The half distance Ironman in Podersdorf is the highlight of the sports season. I arrived early Friday morning to prepare properly for the race on Saturday. My race bike had to be reassembled, check-in for the race started in the afternoon, and the race briefing took place in the evening.
Unfortunately, nothing felt right. It was very hot with over 30°C and quite some humidity. Those were the conditions I had successfully avoided during all my training sessions. And now I was expected to cycle and run in the midday heat. Well, I faced my fear and slept very well, despite everything.
The race started on time, at 7 am. Nearly one thousand athletes stroke out at a single blow - what a scrum, what a fight. Halfway into my swim, I realized I had gone astray, so I had to swim an additional two hundred metres to reach the official water exit. What a nightmare. Swimming should have been my strength! To make things worse, I got a cramp in my right thigh and it took me five minutes to get out of my neoprene suit. Ten minutes later than expected I finally sat on my bike. What a delay after only forty minutes! Biking went relatively smooth with an average of 35 km/h, just a bit slower than I had hoped. Running was as hard as expected, though. I stopped at every single of the eight supply stations to drink a cup of water - I am afraid I never really found my running rhythm.
Nevertheless, I reached the finish line after 05:08 h. I’ve never been so fast, And I’ve never been so disappointed and dehydrated. There’s plenty to reflect on this coming week...