Muscle Milk Portland To Coast High School Challenge Race Handbook
Challenge Roth 2013 – Race Report
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Transcript of Challenge Roth 2013 – Race Report
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ChallengeRoth2013RaceReportbyPaddyOConnor
Decisionandplanning:
Mydecisiontodoanirondistancetriathlonin2013wasmadeinFebruary2012when I was lyingwith my leg in plaster after my second bout of major foot
surgerywithinayear.Iwasunabletoweightbearfor6weeksandmymodeoftransportatthetimewasamobilityscooter(boughtonebayfor46)whichatleast allowedme to take the dog for a walk and go to the pub to read my
newspaperoverapint!Myfootsurgeonwasdubiousaboutmerunningagainas
he blamed the need for a second operation on my excessive running itcouldntpossiblybeanythingtodowiththesurgicaltechnique!Sowhatbetter
motivationcould I have for getting better than toplan todoan irondistanceevent!
TakingthedogsforawalkFebruary2012
Thenextdecisiontomakewaswhichone.Havingreadalltheracereportsaboutthe Outlaw and the amazing support from theWakey Tri crew I had already
decided that if I did an event in the UK it would be the Outlaw. But I also
reasoned that as this was going to be my one and only attempt at an Irondistancetriathlonwhynotmakeitreallyspecialandgoanddooneofthebig
Europeanones.AGermanworkcolleaguetoldmeaboutChallengeRothandhow
this small village in Bavaria hosts the biggest Iron-distance triathlon in theworld.IsawtheamazingYouTubevideosoftheSolarerBerghillandIbeganto
thinkaboutRothasanoption.ThenIreadChrissieWellingtonsbookandthat
clincheditformeitwasgoingtobeRothprovidingIgetaplace.
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Soonthe16thJuly2012at9am(whilststayingatahotelinWalesforawedding)
IwaspoisedonmylaptopreadytogetmyentryinasquicklyaspossibleasIknewitwashugelypopular(all4000placesforChallengeRoth2014soldoutin
3minutesthisyear!).Iwassuccessfulsotheplanningandtrainingcouldbegin.
Training:Iwontboreyouwithallmyinjuriesandset-backsthroughouttheyear-itwasprobablynomore than youwouldexpect inany accident-prone48yearwith
arthritichipsandsacro-iliacjoints,awornoutbackandfeetheldtogetherwitha
meccanoset!
X-rayofmyrightfoot!
ThingscouldhavebeenalotworsebutIstillendeduparrivingfortheevent
never having swam 3.8k or run further than 22 miles before. Not the best
preparation I know!Most of my training I did alone, not just because Im anunsociablegit(whichIadmitIam),butIalsoreasonedthatintheraceIwould
bealonesoIshouldgetusedtothisfeelingofisolation.LittledidIknowhowaloneIwouldendupbeingandhowthoselonglonelycyclesthroughplaceslike
SwinefleetandMiddlesbroughwouldstandmeingoodsteadmentallyforwhat
wastohappenintherace.
Travel:
ThursdaynightferryfromHulltoRotterdamthena longdrivethroughHollandandGermanydowntoBavariaontheFriday.Fortunatelymy19yearoldsonDan
wasdrivingso Iwasabletorelaxandrestmylegsonthedrive.Hewasnttoo
keen on coming initially but I told him that Challenge Roth is sponsored byErdinger and there is a section of the course known as thebeermile andhe
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suddenlyseemedalotmoreinterested.Theremainderofmysupportteamwas
made up by Carolmy dearwife who is always there at triathlons to givemehelpfuladvicesuchasDontgiveupnowyoupuff!
CarolandDanmyverysupportivesupportcrew!
Pre-racebuildup:
Roth is a small Bavarian village that once a year hosts the largest Iron-mandistanceevent in theworld:3400 individual competitors500relay teamsand250,000 spectators.The triathlon bike course even has permanent road signs
andthelocalsjustloveit.Thetriathlonparkandexpoishugewithloadsgoingonandbeertentsandbarseverywhere.Caroltookpartinawomens5kraceon
the Saturday while I carried on carbo-loading and joined Dan for a pint of
Erdinger(Ishowedrestrainthowevermakingminealcohol-free).
Registrationandbike-rackingwassuperblyefficientandIretiredtomyhotelon
the outskirts of Nuremberg (20minutes away)where I hoped to get a good
nightssleep.Unfortunatelythiswasnttobethecase.Firstlymysupportcrewwokemeupcomingintothehotelroomsmellingofbeer,trippingoverthingsandgiggling.ThentherewasalargegroupofnoisyRussiansdrinkingvodkain
theoutsidebaruntillate.Thingsfinallyquieteneddownataround3:00amthen
myalarmtogetupwentoffat3:15am!
TheRace:
The swim for Challenge Roth is in the Rhine-Main-Danube canal, which is aprettybigcanal.Theswimstartisabout10kmfromtheTriathlonparkandrace
finishandwearrivedthereat4-45amexpectingqueuesofcarsbutneednthaveworried.WithtypicalGermanefficiencyandorganisationweparkedquicklyand
I leftmy support team in the car to sleep theirhangoversoffwhile Iwent tocheckonmybikeanddotheusualpre-triathlonfaffingwithkit.
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It was a beautifulmorningwith dawn just breaking andmist rising from the
canal.DramaticWagnerian-typemusicwasbeingplayedoverthetannoy-systemwhichgavemethefeelingthatIwasabouttogointobattle.
0500atswimstart
Unlike many Iron-distance events Challenge Roth is not amass-start and haswavesaccordingtoage-groups.Theeliteswerethefirsttostartat0630withmy
wave being the second last one due to begin at 0740.While queuing for theportaloo in transition I saw quite a fewmen get yellow-carded for relieving
themselvesinthebushesnotagreatstarttotheirrace!Idecidedtocontinueto
queue!
Pre-racenerves
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TheSwim:
Myaimintheswimwastogetthroughitusing theminimumamountofeffortpossible. Igenerallyonlyhaveoneswimmingspeedand Ireckoned ifI tookit
reallyeasyIwouldonlybeamaximumof5-10minutesslowerthanifIswamreallyhard. I thought Iwouldmake this backup onthe bikeand the run and
wouldbelesslikelytogetcrampsoIoptedtogoslowandeasy.Thewaterwasclearandwarm(butfortunatelynotsowarmtomakeitanon-
wetsuitswim)andthebanksofthecanalwerelinedwithcrowdsofpeopleand
cheeringcouldbeheardthroughoutthewholeswimduetothecloseproximityofthebank.SwimmingnearthebankalsomeantthatIdidntneedtosightso
frequentlyalthoughthisback-firedwhenImissedtheturningbuoyathalf-wayandcontinuedswimmingdownthecanalforandextra50metres.
Iwas hoping to do under 1 hour 30mins for the swim and exited in 1 hour33minssowasalittlebehindmyschedulebutIwasjustpleasedtogettheswim
outofthewayandstillbefeelinggood.
Transition1:
GoingintothetransitiontentIwasabittakenabackbyallthefullfrontalmalenudityonshow.IsthisanIronmanthingorisitjustbecauseitsGermany?Ifthe
womenswavehadntbeensomuchearlierorifIdswamabitfasteritmight
havebeenmoreinterestingbutitwasonlyhairy-arsedmenstruttingtheirstuff!MostofthevolunteersinthetentseemedtobeteenagegirlsandIwasgladIwas
wearingatri-suitthatIplannedtokeeponforthewholerace.Isatonthebenchandmyallocated helper gotmythings outofmybag and beganrubbingsun-
creamonmewhileIputmycyclingshoeson.Shethengotoutmychamoiscreamandgavemeaquestioninglook.SlightlyembarrassedIhastilyittookfromheranddiscreetlyapplieditmyself.
TheBike:
BeingaslowswimmerinoneofthelastwavesmeantthatIwasoneofthelast
onto the bike course.One advantage of this is that thereare lots of people infronttoovertake.Isetoffhappytohavegottheswimfinishedandimmediately
began overtaking lots of people. My target heart-rate on the bike was 130-
135bpmandIstayedatthiscruisingalongonthesilkysmoothroadsaveragingwellabove20mph,whichwouldputmeinsidemytargetofasub6hourcycle.
Thebikecourseconsistsof2loopsof85kmanda10ksectiontothefinish.Iwassurprised how hilly the course was (over5000 feet of climbing) as everyone
knowsRothtobeafastcourse.Thecountrysidewasfantasticandeveryvillage
we passed throughwas packed with people, sitting in the sun, drinking beer,cheering us on and listening to David Hasselhoff music over a loud-speaker
system.Myspiritswere soaring and Iwas enjoyingmyself but things were
abouttochange.
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Cruisingthroughthebeautifulcountryside
ComingdownafastdescentwithatightturnatthebottomIfeltmybackwheel
skidslightly. 400m furtheronand the tyrewas flat. Iwas usingtubular tyres
(VittoriaCorsaEvoCXwithKevlarguardforthosethatareinterested)andIhadonesparetyrewithme,onecanof sealantthatyousquirt insideand twoCO2
cannisters. I couldnt see a puncture anywhere so I elected to use the can ofsealant firstandkeepthe tyreinreserve.Iveneverusedthisstuffbeforeand
myfirstattemptcoveredthewholeofthefrontofmytri-suitinawhite,sticky
goo.HoweverIdidmanagetogetsomeintothetyreandusedoneofmyCO2cannisters to get it inflated. While doing this one of three service quadbikes
turnedup,checkedmytyrepressureformeandIwasonmyway.
10milesfurtheronandthetyrewasflatagain.Idontknowifitwasthesame
punctureoranewone.ThistimeIputthenewtyreonalthoughImanagedtolose the CO2 out of my last cartridge before the tyre was fully inflated.
Fortunately a quadbike arrived quickly again and I was soon on my way.
HoweverIwasnowfeelingalittlebitanxiousthatIstillhad75milestocycleandnowayofdealingwithanypuncturesandalsothatIhadatyreonmybackwheel
thatwasntgluedonverywell.
TheSolarerBerghillisoneofthethingsthatmakesRothsospecial.Thewallof
soundasIapproachedmadethehairsonthebackofmyneckstandonend.Eventhough I was expecting it nothing quite prepares you for the thrill of riding
throughanarrowtunnelwiththousandsofpeoplecheeringandsloshingbeeron
you.Iforgotaboutmypunctureworriesandjustenjoyedtheexperience.
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SolarerBerganunforgettableexperience.
Iwasjustgettingbackintoarhythmthenpuncturenumber3!Iwasdescending
fastgoingundera roadbridgeanddidntseeagrate,whichwashiddeninthe
shadowofthebridge.400mfurtheronandmyfronttyrewasflatsoIstoppedandwaitedfortheservicequadtoarrive.Iwasontheoutskirtsofavillageand
numerousspectatorswerealltryingtohelpme.Onemanranoffandgotapump
andpuncturerepairkitandtriedtoputapatchontheoutsideofthetyre.Iknewthiswasnotgoingtoworkbutheseemedreallykeentotry.Whiledoingsothe
racerefereepulledandoverandhadalongconversationinGermanIthinkIwasactuallyveryclosetobeingdisqualifiedforhavingoutsidehelp!
After40minutesofwaitingbecomingmoreandmoredesperatetherewasstillnosignofthequadbike.Iwastoldthatthenextservicestationwas12kmaway
soindesperationIbegantoruninmycyclingshoespushingmybike.Itwas30degrees, I was dehydrated, sunburnt and in despair as I newmy chances of
finishing were slipping away. One year of preparation, all the training and
sacrificesnotjustbymebutmyfamilyalsoanditendslikethis.
Afterapproximately5milesofrunning,cleatswornawayandblistersonmyfeet,aGermanspectatoronabikecameuptomeandofferedmehisfrontwheel.He
saidhewouldtakemywheeltotransitionandhedwaitattransitionformeto
arrive.IwasntsureifthiswasallowedbutIknewIhadnochanceotherwisesoIputhiswheelon, thankedhimandsetoffagain, andas Ididso Inoticed the
100kmtogosign!
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Backcyclingwithborrowedwheel
Atthispoint therewere stilllotsof cyclistsaroundme,howeverafterabout5milestherewasaforkintheroadlefttothefinish,rightforthesecondlap.
Everyoneelsewent leftwhilst Iwentright. Suddenly Iwas completely onmy
own.Theroadswereclosedtocarssotherewascompletesilence.Ithinkatthis
stageIwas lastonthecourse outof 4000competitors! Idmistakenly leftmygarminonautopausewhenstopped,soIhadnoideahowlongIhadbeengoingIthoughtthatIdlostabout2hourswithallthestopsandtherunningandIknew
thattherewasa9.5hourscutofffortheswimandbikesothingsweregoingto
betight.Forgetaboutheart-ratezonesIwasgoingtohavetopushreallyhardtomakethecut-off.Itriednottolookatmywatchbutnoticedatonepointthatmy
hear-ratewas165bpm.IknewIwasdehydratedandcouldfeeldriedsaltallover
myface.IalsowasnteatingenoughbutI couldntstomachanythingotherthanwater and I knew thiswasnt good. Worry about the run later I toldmyself
Unlessyougetyourfingerouttherewillbenorun!
Thefeedstations,whereonthefirstlaptherehadbeencrowds,steelbandsandcheerleadersshoutingZooperPatrick,nowhadtumbleweedblowingthroughthem.Thehelperswere intheroadthrowingbitsofbananaateachotherand
lookedreallyshockedtoseesomeonestillcyclingby.Igraduallybegantopick
offafewstragglersbutIknewIwasbeginningtofadeandcouldfeeltheoddtwingeofcrampbeginning.
IreachedtheSolarerbergforthesecondtimebutcouldhearonlysilence.Isaw2
solitary sunburnt figures halfway up the hill and realised itwasmysupport
teamwaitingforme-Inolongerfeltsoalone.Carolofferedherusualwordsofencouragementas I passed byand Danwhodobviously been on the German
beeralldayranupthehillnexttomebellowinginmymyfaceComeondadyou
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looklikecrapbutyourenearlythere!Allheneededwasamankinitocomplete
thepicture.AtimecheckfromDanconfirmedtomethatIwasprobablygoingtomisstheswim-bikecut-offtimebyafewminutes.Sodit! Imightaswellgoas
hardasIcanforthelast15miles,whichIdid.
Transition2:AsIenteredT2someonecametotakemybikeandrackitforme.BeforehetookitItookthefrontwheeloff.IwasgettingalotofstrangelooksbutIdidntwant
tosaythatIdgotitfromaspectatorincaseIgotdisqualified.Iranintothetent
allthewhileexpectingsomeonetocomeoverandtellmethatIdmissedthecut-off and couldnt continue.Noone did, soonwith the running shoesand sun-
creamandoutofT2stillcarryingthewheel.(Mybestdiscipline3mins6s!)
TheRun:
Iset off ontherun-coursestillcarryingtheborrowedwheel.MynewGermanfriendsaidhewouldbehereandIwantedtoreturnhiswheel.Iranabout200m
but there were crowds of people everywhere and I couldnt see him. I was
gettingalotofstrangelooks.NosignofhimsoIturnedaroundandranbacktotransitionandgavethewheeltosomeonethere.Isetoffrunningagain.Aftera
shortdistanceIheardsomeoneshoutingmyname.InitiallyIthoughtitwastherace marshall to tell me I was disqualified and couldnt continue, but then
realiseditwasmyfriendwhodleantmethewheel.Ithankedhimprofuselyand
hetoldmethathedputmywheelbackintransition.Hecongratulatedmeongettingthisfarandwishedmeluckfortherestoftheraceandweshookhands.
WhatagentlemanandIdidntevengethisname!
SoIsetoffrunningagainandsuddenlyfeltterrible.Iwastoohot,Iwaspantinglikeadogonahotday,feelingnauseousandallthemusclefibresinmylegsweretwitching.WithalltheproblemsonthebikeIhadnotbeenthinkingaboutthe
runatallanditsuddenlyhitmethatInowhadtorunfurtherthanIdeverrun
before. I had to stop 3 times in the firstmile due to cramp and on the thirdoccasion said to myself You idiot. If youd stopped in T2 I could have told
everyonethatIwasntallowedtocontinuebecauseIdmissedthecut-off.ButnowthatIdstartedrunningifIdroppedoutitwasbecauseIwasmentallyweak
andIwouldhavetofacetheconsequencesofDNF.Iknewthatfamilyandfriends
weretrackingmeliveand thisgavemesomestrengthbuttheenormityof thedistancethatIhadtorunintheconditionIwasinwasoverwhelming.SoItried
tobreakthingsdownintosmallermoremanageablechunks.Itwas5kmtothecanalandthentheroutewentupthecanalforalongway,thenbackdownthe
canalandthenbacktothesameintersectionbeforeturningforthefinal5kmto
thefinish.ItoldmyselfthatifIjustranthe5kmtothecanalIcouldreviewthesituation then. So I set off again at a slow pace trying to keep the impending
crampatbay.Ireachedthecanalwheretherewerestillcrowdsofpeopleanda
loud-speakerplayingpower ballads.Again shouts of ZooperPatrick spurredmeonandIsetoffrunningupthecanalpath.
Oneadvantageoftakingsolongonthebikewasthatbynowitwaseveningand
thetemperaturehaddroppedtomid-20s.Therewasalsoaslightbreezeandmycooling tri-top that Id regretfully chosen to wear instead of the Wakey kit
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seemedtobehelping(maybejustpsychologicallybutwhocares)andIbeganto
feelabitbetter.Iwasrunningslowlyabout9:30/mileandwithwalkingthroughthe frequentfeedstationsthiswasdroppingmypace toabout10mins/mile. I
reckonedIhadabout5hourstogetroundthemarathonbeforethecut-off(itis15 hours forRoth)andmyshrivelled,dehydrated braincalculatedthatatthis
paceIwouldcover25milesin5hourswhichwastooslow.ImstillnotgoingtodoitunlessIcanupmypace!About10milesintotherunIrealisedthatmymathswaswrongand10mins/mileequatedto4hrs20minsforthemarathon.
ForthefirsttimeinseveralhoursIthoughtImactuallygoingtofinishthis.
Thenext15milesareabithazyIthinkIveerasedsomeofmemoriesbecause
they are too painful! I kept plodding on and passed lots of people whowerereally struggling.Ikept trying totakegelsatthe feedstationsbutwas feeling
reallynauseousandhadtroublekeepingthemdown.Intheendacombinationof
pickledgherkinwasheddownwithbeer(whichnowsoundshorrible)wastheonlythingIcouldstomach.Iwouldnthaveputbeerasastandarddrinktohave
during an endurance event but itworked forme.Half way through the run I
stoppedforaweeandrealisedthatthelastoneIdhadwas12hoursearlier,warmingmywet-suitonthestartline.Thatsdefinitelynotgoodformykidneys
tryanddrinksomemore!
Crampkickedinbadlyatabout20miles,whichforcedmetoslowmypaceeven
morebutbynowIknewIwasgoingtofinishevenifIhadtocrawlovertheline.One finalobstaclewas a shortsharphill about2miles from the finish. I
promisedmyselfthatifIkeptgoinguntilthenIwouldallowmyselftowalkthe50mupitandthenrunthelast2milesinthroughthecentreofRoth.Ireached
thehillandbeganwalkingupit.SuddenlytherewasashoutComeonPad.IranupherewhenIdidthe5kyesterday.Typical!TheonlytimeIseeCarolandDanon thewhole run route and Imwalking. I felt like pointing out that Id just
covered138miles,whichwasslightlydifferenttoher5krunbutIdidnthave
theenergy.InsteadIjustsetoffrunningagain.
ThefinishinRothisamazing.Ahugeredsquare,whichwasnowfloodlit,packedwiththousandsofcheeringspectators.Thecrowdsonthefinal400mruninmust
havebeenabout5deep,witheveryonetryingtohigh-5me.Theadrenalinerush
wasamazingandthedeepsenseofpersonalsatisfactionIachievedoncrossingthelinefeltalmostspiritual.Ihaddoneit!14hoursand12minutes,muchslower
thanIwasexpecting,but Iddoneitand Idhad todigdeeperthanI thoughtIwascapableofdoing.
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Finalfewsteps
Reflections:
IhavefondmemoriesofmyracedespitetheproblemsIhad.Thesupportfromthe crowds was truly amazing and Ill forever be grateful to the complete
stranger who gave me his wheel, without which I would definitely not havefinished.Hewillhavehadtowalkatleast2milestothenextvillagecarryingmy
wheelandhisbike.Whatanactofkindness,justsoIcouldcontinuemyracehe
obviouslyknewhowmuchitmeanttome.
WithoutthisturningintoanOscarspeechIdalsoliketothankmysupportcrew
ofCarolandDan,whowereactuallyverysupportivedespitewhatIvewritten.Theywaitedalldayintheheatformetoappearagainonthebikeandgaveme
themotivationtocontinuewhenIwasataverylowpoint.
IlladmittofeelingalittledisappointedwhenIheardthatnextyearsracehad
soldoutin3minutes.Thiswassupposed tobemyoneandonlyIron-distanceeventbutmaybeIvestill got someunfinishedbusinesswiththisdistanceand
withRothIllhavetosee!