Race report: Ironman Austria 2019

A European wide heatwave in the lead up to the race saw temperatures rise into the high 30s, with an inevitable knock on effect to Ironman races. The previous weekend saw Ironman Nice shortened due to the likely very high temperatures (risk to health) and Ironman Frankfurt being declared a non-wetsuit swim. It was announced early on that Ironman Austria was also likely to be a non-wetsuit swim and seemed a certainty when a practice swim in the beautiful deep blue Lake Wörthersee confirmed that the water was more like a bath than a lake. The confirmation of a non-wetsuit swim in the race briefing prompted silence and provided the first take home bit of advice: practice open water swimming without a wetsuit. Many competitors were mentally unprepared for this despite the higher temperatures being experienced. The lack of wetsuit will make most swimmers slower, but it is the same for everyone and is essentially the same as every other pool swim that has been completed in preparation. In fact, the higher water temperature would have made for a very uncomfortable swim and a real risk of overheating if they had of been worn.

The swim course was one of the best that I have completed with clear blue water that is apparently drinking water quality (although I would not like to test that with 4000 over hydrated competitors in the water) and a backdrop of mountains providing beautiful scenery. The rolling swim start is self-seeded with a number of swimmers being set off every five seconds and meant that there is a lot of clear water to swim into. The swim heads out, across the lake, and back, before heading towards transition through a fairly narrow land canal lined with spectators and supporters cheering you on towards transition. The second turn point meant swimming into the rising sun making tinted goggles essential and sighting very difficult. To combat this it was necessary to sight off fixed landmarks on the shore of the lake (when they could be seen against the sun) and using the channel that the safety boats and kayaks form as confirmation that we were on track until the next buoy came into view. The narrow land canal also created a bit of congestion and highlighted the need to practice swimming in a group as the narrow swim channel created contact with other swimmers.

Into T1 and the long run into the bikes meant that there was no time for hanging around, with around 4000 competitors walking transition the day before was vital to orientate yourself and locate your racking position in the sea of bikes, thankfully I had a good straightforward racking position near the bike out.

Out on to the new 1 lap bike course and the roads were silky smooth and the scenery spectacular, where you were distracted from the tough climbs by the lake and mountain views and had to have your wits about you on the fast descents. The real focus here for me was to combat the high temperatures by ensuring I was adequately hydrated and taking on adequate nutrition. All was going to plan until the sky darkened and it started to rain first of all lightly making the fast descents slippery before the lightening started and the heavens opened creating vast rivers across the road that made conditions treacherous as carbon wheel braking became largely ineffective (disc brakes seemed quite appealing at this point) and the heavy winds turned the focus to just finishing the bike split in one piece. Frustrating as this section of the course was fast with descents back towards the lake and eventually T2. The weather then added hail into the mix, as it first of all pinged off my aero helmet with loud pinging noises and then the wind changed its direction so that it went directly into my eyes. The arrival of this weather meant a temperature drop from 30 degrees to around 11 degrees and created a real need to get the bike split done so that I could get running and warm up. The weather changed so much that I spotted a competitor on his TT bike and full aero helmet wearing a rain poncho handed to him by a race official, the number one priority had become to stay warm. I also spotted a competitor on the run course wearing a foil blanket a bit like a superman cape in an effort to remain warm.

The weather changed so much that the biggest piece of advice from the bike leg is that it is important to have experience cycling in a variety of different weather conditions, do not just cycle in favourable conditions.

Into T2 and I was surprised by how the sunny and warm transition area from T1 had been transformed with the pros bikes taken from the racking and placed on the floor for safety and to avoid damage to the bikes and the carpet that lined the transition area having been blown all over the place.

On to the run as quickly as I could to try and warm up, I was struck by how cold I was and how I felt a little lacking in energy. It is important to stick to fuelling strategies during the race, the high temperatures earlier in the day had created real difficulties in hydrating enough and the treacherous cycling conditions for the last hour of the bike meant I had not taken on enough nutrition during the bike phase of the race. The run course consisted of two laps that took you by the lake, and up towards Klagenfurt centre. The run for me becomes a bit of a mental battle, where your mind always tries to tell your body that you are more tired than you are. To combat this, I tried to break the course down into smaller sections to keep me going. Seeing my family on the run gave me a massive boost that lasted a good couple of KM’s and proved the valuable role that supporters can play in moving competitors along.

Despite feeling nauseous I managed a fairly consistent Marathon split proving the importance of mental strength in keeping you going even when you are feeling pretty empty. There is also nothing like the buzz of an Ironman finish for giving you an extra wind and getting over that finish line. I had missed my overall target time for the race (to go sub 11), but I had an OK race in the circumstances (11hrs 37)

Things out of your control often happen in an Ironman, but it is how we react to these situations that counts. A focus on the race time is not always the best approach, courses vary from race to race and elements out of our control can affect the execution of our race, in this case the weather first of all meant that the swim was non-wetsuit and combating dehydration was a real issue and then conversely the thunderstorm meant getting off the bike in one piece became the priority. In these situations it becomes important to focus on the factors that we can control, we may not be able to control the water temperature or the weather, but we can practice open water swimming without a wetsuit or practice sighting technique (especially in situations where a rising sun is obscuring your view). In a similar vein practice cycling in a variety of weather conditions to practice hydration strategies in hot conditions or getting around safely in inclement weather. Consistent progressive training and mental preparedness become important to see us through the run when we are not feeling the best. It is about having the best race we can in the circumstances.