So another 2nd at Ironman New Zealand to kick off the year. Not what I came
out here to achieve but all in all it was an okay result.
We kicked off at 6:45 on Saturday morning, the lake was calm and the wind
was down. I knew all I had to do was sit on Kieran Doe's feet and we would
have a good swim. This was easier said than done! With John Key firing the
cannon 'BOOM' and we were off and we quickly got a gap on the field, the
only problem was that I was giving it far too much effort to sit behind him
in his wake, so much that I think I strained my abdominals half way through.
I had to sit up and take a few deep breaths, the pain was agonising, I
thought my race was over. I slowed down and pulled through the water more
gently, the gap to Doe boy in front was getting bigger and the gap to Cam
Brown behind was being eaten up quickly. I couldn't wait for the end of the
swim to start using some different muscles. The end soon came and the
deficit behind Doe was only 1 minute. I pushed through Transition and to
keep every second I had over Brownie because I knew I was going to need it
as the day went on.
Jumping on the bike I felt great, I quickly caught up with Doe. well, I
actually think he was waiting for me. Soon I was on my own out the front,
riding way too quickly, something I was going to pay for later in the day.
My watts and heart rate were not too high but it just shows in an Ironman
that even a small percentage wrong in the effort levels and you will
struggle. Soon I was up to 4 minutes over Brown, then it went to 5, then 6,
then 7 minutes. After 1 lap I was back in town and had an 8 minute lead
over Cam Brown, Kieran Doe and James Bowstead (up and coming 23 year old who
suffered similar problems to me during the race but he will be a great
athlete in the years to come). Now the wind had started to pick up and the
glycogen in the legs was running out. My muscles were fatiguing quickly and
this is when I realized that I had timed everything wrong. I set out to try
and get 8minutes over Cam going into the run. I didn't need this time at
90km. I managed to hold on to 7 minutes of this by the 140km mark but once
we turned into the head wind for the final stretch home every pedal stroke
was an effort. The gap quickly came down and soon we were back in town
jumping off our bikes and I only had a minute up my sleeve. BUGGER!!!
I was curious to see how I would run with all the fatigue so I set out to do
what I thought I could. Not going too fast and just sticking to a good
rhythm. Cam showed his class when he came past me at 6km flying, I soon
figured out this was just a ploy to mess with my head as once he got his
lead of 30seconds the gap didn't change for the next 15km. In Ironman the
20km point on the run is when you really start to struggle, you legs are
sore and there is part of you that is unsure if you will even be able to run
the last 20km. Thankfully there were great supporters out there and they
kept my spirits high. Soon I only had 7km's to go. The gap to Cam had grown
considerably but there was also a good gap to Doe in 3rd.
The last 2km's took care of themselves with the crowds cheering so loud that
it didn't even feel like I was running. Then I was home and it was all over,
the pain, the cheering, the relief. I could now sit down and shut down.
A big congratulations to everyone who competed on Saturday, the conditions
were tough but we all persevered through it and a huge THANK YOU to all the
spectators, we couldn't have done it without you.
Cameron Brown and Jo Lawn, you guys rocked and proved that you will own
Taupo for yet another year, it was a privilege to race alongside you both.
Gina Crawford, Kieran Doe and the rest of the Pro's, thanks for helping to
make this race so exciting.
Also thanks to the many people who have helped me out and supported me
through the last few months.
Thanks
Terenzo
