Lotto Ironman Langkawi - Race Report
Hi, I’m back and completed the gruelling course in 12:52:36! Much better than expected and I’m glad I lasted the entire race without blowing up under the intense heat and humidity. Well, this entry is purely a technical report of the race. It’s rather long so read on only if you’re interested in finding out how the race went for me. I’ll be journaling my post-race reflections in another entry, so do keep a lookout for that!
Saturday, 4.10 am
My new silver ultra-slim Samsung mobile phone woke us up to the noisy, rocking groove of United Live’s “Salvation Is Here”. I got out of bed, brushed my teeth and prayed in the groggy state of mind that crossing the finishing line would result in a rush of emotions akin to finding true salvation in Christ – almost a lame morning prayer to make but the noisy song has always been such a good wake up call for me that I thought it deserved some meaning to the day’s activities. The hotel phone’s morning call beeped at 4.15 am and sounded like static over the line. Just before I slipped into my Ironman race-tee and a pair of thongs, YH passed me his iPod shuffle and asked me to listen to a song. In my still semi-conscious state, I was woken up almost in an instant by the inviting, worshipful presence of God through the purely acoustic piano intro and beautifully written lyrics. It spoke of the Lord’s comforting shield over His precious little soldiers. In that few minutes, my race day was entirely put into perspective and the song brought a nice, warm fuzzy feeling into my heart (and a tiny tear in my eye).
Breakfast, 4.30am
We got down to the hotel lobby and I decided to take it safe and give the nasi lemak a miss (though it was tempting!). I didn’t want to risk coming down with any gastronomical problems midway into the race! I had some white bread with baked beans and scrambled eggs. Washed it all down with several glasses of water and orange juice. We got up to our rooms to change into our tri suits and I drank up my final bottle of Accelerade. The bus was already waiting for us when we reached the hotel lobby again at 5.30 am. We were off to the race site!
Race Site, 6.00 am
Filled my bottle cages with 3 Gatorade bottles of water and Accelerade and got the salt tablets and gels squeesed into my Bento box. Pumped up my tyres to 100 PSI and did some spinning on my rear wheel to ensure my drive chain was running smoothly. All seemed fine and I proceeded with my warm up stretch. Went over to a counter to have my weight taken. The scale read 62kg and I was pleasantly surprised at losing 3 kg since returning from reservist. We took some pictures together, huddled for a final prayer and off we went into the waters for our warm up swim. It was nice and warm and I felt pretty good in my arms and body. Breathing was light and easy. This was important for me psychologically as it pretty much determines how well I start the race and how far it was going to take me to. We did some final stretch on the pontoon before the announcement in the loud speakers boomed, “Two minutes to start!”.
Swim Start, 7.20 am
The start wasn’t exactly what I had expected. Just as Jaclyn and myself got off the pontoon and made our way out to the deep water start line, the gun went off. It caught us by surprise and suddenly everyone around us began a hasty swim to the start line. I shouted to Jac if that meant the race started and she didn’t seem sure too. We figured the race had started somehow and swam out into the bay. At least 50% of the triathletes were still on the pontoon/transition area/toilet and I felt really sorry for them. I found my space after a short while of tussling and jostling in the water and got into my rhythm quickly. I went slightly off course in the initial 300m as the small red buoys were hard to spot. Got back on course after hearing the safety boat’s whistle and following the general direction of the yellow heads bopping up and down in front of me. The return leg felt twice as long somehow but I kept a steady and efficient pace to try and conserve energy. I was feeling good but just a little tired towards the end. Got up to the pontoon and stopped a while under the showers to wash off all the salt water.
Swim to Bike Transition
I collected my Bike bag, headed into the tent, put on my helmet, dried my feet and stuffed some gels into my back pocket. It was at this time that I realised I forgot to start my Polar timer. Bummer! I asked for the swim time quickly and was promptly told by a fellow competitor that I did a 1:18 swim. It ended up being a 1:20 eventually. I saw a friend, Loke entering a couple of seconds after me. Got out of the tent nearly 3 mins later and ran up to the rack to dismount my bike.
Bike Leg – 180km
I rode out of the transition area at a steady pace. Just after passing the Seaview Hotel (official race hotel), one of my Accelerade bottles fell of my cage after I hit some rough patches on the road. I thought for a while if I should go back and pick it up but decided against it as I figured electrolyte drinks were going to be available at every bike aid station. However it certainly didn’t make me feel secure with one bottle down! I made my way up the first 2 slopes with relative ease. Hit the first U-turn and headed up the 10 degree slope, slowing almost to a crawl. I had difficulty getting into the right cadence and for some reason, my legs didn’t quite feel as light. I rode through the first loop averaging 19km/h. This was way off my usual training speed of 28-30km/h and I was getting a tad bit concerned about the pace I was riding at but I reminded myself to be patient with the first loop. It would have been unwise to hammer early into the ride and blow up on the final loop. I was also experiencing terrible discomfort with a nagging back ache which didn’t allow me to get into the aero position much.
I took in fluids and got the gels and salt tablets in, making sure to follow strictly to my nutrition plan – 1 gel every 45 mins / 1 salt tablet every 30mins. I felt good on the second loop and decided to make up for lost time on the first lap by hitting the down slops fast and using the momentum to keep a fast cadence on the flats. It worked well and I was doing between 32km/h – 35km/h. I was constantly stretching my back to ease the back ache and it was getting better. I hit a short climb before the roundabout and shifted to my small gears to ascend better. For some reason my chain suddenly came off the crank and I had to stop midway up slope to get it back onto the chain ring. I lost some time there and it was quite a challenge getting up the slope with the momentum now lost. I had to push with one leg up to gain some speed while quickly getting that same leg back into the cleat to pedal up the slope. I managed to only succeed on the third try! The return journey wasn’t as smooth going either. I didn’t managed to get any bottles filled with water at some aid stations and then... horror of horrors... I was going down a particular slope when my race belt fell off! I only had a split second to decide whether to stop and pick it up or continue my journey without it. I didn’t want to run the risk of being disqualified or not having my number recorded down so I hit the brakes hard, got off my bike and ran back to pick it up. It was a good 30 m away and it wasn’t easy running on the tarmac with cleats!! I quickly strapped the belt back on and made sure to tie several knots round the clip to prevent it from coming lose again. I lost yet some more time there and was hoping all the hard work put in earlier would not be lost.
It was a nice relief turning into the final loop as I knew I was going to finish in approximately 2 hours. I stopped for my Special Needs bag and took a pear and banana. A refreshing change from the gels =) I tried going at the pace I did in the second loop but someone my legs wouldn’t allow me too. It was getting really hot and I was pouring water over my body and helmet to cool off. I was surprised at overtaking some riders with really expensive set-ups and aero helmets. I even saw some walking up the slopes with their bikes. It reinforced my belief that fancy bikes and sexy looks don’t win a race. Strong riders do, and aesthetics? Well, I guess it does make the win sweeter!
It was a nice relief to finally hit the roundabout and head down the Lisram Highway. This was going to be a nice 20km journey back to the transition point. There were no climbs and a couple of nice down slopes and flats so I stepped up gear and rode between 33km/h - 35km/h. I reached the final 5km and saw a good number of people midway into their run leg. It got a bit demoralising when the numbers seemed like a few hundred. It made me pedal harder down to the bike chute and get into my running shoes as quickly as possible. I did a 6:12 bike leg and was rather satisfied with my performance.
Bike to Run Transition
I stopped at the dismount line and they channeled me into the time penalty waiting zone. A staff came up to me and held on to my bike. I looked at him and wondered if he was going to serve me a time penalty. I never recalled being shown a yellow card while on the bike so I held on to my Cervelo. 10 secs passed, nothing moved and then it started to feel awkward when the whole world began staring at me. Finally, I looked back in bewilderment and told the staff I didn’t get a time penalty. THEN, he replied coolly, “Yea I know, we want to bring your bicycle to the transition area.” At that moment I wished the ground beneath me would just open up and swallow me. In total embarrassement, I released my bike and did a hurried tip-toe dance (b'cos of the cleats!) into the transition tent. Inside, it felt like an oven and there were at least 15 people sitting down, taking their time to change. I took my time too and applied some sun block before heading out of the tent. It was a hot, hot day and the heat meant I needed to pace myself well for the run. I realised only after the race that I took 6 mins for my transition! I really wonder what I was doing inside...
Run Leg - 42.2km
I started the run conservatively, taking time to get into my rhythm. I passed by Shirley and Huimei early and it was encouraging to see them cheering you on in the final leg of the race. The first 8 km took us up a gradual slope and we hit the U-turn at the end of it. The sensors were located there and it was a nice relief to run through it each time. The run was blazing hot and I had to stop at each aid station to douse myself with cold water. I didn’t know how long each lap was b’cos the signage was confusing but it certainly felt longer than the 5km written in the handbook. The first lap went well and I felt strong, averaging 12.1km/h. The heat started taking its toll on me and I felt myself melting away in the second lap. I slowed down a bit to try and conserve some energy and spent more time at each aid station cooling off and getting some more water and electrolytes in. I was desperately trying to find ways to keep my body temperature down b’cos the last thing I wanted was to blow up due to heat exhaustion. I desperately tried all ‘cooling-off’ methods possible:
1) Stuffing cold, wet sponges into my tri suit and shoulder straps
2) Dousing myself with ice water over and over again
3) Sucking on ice
4) Splashing cold water down my thighs and calves
5) Keeping ice in my cap
It did provide some temporary relief from the scorching sun. It was blistering hot, believe me. I started on the second lap running slightly slower (11.6km/h) and feeling the full effects of the mid-day sun. I was getting exhausted and was already thinking of walking the entire last lap. My third lap was an absolute crawl and it was about at this time that I hit the wall and began focusing on running from aid station to aid station. I knew I was doing a terrible pace (9.53km/h) but I was just glad to be able to keep moving. By now, I was getting familiar with my surroundings and running to each marker helped psychologically in pressing ahead. I took in some coke along the way but somehow it didn’t go down well with me. Throughout the race I thought I was experiencing stomach indigestion as I lost my appetite for anything (including gels) and had spells of dizziness and felt like throwing up. I kept my composure each time, focused on my rhythm and prayed that I could last the final lap.
The sun was beginning to set as I started my final loop and it felt much cooler. I was beginning to enjoy the run more now. Psychologically, it also helped when I realised I was running with my third wrist band – a white one which meant I was on the home stretch. I made my final turnabout and was all psyched up to finish the final 8km strong. Then I realised my Oakleys fell off my cap! It was a lousy feeling to leave behind a $250+ pair of shades so I decided to backtrack to search for it. Thank God someone was holding on to it at the nearby aid station. I must have dropped it when I was dousing myself with water. It’s disheartening to know you’ve lost some more time again but I put it behind me quickly and stepped up my pace. I made the final turn into Seaview Hotel and was now running side-by-side an ang moh. We did our calculations and figured we could come in under 13hrs. So we pushed ourselves and then my right calve started cramping. I told the American to go ahead and I took out my Deep Heat sachet as I knew it could work some magic. The heat loosened up the tightness in my calf and I broke into a fast stride.
Finishing Chute
I managed to catch up with the American and was running on pure adrenalin. I hit the red carpet and it was a sprint down the finishing chute! Shirley and Huimei were on the left cheering and I went up the ramp with arms raised in victory. It was an awesome feeling and certainly one that felt very special. I was exhausted and sat down for a moment to catch my breadth. Then it came to me. I realised a dream was fulfilled that very night. I joined ranks with ordinary people all over the world who raced an Ironman to prove that no barrier is too difficult to overcome.
Saturday, 4.10 am
My new silver ultra-slim Samsung mobile phone woke us up to the noisy, rocking groove of United Live’s “Salvation Is Here”. I got out of bed, brushed my teeth and prayed in the groggy state of mind that crossing the finishing line would result in a rush of emotions akin to finding true salvation in Christ – almost a lame morning prayer to make but the noisy song has always been such a good wake up call for me that I thought it deserved some meaning to the day’s activities. The hotel phone’s morning call beeped at 4.15 am and sounded like static over the line. Just before I slipped into my Ironman race-tee and a pair of thongs, YH passed me his iPod shuffle and asked me to listen to a song. In my still semi-conscious state, I was woken up almost in an instant by the inviting, worshipful presence of God through the purely acoustic piano intro and beautifully written lyrics. It spoke of the Lord’s comforting shield over His precious little soldiers. In that few minutes, my race day was entirely put into perspective and the song brought a nice, warm fuzzy feeling into my heart (and a tiny tear in my eye).
Breakfast, 4.30am
We got down to the hotel lobby and I decided to take it safe and give the nasi lemak a miss (though it was tempting!). I didn’t want to risk coming down with any gastronomical problems midway into the race! I had some white bread with baked beans and scrambled eggs. Washed it all down with several glasses of water and orange juice. We got up to our rooms to change into our tri suits and I drank up my final bottle of Accelerade. The bus was already waiting for us when we reached the hotel lobby again at 5.30 am. We were off to the race site!
Race Site, 6.00 am
Filled my bottle cages with 3 Gatorade bottles of water and Accelerade and got the salt tablets and gels squeesed into my Bento box. Pumped up my tyres to 100 PSI and did some spinning on my rear wheel to ensure my drive chain was running smoothly. All seemed fine and I proceeded with my warm up stretch. Went over to a counter to have my weight taken. The scale read 62kg and I was pleasantly surprised at losing 3 kg since returning from reservist. We took some pictures together, huddled for a final prayer and off we went into the waters for our warm up swim. It was nice and warm and I felt pretty good in my arms and body. Breathing was light and easy. This was important for me psychologically as it pretty much determines how well I start the race and how far it was going to take me to. We did some final stretch on the pontoon before the announcement in the loud speakers boomed, “Two minutes to start!”.
Swim Start, 7.20 am
The start wasn’t exactly what I had expected. Just as Jaclyn and myself got off the pontoon and made our way out to the deep water start line, the gun went off. It caught us by surprise and suddenly everyone around us began a hasty swim to the start line. I shouted to Jac if that meant the race started and she didn’t seem sure too. We figured the race had started somehow and swam out into the bay. At least 50% of the triathletes were still on the pontoon/transition area/toilet and I felt really sorry for them. I found my space after a short while of tussling and jostling in the water and got into my rhythm quickly. I went slightly off course in the initial 300m as the small red buoys were hard to spot. Got back on course after hearing the safety boat’s whistle and following the general direction of the yellow heads bopping up and down in front of me. The return leg felt twice as long somehow but I kept a steady and efficient pace to try and conserve energy. I was feeling good but just a little tired towards the end. Got up to the pontoon and stopped a while under the showers to wash off all the salt water.
Swim to Bike Transition
I collected my Bike bag, headed into the tent, put on my helmet, dried my feet and stuffed some gels into my back pocket. It was at this time that I realised I forgot to start my Polar timer. Bummer! I asked for the swim time quickly and was promptly told by a fellow competitor that I did a 1:18 swim. It ended up being a 1:20 eventually. I saw a friend, Loke entering a couple of seconds after me. Got out of the tent nearly 3 mins later and ran up to the rack to dismount my bike.
Bike Leg – 180km
I rode out of the transition area at a steady pace. Just after passing the Seaview Hotel (official race hotel), one of my Accelerade bottles fell of my cage after I hit some rough patches on the road. I thought for a while if I should go back and pick it up but decided against it as I figured electrolyte drinks were going to be available at every bike aid station. However it certainly didn’t make me feel secure with one bottle down! I made my way up the first 2 slopes with relative ease. Hit the first U-turn and headed up the 10 degree slope, slowing almost to a crawl. I had difficulty getting into the right cadence and for some reason, my legs didn’t quite feel as light. I rode through the first loop averaging 19km/h. This was way off my usual training speed of 28-30km/h and I was getting a tad bit concerned about the pace I was riding at but I reminded myself to be patient with the first loop. It would have been unwise to hammer early into the ride and blow up on the final loop. I was also experiencing terrible discomfort with a nagging back ache which didn’t allow me to get into the aero position much.
I took in fluids and got the gels and salt tablets in, making sure to follow strictly to my nutrition plan – 1 gel every 45 mins / 1 salt tablet every 30mins. I felt good on the second loop and decided to make up for lost time on the first lap by hitting the down slops fast and using the momentum to keep a fast cadence on the flats. It worked well and I was doing between 32km/h – 35km/h. I was constantly stretching my back to ease the back ache and it was getting better. I hit a short climb before the roundabout and shifted to my small gears to ascend better. For some reason my chain suddenly came off the crank and I had to stop midway up slope to get it back onto the chain ring. I lost some time there and it was quite a challenge getting up the slope with the momentum now lost. I had to push with one leg up to gain some speed while quickly getting that same leg back into the cleat to pedal up the slope. I managed to only succeed on the third try! The return journey wasn’t as smooth going either. I didn’t managed to get any bottles filled with water at some aid stations and then... horror of horrors... I was going down a particular slope when my race belt fell off! I only had a split second to decide whether to stop and pick it up or continue my journey without it. I didn’t want to run the risk of being disqualified or not having my number recorded down so I hit the brakes hard, got off my bike and ran back to pick it up. It was a good 30 m away and it wasn’t easy running on the tarmac with cleats!! I quickly strapped the belt back on and made sure to tie several knots round the clip to prevent it from coming lose again. I lost yet some more time there and was hoping all the hard work put in earlier would not be lost.
It was a nice relief turning into the final loop as I knew I was going to finish in approximately 2 hours. I stopped for my Special Needs bag and took a pear and banana. A refreshing change from the gels =) I tried going at the pace I did in the second loop but someone my legs wouldn’t allow me too. It was getting really hot and I was pouring water over my body and helmet to cool off. I was surprised at overtaking some riders with really expensive set-ups and aero helmets. I even saw some walking up the slopes with their bikes. It reinforced my belief that fancy bikes and sexy looks don’t win a race. Strong riders do, and aesthetics? Well, I guess it does make the win sweeter!
It was a nice relief to finally hit the roundabout and head down the Lisram Highway. This was going to be a nice 20km journey back to the transition point. There were no climbs and a couple of nice down slopes and flats so I stepped up gear and rode between 33km/h - 35km/h. I reached the final 5km and saw a good number of people midway into their run leg. It got a bit demoralising when the numbers seemed like a few hundred. It made me pedal harder down to the bike chute and get into my running shoes as quickly as possible. I did a 6:12 bike leg and was rather satisfied with my performance.
Bike to Run Transition
I stopped at the dismount line and they channeled me into the time penalty waiting zone. A staff came up to me and held on to my bike. I looked at him and wondered if he was going to serve me a time penalty. I never recalled being shown a yellow card while on the bike so I held on to my Cervelo. 10 secs passed, nothing moved and then it started to feel awkward when the whole world began staring at me. Finally, I looked back in bewilderment and told the staff I didn’t get a time penalty. THEN, he replied coolly, “Yea I know, we want to bring your bicycle to the transition area.” At that moment I wished the ground beneath me would just open up and swallow me. In total embarrassement, I released my bike and did a hurried tip-toe dance (b'cos of the cleats!) into the transition tent. Inside, it felt like an oven and there were at least 15 people sitting down, taking their time to change. I took my time too and applied some sun block before heading out of the tent. It was a hot, hot day and the heat meant I needed to pace myself well for the run. I realised only after the race that I took 6 mins for my transition! I really wonder what I was doing inside...
Run Leg - 42.2km
I started the run conservatively, taking time to get into my rhythm. I passed by Shirley and Huimei early and it was encouraging to see them cheering you on in the final leg of the race. The first 8 km took us up a gradual slope and we hit the U-turn at the end of it. The sensors were located there and it was a nice relief to run through it each time. The run was blazing hot and I had to stop at each aid station to douse myself with cold water. I didn’t know how long each lap was b’cos the signage was confusing but it certainly felt longer than the 5km written in the handbook. The first lap went well and I felt strong, averaging 12.1km/h. The heat started taking its toll on me and I felt myself melting away in the second lap. I slowed down a bit to try and conserve some energy and spent more time at each aid station cooling off and getting some more water and electrolytes in. I was desperately trying to find ways to keep my body temperature down b’cos the last thing I wanted was to blow up due to heat exhaustion. I desperately tried all ‘cooling-off’ methods possible:
1) Stuffing cold, wet sponges into my tri suit and shoulder straps
2) Dousing myself with ice water over and over again
3) Sucking on ice
4) Splashing cold water down my thighs and calves
5) Keeping ice in my cap
It did provide some temporary relief from the scorching sun. It was blistering hot, believe me. I started on the second lap running slightly slower (11.6km/h) and feeling the full effects of the mid-day sun. I was getting exhausted and was already thinking of walking the entire last lap. My third lap was an absolute crawl and it was about at this time that I hit the wall and began focusing on running from aid station to aid station. I knew I was doing a terrible pace (9.53km/h) but I was just glad to be able to keep moving. By now, I was getting familiar with my surroundings and running to each marker helped psychologically in pressing ahead. I took in some coke along the way but somehow it didn’t go down well with me. Throughout the race I thought I was experiencing stomach indigestion as I lost my appetite for anything (including gels) and had spells of dizziness and felt like throwing up. I kept my composure each time, focused on my rhythm and prayed that I could last the final lap.
The sun was beginning to set as I started my final loop and it felt much cooler. I was beginning to enjoy the run more now. Psychologically, it also helped when I realised I was running with my third wrist band – a white one which meant I was on the home stretch. I made my final turnabout and was all psyched up to finish the final 8km strong. Then I realised my Oakleys fell off my cap! It was a lousy feeling to leave behind a $250+ pair of shades so I decided to backtrack to search for it. Thank God someone was holding on to it at the nearby aid station. I must have dropped it when I was dousing myself with water. It’s disheartening to know you’ve lost some more time again but I put it behind me quickly and stepped up my pace. I made the final turn into Seaview Hotel and was now running side-by-side an ang moh. We did our calculations and figured we could come in under 13hrs. So we pushed ourselves and then my right calve started cramping. I told the American to go ahead and I took out my Deep Heat sachet as I knew it could work some magic. The heat loosened up the tightness in my calf and I broke into a fast stride.
Finishing Chute
I managed to catch up with the American and was running on pure adrenalin. I hit the red carpet and it was a sprint down the finishing chute! Shirley and Huimei were on the left cheering and I went up the ramp with arms raised in victory. It was an awesome feeling and certainly one that felt very special. I was exhausted and sat down for a moment to catch my breadth. Then it came to me. I realised a dream was fulfilled that very night. I joined ranks with ordinary people all over the world who raced an Ironman to prove that no barrier is too difficult to overcome.
On that night, the 24th of Feburary, I became part of a special family of athletes. They are known as - the Ironman athletes.
Fishmonger
Fishmonger
posted by Fishmonger at 4:22 PM
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