 3 seconds until I got the first bash on the head. From thereon in it was a complete fight. The second lap was a little better, but my navigation system failed me completely on the home straight. I kept finding myself facing the airport and bothering the canoes marking the edge of the course. I pointed myself back in the right direction, put my head down for 10 strokes, looked up, there's the bloody airport again. Repeated this several times, always smiling and giving a thumbs up to the canoes to make sure they didn't think I was in trouble and pull me out.
Eventually I lugged myself out of the water, stumbled a few paces and joined the orderly queue for transition, secretly relieved at having a few seconds to lean on the handrail and get my breath and balance back.
Eventually made it to the bike, got my gear on and headed out. Passed and waved at Mrs and Jnr bhflyer just outside transition and I was off.
I was trying to take it easy to start with but as others have said, the flat road and good surface meant I soon picked up speed and was really enjoying the ride.
My first schoolboy error came at the first aid station when I failed to discard one of my bottles before taking another from an outstretched hand, then missed the dumping station at the end leaving me riding along with a surplus bottle in my hand. Terrified of the draconian littering sanctions promised in the race briefing (and also because I don’t like littering) I ended up stopping on someone’s drive to dump it in their wheely bin. Lesson one for the day learnt – didn’t make that mistake again J
I hit the short steep bit and went up it reasonably well – I passed the guy pushing the Boris bike at this stage although he went passed me on the run I think - and carried on into the foothills.
I went past and briefly chatted to a few pirates - RBM, Dermot, Pingu, Barley, all of whom are much more experienced than me so I eased up a little on the slowly ascending road. RBM and Dermot came back past me on the first short descent and I think that was the last I saw of them on the bike.
On the whole, I really enjoyed the ascending, none of it was that steep and the occasional look back at the incredible landscape I’d just crossed made it worthwhile.
Looking back I think I’d go at it a bit harder next time, knowing how much you get to recover on the downhills that were to come. I think maybe I could have cut a fair amount from my time without making my run that much worse J
That said, I was glad to finally reach the top of the biggest Col and immensely disappointed when I found an undulating section immediately after – I wanted to go down!
I found the out and back section very confusing as it seemed to be downhill both ways which was odd?
It was about this time I think that the rain started to come on and it got scary. As mentioned, I had no experience of this type of descending, let alone in the wet. I certainly hadn’t planned for this and wearing just a Monaco and shorts I quickly got cold. My hands were numb making it difficult to feel the brakes and being ultra cautious meant that having generally passed people most of the way up I was now getting steadily overtaken by people with more experience (or bigger b#/lls, or both).
The roadsides seemed to be littered with casualties in emergency blankets awaiting recovery and at one point myself and about 5 or 6 others spent about 3 miles trying to get past an ambulance on the narrow roads. All this was a constant reminder not to get carried away.
Eventually it started to level out and I was back on the fairly straight roads through the industrial areas at the bottom of the valley. At this point, although it was still raining heavily, I put my foot down and pressed on, T2 now feeling close enough to touch, and slowly picked off a few of those who’d taken me on the descent.
On the last roundabout before the underpass section that brings you back onto the promenade, by the airport, I heard a big crunching sound behind and managed to glance back to see another cyclist sliding along the tarmac – I hope he and all the others were ok.
Back on the promenade at last, it was great to see some friendly faces, first Siggy then the main pirate camp and my own supporter crew a bit further along.
I think it had stopped raining by the time I got to transition but was still cool and overcast. I didn’t have any spare socks so shoved my wet feet into my dry running shoes. I decided I wouldn’t need my hat in these condition so left it behind (schoolboy error no 2) and headed on out.
Having taken it relatively easy on the bike, I felt good on the run to start with. I had a vague idea that I could make the run in around 4 hours. I had no right to think this, given my stand alone marathon PB (well only standalone marathon) was 3h53 and I hadn’t run more than 20k in training. I think I went through the same ridiculous thought process at Outlaw.
Unsurprisingly, I ran well (for me) for the first 20k, doing two laps in about 1h50. Then the sun came out and I slowed a lot and the aid station walks got gradually longer.
I had a couple of stretches running alongside other Brits and had a good chat to pass the time, as well as waving to other pirates, both racing and supporting.
Eventually I had that last band and was on the home straight. By this stage my hope of matching my Outlaw time of 12h37 was gone (again, I had no right to hope to beat it given the much tougher course and less long distance training) and I had somehow worked out I was on for c13h15.
I ran / walked / shuffled most of the last lap with ‘Matt 1967’ who clearly thought I was called Dave
and who I’m pretty sure told me he was flying back home that night and had to be in a meeting in the UK on the Monday!!!
Eventually we were on the last 200m and in a very gentlemanly fashion both avoided the temptation for a sprint finish and went our separate ways for hugs with our families.
I then passed the pirate camp a final time, who by this stage had moved over and were right beside the entrance to the finishing chute and were in fine form as always. A moment to take this in, a few high fives and it was time to gently jog up the last 50m or so and finally cross that finish line.
It was as always a great feeling – joy, relief, pain, excitement, and at the same time a little bit of sorrow that it was all over.
After massage, post race food, then proper food (McDonalds) it was back to the finish line to join the party, congratulate those pirates who’d already finished (some of whom long enough ago to have been back to their hotels for a shower!) and cheer on those who were still out there getting their money’s worth.
The atmosphere was electric and the aches and pains were soon forgotten about, for a while anyway. Adam, who’d had a long nap during the day, was back on form and loving every minute. We stayed right to the end, saw the fireworks and then the aches and pains returned when I realised I still had the two mile walk back to the apartment, with bike and all three kit bags J.
Great meeting up for beers and awards the following day – the sunshine we’d all planned to race in had thankfully returned and it was a very enjoyable and relaxing afternoon and Adam was absolutely thrilled to receive an award for being the best Junior pirate. This was followed up by going down to the awards ceremony to see Flyaway receive her 3rd place in AG award, an absolutely amazing achievement.
All in all a fantastic weekend. The support from the pirates including of course my own little crew was as always second to none and a massive factor in dragging myself through so thanks very much to all of you. I’m working on a plan to repay the favour at the Outlaw in a few weeks time – fingers crossed I’ll pull it off
.
Massive well done to everyone that came and gave it a go, whether they finished or not.
So it was:
1h23 swim
0h12 T1 (please say the queue up the steps was included in this)
6h44 bike
0h07 T2
4h37 run
13h05 overall.
Pretty much what my training and preparation deserved I reckon
Must do more next time.
Nice one BH
great report BH!
Great reports
I forgot to say - the announcer guy from the finish line with the dodgy sticky up hair do was announcing the female age group podiums, and when I walked on wearing my Pirate top, his face lit up and he said "a Pirate! Excellent! The Pirates are the best!" We clearly made quite an impression at our spot at the top of the finish chute!
That finish chute and most other European finish chutes !!
Well done bhf! I hope all you guys have a great time at Outlaw!
I'm staying on in France to watch the Tour go past a mates house. Then the skinny runt wants to drag my fat arse up Mont Ventoux ffs!
Now that will be a sight Siggy!
Suppose I better get of my backside and think about writing one now! It's almost been three weeks!
In true pirate fashion I will make sure it's as long as it is late!
Has anyone seen it advertised on TV yet ?
What, GB's report? I didn't realise it was going to be that high profile!
You didn't ?
There's a book, a TV movie and an appearance on Loose Women