2016 Ironman WA

I did my first (and only) Ironman a few years ago. This Ironman funnily enough.

It did not go well. Well to be fair it went okay, but I didn’t have a lot of fun.

After Ironman WA in 2013 it took me a long time to feel like doing another Ironman. Eventually though the bug bit again and I started to think that I needed to give it another go. Do the distance justice, find out if I had the ability to do an Ironman well? Nice idea, but it was all put on hold when I tore my AC ligament at the end of 2015 and then fractured the radial head of my left elbow in April 2016. By the time I was healthy it was June and I had not raced for 6 months and had only trained a bit. During those 6 months I had asked myself numerous times whether I was ever going to race again. I decided that I wanted to, but I was unfit and I had a steep climb in front of me if I wanted to be doing Ironman by the end of the year.

After deciding to get on with I had a few false starts, but eventually I found myself on the start line of Ironman WA in 2016 about to find out whether the decision to return to Ironman was a good one or not.

Before we get into my day went though, a bit of an introduction to Ironman WA for those who are unfamiliar.

Ironman WA has a reputation as a fast course, it is a reputation that is deserved. The entire course is pretty flat (including the swim usually) and it is quite speed friendly. It isn’t to say the race can’t have it challenges though. Being in Summer in Western Australia it can sometimes be blisteringly hot (mid to high 30s some years). It is also almost always windy. It isn’t a question of whether there will be wind, but rather how much wind there is and how strong it is. Traditionally the wind starts being a factor part way through the bike and then stays a factor for the rest of the day. Most of the roads on the bike are also not super quick, with lots of coarse chip bitumen and rather ‘dead’ surfaces. If the Shire of Busselton ever coats the entire course in a fresh surface of hot mix, wow look out at the next Ironman, because it would be flying.

For me a sign that the Ironman WA course isn’t quite as quick as people expect is the fact that until 2015 nobody had gone under 8 hours, despite some really quality athletes making the attempt. I usually describe it as fast, just not super fast.

The course itself looks a bit like this.   

The swim is the really iconic part of the Busselton course, being out and around the Busselton Jetty.

I have done a lot of swims in a lot of different places and really this one is pretty special. I definitely feel it is one of the top two or three swim courses I have raced on. The water isn’t guaranteed to be flat, but it often is, well close to shore it is. The water can get rougher around the end of the jetty (you are a mile offshore after all) but it typically isn’t that bad. Due to the location of Busselton, actual ground swell doesn’t tend to reach it, so usually a bit of wind chop is the worst you have to deal with.

The swim is shallow for most of the way so you have the comfort off being able to see the bottom for nearly all of it, there is even the odd fish to watch. The bottom is nearly all sand and seagrass, nothing scary. You lose sight of the bottom around the end of the jetty (it is about 30m deep there), but it comes back to you pretty quickly. Sighting and navigation is a breeze since you constantly have a giant jetty as a reference point. It really is as simple as, keep the buoys on your right and don’t run into the jetty on your left. Water temperature was a very pleasant 21 degrees this year and I think that is pretty normal. Wetsuit optional, but not freezing cold. If you are going to go for a 3.8km swim in the ocean, swimming around the Busselton Jetty is really a very pleasant way of doing it.

For 2016 the swim course was slightly different from previous years due to the introduction of the Ironman WA 70.3 event. The addition of the 70.3 on the same day as the Ironman meant that the transition area had to be moved (because it was bigger), which in turn meant that the swim finish was a bit different, it wasn’t a big deal though. The only difference is that now you continue to follow the jetty all the way back to shore, whereas previously you left the jetty where it doglegs (see picture above) and headed straight to the beach.

Once you hit the beach you then run under the jetty before heading to the transition area. This change means that the run into T1 is now quite long, about 400m, which a lot of people weren’t happy about. One question I heard asked a bit was why they didn’t simply reverse the swim and go around the jetty clockwise instead of sticking with the usual anti-clockwise direction. The idea being that if the swim was reversed it would make the run into T1 a lot shorter. From what I was told the organisers did consider reversing the swim, but it would have meant swimming into the sun for some of it as well as working against the prevailing current (blerch). On top of that apparently visibility between swimmers and sea rescue becomes harder when it goes in a clockwise direction. The organisers figured that running a bit further was the lesser of two evils and definitely the safer option. To be honest I didn’t find the change to be that much of a big deal. The run was longer, but in the context of an Ironman, it isn’t really much, everyone just had slow T1 times. If anything, being able to follow the jetty all the way back to shore makes navigation a lot easier.

The one negative I will say about the long run into transition is The Bridge. The bridge is a structure made out of scaffolding that is used so the that run into T1 can cross the run course. You run over it after the swim and then under it a couple of times per lap on the run. I said at the start of this paragraph is that it is a negative, but only sort of. I actually liked the bridge, it is a cool feature and adds a point of interest to the race. Also I thought the bridge was mostly well thought out. The surface they provided was soft enough for bare, wet feet and also nice and non-slip. My only negative is that I thought it was quite steep on the downhill side, I was taking it pretty easy coming down on my wet, sandy feet. I didn’t hear of anyone slipping over, but you could see it happening. Once again I didn’t think it was a big deal, but I thought I should mention it.

After the swim it is out onto the bike course. Which looks like this now:

  

The Busselton ride course has gone through several iterations over the years. When I did it in 2013 it was three 60km loops. Now it is two 90km loops. I think the main reasons for the changes have been to try and cut down on drafting, which has been rife in previous years. On the whole I think the longer laps achieve that objective.

The course itself it quite scenic. There are prettier courses in the world, but Ironman WA isn’t too bad. You spend a bit of time near the coast, a bit of time in a Tuart forest, sometime riding though rural land. It is a nice mix. Not spectacular, but not dull either.

Looking at the map the course looks a little complex with 6 U-turns per lap. Really though, over 90kms, 6 U-turns isn’t that much. In fact, one problem with the Ironman WA course is that it is so flat that you tend to spend a lot of time on the aero bars without much respite. I found the U-turns gave a nice chance to change position occasionally.

Speaking of flat, as you can see from the course map there is about 330m of elevation gain over the 180km course. That isn’t a lot. There are certainly no big hills, or even little hills. Any elevation you gain is over long gradual rises. Speedy. If you have a disc sitting around at home, chuck it on.

There are six aid stations over the 180km. They serve the usual, water, electrolyte and gels. With the conditions we had I found 6 aid stations to be more than enough. Special needs on the bike are available just after the start of the second lap.

As I have mentioned above, about the only thing that stops the bike course being perfect is the road surface. The main roads, Layman Road and Tuart Drive aren’t too bad (Tuart Drive has some rough patches), but the little side roads that you see on the map are pretty coarse. The coarse surface saps the power and can send a bit of a buzz through your body. I certainly found that as I came off the rough stuff each lap I was very glad for the respite.

One nice thing about this bike course is that it is very spectator accessible. Also Western Australians are mad for this event, this means you get spectators dotted all over the bike course. Certainly near transition, but also out in the forest, at the turns, all over the place. It really adds to the feel of the race.

All up not a bad place to spend 180km.

After the bike it is on to run time. The run looks like this: 

Once again, the run in 2016 was slightly different to previous years due to the moved transition area. You will see on the map above that the transition area and the finish line are now in different places (although close). You also don’t stick along the coast for the entire run, jinking away from the beach for a short bit in the middle. Really though the changes were minor.

So, the basics of the run course are, four laps of 10.5km. Over the course of the four laps you gain (and lose) 194m. Just like the bike, there are no big (or little) hills. That 194m is gained through slow rises and gradual descents. For all intents and purposes the run is flat. There are 24 aid stations on the run, so slightly more than one every 2km. They serve the usual array of water, ice, coke, electrolytes, fruit etc. As you can see from the map, running special needs is about 500m from T2.

If I am honest the run can be a little dull. You really are running over the same 5km of beachside path and road 8 times. The beach is nice, but you get over it pretty quick, there isn’t much to see. What can make this run fun and keep it interesting is the crowd, particularly around the transition area. For at least 500m either side of transition the crowd is packed and the spectators really get into it. Most of the local tri clubs come down and set up spectating tents along the run course. You spend at least 2km every lap running through supporters, which generates a massive buzz and can give you a much needed lift in the marathon. For me the crowd support was the highlight of the day.

So that is about it. That is what Ironman WA looks like. I have also put a map of the transition area etc below just to give an idea of how it looks for those who have done this race in previous years. On this map you get a good idea of the run up from the swim into T1, including the little bridge I mentioned above.

Hmmm, anything else I should mention. I said earlier about the weather. If you are planning on doing Ironman WA you should definitely factor in that it could be both hot and very windy. We didn’t get those conditions this year, in fact we got almost perfect weather, but the conditions in Busselton can turn nasty. What else? Probably just this, Ironman WA is a very slick race. The guys behind this race have been doing this for quite some time now and they are very good at it. One of the best run races I have done recently I think. There are hiccups obviously, but from what I saw they were pretty minor. The big stuff works, the volunteers really know their stuff, the course is well marked and well controlled, bag transfers went smoothly, great expo, nice finishers area, the list goes on. Just a very well run race.

So with that all said, how was my long day out.

Straight up I can say my day out was a very good one. A massive PB, a time I am very proud of (8:42:51), 16^th overall in a very strong field. Lots of things that I am happy about, but I jump ahead.

My decision to do Ironman WA was a pretty late one. After the disaster of Ironman Taiwan, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to race anymore. Actually I left Taiwan pretty sure that I didn’t. I felt like I had had enough. Over the next week though I thought about it some more and realised that I did want to keep racing and what’s more I really wanted to give an Ironman a good attempt. Once I made that decision, entering Ironman WA was the next logical step. Being a local race it was nice and easy logistically which was a big attraction. On top of that it is an ‘easier’ Ironman course, which I felt would make it a good one to learn on. Once the decision was made all that was left was to train.

The couple of months of training between Taiwan and Ironman WA went very, very well. Probably the best period of training I have ever had. I didn’t get sick, I didn’t get injured, I could just get head down and train. It felt like I got in 10 weeks or so of great training with a lot of miles logged away. By the time I got to the race the body was feeling strong and I was very confident of getting through the day. I wasn’t sure how quick it was going to be, but I was determined to make sure I made the finish.

As well as having a great training block, I also headed into Ironman WA in a much better head space than I have had in a race for ages. There were a lot of reasons for this improvement, but a part of it was due to some great mentoring I have been getting from the guys at Front Runner Sports here in Perth. The upshot of this better head space was that I was much more relaxed heading into this one. In the past I have got myself very uptight about racing in front of a home crowd, but this time around I didn’t have any of that. Rather than being nervous about it I was genuinely excited. I was keen to get out on the run course and see everyone, have a bit of fun, see the positive side of the decisions that you make was some of the guidance I was given and I was determined to do so.

As well as being excited to race, I went into the race with a good solid race plan. One that was developed based on experience and what I was seeing in training. As such it was a race plan that I was confident that I could execute. I knew what I had to do on the bike in order to have a good run and all of my training told me I could do it. I knew what intensity to look for once I started the run and how long to maintain it. I wasn’t sure what sort of time the race plan would give me, but I knew that all I needed to do to have a successful day out was stick to it. The definition of success I was using was that I wanted to have a race I was proud of, a race where I knew I couldn’t have done anything else. Time and place were secondary concerns; my primary goal was putting together a good race. Sticking to my race plan would get me that.

So with all that in place, I found myself standing on a beach in Busselton early on a lovely December Summer morning wrapped in neoprene, surrounded by some Ironman legends, nervously waiting for a horn to sound.

Once the horn sounded we were away. A quick run down the beach a dolphin dive or two (to be honest I don’t even remember that bit) and the race had begun.

Off the beach I had two conflicting thoughts going through my head. Thought one was stick to toes, hold the toes. Thought two was, not too hard, too early, be conservative, you don’t want to blow up. Fortunately for me both thoughts happily met in the middle. I am not experience enough at racing Ironman to know how people usually start them. I am used to 70.3 racing where the guys race off the beach at warp speed for a few hundred metres before settling down. I guess I thought that was going to happen here too, perhaps it usually does in Ironman. On Sunday it didn’t.

Straight up I was really happily surprised to find that the pace was sustainable. I happily found some toes and slotted in. There was the usual bit of argy bargy and position finding, but everyone was fairly polite. After not much time I found a position that I was happy with and the pace was like good porridge (just right).

Things pretty much continued in that vein for the entire trip out to the end of the jetty. There was the odd surge and drop in speed and positions changed around a few times, but nothing of much consequence really occurred on the swim out. I got out there happily ensconced in the middle of the second pack. As we reached the end of the jetty and made the turn we started to hit a bit more chop and the pace felt like it dropped a bit. As we made the final turn for the beach I found myself third from the front of the group and the pace felt like it dropped some more, perhaps as people decided they had led the group for long enough. Because the pace in the first half of the swim had been so controlled I was still feeling really good so I thought I would head to the front and push into the chop for a while, try and keep the pace moving.

The chop on the trip back was certainly worse than it had been on the trip out as we were now on the windward side of the jetty. The chop was annoying, and there were moments were it felt like you were having to smash through it, but it was never that bad. An obstacle but not a hindrance. I did have to breath on the left for a fair bit though so that I wasn’t breathing into the chop. Luckily that is a skill we practice in training a fair bit.

Leading the second pack back I tried to keep the pace up and the effort sustained, but really there isn’t much to judge that against and so I don’t know how successful I was. Everybody seemed happy to sit behind and let me get on with it though so hopefully it wasn’t too slow. With a few hundred metres to go somebody started to come past and I was more than happy to let them so that I could slot in behind and get a bit of a slip stream. That is the way it stayed the rest of the way to the beach. A short while later we hit the sand and I was pretty stoked to see that I had come in with a time of 49:56, creeping in just under the 50 minute barrier. I was even happier with the time given that the swim felt like one of the easiest, most controlled swims I have ever had.

After the swim it was time for the long(ish) run up the beach, over the bridge and into the change tent before heading into T1.

I jumped on the bike with a couple of other guys nearby and I was immediately faced with my first big decision of the day, stay with them or do my own thing. I knew exactly what power output my race plan called for on the bike and I was also very aware of the risks of working above that power. Luckily I had thought this situation might arise and so I had figured out a plan beforehand. I knew I could safely work a bit above my target power for 15 or 20km without blowing up the rest of my race. That would give me enough time to see if the other guys were going to settle down to a pace I could sustain or whether they were working above my limit. That is exactly what I did.

After 15km it became obvious that the others were going to keep pushing at a level that I wasn’t keen to follow, so at that point I let them go. From that point on, more or less to the end of the bike, the ride was a solo effort.

Once I let the other guys go I was able to slot very quickly into my race plan. At each turn around I could see that a few others were catching me, but I wasn’t that bothered, I had a lot of faith in my plan and so I stuck with it. Nutrition in as planned, stick to the target power, stay in control.

Around 70km my back started to give me trouble and get very painful, which had been a big concern heading into the race. After I had eaten some food I popped a bit of ibuprofen, but I am not sure whether that made much difference. From that point on I was having to give the back pretty regular stretches.

90kms in and I was really happy to see that everything was spot on target. I came through the first lap in about 2 hours 20min, my power was spot on target and I was feeling pretty good. On top of that I was fairly sure I was starting to pull a couple of guys back. While I was very happy with the half way split and was still feeling good I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to sustain it.

Around 100km I hit a bit of a flat spot, which I had sort of been expecting. The power dropped by 10 watts or so and I was wondering if a fade was coming. However, I popped a bit of caffeine and kept working and sure enough 10km later I was back on target. About then I passed back the first of the guys who had passed me on the previous lap.

As the lap progressed I continued to feel stronger and stronger, reaping the benefits of my controlled earlier pacing. I passed a couple more guys and finally passed the 150km mark, after which I knew I was on the home stretch. My back was still giving me trouble, but it seemed to be under control. I had been worried that the wind was building, and while there seemed to be some wind, it never seemed to actually slow us down. All up things were feeling good. In fact in the final 30km I had to actively keep the power under control as I felt like I could have been pushing harder and harder. I reminded myself that I still had a marathon to go and stuck to the plan.

45 minutes later I was off the bike with a time of 4:37 about 15^th over all. Quicker than I had been hoping for, but with the power smack on my target pace. Looking at the results later I realised that the two laps were almost exactly evenly split. To me that is confirmation that I got the pacing about right.

Passing through T2 went smoothly. I spent a little bit of time to get my shoes on and make sure I had all my nutrition etc and then I got on with it. I was relieved to find that my back wasn’t too sore getting off the bike and wasn’t going to get in my way at all.

Starting the run I was all alone and so I was keen to quickly settle into my rhythm and pace. For the first kilometre the heart rate was a little high, but soon after that it all settled down and I was glad to see that I was running at exactly the planned pace and intensity. Good to know that I was starting in the right place, now all I had to do was sustain it.

Not far into the run I saw that my Garmin 920XT was dangerously low on battery. I suspect this was because I had forgotten to turn the backlight off. Put that down as a silly mistake. I knew I could run without the Garmin, but my preference was not to. Mainly I wanted to have an idea of my total time and how much leeway I had on the 9 hour mark, my Garmin was the only way of doing that. Also whilst I could live without knowing my pace, I was keen to keep my heart rate info to help with pacing. After a bit of mad mid run button pushing I managed to turn off the backlight but I accidently turn off the GPS too. I knew not having the GPS would make the Garmin last for ages and so I decided to leave it off and instead figure out my pace using the 2km markers on the course. That way I got to keep my heart rate info and the time data. It worked pretty well in the end. In fact, part of me wonders whether not having the constant pace information may have actually helped me keep the effort more even. Hmmm….

Once I settled I found that I was running very happy. You head out of transition straight into the crowd and instantly I was getting cheered on by my friends, family and supporters. It was absolutely fantastic and gave me a massive lift. My plan for this run had been to enjoy being out with the local crowd as much as possible and this was a great start.

I was looking for the same feeling I had been having in my recent long runs, just a comfy sustainable tick along. After the first 10km lap I was happy that I had found it. On the second lap I was passed back by Levi Maxwell, but I never mind losing a spot to Levi and he was running really well, so I let him go, sticking with my rhythm and target intensity. Tap, tap, tap.

I had a little celebration as I passed 16km as that was where the run had started to fall apart when I had done the Ironman in 2013. As I moved past 20km I concentrated on just keeping it moving and maintaining my form, keen to successfully get through the 20 to 30km danger zone.

Around 30km I got passed again, but was getting to the point where I didn’t have much left for a response, so instead I just kept doing my thing. At 32km I was into my last lap and I knew the hard bit was behind me, I just had to get through one more lap.

In that final lap I still felt like I was running well, but I also knew the body was getting to a limit. My plan had been to push the pace in the final 10km, but I just couldn’t get the intensity up. The legs were happy enough tapping along, but they didn’t have much more to offer than that. The heart rate stayed stubbornly fixed.

While the last lap was hurting I was also really enjoying doing my 'last time checklist'. Last time I have to run through this aid station, last time I have to see that sign, last time I have to turn that corner etc. After I came around the eastern turn around for the last time I found to my dismay that the wind had picked up and I was going to have to work into a head wind for the next 5km. It was nothing insurmountable, but it did slow me down, with the next 5km being the slowest of the entire race. Those 5km were not much fun, but I just kept on ticking off the landmarks as I trotted back to transition and then eventually down to the western turn around.

Once I had done my final turn it was time for a beautiful 1.5km of tailwind for the final stretch to the finish line. Running back through the crowd and past the Break Your Limit tent was particularly sweet before I got to finally take that wonderful turn right and head down the finishers chute. 

As I approached the finish line I heard Pete Murray saying I was on track for 8 hours 42 and that I would have to be happy with that. Too right I was. Across the line and done. Finally. My run time was 3:10:34 to get my across the 16^th place over all.

So that was my day. As I said at the start of this, the day was a great one. Easily one of the best races I have ever done. A result that I am overjoyed with in every way, the time, the place, everything about the outcome of my 2016 Ironman WA exceeded my expectation. It was great to finally record a time that I am proud of. To finally feel like I was mixing it in the Pro Category. I have always felt that full Ironman races should suit me better than the shorter distances so it was great to finally confirm that. It was a race that I am going to take a lot of confidence from going forward.

This was also a race that I have learnt a lot from. Being only my second Ironman, one of my goals for this race was to figure some stuff out. One of the big lessons that I am going to take away is the value of pacing in an Ironman. In my experience you can often get away with poor pacing in a 70.3, you can bluff your way through, however, I don't think Ironman is quite so forgiving. I had a great day and I think no small part of that was because I had a good plan and I stuck to it. It is rare for a race to go so close to plan, but my day out at Ironman WA followed my plan almost down to the letter. Part of that was because the plan was a good match for my capability and part was because I was willing to stick to it. It is something I am certainly going to try and replicate in the future.

As good as the race was it also highlighted a bunch of areas where I can improve. I need a bit more power on the bike. Not heaps, but about another 15 to 20W on my threshold I think. If I had been averaging another 10W on the bike I would have been able to ride with others and stay within my limits, that would have made a big difference to my day. This race also showed me that as much as my running has improved, it still has a long way to go, which is great. I love having an area that obviously needs improving, an easy place to target gains. On the flip side it was also great to finally see some pay off for all the work I have been doing on my swim. Nice to know it hasn’t been for nothing. Some good lessons to take away and good areas to target.

And with that, I think this very long race report is drawing to a close. However, I obviously can’t finish it without thanking some supporters and sponsors. This is a very long list, but I make no apology since it is a very long race. So in no particular order, but with the most important at the top thanks to:

•  My wife and family for saying ‘No more Ironman’ and then letting me train for an Ironman
• To my Dad for flying all the way from Darwin to watch and to help out. Plus to my sisters and their families for coming down and cheering for the entire run leg (and for organising the T-Shirts). It helps more than you can know.

• Daryl Stanley – for the advice and coaching and mentoring. Getting me back here after a terrible first half of the year.
• Front Runner Sports – for the advice, mentoring and great training throughout the year. Getting my head in this game.
• Break Your Limits – For the club support, both on the course and off it. Mateship and laughs. And for showing me how to ride in the hills without getting lost (much).
• Catalyst Nutrition and Dietetics – heading into this race one of my biggest concerns had been nutrition, it had been one of the things that went wrong in 2013. David Bryant sat down and tailored a plan for me that worked spot on. Absolutely perfect.
• Nathan Doig Massage Works - Nathan and his magic hands kept me going throughout all the training, no matter how tough it got, making sure I was recovering as well as possible.
• Churchill Cycles – for building my bike, servicing my bike, fitting my bike, putting up with me and still letting me in the front door.
• Swim Smooth – I have said a couple of times how well the swim leg went for me in this race. Most of that success is due to Swim Smooth both the Squad and the Swim Smooth Guru App. Pushing me and making me do the work, even when I didn’t necessarily want to. Improvements have come and they have been made because of Swim Smooth.
• Mizuno Australia. – What can I say, great shoes. I ran in the Wave Catalyst in Busso and I think it must be one of the most underrated shoes out there. Pry them off my cold dead feet.
• Ridley Australia – I will admit I had my doubts whether the Ridley Dean could be made to suit an Ironman, it didn’t seem ‘Tri’ enough. Consider those doubts put to rest. This bike worked like a dream during the race. Quick and comfy, held everything I needed, and looks the absolute business.
• Hammer Nutrition – My nutrition worked for this race and it worked for two reasons, David Bryant’s plan and Hammer Nutrition’s products. During this race I used HEED, Hammer Bars, Perpetuem Solids and two types of Gels. Seriously. They all had a point and served a purpose and they all worked exactly as I had hoped.
• Mako Wetsuits- I had one of my best swims ever in this race and it was in this wetsuit. 2 and 2 do not make 5.
• Finally, Caden Wheels - I think the best thing you can say about a wheel is that you didn’t notice it was there. When it didn’t cause problems, make you unstable, have a puncture etc. When the wheel just rolls around and goes quick. This is exactly what the Caden wheels did. Spot on.