Go long or die trying

9Crimes

Ironman Copenhagen race report

Pre-race:
I go to the physio Wednesday for more work on my glute which is getting sore when I run. The physio tapes it up and shows me how to do it for race day.
I wake on Thursday and it is very sore after all the work done to it Wednesday. I spend a good half hour stretching before my gf picks me up and we head to the airport. The flight is uneventful and we find our hotel no problem before heading for dinner with my parents who are over to support as well.
Friday rolls around and it’s time to start getting the pre-race chores done. I pick up the bike from ship my tri first and then head down to register. Needless to say I spend 50 quid in the expo! After a quick lunch I head for a swim course recce with a few club mates and it proves to be very beneficial. Following the bouys is not the straightest line so we chart our way through the course and practice the last u-turn as everyone will be funneled by ropes into a narrow corridor just before it.
Saturday I’m up early and out on the bike for a bit before grabbing breakfast and going for another shorter dip. The rest of the morning is spent with the feet up and I rack the bike early enough in the afternoon before an early dinner and an early night.
Sunday I’m up early and the hotel has breakfast set up at 4am. After filling up and grabbing a roll for later I share a taxi with 2 club mates out to the start. Here I run through the usual race checks and load the bike with my nutrition, eat my roll and head over to the swim start.

THE RACE:
Swim:
After the pros and XC wave (such a ridiculous thing I have never heard of before), the AG’ers line up and are off with Ironman efficiency. I line up at the 1hr 8min marker in order to get a draft off a faster swimmer and before I know it I am next to start!
I get a good start and am at the first turn approx 150m out before turning right quite quickly. Here I spot an AWA athlete in a gold cap go past and figure he may be a good set of feet to draft off. I tuck in behind and am not disappointed. I keep an eye on his line and he is staying quite straight so I reduce my sighting frequency and focus on keeping up with him. I stay on his feet for circa 2k before I lose him as he powers through a group of 5/6. I don’t mind though as I had decided to do my own thing leading into the final turn anyway.
As we approach the last turn where it narrows considerably I aim for the bridge pylon as planned and head straight for it. It looks like I am going well but when I get to the rope I notice everyone seems to be the other side of the rope to me!
I curse myself for getting the approach wrong and prepare to duck under the rope before the turn before I see everyone on the other side ducking under and coming back to my side! Amazingly I am the right side of the rope!
I turn around the last bouy and head for home. I’m out and in transition with my bag before I even glance at my watch which shows 1hr 11!!! I was hoping to get close to 1hr 12 so I am over the moon!
I take my time in transition putting on deep heat on my glute and having a number 1 before I gather my bike and set off.
Swim: 1:10:09
T1: 6:39

Bike:
It takes a min or 2 to get the garmin going and I pass my cheer squad just out of t1 which gives me a good boost. The first section of the bike through the city turns out to be technical but it’s not long before I hit the open road and start overtaking the longest line of cyclists you can ever imagine. I ace my nutrition and keep the heart rate under complete control and get a good cheer from my club mates out supporting at 80k. After 100k I finally hit some open road without too many cyclists around. This results in a slightly slower second half to the ride as I am no longer getting the benefit of a draft (which anyone who has done an Ironman knows is unavoidable at the start of the bike due to the sheer volume of cyclists).
Before I know it I am back in the city going through the technical section and back to t2. I see my parents and gf at the entrance to t2 and give them a wave before disappearing down the ramp into t2 (located in an underground car park). A volunteer takes my bike and I again take my time repeating t1, putting on deep heat and having a number 1. I psyche myself up running out of t2 knowing that 1; I am ahead of schedule (although I am unsure of how much due to using a watch for the swim, a garmin edge for the bike and nothing for transitions) & 2; this is where it all went tits up last year.
Bike: 5:19:15
T2:6:46

Run:
Soon out of t1 I hit an aid station and take a salt tab before getting up to speed. I meet the parents and gf soon after who have taken up a good spot where they will see me twice each lap and I nearly go deaf from the cheer I get!
Everything goes to plan for the first half of the marathon and I spot some club mates and we encourage each other. Each km ticks by at faster than 4hr pace apart from when I walk an aid station - which was planned. After about 22k my knee starts hurting out of nowhere. I used to have itb problems which impacted my knee but have been ok for 18-24months. If anything I was expecting glute problems but everything else is feeling great. I decide to keep running until the pain becomes too much, stop stretch, take a painkiller and try run again. I keep running for the next 4-5k with the pain varying with each step and my pace suffering as a result. These km are well over 4hr pace and I am starting to worry.
Slowly but surely though, the pain subsides all on its own. I have obviously subconsciously adjusted my stride/gait/foot landing to protect my knee. My pace improves and after I start taking coke at the aid stations I feel great! I power through the next few km and although I am walking more aid stations the pace is still well under 4hr pace. With about 2-3km to go I realise I am going to be close to 4hr and this just spurs me on even more and I average 5:08 per km to the end. I am buzzing and as I reach the red carpet I know it’s close to 4hr so I don’t stop to hug my parents or gf and power over the line praying I have broken 4hr.
As I cross the line I know I have broken 11hr but I am unsure of my time (I am thinking I have gone 10:50-10:55). The emotion hits me and it takes everything not to start balling crying. I take my medal and go through to the recovery tent heading straight for the recovery pool. After about 10-15min in the pool I get out and work up the courage to check my finishing time - 10:41:33
Run: 3:58:46

Post race:
I take my time in the athletes tent eating and relaxing before heading to t2 to pick up my gear and bike and drop it back to ship my tri who were very close to the finish. After that I find the parents and gf and thank them and we head for the hotel passing 3D tri club supporters corner where I hug and thank the support crew who are very “merry” at this stage!
Back at the hotel I shower and go to eat but the appetite isn’t there. I eat as much as I can knowing it will do me good.

Review:
I knew I had it in me to go sub 11 and after last years debacle I felt I had a point to prove. Despite everyone congratulating me on my first Ironman last year, I was devastated with the result. It was very hard having to accept the congrats from friends and family when inside I was very disappointed.
This year I am lapping it up! I am especially happy to go under 4 for the run. Had I not had some knee pain midway through I think I would have gone sub 3:50 - once the pain passed I was never in trouble.
Had I had more confidence I think there may have been another 5-10min on the bike also, I was worried my avg pace was too high so I eased off a little despite my hr being lower than expected.
My swim however was perfect. If I swam that 20 times I wouldn’t have gone faster.
Overall I am happy to have given a good account of myself and I am happy to retire from long distance after this.
Job done.

joey100

Nice result, still planning on retiring?

How would you compare CPH to Austria? Result aside is there one race/course/atmosphere you rate over the other?

9Crimes

I'm definitely retired - for the medium term! In reality I need to focus more on my career in the short term and pay back my family and gf for a year or 2 before I consider it again. I am looking forward to racing short course next year.

Good Q on CPH vs Austria. As you are no doubt aware it can be hard to compare but below is my personal opinion on the 2:

Cost: Aus was cheaper. CPH was expensive, although some things (such as alcohol) were not as bad as I expected (steer clear of taxis though!)

Accessibility: CPH far more accessible, 15min train/tram to city centre from airport vs Aus where you fly to Munich and get a 6hr train to Klagenfurt

Atmosphere: CPH is better based on the run, which was fantastic. Aus run was good too but not as good. swim and bike atmosphere were similar

Swim course: Aus was more picturesque in fresh water, it's really a beautiful spot. I prefer the salt water which gives more buoyancy so CPH suited me better.

Bike course: Aus had more climbing and was a bit more picturesque. CPH was flat and although breezy it wasn't excessive. I can imagine CPH being a lot tougher if the wind was stronger as the roads are quite exposed in places.

Run course: CPH by a mile, It was 4.5 laps which meant the crowd was more concentrated than Aus where the crowd is spread over 2 laps. This added to the atmosphere no end and it meant you seen your supporters more often. Both were nearly completely flat.

Race organisation: Well both are ironman so it was top notch. The split transition in CPH didn't really impact as everything was transported to the finish line. Having volunteers take your bike off you just like the pros was a nice touch in CPH.

Overall most of the above are close enough with the exception of the run course which I felt was far superior in CPH.
Does this mean you are considering one of the 2 next year? - If one were considering Kona one would have to consider the time of year. If one qualifies in CPH one only has 8 weeks to prep for Kona.

joey100

Thanks for that, lot of info there!

While off Kona being a goal yet, but looking for a fast course, originally had been between Austria, Roth or Barcelona, but know a few who done cph and all thought it was very good.

At money Barca is ahead but that could change. Enjoy the downtime, and your right about taking some time with the family and friends, full distance training can be fairly selfish, I'm doing something similar. Well done again.