Mikey Lynch – Ironman Cork 70.3

Background

My journey to Ironman Cork began in May 2021 when two friends of mine had signed up to Knock Me Down adventure race in Tipperary. I had never heard of an adventure race nor did I own a bike at the time but I was up for the challenge. The next couple of months progressed quickly and I made the necessary purchases such as a bike and some basic gear to get me through the race. Race day arrived and I had a blast, the rush of endorphins throughout the race and the sense of achievement when I crossed the finish line, I was hooked!! The next couple of weeks resulted in me spending way too much time on YouTube watching videos on triathlon and endurance sports. A friend who also developed an interest in triathlon mentioned Ironman Cork 2022 entries were opening soon. The seed was planted and we both signed up for Ironman Cork 70.3!

A couple of weeks had passed since my spontaneous decision to sign up for Cork and training had not gone to plan. Having a previous background in team sports, I knew I would enjoy training in groups so I spent time researching triathlon clubs in Dublin. One club stood out – Piranha!

The next couple of months involved me learning how to swim, I went from not been able to swim 25m without stopping to breath, to swimming 4000m on Saturday mornings. I also managed to spend a sizable amount of my pay check each month on *essential* triathlon equipment. I can only thank the folks at each club session who showed me their shiny new purchases which made me jealous. During the summer of 2022, I competed in the clubs National Series race schedule and this helped build me up for the 70.3 distance. Starting with a couple of sprint distance triathlons and building up to Olympic distance. I was starting to feel confident that I could complete the race and a couple of long Sunday cycles with the club and brick (run straight after a bike ride) sessions helped build that endurance base needed to complete the challenge.

Race Week

Accommodation was scarce in Youghal so my Dad and I travelled down from Dublin in his campervan on Thursday afternoon. We pitched up the campervan on the beachfront and there was a real buzz around the town. Ireland was basking in a heatwave so Youghal felt like somewhere in the south of Spain with temps in the mid-20s. The next morning I got up early, went for a quick swim and finished off with a short cycle around the town. It was time to check out both transition areas and set up my equipment. That’s when I got see Windmill Hill for the first time and the pictures or stories didn’t do it justice.  Excitement was starting to build and this brought some nervous energy especially after seeing the hill for the first time but as I started to meet more people from the club this kept me pretty relaxed. The hard work was done so now all that I had left to do was sleep before the big day!

Race Day

Alarm goes off at 4am – nervous energy has set in so I have to force water and food in to me before making my way down to transition. Meeting lots of people from the club along the way helps keep my mind busy before we all make our way to the swim start. I was getting photos with my family and managed to miss the start of the race, wouldn’t be like me to miss a photo opportunity! Quickly run to the swim entry and see the 40 min sign in the distance, I’ve messed up! I tell myself to ignore the mistake and get on with it. The swim went really well considering I started swimming 9 months previous, 34 minutes, couldn’t believe it when I saw the time on my watch! I like to take my time in transition and this was no different in Cork, eventually I managed to get on my bike and begin the 90km leg.

 I was briefed by the more experienced guys in the club to drink and eat frequently, ideally every 30 minutes. I was stocked up on Cliff bars and Tailwind along with the occasional stop at aid stations for a banana. The first 50km was really enjoyable and my average speed was a lot higher than planned. I was a little worried that maybe I pushed too hard and the adrenaline would fade away but my race style of go hard and see what happens was in motion so there was no stopping now. Over the course of the 90km, I managed to pass a few Piranhas and give them words of encouragement! Once I passed the 70km mark I knew the climbing was finished and my mind began to focus on Windmill Hill. I never completed a course recce so I didn’t know for sure if I would make it up the hill! I took it easy for the final 10km and made sure the legs were fresh for the challenge. The roar from the crowd as I cycled on the road prior to turning the corner for the hill was deafening! I told myself to keep the head down and peddle like f*ck! It worked a treat, as I made it to the top! Seeing the crowds move out of your way as you climb is something I won’t forget in a hurry. It is the closest I will get to feeling like a rider in the Tour De France going up one of the famous climbs. My target was to go under 3hrs for the bike and I completed the bike in 2hrs 48 minutes – Mission Complete

The run should have been my strongest leg and coming out of transition I looked at my watch and could see 3hr 32min had elapsed so my mind started to think…Is it possible to go sub 5hrs?! This idea was quickly crushed as I descended the hill into the town, leg cramps set in and they were not fun. Quick pitstop to stretch, fuel up and drink water helped ease the pain. I settled into a pace that was a little slower than what I had planned but felt manageable. I was on course to finish comfortably ahead of my target time, If I could prevent myself from imploding. The heat was something else and this made the run really challenging and I was finding it hard to maintain a decent pace. Luckily this changed as at the first turnaround point, I could see Eric, Danielle and Caroline ahead of me and decided to set myself some targets to catch. This made the run a little easier and helped keep me focused when the mind was starting to wander. First up was Eric, at the 10km mark I passed him and there was no time to stop. A quick hello and goodbye before setting my sights on the two girls ahead. A couple of km later I managed to pass the girls and at this stage I couldn’t see any more Piranha’s to chase down. The sprinklers locals had set up every couple km were a godsend and helped keep me relatively cool. I tried my best to enjoy the support and atmosphere on the course for the last couple of km but the extreme heat and body pains were not ideal. The last 2km was a blur and I was running on fumes but once I reached the red carpet I made sure to high five each person and soak up the atmosphere one last time before crossing the magic finish line. The sense of the achievement that I had when I crossed the line for my first adventure race in 2020 was there again but this time the feeling was a little bit better! Finishing up with a time of 5hrs and 9 min after a 1hr 37 min half marathon.

For anyone like me, who is new to the sport, don’t let fear hold you back! Join a club, it’s great fun and it’s also a lot easier to train in a group. The advice from the coaches and experienced club members will help develop and improve you as an athlete. I’m already signed up for Ironman Cork 2023 and looking forward to racing around Cork again!