2012 Singapore 70.3

This race report is almost a little redundant now, since the Singapore Ironman 70.3 has now been discontinued. But I learned a lot of lessons in the race that are probably applicable to most races in the tropics, so from that perspective it might be useful to some people. So here it is.

The Singapore Ironman 70.3 was a popular race with folks in Darwin, since getting there was pretty easy and cheapish and the tropical conditions suited us. In 2012 it was my first half ironman, as well as being my first triathlon of any significance. My first half ironman had previously meant to be the 2011 Yeppoon 70.3, but a bulging disc had put a stop to that. So Singapore was also my first test after a fairly lengthy rehab process.

Since it was so popular with Darwin folk, a big group of people from Daryl’s squad went over in 2012. We flew into Singapore the Thursday before the race and all bundled into the shuttle bus, heading to the Mercure Roxy, which was conveniently located around the corner from the course.

When we got there I found out that due to construction work I was getting put in a smoking room. In hindsight I should have dug my heels in and insisted on a different room, but at the time I thought how bad can it be. Pretty bad it turned out. Bad enough that it resulted in me trying numerous different techniques over the next couple of days to minimise the smell of cigarette smoke. Note to others: nothing really works.

Friday was taken up with some course familiarisation, as well as registration etc. The 2012 edition of the Singapore 70.3 was held on March 18^th in the east coast parklands. The course was made of a two lap ocean swim, a fast three lap bike course and a hot three lap run. The familiarisation showed that there was going to be a bit of current in the swim, but it was a loop course, so anything we swam against, we would swim with as well. So no big deal there. The bike course looked like it would be quick and the run looked like it would be pretty shady.

Saturday was taken up with a bit of site seeing, racking the bikes and stressing. I was nursing a bit of a sore shin that had flared up during a sprint distance tri two weeks before Singapore. So I was frantically trying everything I could think of to try and reduce the pain. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was about a month away from being diagnosed with a stress fracture. I also had the usual pre race jitters about was I feeling a little sick, was I feeling 100% etc. In the end though, despite all that, race morning turned up and we were all ready to go.

This was my first experience at a big race morning and so lots of learning went on, in terms of what to take to the course, what not etc. How many friends you get if you have a track pump, that sort of thing. After a bit of nervous waiting around and watching, it was the turn of our wave to get ready and go.

The swim course at Singapore was a rather complicated buoyed affair, designed to keep people on the first lap and second lap separate. It went fairly well, except on the first lap I lost sight of the buoys on the right and so probably swam further than necessary on the backside of the course. After about half of the first lap I found I was level pegging another guy from my wave and so we had a nice bit of battle around the remainder of that lap. Between laps there was a short beach run, and when I hit the water the second time, I found to my surprise that I was feeling very good. After that I hit the gas a bit and had a pretty straight forward second lap. One thing about the swim in general is that it was quite congested. My main memory of the swim was going around people. I only really remember getting held up once or twice, but the overtaking was constant.

Being my first race I didn’t really know what to aim for in terms of goals, so I had set myself the goal of going sub 4 hours 40, getting as close as possible to 4 hours 30. Based on that I got out of the swim with about the time I wanted. Just under 30 minutes. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was 2^nd out of the water for my age group.

Transition went smooth, I didn’t miss my bike or anything and I was out on to the bike course. The first lap was a bit of a feeler lap, since I didn’t know what the conditions were going to be. After discussions with Daryl, my aim for the bike was to sit at around 38km/h, but on the way out it became obvious that there was a head wind. I made sure that I kept myself relaxed and I raced to my feel, rather than the speedo. I wanted to make sure that I didn’t blow myself up fighting the wind too much. After the turn I was very pleased to see that it was now a tail wind and the return trip was much quicker. After that first lap I was able to relax and get on with it. In the end it was a very nice, very fast ride course. My only real criticism is that the aid stations had the worst drink bottles I think I have ever seen. Small, low flow and not very flexible, to the point that if you gave them a good squeeze there was a good chance you would pop the top off, rather than get fluid out. Everyone I spoke to had problems with them. I got off the bike feeling pretty good, having no idea where I was in the field, but having pretty much done exactly the time I was after.

Into T2 and it was decision time. I had ridden without socks, and over the course of the ride I had felt my toes getting sorer and sorer. Whilst setting up my T2 transition that morning, I had at the last minute added a pair of socks, just in case. Now it was time to decide whether to take the time to put them on or not. Once I was out of my bike shoes, it was obvious that I had rubbed some skin off my toes, so the decision pretty much made itself. I spent the little bit of time it took to put socks on (very good decision in the end)., got the shoes on and was away. I did try and run the wrong way out of transition but after that I finally got on the run course.

Once on the run course I had the usual, post T2 feeling of, wow this is so easy. I worked hard to slow myself down. I probably should have worked on that a bit harder. The run course was one of those that heads out to a turn around, comes back past the finish line to another turn around and then back to the finish line for one 7km lap. The run out to the first turn around seemed to go on forever, but I eventually got there, grabbed some fluid and a sponge and began the long trip back. As I think about that run now, I wonder if I should have drunk more, or done something different, but at the time, it all seemed okay. It was hot, but I was from Darwin, so it didn’t feel unbearable. The first two laps were passed in this fashion. Feeling pretty okay, not great, just plugging away. I continued to feel okay until about the 16km mark, when I really started to feel not okay. My pace dropped right off, to above 5 minute/km pace in some cases. I managed to slog through the next few kms, pass the finish line on my way to my last turn around and tried to pick up the pace. At the time I was pretty sure that if I didn’t pick up the pace I would be walking. I pushed for the last 2kms which seemed to go forever. Eventually I entered the finish chute and was thankfully across the line. Was a little wonky as I crossed. A helper asked if I was okay, to which I remember saying yes, and then collapsing.

I don’t remember much of the next little bit. I remember being in the medical tent, but not how I got there. I remember throwing up a fair bit and lying there being pretty sure I might die. I remember asking some ridiculous questions about the progress of the race and getting polite nodding responses. I am pretty sure I was delirious during that bit, because my rational brain now looks at those questions and can’t figure out why I would have asked them. In the end though I was finally able to sit up and keep water down and then eventually walk out of the tent.

I headed into the athlete area, found some of the other Darwin folk, found out that I had done 4 hours 35 and had come 5^th in the 30-34 age group. I was pretty happy with all those things. I also found out that I was less than a minute from 3^rd place, which was frustrating, but out of my control. Another thing I found out was that I really didn’t feel like eating.

The other big thing that happened in Singapore was that I earned a slot for the 2012 70.3 World Champs in Las Vegas. One of my aims for triathlon, not necessarily last year, but just in general, was to see if I could get to the World Champs. There were quite a few slots available on roll down, so it turns out that that goal wasn’t so hard to achieve. But going into Singapore I had no idea that I would achieve that goal there.

Lessons learned from this race. There are a few, on the whole the race went to plan, except for the run. However, I still struggle to identify what I would have done differently. Maybe not gone out as hard. Probably drunk more. I did drink at every aid station. But maybe I should have been grabbing two cups rather than one. I have since done other races in some pretty difficult conditions. In those I have made sure I am getting as much water as I can and making full use of the ice and I have had not had any other problems. Whether doing those things would have made the difference I am not sure.