Race Report
The Ford California Ironman 70.3 race was my opener for the 2008 season and served as a great early season incentive for getting out on the bike and early morning club swims during the winter. I flew out to LA on Easter Monday before the Saturday race and intended to get a bit of warm weather training in before the race itself. Bike and luggage transport was without problem and by Tuesday morning, I was getting some warm and sunny miles on the west coast just north of San Diego. Weather was generally in the high teens Celsius with a light shore breeze accompanied by occasional patches of cloud.
I did not really time adjust so found myself ‘sleeping in’ to 4am in the morning (11am Irish time). On a few mornings, I went for a light run as dawn broke. Not wanting to do too much training, I also managed a bit of shopping at the very favourable US exchange rate (Niall Mc I have a decent lightweight race cap you asked for and StevenM I have your, ahem, ….videos) and also managed a trip to see the Pandas at the famous San Diego zoo.
On Thursday, I went to the Race expo and collected a set of race day rental wheels. For $140 plus $20 insurance, I rented a pair of (brand new) Zipp 808 tubulars and got a few test miles on the new wheels that afternoon. They felt quite quick!
I registered on Friday and was processed quite quickly. USA Triathlon granted me a one day license to race for $10 (making the Irish one day license of €15 look extortionate) and after signing away most of my rights to everything, I got my race number and accreditations. Interestingly there was no ‘official’ race briefing. The last stage of registration involved watching a home made movie of the race director giving some guidance as to what to expect. No mention of drafting or wearing a helmet or not touching your bike without having your helmet on etc! Presumably anyone doing a 70.3 race should know all this already! We were warned about one section of the bike on a fast descent where there was a mandatory speed restriction and no overtaking rule due to a sharp(ish) corner at the end. The organisers had a speed gun with a dot-matrix display showing your speed and immediate DQ if you exceeded 25mph. In last year’s race 17 athletes were DQ’d for speeding on this descent so they meant business!
On race day, I rose at 4.30AM and had the usual porridge and bananas meal. My hotel was located only a 5 min ride from T1 so I arrived down (in the dark) at 6am and set up my gear. The place was bussing with over 1,900 athletes with the first wave (Male Professionals) off at 6.40am followed by a wave every 3 minutes. All swimmers gathered in a chute behind a volunteer carrying a shoulder high banner indicating the waver number and swim cap colour. All very efficient! Bang on 6.40am the first wave set off. I was in wave 7 and entered the water at 7.00am for a 7.03am start time along with another 100 or so swimmers. Dawn had broken 10 mins earlier but it would be a while for the dim light to be replaced by the normal sunshine service.
Oceanside is a small town 30 miles north of San Diego with a large Naval base located to its north. The harbour contains lots of big yachts and is protected from the main ocean by a harbour wall across the mouth of the bay. The swim would be an out and back route to just short of the protective wall. Hence the early part of the swim was in the main channel of the yacht berthing area and the turnaround was in a more exposed and deeper section of water approx 950 metres away.
I entered the water down a slipway and swam the 100m to the startline. The pulse quickened knowing that this would be my longest swim to date followed also by unknown territory for the bike and run sections. 30 seconds warning. I felt prepared knowing the sessions Jack and Chantal had put us through in the previous 20 weeks. 20 seconds. I’d also tested out my wetsuit in the hotel pool a few days earlier so as to get used to the floating feeling and the shoulder restrictions. Piranha Swim cap under my official race cap with goggle straps secured. 10 seconds. Water feels good. Not too cold, like a good summers evening in Seapoint. Hooter sounds and we’re off.
I got into a reasonable rhythm quite soon and was not affected much by other swimmers. Sighting was not really a problem since it was a reasonably straight course and large coloured buoys we positioned every 100m. As I approached the turning point, the waves coming from my left started to become bigger and sighting became more difficult. I was reminded of the Mullaghmore 2007 race although that had worse conditions but I was grateful for having that experience under the belt. Around the turning buoy and headed back. I had started to pass some of the swimmers in the wave ahead of me as identified by the colour of the hats but was also being overtaken by those in waves behind me. Sighting was a little difficult on the return leg as we were heading directly into the rising sun which had just crept over the horizon. However, I managed to follow a pair of legs into the jetty area of the harbour which represented the last stage of the swim. I exited the water without looking at the time (split of 38 mins) and up into the transition area. I remember asking myself the question “Could I have done another swim lap?” and thinking that I probably could have.
Westuit off and after a little drying down, I put on a pair or cycling shorts and the club cycling top before starting off to the exit of T1. I had not cycled the bike course before because most of it was inaccessible due to it being inside a US Military base (Camp Pendleton). [For any film buffs reading, this was the camp used for the early scenes in the recent film JARHEAD] Roads were closed for most of the race and the surface was generally excellent with smooth tarmac and asphalt. Any potholes or other hazards like bumps or ramps were circled with red paint. I kept the Zipp wheels turning for the first hour as we headed north along the coast. I had a little time to enjoy the view out over the ocean and also to give thanks that it was not too warm. There were well resources aid stations every 15 miles dispensing gels, Gatorade and water. I cycled through these without stopping but always managed to get a 500ml bottle of Gatorade, take a few swiggs and deposit the remainder into the front bar mounted drink receptacle. My watch was set to sound an alarm at 20 minute intervals to remind me to eat so I munched through three powerbars in the course of the bike leg.
I had only one cause for stopping during the race. On a reasonable fast curve section, I hit a ridge in the road which rattled the bike sufficiently to dislodge my spare tubular from its mounting. I stopped and recovered the tube since I’d be finished if I punctured later in the race. As I retrieved the tubular from the road, I was surprised to see at least a couple of other tubulars lying on the road, some with Co2 canisters attached!! I hope their owners didn’t need them later. The road was also littered with the little yellow plastic meshes that you put onto the popular ‘Profile’ front drinks bottle. I remembered losing one of these in the Fingal sprint last year after hitting a pothole!
After 30k, we turned east and headed inland into Camp Pendleton. My cycle computer showed my average speed to date at 31.2k per hour which I was pleased with. However, there were a few climbs ahead and also the wind was picking up. At 40k we faced the first climb where I witnessed something I have never seen before in a race, Competitors dismounting and pushing their bikes up the hill! It did not look too severe as I approached it but it was a bit of a struggle to get up. I dropped into my 39/25 ratio and got out of the saddle (staying in was not an option) and bludgeoned my way up. I remember going past a guy with a disk rear wheel! Now there is a first! Finally got to the top and then changed into the 52/12 and benefited from the smooth tarmac to get up to a max speed of 62km/h on the descent. Computer now showed my average speed had dropped to 29.8 km/hr. The climb had taken its toll.
The next 30k was into a headwind and also a gradual climb from 200ft to 800ft so the speed suffered. If there was a low point in the race, this was it. I thought the bike profile suggested that there was another sharp climb ahead but it was more of a gradual drag. I kept waiting for the next big climb but it never materialised. I reached the second descent with the speed restriction and managed to stay just at the 25 mpg limit. I could see the road rolling out over small hills in the distance but in the main it was down hill from here. More aid stations populated by army recruits in combat fatigues giving out Gatorade and I was now heading back to T2. I found my mind was rambling a bit during the 3 hour bike. I amused myself by looking at other athletes seeing what wheels they were using or choice of storage of spare tubes/drinks etc. At bodymarking, your age was written on your left calf so this was also an item of amusement when passing other athletes!.
The day was starting to get a bit warmer with the sun now high in the sky. I picked up the pace towards the end of the bike leg. I’d say I managed to stay aero for 70% of the flat sections of the race but did need to stand up and stretch the lower back every few minutes. I arrived back into T2 which was by now a hive of activity. A large crowd had gathered and they served up quite a din of ‘You’re the Man’ and other words of encouragement. In the back of my mind, I had a fear of the run since I had not done much running prep as part of the winter and that the run would be held during the warmest part of the day.
Using one of the many porta-loos located in transition (Irish race organisers take note!) I changed into a full piece suit tri suit, put some body-glide on my feet and donned my usual smart-wool run socks. Throughout the whole race, my motto had been ‘Nothing Stupid’. I realised that I was in a far off place without the support network that I’d normally have and having to get medical/emergency assistance etc might delay or make more difficult my return to Ireland. I put on my fuel belt and run hat and headed out of T2 with a half marathon left. Into the unknown.
The run course was and out and back course which was repeated once. It proceeded all the way down the seafront promenade for 3 miles. Aid stations were positioned every mile and my strategy was to walk through each one and take on fluid. Even though I could feel an increase in the heat level, I found my running legs almost immediately and felt strong. Some of my preparation had been 50 minute turbo bike sessions at home followed by a 20 minute run and this was appearing to pay off.
After 600m a guy on a mountain bike came against me in the opposite direction. On the front of his bike there was a placard showing “3rd Female” and he was duly followed by a female athlete looking the worse for wear with GBR and her name on the front of her tri suit. This would be me in a couple of hours I thought (and hoped!).
The first mile marker appeared in front of me and it said ‘7’. Ahh that would be on the next lap! I ran through the first few aid stations, drinking what I could whilst keeping moving. The run up the promenade was kind of enjoyable as I felt that this was really how triathlon races should be held i.e. good weather, scenic locations and large supportive crowds. I reached the turnaround point in what seemed quite short time and headed back. I was thinking that the next time I’d be at this point in the race, it would be for the last time. Still felt strong. By now, I developed a routine of walking through each aid station, drinking a bit from the cup being given to me and depositing the remainder in a small drinks bottle which I carried in my hand. Between each aid station, I’d sip from the drinks bottle and time it so that it ran out just as I reached the next one. The routine seemed to be working.
One thing I noticed on the run was the number of athletes who were competing using prosthetic limbs. I encountered at least five such athletes and there must have been more. I understand that these races are very keen to facilitate participation by less able bodied athletes and seeing these fellow competitors battle both the course and their own disability and succeed gave me a little boost.
By now I was nearly back at T2 but had another lap (6.5 miles) to go. I knew that this would be a low point as I could see some other athletes heading onto the finish whereas I’d have another lap. However, it proved not to be too much of a downer and before I knew it I was back out on the second lap and heading up the promenade for the second and final time. 2 Years ago when I first ran the Dublin marathon, I adopted the ‘Jeff Galloway’ method of running a fixed distance and then walking a small period of time. This method is credited with reducing fatigue and recovery times and also prolonging endurance. I was now implementing this in a form and it was paying off. I still felt strong at the final turn around point and thought maybe to pick up the pace. However, I remembered the ‘Nothing Stupid’ mantra and stuck to my regime. Down the promenade for the last time and thought ‘just a mile to go’. At a water station 700m from the finish line, I still continued to take on fluid. No prizes for being a hero I thought.
Finally, I was heading down a small incline toward the Finish. I passed the turn around point for those having another lap but sped straight through and onto the finishing straight. This was approx 150m long and was lined with spectators 3 deep, together with all the advertising hoarding and paraphernalia associated with a race finish. There was no other athlete within 20m of me so the race announcer had plenty of time to announce in the usual ‘hammed up way’ that ‘Patrick Grealy, all the way from I-er-land’ was now finishing. The stewards also hastily placed the finishing ribbon across the finish line and with a punch to the air, the ribbon gathered around my waist and I was now finished, half an Ironman! Seconds later I stopped my watch and looked at it for the first time all day. It read 5h 56min with a half marathon split of 1h 55min which was a result since I’d have settled for anything under six hours at the off.
Almost immediately I was given a finisher t-shirt and baseball cap and was offered water and other drinks. I felt kind’a elated but there was something missing. I entered the feeding tent which was located close to the finish and was feeling quite good. There was plenty of pizza, bread, fruit and drinks with lots of helpers to dispense whatever food you wanted. I got a few items and sat down at the available tables with probably 250 other athletes. They were exchanging stories of how they coped with various aspects of the race. This was when I realised that I was missing Anne, the camaraderie of my club mates and my family with whom I could discuss the race and how we battled the course, conditions and our inner wills. I then realised that I was indeed a long way from home and in (in some ways at least) a strange land.
I picked up my bike and gear from transition and returned to the hotel, depositing my rental race wheels en-route. The people at Race Day Wheel rentals were interested in how I got on and it was good to chat to them as they reinstalled the cassette onto my own rear wheel. It turns out that the guy did this race last year and lost his tubular on a bumpy section of the road!
The return journey started the following day and was largely uneventful except that I was stopped in customs in the new Terminal 5 due to me having a bike in a bike box. Once the officer saw the state of the interior of my bike box together with the aroma of unwashed tri gear, I was waived on my way without delay or further searches (just as well ehh Steven?)
All told, I was delighted with the trip and the race. It was very well organised and the location and weather are hard to beat (as was the $200 entry fee). San Diego is the home of triathlon and it is good to sample one of their local races at least once in a competitive lifetime. I later realised that the field consisted of some of the best pros in the game and was won by Andy Potts (USA) in a time of just under 4 hours. The guy who won Athy Olympic last year from France was seventh. Anyone going long in 2009 and wants an early season adventure as an incentive to getting out during the Irish winter, Iroman 70.3 California should be on your short list. Back for more in July!
