4 July race reports

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Comments

  • JjJj ✭✭✭
    goodness. couple of months ago it was to be just me and now it's going to be an open-air social!!

    :o))

    Smithy - get it sorted. Sounds prezackly like my problem, which lasted years (and still niggles occasionally but I know what to do now). Mine was referred pain from whiplash in that bally dodgem car.

    I'll teach you the dumb waiter if we hook up on Sunday.


  • he's already half way there
  • sorry

    he started it
  • JjJj ✭✭✭
    Am I going to have to stand between you two?
  • i have never served in my life (well apart from that time in scrubbs)
  • Bit like a Jj sandwich
  • JjJj ✭✭✭
    [maintains dignified silence]
  • are you guys coming up to my bike feedstation or going to the stadium ???
  • sorry Jj slipping back into builder mode.
    Nick I intend to come up to the top feed to take some pics.(of the racers not you)
  • i'll come to the feed station then go to watch the run

    can i park my motorbike at both??
  • JjJj ✭✭✭
    Yes - parking. organisers haven't been terribly forthcoming on that score. Any advice?
  • JjJj ✭✭✭
    Indeed. A mere 120 miles.

    [slap]
  • Someone mentioned the stadium wasn't Aldersey anymore so I can't be sure but I should imagine there will be parking if its in a stadium, at the layby there are always cars following the riders that park up and the marshalls stop occasionally so there is always space.
  • JjJj ✭✭✭
    where you going to be again, Nick?

    (I had a race with a 13-year-old today and I'm much too tired to read back!)
  • there didn't seem to be mush parking at ounsdale when we were there a few weeks ago. theres a school on the same site so maybe there will be extra parking there.
    120mls. its 180 for me and i would walk (if it wasn't for me bad shoulder)
  • Race start is at 0600 and the feed station that I will be running is
    on the new Hodnet bypass on the A53. this is about 1 mile from the A41
    Ternhill island.

    Ii is estimated that the first
    bikes will reach us at 0810 based on a 50 minute swim and riding at 25
    miles an hour. The leaders will gain pass through at about 0930
    The back enders will come through for the first time @ 1030 and finally
    at 1300.
  • JjJj ✭✭✭
    Um - I'm gong to take your post, Nick, and drop it in to the Longest Day thread.

    I'm tidy like that.

    :o)
  • nick i'll try to arrive before the leaders, and i'll park my bike somewhere unobtrusive.

    look out for a blue R1 going past at a gazillion miles an hour.

    Can I bring cow bells?
  • OK
    OK
    bring what you like the noisier the better.
  • Here is the race report from another of Nick's club mates, also called Nick.

    Austria was his first IronMan.
  • [Nick Campbell's report]

    Thur 1st July – I arrived at Stanstead Airport with my wife Lisa after a thankfully uneventful drive from the Wirral and immediately started to attract attention due to the large “Planet X” cycle bag I was attempting to carry on my right shoulder. This was it, the start of the journey to complete the final of the challenges I had set myself to raise money for my chosen charity and certainly the toughest.
    We would be travelling with another member of Chester Tri club Nick Rose whom I had only met once, two weeks previous, but who had given me a great deal of advice on what to expect on the day and what equipment/nutrition I would need. There are so many things that can go wrong in race of this length that you can forget it is a big challenge just to get the logistics sorted out. Nick arrived shortly after us and we checked our bags feeling just a little smug that we had found a backdoor route to Klagenfurt that no-one else seemed to have discovered, we would be travelling to Slovenia and picking up a hire car for the 50 minute drive to our destination in Austria.
    The sun shone as we drove through the mountains from Slovenia across to Austria and all we had to do was admire the breathtaking scenery that greeted us around every corner, this truly was a beautiful part of the world and this continued right up to where our Hotel was situated on the idyllic peninsula of “Maria Worth” on the south side of lake Worthersee. The next day it poured down, we met up with Nick at his hotel in Klagenfurt and had alook around the “Ironman City” which was extremely well laid out but was unfortunately becoming waterlogged. We registered for the race whilst there and that evening met up for the pasta party in the main athletes tent which by now had become partially flooded as the water was coming up from under the floorboards. On the Saturday myself and Nick went to rack our bikes and deposit our “Bike kit” and “Run kit” bags on the specially constructed racks near the changing tents, thankfully now the sun was shining and the temperature had risen to the mid-twenties C. There would be three from Chester Tri competing the following day, and this day we met up with Simon Mc as well as a group from Mersey Tri and another group who Nick knew from a previous years Ironman race – The atmosphere was building nicely.
  • [Nick Campbell's report]

    Race Day – The day of the race I got up at 4:00 a.m. for breakfast and tried to prepare mentally for the race. The Hotel had laid on a water taxi to the race start at 5:00 a.m. , myself and Lisa boarded and the Sun was just beginning to rise as the boat pulled away and moved swiftly down the middle of the lake toward Klagenfurt, this was an awe-inspiring way to arrive at the race start as the lake was very peaceful. I checked my bike over one last time and changed into my wetsuit ready for the swim.
    The swim start had over 2000 lining up, this was to be a long day and with still not having full function of my left arm decided to line up at the very back and not get caught in the initial scramble to find space. The hooter sounded at 7:00 and the mass moved slowly into the water and away, I looked around trying to savour the moment. People were on the jetty’s cheering and I finally found space and was off, one thought going through my mind “save energy, its going to be a long day”.
    Actually enjoyed the first 2000 Metres and emerged onto the beach once again smiling at the crowds that cheered as we ran the 50 metres round to the second half of the swim and was once again off on the toes of the nearest swimmer round the buoys in the direction of the canal section. Due to concentrating so hard on trying to stay with the swimmer in front I swung too far to the right and almost missed the canal, but fortunately looked up in time to correct the mistake and was soon into the final 800 metre section in the canal. This section was amazing as the crowds lined both sides and you could hear them and read the banners as you swam along, inspiring stuff.
    I exited the water in 1:16 and was quite pleased as I felt I had taken it quite easy, 2.4 mile swim done. I ran to the transition grabbed my “Bike bag” and stripped off my wetsuit. I was quickly off to my bike and then exiting transition I mounted and was away for the 112 mile bike section, this was were my race was almost prematurely ended by a huge dog that had decided to run down the specially constructed bike lane toward me, fortunately I swerved round it and got away onto the road. I was still able at this point to concentrate on energy preservation and decided to take it as easy as possible for as long as possible, especially as bike endurance is (I feel) my big weakness.
  • [Nick Cambell's report]

    The bike course for this race was a 3 lap circuit, that went along the south side of the lake before turning left into the hills for a couple of long climbs with nasty little stings at the end, then a long sweeping descent toward Klagenfurt. The first lap I took easy but amazingly completed in approx. 1h:55m and at the turn around heard Lisa shouting for the first time but was unable to pick her out in the crowd, but the sun was shining and the crowds particularly on the climbs were great. The narrow funnels of people within touching distance on both sides, ringing bells and shouting “go super”(don’t know the origin of that), was reminiscent of the “Tour de France”. The second of the 2 climbs also had a mad D.J. at the summit playing music and shouting “good morning Ironmen” over his P.A., this was fantastic and brought back my “Alcatraz Grin”. I completed the second lap in just over 2 hours but with a full circuit still to do, my legs were beginning to hurt but this time however I saw Lisa shouting me and that gave me a boost. By now my bike was starting to make strange noises and the chain was jumping in the gears, “please last till the end of this lap”. The 2 hills really hurt this time and the wind was picking up on the return section, only thought was that I couldn’t wait to get on the run as by now my back and neck were also very stiff. Final stretch into Klagenfurt had me completing the bike section in 6h 34m and a huge sense of relief that the bike was over, “Just a marathon to do now!!!!”
  • [Nick Campbell's report]


    I had decided on a complete change of kit for the run so grabbed my “run bag” and went into the change tent to be confronted by several young ladies offering to help….ah… “No thank you” I politely replied as I stripped my one piece Tri-suit in favour of running shorts and a vest, they no doubt had seen several hundred before me and I was too tired to care! Thrusting a large handful of Vaseline down my shorts and onto my nipples I was away, jogging out onto the Marathon course. This was a 2 loop circuit that took you along the north side of the lake before turning back toward the “Ironman city” then continuing past toward the centre of Klagenfurt then back toward the “Ironman city”, and then repeated. Once again the route was impressive but alas my legs were still suffering from the bike and could not manage more than a jog, getting me to 10k in around 60mins but I was slowing. During the next section I spotted both Nick and Simon who both looked far stronger than me but seeing them spurred me a little and I eventually got to half way in about 2:15. After this point things got very bad between 25k and 37k I had cramp in first the right calf then the left, and my left foot was hurting with impact but I still thought I could get under 13:00 so pushed on. I saw Simon one last time on the way to Klagenfurt centre, around 35k, and he was still looking good but was sure I was catching him (but god knows how). Getting to the centre I glanced at my watch and knew I would be outside 13:00 but strangely had an energy surge and did probably my best running from 37k onward, perhaps the realisation for the first time that I was now sure to finish is what did it, who knows.
    The finish straight was a large “L” shape with the first leg approx. 100m long all lined on both sides with cheering spectators, and the second section of approx. 80m after a ninety degree turn with more spectators on stands on both sides, and a huge video screen with the next approaching athlete displayed. As I approached I could hear the commentator and the crowd and was now smiling again as I approached the first straight. I ran into the finish and was “high fiveing” the crowd then as I turned the corner I heard the commentator “THIS IS NICK CAMPBELL FROM GREAT BRITAIN” I was still slapping hands on both sides when I looked up and standing there in the middle of the finish straight was Lisa, totally took me by surprise and was the best feeling ever to run with her to the finish line something I will never forget. We crossed the line and danced on the finish rostrum having our picture taken by the many photographers gathered at the finish, absolutely amazing finish to an amazing event.
    I sat in the recovery tent at the end with a coke in one hand and a piece of chicken in the other and just looked around at the other athletes, I was in an slightly dazed state not really knowing what to do next. Just then Nick appeared with a beer in his hand “congratulations mate you’re an Ironman! Fancy a beer”, “your damn right I do, make it 2 eh” ……………normal service resumed, well for the mind at least the legs took a little longer.
    After changing and freshening up we returned to cheer on the finishers right up to the final cut-off at Midnight when the last finisher was greeted with the loudest cheer of the day and the firework display that went with it, one truly fabulous day.
  • [Nick Campbell's report]


    The following day was the finishers party which was wild and was were we met up again with all the good friends we had made on the trip, the free beer was certainly flowing and the dancing got more and more ridiculous as the night wore on. At one point Nick decided to put on an impromptu break-dancing display (not a good idea on the filthy wet floor) one too many Smirnoff ice me-thinks, but everyone had a great time.

    The whole trip was superb, the people, the place, the set-up, the scenery, the organisation and especially the race. During the Marathon section I went through the “never again” period, but isn’t it funny how quickly you forget the pain, I now think the thought of not doing this again is far worse than the thought of doing it. Id thought of the Ironman race as an event for the super-fit, but was actually missing the point, the Ironman is as much a test of character as one of fitness and I have full respect for anyone who takes it on.

    Anyone for next years Ironman ?(France I believe)

  • I think you've rather spoiled us with these great reports candy, very inspiring and definately something I will have to do at some point.
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