Race morning
4am alarm. I barely slept as thoughts of the race played on my mind. I ate my usual breakfast of oats, cinnamon, honey and banana with a coffee 2 hours before the race and caked myself in sunscreen in the hope that the Hawaiian sun wouldn’t burn me to a crisp. The support crew and I hopped in the car to make the 40km journey to the start line. It was all starting to become very real. Yes, I had done the distance before but this was going to be a whole different beast. They don't say Kona is the pinnacle of Ironman triathlon for no reason. Plus having covid only a few weeks before meant my body was not in ideal condition for the most punishing race in triathlon. However, I thought about all the blood, sweat and tears I had put in just to qualify for this event and took pride in that. I was going to try and "have fun"... if that's even possible in an ironman!
The calm before the storm
I got dropped off and made my way into the chaos as 2400+ athletes descended upon the transition area to sort their bikes and make any last minute adjustments. I applied copious amounts of vaseline to ensure the chafe was kept to a minimum, pumped up my tyres and was ready to go! There was a massive buzz in Kona as this was the first time the race had taken place since 2019 due to covid and you could feel the excitement building as the clocked ticked down to the start. This was an event like no other. The US national anthem played as we were herded into our age groups prior to entering the water. Boom; The pros were set off with the shot of a real canon.
The Swim
We entered the water after the pros & para athletes and positioned ourselves for a water start. There were over 120+ athletes in my age group all treading water waiting eagerly for the start - I got kicked a few times. All part of it. Canon fired; off we go. Everyone was a bit argy bargy to get in a good spot. I found my way into 2nd in my AG and had 2 girls swimming in my draft for most of the way. We started catching some of the pros by the 1km mark which was a massive boost.
Our age group (30-34) water start
The turnaround buoy was a massive shark faced boat which was somewhat eerie out at sea! By 2.5km I started feeling very warm with the water temp reaching 28 degrees and the air temp was probably somewhere similar. However, I was very distracted by all of the fish and stunning blue waters to care. With about 500m to go, the 2 girls who had been drafting me went past. I decided to play it safe and raced my own race. I still had a long day ahead of me. Out of the water 4th in my AG & 18th overall.
3.8km: 57:21
Out of the swim & into T1
T1
I ran into transition to grab my transition bag and for a good few minutes I couldn’t find it in the sea of bags but thankfully I found it with some help from the volunteers. I put my cycle shoes on (I have still yet to master the flying mount!) and collect my bike and helmet from the rack and make my way onto the bike course...
The Bike
Very soon onto the bike I could tell things were not going my way… I was being overtaken quite frequently and my legs were not cooperating. My heart rate was pretty high for the amount of effort I was putting in and I knew what would happen if I was to push too hard; I might hit the wall and not be able to finish. The heat was continuing to build and there was still a marathon to conquer. Therefore, I had to get comfortable with the fact that I couldn’t go as fast as I wanted. Very disheartening.
However, I tried distracting myself which worked to an extent. These are some of the moments/things that I remember the most:
20km in I could see a rainbow, which meant one thing; there must be rain somewhere. However, it was offshore and quickly the colours disappeared to be replaced with blue skies. I did feel a few specks and questioned whether the sealant in my tyres was leaking but luckily it was just a few raindrops!
33km into the bike, I saw a group of 30+ goats standing on a lump of lava on the side of the road. I wondered what they must be thinking with all these bikes whizzing past!
55km in I saw one of my best friends from Scotland (who lives in Cincinnati) on the sidelines cheering me on. It had been 4 years since I last saw her! Thank you Mavs :D
Heading North on the Queen K Highway
Approximately 2.5hrs into the bike I finally got comfortable and I’m not sure if that’s because I actually became numb.
At 99km I began singing the “99 bottles of beer” song which distracted me for all of a few minutes. I did have a laugh at myself at this stage.
116km in I started experiencing severe left foot pain. Wondering if it was just cramp I tried hard to reposition my foot but the pain would not go away. I had had issues with my left foot over the past year but I had never felt pain this bad before. I just had to deal with it as there was no way I was stopping.
Chucking the support crew a quick shaka!
At 125km, my support crew were on the sidelines with the Scottish flag and handwritten signs in hand… such a nice surprise on a course that is not designed for spectators. I also remember seeing someone dressed up as a shark; quite amusing!
At 132km, I finally had my first pee… I was starting to get worried that I was too dehydrated but this gave me some hope that I wasn’t completely broken.
At 178km, so close to transition, Han and Lydia were standing on the side of the course and I yelled “get me off this bike”! I soon was…
180.2km 6:15:29
T2
I came into transition via a flying dismount that I had practiced only 2 days before (not advised)... my legs almost keeled from underneath me as my quads braced to bear my weight on the ground again. The transition tent was a bit of carnage; women overheating everywhere with ice towels on, sunscreen being caked on and I think someone may have peed on the chair next to me... I put my trainers on ready to start arguably the most gruelling leg…
The Run
I started the run with the same foot pain I felt on the bike and knew that I was going to be digging deep. The first 12km of the run is an out and back in town where there is a fair amount of support. Many locals had set up their hoses to spray us down as we ran past, very grateful for this! I was getting into a groove at this point and I was feeling good all things considered. Each aid station I walked and had a routine of chucking ice down the back of my trisuit, dunking my cap in icy cold water, drinking some water, drinking some coke then running again.
Managing a grimace & shaka to Mama Wood through town
Following this first section it was then onto Palani Road, which is a pretty steep hill that many people walk, I forced myself to slog it out, and then onto Queen K highway… cue loneliness and dark places reached. At about the 14km mark I started to experience some gut issues/stomach cramps. I realised that it was caused by the fizzy coke I had consumed at some of the aid stations. There was a lack of volunteers so the coke had not been made flat prior to pouring therefore the fizz was sloshing around in my tummy; not ideal! I continued to push but at 23km I had to take a portaloo stop to ensure I wasn’t going to have an accident.. Luckily I didn’t! By this stage I had entered the “Energy Lab” which is not named as it gives you energy more likely that it zaps it. The temp by now was in the 30’s with high humidity and heat radiating off the lava and black asphalt highway, making it feel like 45 degrees! The course leads down a hill towards the ocean and I quickly realised that I was going to have to run back up the hill to get out! There were a lot of tired looking souls by this point, myself included.
Queen K Highway (back here again)
Once I was out of the energy lab, I only had 10km to go with my legs feeling like lead. I promised myself that I wouldn’t walk unless through an aid station and I stuck by this. With 1km to go my dad handed me the Scottish flag for the finishing chute which I stuffed in my trisuit for safe keeping. The red & black carpet approached and I held the flag high with pride and crossed the line with relief!
42.2km 4:21:41
Finish line feels The relief/exhaustion etched on my face
Summary
It certainly was a day of mind over matter. Having covid only 2 weeks prior to the race really threw a spanner in the works and I was unsure how I was going to manage but one thing I knew for sure was that I was going to finish the bloody thing. All things considered I performed the best I could have on the day and to me that’s all that mattered. Having the best support crew in the world by my side (or in spirit) the whole day made it a day I’ll remember forever so thank you as I couldn’t have done it without you <3
My Support Crew
Comments