The Triathlon thread - Ironman, 70.3, Olympic, Sprint
Discussion
redrabbit29 said:
Thank you bakerstreet (and others on this thread)!
Swim
The lake is stunning. It was so weird to see the bottom and I even saw a white coloured Ironman swim cap on the bottom of the surface. As you get about 3km in, you then enter the canal. That was cloudy due to it being so narrow and lots of people kicking and swimming in the area.
Bike
I knew the bike course was a bit rolling, and then a couple of bigger hills in the 2nd half of each loop. But the bigger climb really caught me out. It seemed to go on forever and it was one of those that you has a flat bit near the top, which then goes onto another climb as it continues on.
The bike course is stunning though. What was amazing though is that every 2-3 miles you'd come across another small village and they were having big parties, and had loud music, BBQ, etc. It just felt very special.
Kit Used
I used a regular road bike (Giant Defy - 2025). I bought this in July 2025 as my old road bike was about 12 years old and just not good or comfortable.
About 4 months from the race, I fitted some aero bars on. In truth, I don't think they were designed for my bars but they were secure and comfortable. I also fitted some wireless blips which connected to my SRAM gears so I could stay in position.
I thought the TT bars would be a bit of a novelty. But in training, my speed increased as soon as I lowered myself in and my HR lowered by about 5-6 beats. So they're definitely really good and they helped me loads. On longer rides, it was also much more comfortable to drop in to them and take the pressure of my hands/shoulders and back.
Finish Line
It felt busy but I saw after that the person in front was 4 minutes before me, so clearly it wasn't. But there were a lot of supporters there and it felt like I was running into a full stand of people. My GF was there and I saw her various times on the swim/bike/run as she spent all day following me around and using the rental scooters to zip about.
I can imagine the annoyance and frustration of a 12 mile cycle that you describe after a big day out!
I will look at some photos - I don't actually have that many. The official ones which I didn't buy weren't actually that good. I have a few I think from the day after of me posing with the medal.
Glad to hear that the swim was good. I'm all for being able to see the bottom! Swim
The lake is stunning. It was so weird to see the bottom and I even saw a white coloured Ironman swim cap on the bottom of the surface. As you get about 3km in, you then enter the canal. That was cloudy due to it being so narrow and lots of people kicking and swimming in the area.
Bike
I knew the bike course was a bit rolling, and then a couple of bigger hills in the 2nd half of each loop. But the bigger climb really caught me out. It seemed to go on forever and it was one of those that you has a flat bit near the top, which then goes onto another climb as it continues on.
The bike course is stunning though. What was amazing though is that every 2-3 miles you'd come across another small village and they were having big parties, and had loud music, BBQ, etc. It just felt very special.
Kit Used
I used a regular road bike (Giant Defy - 2025). I bought this in July 2025 as my old road bike was about 12 years old and just not good or comfortable.
About 4 months from the race, I fitted some aero bars on. In truth, I don't think they were designed for my bars but they were secure and comfortable. I also fitted some wireless blips which connected to my SRAM gears so I could stay in position.
I thought the TT bars would be a bit of a novelty. But in training, my speed increased as soon as I lowered myself in and my HR lowered by about 5-6 beats. So they're definitely really good and they helped me loads. On longer rides, it was also much more comfortable to drop in to them and take the pressure of my hands/shoulders and back.
Finish Line
It felt busy but I saw after that the person in front was 4 minutes before me, so clearly it wasn't. But there were a lot of supporters there and it felt like I was running into a full stand of people. My GF was there and I saw her various times on the swim/bike/run as she spent all day following me around and using the rental scooters to zip about.
I can imagine the annoyance and frustration of a 12 mile cycle that you describe after a big day out!
I will look at some photos - I don't actually have that many. The official ones which I didn't buy weren't actually that good. I have a few I think from the day after of me posing with the medal.
Proof right there that you don't need the latest road aero bikes to complete these big distance races. I imagine Ironman was pretty far from the thoughts of the designers at Giant when they were coming up with the Defy. I still have my 2010 Ali Framed Defy in the garage. My first ever rad bike and its worth so little, I will probably never part with it.
Following the wet suit malfunction at the 70.3, I treated myself to a new Wetsuit. Ordered no less than four different types. I looked at the 2XU Propel, BlueSeventy Sprint and the Zone 3 Advance Suit. It wasn't the look I was going for, but it was the most comfortable out of the three and not stupid money either. Trying the suits on in the shop was so much easier then numerous deliveries to my house followed by endless trips to the post office to return them...
Whilst I was in their shop in Letchworth, I also took the opportunity to sort out my new shoes. The Shimano shoes (See below) are now 16 years old and as you can see they are in quite a sorry state, but did ge tme through my 70.3 and several other Triathlons before that. The soles are in the process of leaving the body of the shoe, so I now have some Quoc M3 Sport. They fit fine and and actually feel better made than the Sidis which I sent back a few weeks ago.
Fair play to Sigma Sports. The Sidis had been in the box for about 6 months and when I opened them, one of the cleat buts was cross threaded and their original advice was to cut the plate out, but there was no way I was going to razor blade the soles of a pair of carbon soled shoes which cost £200. Sigma Sports just refunded me the money. Happy days!
My gut feel is the Quocs will not last as well as the Shimanos.
Edited by bakerstreet on Tuesday 14th July 17:13
Final big ride and brick done. 156km/5 hours and then 9.5k at 142bpm average.
Generally positive, but because it was cooler my bike heart rate was lower than the last few weeks, but the average power was higher. Net result was 9.5km of running got me to a petrol station where I bought a litre of fruit juice which I drank sitting on a bench in the shade.
Lesson? If I go 15% over target power on the bike, I'll be walking the marathon.
I'm so pleased to be heading into my taper. I'm really done with long solo TT rides.
Generally positive, but because it was cooler my bike heart rate was lower than the last few weeks, but the average power was higher. Net result was 9.5km of running got me to a petrol station where I bought a litre of fruit juice which I drank sitting on a bench in the shade.
Lesson? If I go 15% over target power on the bike, I'll be walking the marathon.
I'm so pleased to be heading into my taper. I'm really done with long solo TT rides.
Smitters said:
Final big ride and brick done. 156km/5 hours and then 9.5k at 142bpm average.
Generally positive, but because it was cooler my bike heart rate was lower than the last few weeks, but the average power was higher. Net result was 9.5km of running got me to a petrol station where I bought a litre of fruit juice which I drank sitting on a bench in the shade.
Lesson? If I go 15% over target power on the bike, I'll be walking the marathon.
I'm so pleased to be heading into my taper. I'm really done with long solo TT rides.
Do you do the solo rids with no in ear entertainment? (Podcasts, radio, playlists). If I am riding solo, I always have playlists or radio on. Will have to drop that for Ironman proper Generally positive, but because it was cooler my bike heart rate was lower than the last few weeks, but the average power was higher. Net result was 9.5km of running got me to a petrol station where I bought a litre of fruit juice which I drank sitting on a bench in the shade.
Lesson? If I go 15% over target power on the bike, I'll be walking the marathon.
I'm so pleased to be heading into my taper. I'm really done with long solo TT rides.
What day are you flying out to Denmark? Are you planning a visit to the Ironman gift shop?
Also, as a side note, fingers crossed on prospective job hunt. Are you job hunting now or is it one of those situations where you don't have to start for a few months.
I've decided I'm going to tough it out for Ironman Leeds in 2027. The costs are just insane for me to go abroad and take the family as well. The climbs in Leeds will in incredibly hard, but its just so much easier in terms of logistics.
Smitters said:
I'm really done with long solo TT rides.
Yes, I can relate to this. I did my Ironman last month and the long rides really got tiring (mentally and just the days leading up to it). A few times I did combine with my club social rides:30 miles on my own, ending up at meeting point with club
50-60 miles with them
30 miles back home
That helped but still, leaving home at 6am and getting home at 4pm on a Saturday, to then do a brick run... I often just wanted to lounge around the house and relax.
How am I so unfit?
I did my first full Ironman last month - around 6 weeks ago on 14th June in Austria. I finished in 14 hours. I felt great at the end, so it wasn't like I was dead on my feet.
I then had a week of enforced rest, then about 10 days on holiday where I drank a lot and just relaxed. I also then changed jobs when I got home.
...
Now I am trying to get back into it. I am struggling to:
Swim: not returned to swimming but intend to this week
Run: 5k
Ride: 40 miles (60-70km). On the social rides, I am at the back struggling up hills and feeling terrible.
I did think maybe I am still fatigued but that seems unlikely considering it's 6 weeks.
It's depressing really. I keep asking myself, how did I go from running and biking decent distances (very slowly) to now just finding basics hard.
I did my first full Ironman last month - around 6 weeks ago on 14th June in Austria. I finished in 14 hours. I felt great at the end, so it wasn't like I was dead on my feet.
I then had a week of enforced rest, then about 10 days on holiday where I drank a lot and just relaxed. I also then changed jobs when I got home.
...
Now I am trying to get back into it. I am struggling to:
Swim: not returned to swimming but intend to this week
Run: 5k
Ride: 40 miles (60-70km). On the social rides, I am at the back struggling up hills and feeling terrible.
I did think maybe I am still fatigued but that seems unlikely considering it's 6 weeks.
It's depressing really. I keep asking myself, how did I go from running and biking decent distances (very slowly) to now just finding basics hard.
Replying completely out of order:
Redrabbit,
I've done quite a few 12 hour plus events and when I've gone hard, it takes me ages to recover. For an ultra run my rule of thumb has been one day per mile, so I could quite reasonably expect to be fatigued two months later.
The other consideration is exactly as you say. You trained for many hours in the saddle. If you're now trying to keep up on a three hour blast, you'll be way outside your current wheelhouse in terms of power.
Just being out and moving is a good thing. I stagnated completely after I did my A race last year and wish I had just got out more. It'll come. Maybe an autumn half marathon, or even try a really short sharp session once a week. 4-6 x 3 mins of flat out 5k pace or 10 mile TT effort to get that side of your system going again?
My long rides were all on a TT bike, so group rides weren't really an option, plus the upside of redundancy was going long on a Tuesday to minimise family impact, but of course, everyone else is at work!
I've been using Shokz headphones, which are excellent and much safer, especially in a TT helmet where visibility and hearing is comprised anyway. However, above 35kph, the wind noise ruins podcasts, so i mainly had music. My route has been a 22km out and back on quiet country lanes, a slight uphill out, and all well sighted, so the boredom factor has been higher. But I didn't get killed by a distracted driver and I saw an adder crossing the road on my final ride too. Pretty special.
I figured the actual IM bike will have plenty to focus on, so boredom seems unlikely. Here's me and my workplace. Rosy cheeks in 35 degree heat! I'm running 700ml electrolytes up front to start, five gels and water in the aero bottle, one water and one electrolytes in the rear 750ml, Turkish delight and salt caps in my front bento and tools, tube etc in the rear bento. I've added a disc cover from ebay which is really easy to ride with, even in wind. If anything, in moderate winds it's more balanced than without as the bike tried to move more.from the rear now, where the weight is, instead of getting the front wheel snatched. I'd appreciate any thoughts on the bike set up.
I fly out on Thursday for a Sunday race. Wednesday would have been better but at £200 a night, needs must. The race is Sunday, so I'll build my bike, then test ride it to registration on Friday morning then have a shakeout run and prep all my kit. I'll rack as early as possible on Saturday and then have a swim on the course before resting up. I will probably have to resist the merch. Maybe a coffee mug!
In terms of jobs, I have been looking a bit, mainly to try and figure out what I do and don't want to do. I'll most likely be completing changing industries and getting something locally and much lower stress. My plan is to start applying properly in September, having tried to enjoy the summer holidays with my kids and wife (teacher). Never getting this chance again. Thankfully they paid my final payroll amount correctly, so I have no need to stress over anything with the ex-workplace.
IM Leeds sounds like the best plan. Just for me, it's £600 entry fee, £450 in flights, £700 in accommodation and then probably another £200 in incidentals and local food. Our plan was to make it our summer holiday and go to Legoland afterwards, but thankfully we never told the kids that, so we're coming straight home and going camping instead.
In terms of performance, if it's not a flat course, I always look at my age group in previous years and base it on that. My perfect Copenhagen would put me bang in the middle of the age group, so if the weather is wild I will disregard times and just focus on comparative performance to judge my race. I think hills probably provide as much and opportunity as a challenge because you can train for them and get good at descending too, plus you get to swap position. I have an alarm to remind me.to stretch every 30 mins!
@eps - I got a roll down place at the Abu Dhabi AG World Champs for duathlon, so I'm technically qualified if road and cross du! However, not only can I not afford to go to, never mind fly two bikes to Abu Dhabi, I don't think it's a very safe location! I was so far back in the qualifying race for road duathlon, they've gone through the bottom of the barrel, the cellar floor and are digging in rock now.
Redrabbit,
I've done quite a few 12 hour plus events and when I've gone hard, it takes me ages to recover. For an ultra run my rule of thumb has been one day per mile, so I could quite reasonably expect to be fatigued two months later.
The other consideration is exactly as you say. You trained for many hours in the saddle. If you're now trying to keep up on a three hour blast, you'll be way outside your current wheelhouse in terms of power.
Just being out and moving is a good thing. I stagnated completely after I did my A race last year and wish I had just got out more. It'll come. Maybe an autumn half marathon, or even try a really short sharp session once a week. 4-6 x 3 mins of flat out 5k pace or 10 mile TT effort to get that side of your system going again?
My long rides were all on a TT bike, so group rides weren't really an option, plus the upside of redundancy was going long on a Tuesday to minimise family impact, but of course, everyone else is at work!
I've been using Shokz headphones, which are excellent and much safer, especially in a TT helmet where visibility and hearing is comprised anyway. However, above 35kph, the wind noise ruins podcasts, so i mainly had music. My route has been a 22km out and back on quiet country lanes, a slight uphill out, and all well sighted, so the boredom factor has been higher. But I didn't get killed by a distracted driver and I saw an adder crossing the road on my final ride too. Pretty special.
I figured the actual IM bike will have plenty to focus on, so boredom seems unlikely. Here's me and my workplace. Rosy cheeks in 35 degree heat! I'm running 700ml electrolytes up front to start, five gels and water in the aero bottle, one water and one electrolytes in the rear 750ml, Turkish delight and salt caps in my front bento and tools, tube etc in the rear bento. I've added a disc cover from ebay which is really easy to ride with, even in wind. If anything, in moderate winds it's more balanced than without as the bike tried to move more.from the rear now, where the weight is, instead of getting the front wheel snatched. I'd appreciate any thoughts on the bike set up.
I fly out on Thursday for a Sunday race. Wednesday would have been better but at £200 a night, needs must. The race is Sunday, so I'll build my bike, then test ride it to registration on Friday morning then have a shakeout run and prep all my kit. I'll rack as early as possible on Saturday and then have a swim on the course before resting up. I will probably have to resist the merch. Maybe a coffee mug!
In terms of jobs, I have been looking a bit, mainly to try and figure out what I do and don't want to do. I'll most likely be completing changing industries and getting something locally and much lower stress. My plan is to start applying properly in September, having tried to enjoy the summer holidays with my kids and wife (teacher). Never getting this chance again. Thankfully they paid my final payroll amount correctly, so I have no need to stress over anything with the ex-workplace.
IM Leeds sounds like the best plan. Just for me, it's £600 entry fee, £450 in flights, £700 in accommodation and then probably another £200 in incidentals and local food. Our plan was to make it our summer holiday and go to Legoland afterwards, but thankfully we never told the kids that, so we're coming straight home and going camping instead.
In terms of performance, if it's not a flat course, I always look at my age group in previous years and base it on that. My perfect Copenhagen would put me bang in the middle of the age group, so if the weather is wild I will disregard times and just focus on comparative performance to judge my race. I think hills probably provide as much and opportunity as a challenge because you can train for them and get good at descending too, plus you get to swap position. I have an alarm to remind me.to stretch every 30 mins!
@eps - I got a roll down place at the Abu Dhabi AG World Champs for duathlon, so I'm technically qualified if road and cross du! However, not only can I not afford to go to, never mind fly two bikes to Abu Dhabi, I don't think it's a very safe location! I was so far back in the qualifying race for road duathlon, they've gone through the bottom of the barrel, the cellar floor and are digging in rock now.
Camoradi said:
Copenhagen was on my radar but I spent too long thinking about it and entries filled up fast. As a result I'm off to Vitoria Gasteiz next week. I think it's gonna be HOT!
Got caught up in my own life here. How was it? A friend did it too and she said the swim was disgustingly hard and everything else was an oven!Any tips you can share?
For those who are interested, 113 events have just released their event registration for their two 70.3s in June and July next year.
I registered in October last year and did pay more, but not huge amounts more.
Won't be a family affair this time round as my plan is to register for Ironman Leeds on the 20th and we will all go to that instead.
I registered in October last year and did pay more, but not huge amounts more.
Won't be a family affair this time round as my plan is to register for Ironman Leeds on the 20th and we will all go to that instead.
Edited by bakerstreet on Sunday 2nd August 10:46
Copenhagen - Great event for a spectator (Far better then Barcelona)
The swim start is (or was) quite a way from the city centre. I think it's a metro ride and a walk. I cant remember now - I went on the beers on the Saturday and was in a pretty bad state on the sunday! :-)
The run course is in the city centre so whilst you're on the bike there should be enough for your family to entertain themselves with. I enjoyed the design museum but I don't know how old your kids are! If you haven't been to Copenhagen before I'd describe it as a nice place to be, without tons going on.
The hire bikes are excellent (including iPad style sat nav) and bikes rule the road - cars are very respectful / give you right of way.
When your alarm goes off for a stretch - also use it as reminder to eat (assuming you're eating solids)
Go easy on the bike - esp the first 45km - leave the ego at home and let people pass you. Race day is about discipline and trusting your training.
the person I went to spectate ran negative splits on an IM marathon - thats pretty rare at age group level and can only be done thru discipline, IMO.
Most importantly - soak up the experience - it IS an experience!
(apologies if thats eggs / sucking - dont know your tri experience)
The swim start is (or was) quite a way from the city centre. I think it's a metro ride and a walk. I cant remember now - I went on the beers on the Saturday and was in a pretty bad state on the sunday! :-)
The run course is in the city centre so whilst you're on the bike there should be enough for your family to entertain themselves with. I enjoyed the design museum but I don't know how old your kids are! If you haven't been to Copenhagen before I'd describe it as a nice place to be, without tons going on.
The hire bikes are excellent (including iPad style sat nav) and bikes rule the road - cars are very respectful / give you right of way.
When your alarm goes off for a stretch - also use it as reminder to eat (assuming you're eating solids)
Go easy on the bike - esp the first 45km - leave the ego at home and let people pass you. Race day is about discipline and trusting your training.
the person I went to spectate ran negative splits on an IM marathon - thats pretty rare at age group level and can only be done thru discipline, IMO.
Most importantly - soak up the experience - it IS an experience!
(apologies if thats eggs / sucking - dont know your tri experience)
Saw Ironman Leeds cancelled the swim. Really pissed off on behalf of the first timers mainly. I can't help but feel they do have some control or responsibility here, it was muted a few weeks ago. Surely they will have been tracking it for 6 months or doing tests with local authority and just keeping an eye on it as they'll need special permits and all sorts
So now there are likely hundreds or maybe even 1000 first timers (I haven't a clue) who are doing a £700 duathlon
Some say "it's just something you need to get over as it's racing" but it's easier said than done. I did my first Ironman in June and the effort and mental energy was immense. If it had been changed in distances or partially cancelled, I'd have been destroyed and disheartened
It was only last night - about 10pm Ironman Leeds announced cut off time extensions. Bearing in mind most would probably be in bed and unaware.
So now there are likely hundreds or maybe even 1000 first timers (I haven't a clue) who are doing a £700 duathlon
Some say "it's just something you need to get over as it's racing" but it's easier said than done. I did my first Ironman in June and the effort and mental energy was immense. If it had been changed in distances or partially cancelled, I'd have been destroyed and disheartened
It was only last night - about 10pm Ironman Leeds announced cut off time extensions. Bearing in mind most would probably be in bed and unaware.
Well seems ironman is getting ever more popular (a lot like they were a decade ago) - Kalmar and Copenhagen both sold out within an hour of general registration opening. There were a lot of pre-sales I believe, and only around 30% of the places made it to general registration.
Was over a thousand euros too.
Oddly - still Leeds places (and likely will be for a long time)
Was over a thousand euros too.
Oddly - still Leeds places (and likely will be for a long time)
redrabbit29 said:
Saw Ironman Leeds cancelled the swim. Really pissed off on behalf of the first timers mainly. I can't help but feel they do have some control or responsibility here, it was muted a few weeks ago. Surely they will have been tracking it for 6 months or doing tests with local authority and just keeping an eye on it as they'll need special permits and all sorts
So now there are likely hundreds or maybe even 1000 first timers (I haven't a clue) who are doing a £700 duathlon
Some say "it's just something you need to get over as it's racing" but it's easier said than done. I did my first Ironman in June and the effort and mental energy was immense. If it had been changed in distances or partially cancelled, I'd have been destroyed and disheartened
It was only last night - about 10pm Ironman Leeds announced cut off time extensions. Bearing in mind most would probably be in bed and unaware.
The extension made me sleep a lot better. So now there are likely hundreds or maybe even 1000 first timers (I haven't a clue) who are doing a £700 duathlon
Some say "it's just something you need to get over as it's racing" but it's easier said than done. I did my first Ironman in June and the effort and mental energy was immense. If it had been changed in distances or partially cancelled, I'd have been destroyed and disheartened
It was only last night - about 10pm Ironman Leeds announced cut off time extensions. Bearing in mind most would probably be in bed and unaware.
I’m not great on the bike and I knew 8:10 would be hard, better to have the swim ant 10:30 for me…. When the extended the bike to 8:40 I then felt I stood a good chance of finishing!
By some miracle I did the bike in 7:51 or so, but had it been a 8:10 cap it may have been harder to hit as I may have gone too hard and faded more.
Main learning was the maurten gels were 40g… so I didn’t need one every 20 minutes. I discovered this the day after and basically felt sick for most the race trying to stuff gels in
Lmfao - I think I put weight on after this IM.
Schoolboy error
Smitters said:
Camoradi said:
Copenhagen was on my radar but I spent too long thinking about it and entries filled up fast. As a result I'm off to Vitoria Gasteiz next week. I think it's gonna be HOT!
Got caught up in my own life here. How was it? A friend did it too and she said the swim was disgustingly hard and everything else was an oven!Any tips you can share?
It's a great race with amazing support. I'm going back next year as with decent conditions it could be very fast and the rolling bike course suits me better than a flat one. The logistics are a little more effort with split transition areas but I travelled out on the ferry from Plymmouth - Santander so had a car on hand.
So how was Copenhagen?
Edited by Camoradi on Friday 21st August 12:04
I've been writing up the IM Copenhagen experience this week, but as I've also got manflu and have written about 3000 words, I thought I'd do an "abbreviation"
In short, I would recommend IM Copenhagen as an event, but not on a budget! Our plan was for my wife to Interrail with the boys and I would fly out with the bike, then have a week and a half afterwards to relax, do Legoland etc. Redundancy in June killed that, so we just came back on Tuesday.
Having never even done a half IM when I entered back in 2025 looked slightly neglectful, but I was pretty confident of being able to move forward for 12 or so hours, so I never felt worried about failing to finish due to my body. I think my biggest fear was a bike mechanical. My second biggest fear was whether I could do enough training to do myself justice by my own, quite arbitrary, measures. As it turned out, and as anyone who has trained for a full distance triathlon before already knows, the training is by far the hardest part. By. Far. You will also need a very understanding family, or be immune to sleep deprivation. I absolutely couldn't have done this without the family's support.
Cunning plan to avoid a mechanical DNF, carry a complete bike, in pieces, on the toptube... This was, in fact, a pair of glasses, an electric pump, a tube with valve extension, a tubeless repair kit, tyre levers, a chain tool, a quick link, a spare gear cable, a spare mech hanger, four zipties, a multitool, some pretzels and some moist toilet roll in a ziplock bag. Excessive, yes, but for a flat course, almost no downside and much certainty should anything go wrong. Ironically, the majority of the weight was the tube, pump and multitool. Everything else was very light, but there to prevent a failure to proceed that can't be sorted by kicking, swearing, bodging and calling a taxi.
Anyway, my naivety was at full volume in August 2025, as it needs to be if you're a first timer. My idle A+++ goal at this point was sub 10. I'll give you a minute to stop laughing...
This was not a realistic goal. I knew that. What I didn't know was how unrealistic it was. This, I was keen to find out. Essentially I'm a crap swimmer, an OK biker and an OK runner. I reckoned on the following - standalone, on sign-up day - I could have done a 90m swim, a 6h bike and a 4h30 marathon. Could I get that to a 70m swim, a 5h bike and 3h40 marathon in 12 months? Maybe. And then do it all back to back. Maybe not. No harm in trying, eh? Shoot for the stars, land on the moon and all that.
I know full well consistency is the foundation on which results are built, but knowing and doing are very different things. Having had Jacqui Phillips of t-club as my coach before the Age Group World Champs in 2025 was a double-edged sword. I'd learnt lots from her, but badly missed the accountability and the certainty that the next sessions were the right thing to be doing. In the end, I settled for a combination of my own plan, based on research, talking to others and addressing my own strengths and weaknesses. I then absolutely hammered Chatgpt, prompt after prompt until I had a good long-range plan, capable of coping with a few less than ideal races thown in along the way. Is it as good as a coach and TrainingPeaks? Not even close. No comparison. Is it better than winging it IF you are happy to challenge the AI when the suggestions don't make sense? Yes. It can adapt based on your feedback, which a paper plan from a magazine or website can't.
The upside of no paid coach was having the money to attend the t-club training camp in April. It was hands down the best group you could have asked to suffer with and mess about with. And of course, you leave after a week of massive training volume and healthy food, feeling absolutely superb.
Possible AI involvement, your results may vary...
Camp also answered some questions about my fitness. 70m swim? No chance. 5h bike? Doable, but probably followed by a very long walk. 3h40 marathon? No chance. But after a winter of endurance training, the camp shot me into summer ready to test my new A goal, sub 11. Data to this point suggested that if I maintained my training and everything went perfectly, sub 11 was possible. Unlikely, but possible.
It didn't go perfectly. Redundancy arrived shortly afterwards and smashed my morale and motivation, but on the flipside, gave me a lot of training time. I did what I could, including some very long solo TT rides, which paid me back handsomely.
I also got budget-creative. I'd always planned to get "team" t-shirts done for the family, A, as a nice surprise and B, because all three in the same colour was going to be easier to spot when running absolutely knackered! I swapped the Gucci photobox option for, arguably, a better result... even matching my club colours and bar tape. Except the one that didn't. Thanks Amazon.
So, easyjet out to Copenhagen on Thursday afternoon, a short walk to CHP Strandpark hotel (recommended) and I fell into bed.
I registered on Friday and had a short test ride, then on Saturday had a short pre-breakfast shakeout run and some strides, racked my bike and transition bags, then got into bed to snooze. Everything felt good.
Sunday was a 4am start for a 7.30 race start. Hotel breakfast, hiding in the bathroom to get ready and not wake the family, then a pot of porridge and a slow 2k walk to T1 to add my drinks, nutrition and pump up my tyres. All went well, except the half a bottle of electrolytes which escaped, but I reasoned if that was my "thing that went wrong" I'd take it!
I went in the last but one swim group (broken by expected time and fastest first), but actually ended up swimming into the back of the previous group. I think some time predictions came from pool swims. I stuck to the buoy-line and swam the shortest route I could. I'm slow, but very confident, so was happy in the weed, jellyfish and scrum around the buoys. As such, I did my best ever IM swim, just outside 1.20. I'd expected about 1.27. I was even relaxed enough during the swim to wee while moving!
T1 was a scrum, and I ended up in a puddle on the floor instead of on a bench, but my bag was well ordered and I went through each step as quickly as possible. I'd wanted 4-5 minutes but somehow time just disappeared and it was 7.30, including a wee stop. This should have been an alarm bell, as this was wee #3 since I'd started the race.
The bike was all about control as I'd harboured a secret ambition to get an outright marathon pb on the run. This needed to be sub 4.03. I know I'm capable of much more as I ran a 2.40 20 miler, two days after a 27 mile trail run with 1000m of climbing, back in March 2020. Sadly, I never tapered that form into a spring marathon. Thanks Covid.
So, steady biking. I'm all about free speed/time, so I had enough fluid to get me to 100k and enough nutrition for the entire bike onboard. There were no serious hills so the extra weight was no issue. I rolled two aid stations to get a bottle in each, and otherwise just went through. All three wees happened at 30kph, the only downside of which was my salty pretzels got ruined. Again, this should have rung alarm bells about over-hydration. The only time I came to a halt on the bike was to pick up a lost bottle, not because I needed the contents, but because I wanted the souvenir!
The key part of my training which paid me back was long TT rides. I saw loads of folks sitting up for the final 50k, which is a superfast coast road down to the city. I was tucked, doing 150w at 135bpm (mid-zone 2 for me) and 35+kph. Win! Bike done in 5.35.25.
I'd eaten really well on the bike, was over-hydrated, but got off the bike feeling great. T2 went quickly (3.30, was aiming sub 3), but I forgot to grab my ziplock bag of wet loo roll. This would turn out to be an error.
My legs normally come good after 2k, and so they did. My plan was to run the first lap to heart rate only, no other data. I sat at 144, which is top of Z2 for me, and had to try really hard to get it back to 135-140. As I got on top of that in the second half of lap 1, my stomach started to feel odd. I got an unbelievable bloat, but couldn't burp it away, or release anything downwards. I had eaten one gel so far, but the next one may as well have been a rubber ball, for how it threatened to come back up. Maurten gels are very solid, which really helps nibbling, but mice eat more per bite. The bloat made running really uncomfortable, so I was cut to a slower jog, and a steady walk through every aid station as I tried combo after combo of food and fluid to get calories in without problems. There were many visits to the urinals and portaloos which surprise surprise, really hits your average run pace. I was really missing that luxury bog roll now.
It must have looked hilarious on the app, prompting lots of "he's gone out too hard", but my plan all along was go out to heart rate (tick), adjust to a sustainable pace (tick) and then let the average drift as little as possible but accept it would. Sub 4 may have been a stretch, but 4.05-4.10 was a realistic goal, having seen lap 1.
As far as I can figure, the bloating was pushing on my bladder, because 75% of the wee stops were a waste of time, nothing doing. You can see the impact of the last two proper toilets stops at 32-35k though as I finally felt better and got moving. At no point did my legs feel bad, which was hugely frustrating.
The run course itself is great for support and although it twists and turns a bit, and the cobbles are an absolute ballache, it's fast and brilliant for your spectators to see you multiple times.
I never wanted to walk the marathon in, though I was prepared to do so to finish. Getting to the line was never in doubt once I finished the bike. What I really wanted was to put the best race possible together. In the circumstances, I managed that. I problem solved well on the run and hit on dry crackers, orange slices, coke and water, in that order. I never had a clock running, so had no idea I was close to 11.30 or sub 4.30, but it didn't matter. I ran most of the last lap well, skipping aid stations and ticking people off one by one. I had visualised finishing so well and so frequently that it wasn't a big relief or rush of emotions, more an expected step, but I was extremely pleased to have a sit down and a can of cold chocolate milk! Run done in 4.30.50. Race done in 11.34.41.
I think I'm probably one and done for Ironman racing. I'll never be fast enough for a legit Kona spot, nor would I remain married if I tried. Manflu aside I'm recovering well and the difference between 12 hours of triathlon and 12 hours of running is stark. Ultras really, really hurt your joints, but conversely, are much easier to train for. Mind you, sub 11 seems doable. 10.30? Hmmm.
Many thanks for all the advice and support on here this last year. Happy to answer any logistics, training and general questions if there are any. I think I did the very best I could given the 12 months I had, and certainly got the most out of the AI training and nutrition plans, and bike training. Swimming? Perhaps look elsewhere! If you need me, I'll mostly be running, or drafting an advert for a TT bike I don't want to sit on again. Ever.
Souvenirs
In short, I would recommend IM Copenhagen as an event, but not on a budget! Our plan was for my wife to Interrail with the boys and I would fly out with the bike, then have a week and a half afterwards to relax, do Legoland etc. Redundancy in June killed that, so we just came back on Tuesday.
Having never even done a half IM when I entered back in 2025 looked slightly neglectful, but I was pretty confident of being able to move forward for 12 or so hours, so I never felt worried about failing to finish due to my body. I think my biggest fear was a bike mechanical. My second biggest fear was whether I could do enough training to do myself justice by my own, quite arbitrary, measures. As it turned out, and as anyone who has trained for a full distance triathlon before already knows, the training is by far the hardest part. By. Far. You will also need a very understanding family, or be immune to sleep deprivation. I absolutely couldn't have done this without the family's support.
Cunning plan to avoid a mechanical DNF, carry a complete bike, in pieces, on the toptube... This was, in fact, a pair of glasses, an electric pump, a tube with valve extension, a tubeless repair kit, tyre levers, a chain tool, a quick link, a spare gear cable, a spare mech hanger, four zipties, a multitool, some pretzels and some moist toilet roll in a ziplock bag. Excessive, yes, but for a flat course, almost no downside and much certainty should anything go wrong. Ironically, the majority of the weight was the tube, pump and multitool. Everything else was very light, but there to prevent a failure to proceed that can't be sorted by kicking, swearing, bodging and calling a taxi.
Anyway, my naivety was at full volume in August 2025, as it needs to be if you're a first timer. My idle A+++ goal at this point was sub 10. I'll give you a minute to stop laughing...
This was not a realistic goal. I knew that. What I didn't know was how unrealistic it was. This, I was keen to find out. Essentially I'm a crap swimmer, an OK biker and an OK runner. I reckoned on the following - standalone, on sign-up day - I could have done a 90m swim, a 6h bike and a 4h30 marathon. Could I get that to a 70m swim, a 5h bike and 3h40 marathon in 12 months? Maybe. And then do it all back to back. Maybe not. No harm in trying, eh? Shoot for the stars, land on the moon and all that.
I know full well consistency is the foundation on which results are built, but knowing and doing are very different things. Having had Jacqui Phillips of t-club as my coach before the Age Group World Champs in 2025 was a double-edged sword. I'd learnt lots from her, but badly missed the accountability and the certainty that the next sessions were the right thing to be doing. In the end, I settled for a combination of my own plan, based on research, talking to others and addressing my own strengths and weaknesses. I then absolutely hammered Chatgpt, prompt after prompt until I had a good long-range plan, capable of coping with a few less than ideal races thown in along the way. Is it as good as a coach and TrainingPeaks? Not even close. No comparison. Is it better than winging it IF you are happy to challenge the AI when the suggestions don't make sense? Yes. It can adapt based on your feedback, which a paper plan from a magazine or website can't.
The upside of no paid coach was having the money to attend the t-club training camp in April. It was hands down the best group you could have asked to suffer with and mess about with. And of course, you leave after a week of massive training volume and healthy food, feeling absolutely superb.
Possible AI involvement, your results may vary...
Camp also answered some questions about my fitness. 70m swim? No chance. 5h bike? Doable, but probably followed by a very long walk. 3h40 marathon? No chance. But after a winter of endurance training, the camp shot me into summer ready to test my new A goal, sub 11. Data to this point suggested that if I maintained my training and everything went perfectly, sub 11 was possible. Unlikely, but possible.
It didn't go perfectly. Redundancy arrived shortly afterwards and smashed my morale and motivation, but on the flipside, gave me a lot of training time. I did what I could, including some very long solo TT rides, which paid me back handsomely.
I also got budget-creative. I'd always planned to get "team" t-shirts done for the family, A, as a nice surprise and B, because all three in the same colour was going to be easier to spot when running absolutely knackered! I swapped the Gucci photobox option for, arguably, a better result... even matching my club colours and bar tape. Except the one that didn't. Thanks Amazon.
So, easyjet out to Copenhagen on Thursday afternoon, a short walk to CHP Strandpark hotel (recommended) and I fell into bed.
I registered on Friday and had a short test ride, then on Saturday had a short pre-breakfast shakeout run and some strides, racked my bike and transition bags, then got into bed to snooze. Everything felt good.
Sunday was a 4am start for a 7.30 race start. Hotel breakfast, hiding in the bathroom to get ready and not wake the family, then a pot of porridge and a slow 2k walk to T1 to add my drinks, nutrition and pump up my tyres. All went well, except the half a bottle of electrolytes which escaped, but I reasoned if that was my "thing that went wrong" I'd take it!
I went in the last but one swim group (broken by expected time and fastest first), but actually ended up swimming into the back of the previous group. I think some time predictions came from pool swims. I stuck to the buoy-line and swam the shortest route I could. I'm slow, but very confident, so was happy in the weed, jellyfish and scrum around the buoys. As such, I did my best ever IM swim, just outside 1.20. I'd expected about 1.27. I was even relaxed enough during the swim to wee while moving!
T1 was a scrum, and I ended up in a puddle on the floor instead of on a bench, but my bag was well ordered and I went through each step as quickly as possible. I'd wanted 4-5 minutes but somehow time just disappeared and it was 7.30, including a wee stop. This should have been an alarm bell, as this was wee #3 since I'd started the race.
The bike was all about control as I'd harboured a secret ambition to get an outright marathon pb on the run. This needed to be sub 4.03. I know I'm capable of much more as I ran a 2.40 20 miler, two days after a 27 mile trail run with 1000m of climbing, back in March 2020. Sadly, I never tapered that form into a spring marathon. Thanks Covid.
So, steady biking. I'm all about free speed/time, so I had enough fluid to get me to 100k and enough nutrition for the entire bike onboard. There were no serious hills so the extra weight was no issue. I rolled two aid stations to get a bottle in each, and otherwise just went through. All three wees happened at 30kph, the only downside of which was my salty pretzels got ruined. Again, this should have rung alarm bells about over-hydration. The only time I came to a halt on the bike was to pick up a lost bottle, not because I needed the contents, but because I wanted the souvenir!
The key part of my training which paid me back was long TT rides. I saw loads of folks sitting up for the final 50k, which is a superfast coast road down to the city. I was tucked, doing 150w at 135bpm (mid-zone 2 for me) and 35+kph. Win! Bike done in 5.35.25.
I'd eaten really well on the bike, was over-hydrated, but got off the bike feeling great. T2 went quickly (3.30, was aiming sub 3), but I forgot to grab my ziplock bag of wet loo roll. This would turn out to be an error.
My legs normally come good after 2k, and so they did. My plan was to run the first lap to heart rate only, no other data. I sat at 144, which is top of Z2 for me, and had to try really hard to get it back to 135-140. As I got on top of that in the second half of lap 1, my stomach started to feel odd. I got an unbelievable bloat, but couldn't burp it away, or release anything downwards. I had eaten one gel so far, but the next one may as well have been a rubber ball, for how it threatened to come back up. Maurten gels are very solid, which really helps nibbling, but mice eat more per bite. The bloat made running really uncomfortable, so I was cut to a slower jog, and a steady walk through every aid station as I tried combo after combo of food and fluid to get calories in without problems. There were many visits to the urinals and portaloos which surprise surprise, really hits your average run pace. I was really missing that luxury bog roll now.
It must have looked hilarious on the app, prompting lots of "he's gone out too hard", but my plan all along was go out to heart rate (tick), adjust to a sustainable pace (tick) and then let the average drift as little as possible but accept it would. Sub 4 may have been a stretch, but 4.05-4.10 was a realistic goal, having seen lap 1.
As far as I can figure, the bloating was pushing on my bladder, because 75% of the wee stops were a waste of time, nothing doing. You can see the impact of the last two proper toilets stops at 32-35k though as I finally felt better and got moving. At no point did my legs feel bad, which was hugely frustrating.
The run course itself is great for support and although it twists and turns a bit, and the cobbles are an absolute ballache, it's fast and brilliant for your spectators to see you multiple times.
I never wanted to walk the marathon in, though I was prepared to do so to finish. Getting to the line was never in doubt once I finished the bike. What I really wanted was to put the best race possible together. In the circumstances, I managed that. I problem solved well on the run and hit on dry crackers, orange slices, coke and water, in that order. I never had a clock running, so had no idea I was close to 11.30 or sub 4.30, but it didn't matter. I ran most of the last lap well, skipping aid stations and ticking people off one by one. I had visualised finishing so well and so frequently that it wasn't a big relief or rush of emotions, more an expected step, but I was extremely pleased to have a sit down and a can of cold chocolate milk! Run done in 4.30.50. Race done in 11.34.41.
I think I'm probably one and done for Ironman racing. I'll never be fast enough for a legit Kona spot, nor would I remain married if I tried. Manflu aside I'm recovering well and the difference between 12 hours of triathlon and 12 hours of running is stark. Ultras really, really hurt your joints, but conversely, are much easier to train for. Mind you, sub 11 seems doable. 10.30? Hmmm.
Many thanks for all the advice and support on here this last year. Happy to answer any logistics, training and general questions if there are any. I think I did the very best I could given the 12 months I had, and certainly got the most out of the AI training and nutrition plans, and bike training. Swimming? Perhaps look elsewhere! If you need me, I'll mostly be running, or drafting an advert for a TT bike I don't want to sit on again. Ever.
Souvenirs
Edited by Smitters on Tuesday 25th August 12:47
Smitters said:
I've been writing up the IM Copenhagen experience this week, but as I've also got manflu and have written about 3000 words, I thought I'd do an "abbreviation"
...
That was absolutely fantastic to read. Thank you for sharing the images too, it was gripping and really fun to follow your thoughts along the way and notice how your expectations changed, including your unfortunate job issues. ...
I laughed at the AI image from Before/After the training camp - mainly as I originally saw the image and was stunned at how much better some looked, and then realised it was obviously altered haha!
Well done on your achievement. It sounds like you really trained well and that paid off. Your points about the bloating demonstrate that the endurance events - particiularly multi-discipline - are so hard to predict as it's not just time and planning, it's things like your body, mistakes in forgetting something, weather, etc.. all thoes things you can't plan for that get in the way.
Do you have anything else planned yet? Any runs, ambitions left?
I did Ironman Austria earlier this year and despite saying "one and done", I really miss having something to train for. I had in mind that I may enter Copenhagen, but then saw it sold out within minutes. I'm now feeling a bit lost, fitness feels like it's gone, I am finding short runs hard, and generally just feel pretty poor for some reason. I think I am just in a rut.
Thanks redrabbit. I know what you mean about a rut. I felt the same last year, so Inwas determined not to go the same way again. I'm just going to focus on running, with a bit of cycling for fun.
I have a couple of short races in September and then the Berkeley Marathons (UK version, hence spelling). I was gifted a place for a donation, so I thought why not? I may stop after one lap, or try for a fun run. I don't know how my legs will be. It's very much a fun outing though. Then I'll switch to training for a fast half and marathon, so I can make use of my endurance and resilience from the last 6 months solid training.
I have a couple of short races in September and then the Berkeley Marathons (UK version, hence spelling). I was gifted a place for a donation, so I thought why not? I may stop after one lap, or try for a fun run. I don't know how my legs will be. It's very much a fun outing though. Then I'll switch to training for a fast half and marathon, so I can make use of my endurance and resilience from the last 6 months solid training.
Gassing Station | Sports | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff