本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛I raced Ironman Canada in Whistler, BC on July 24th and completed it in 10 hours 48 minutes. The race course is the most beautiful one I’ve ever raced (or visited) to date! Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and winding through green lakes and blue rivers/creeks, and cutting through valley meadows. It’s simply amazing to see all the sceneries, let alone having all the roads closed down for you to swim, bike and run!
Before I went into the race, I had two goals. 1, qualify KONA (Hawaii) Ironman World Championships; 2. get a PB (Personal Best) time.
The swim took place in the beautiful Alta Lake at the foot of Rainbow mountain. From the start line, you could see the beautiful Whistler & Blackcomb mountains with their tops being led by the morning sun into a golden colour. And a few clouds floating half way up the mountains. Above the lake water, a thin layer of mist gave it a fairy-tale kind of feel. We swam two loops in the lake, and I came out of water in 1 hour and 9 minutes, bettered my time of last year by 1 minute!
However, don’t be fooled by Whistler’s beauty! It’s a beast in disguise! The bike course was so tough because of its long and steep climbs. There’s nothing here in Ontario that could have prepared me for them. I was riding very strong (avg 35.5 km/h) till 140 km into the bike leg, and then “hit the wall. However, there’s still a 35 km long climb back into Whistler village. That was the worst ride I’ve done ever. All I could do was suck it up and keep the wheels rolling at whatever slow motion I had to do. At that time, I knew my KONA dream was over.
Finally, I moved on to the marathon. Surprisingly I felt strong again and ran my best half-marathon (1st lap) in all my 4 Ironman races. The average pace was 4:50. If I could hold on to this pace (I never could in previous 3) for the 2nd half of the run, then I would still get a PB. But the reality quickly set it. The afternoon sun was torching us whenever we ran out of the woods. The run turned into a hydration and heat management exercise instead. I had to drink multiple cups of water/sports drinks and pour water and ice over my head to keep myself hydrated and cool. I hit the wall again!!! My pace dropped to 8:00/km at one point. Now, I knew I won’t be getting a PB today either. But I was calculating again to see if I could still do a sub-11 hour Ironman. With about 6 km to go, another racer in my age group (meaning my competitor) passed me. I immediately recognized him because he had passed me when I bunked in the ride and then got passed by me in the first lap of the run when he’s standing by the side of the trail in pain apparently. I gathered all my strength and raised my strides and cadence to stay at his heels. I was telling myself just to hanging right behind him till the finishing chute and sprint pass him to the finish line! Soon, we arrived at the next water station, and he stopped to get water. I can tell he’s in pain too. I quickly grabbed two cups of water and sped around him. I kept my pace under 5:30/km and looked back from time to time to make sure he’s not there anymore. After 1 km or 2, I knew I dropped him again.
After 10 hours and 48 minutes, going through the worst pain (okay, not the worst, my debut marathon keeps that record) I’ve ever endured through all my racing “career”, I showed up at the finishing chute with all the spectators (my family was among them) cheering and clapping! I raised my hands high up in the air and crossed the finish line proudly! Yes, another great race in the book!
My total time was 10:48:24 (3.8k swim 1:08, 180k bike 5:46, 42.2k run 3:46). I finished 11th in my male 40-44 age group of 213 racers, 23 DNS (did not start), 15 DNF (did not finish); 85th in all male, and 88th among all 1407 who signed up the full Ironman.
Although I didn’t achieve either of my two original goals, I still consider this a very respectable performance.
The next day at the award ceremony, we found out only the top-4 in my AG got the KONA spots, which means I need to be an hour faster!!! Okay, back to training for my next race.
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