2011, Port Macquarie Ironman - 6th Place
3.8km Swim 50:50 180km Bike 4:59 42km Run 3:00 Time 8:54 6th
Continuing on from the theme of learning to race, this was to be my first Ironman in 18months and I had forgotten the mental slog that the marathon off the bike is. I walk away from this race with renewed confidence in my ability and confident that I can make the improvements necessary to be more of a factor in future Ironman races. It was certainly a special moment for my wife Tarryn and I to finish our first Ironman together since we became parents 14 months ago.
I had the best start to a Triathlon ever, finding myself nestled in the middle of the chase pack. Super fish Pete Jacobs had charged off the front and I was feeling quite comfortable with the pace. At the start of the second lap I touched the turn buoy, which evidently had oyster shells all over it and put a nice slice through the palm of my hand. Not long after I slowly began to drop off the pace and slowly watched the group I was with, pull away. I exited the water 4min down on Pete and 90 seconds on the main group.
I quickly jumped on the Trek and set about getting out of town as fast as possible before settling into my goal pace along the Cathie straight. I could see a group up the road and focussed on trying to close the gap without pushing too hard. By the 50km mark I had bridged the gap to Shortis, Stewart and Dmitrieff along with a few age groupers. I continued to maintain my pace and slowly it was just Shortis and I left. We had caught Neyedli by the 90km turn around. As we took off back out of town into the strong southerly wind, Shortis got stronger and stronger. I was working to keep him in sight. At the 135km mark my pace dropped and I could no longer hold on. Shortis and Neyedli put 3min into me on the way back to town.
Jacobs was out of sight out of mind and continued his form from the swim to the bike. He maintained a 3min gap over 2nd place Mitch Anderson. Patrick Vernay (Three time Ironman Aus champion) was working hard to keep the gap at a minimum and entered T2 a further 8minutes back. I entered T2 in tenth, my bar tape now red from the mess the oyster shells had created earlier. I had my work cut out to close the gap I had lost over the final 40kms of the bike.
Slipping into the Sauconys I didnt feel great, but that is normal for the start of an Ironman Marathon. After a few kms I had made my first toilet stop, feeling better I then worked into my goal race pace tapping out 3:55min/kms. I maintained this for next 10kms but soon after I had to make my second toilet stop. Afterwards my pace slowly began to dwindle. Shortis was storming through the run and worked his way into 3rd position. Vernay made up some time on Jacobs but fell 5 minutes short. Pete Jacobs taught us all a lesson in racing from the front and was super impressive, attaining his first Ironman victory. I crossed the line in 6th position after four toilet stops and slower run than I had hoped.
I am ecstatic with this result for several reasons;
- Although some scoffed at the quality of the Ironman field the reality is, I was the only athlete in the top Seven who has not previously won an Ironman. To finish amongst these guys, is a proud moment for me.
- I made some mistakes both on race day and in training but walk away from this race knowing I achieved the best result I was capable of.
- What makes me most happy is confidence I will draw from this performance. I look forward to an off-season now and then I am excited about getting stuck into to preparing for the 2011/12 season. With the knowledge there are better things to come.
I am extremely grateful for the support I received from several groups and individuals throughout the whole season and on race day.
- The support from volunteers and supporters on race day was amazing. I enjoyed riding and running through the packed Port Macquarie streets listening to the endless crowd support.
- My fabulous sponsors who continually provide me with far more support than I can ever repay. I am blessed with access to the best products and services on the market.
Thankyou to my 2010/11 sponsors
-NashyPix.com. Darrell a photographer from Port Macquarie has shown great support to me through his great work with the camera and the countless hours he has put into producing my fabulous website. - Saucony Their Shoes, Compression tights and apparel speak for themselves. - Cecil Walker Cycles (along with Trek bikes Australia) My new Speed Concept is the fastest TT bike on the market and an absolute dream to ride. The bike ran like a dream on race day as a result of the many hours Tim and Josh spent getting every component of this machine working perfectly. - Ryders Eyewear Thankyou again Neville for providing such quality eyewear. - Winners Sport Nutrition With their help I am getting close to nailing my Ironman nutrition - Degani Café Bakery Thankyou for your consistent support
Thankyou to my Mum and Dad for coming to all our races too not only support but look after little Oscar. Without their help Tarryn and I would not be able to continue to race together. Doing our first Ironman together as parents was a fantastic moment.
Dan from DTR who works consistently hard to assist me in getting the most out of myself as a Triathlete with everything outside of training and racing.
The countless messages of support from all my friends before and after the race were certainly humbling.
This Shetland pony is heading out to pasture for a while, see you all next season.