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Ironman 70.3 – Austria – St Polten – Sunday 24th May 2008 Photo Albums: What a fantastic time we had !! Up till the day before the event, it was still unsure whether we would be racing under buckets of water or under the blazing sun. It seemed all the weather forecasts had decided to contradict each others all the way through : rain sun sun rain thunder storms, whatever… Last minute stops at the bike shops included rain-tyres, sun cream and waterproof cycling jackets ! Prepared as best as we could, we headed up to the event with excitement and great curiosity. Long distance multi-sports events were new to most of us. The only detail which went against us is that, for some unknown reason, all our bike-computers had become autistic or mute after the 3h flight from Greece. We resolved to race without them and let our legs tell us how we were doing (but for Huib who got himself a new one and you’ll see out why it was essential). Harry came up to meet the team while we were mounting our bikes on the most disorderly fashion on the car park, surrounded by an incredible mess of tools, wrapping papers, spare parts and else. The news he was proudly bringing was good : his son Ismael has just been crowned IronKid in the morning, with a very encouraging 14th place in the event ! Looking at the grin of satisfaction on Ismael’s face, we couldn’t wait anymore… The adults’ race day finally arrived and off we went, to the lakes, under a generous morning sun and bright blue sky. Nothing wrong could happen, no nerves, we all seemed fairly relaxed and ready for the day ahead.
Having started in wave 5, Huib got out of the water with one thing on his mind : EAT THEM ALL !! Clocking at 36.5k/h on a challenging bike course including two long hills, he had the pleasure to pass all of us, with a smile ! The thing is, by the time we caught our breath to shout “Hop Hop Hop, Huib, Keep going !” he was already out of sight, making us take a quick look at our bikes to ensure the breaks were not on. It seemed Huib was on a mission to make us feel miserable, passing some of us on the run… when finishing his 2nd lap, jogging at an easy 13.5k/h pace while we were merely dragging ourselves on the first lap ! The bike didn’t agree so much with all of us. After an astonishing good swim, Alex had to walk his bike for a few km and lay on the grass to stretch a sour back. Then Nancy, who similarly had a good swim, started to feel the heat after her knee injury woke up on the way to the first hill. Most of us were taken by surprise at the length and gradient of the bike hills, which appeared to be much worse than they looked on the diagram… Isaak’s GPS record of the race will soon tell us whether our perception was fooled by fatigue or not ! The run course was pretty nice and unusual, most of it being on flat trail, by the river of St Polten, with 2 passages only through spectators-populated places. That’s were Markos decided that, having done a good swim and good bike course, it was time to relax a bit and go for a walk ! Similarly, Dimitris and Petros experienced substantial physical breakdown by the time they started the run, albeit for different reasons. While Dimitris suffered from lack of brick training in his preparation, Petros had the unpleasant surprise to meet again with an old knee injury and pain slowed him down badly at the second lap. Untired and smiling all the way, Leonidas trotted off to the finish in a comfortable pace, legs fatigue not settling in before well into km 16 ! Stephane and Aris beer’s therapy seemed to have done a good job, both of them posting more or less the targeted time they set themselves to achieve with no major breakdown or else to report. Transitions were a bit of a convoluted task for anyone not too familiar with the process and the impediment of not being able to set our gear by the bikes. We had to actually pick our bag, change from wetsuit to bike gear including helmet and shoes in a tent, then go pick up our bike. Marie foolishly grab her bag in a hurry after the swim, and was surprised that her feet had swollen so much that her blue bike-shoes didn’t fit anymore. Until she realised she never had blue bike-shoes, and this was not her bag. The most amazing performer of the group was still on the run by the time we all finished. He started the swim 45mn after the first ones. Giving up was not an option. The efforts that Harry had to sustain in order to reach the finish line, were much harder and longer than what any of us went through in the day. And much more lonely, having started in the slowest and most remote wave from anybody else. Nearly 8 hours (7h55 precisely) of continuous, sustained and lonely effort, pushing himself to his limits, trying and giving his best shot… We were so proud to be in his team, what a great inspiration… He arrived at the finish line, greated as a hero, smiling and composed as ever, with a good word for everyone as always. The austrian television rushed to get an interview, amazed by what kept him going, and how happy and fresh he appeared to be.
Going through this event together was an amazing experience. Mix of nationalities, cultures, sport backgrounds, age categories, .. The organisation went smooth, we didn’t have to worry about a thing, and the group-trip seemed to have had an incredible relaxing effect on us all. No pre-race nerves to report… no anxiety… no panic or else… Just 14 guys on their way to achieveing the same goal ! And we did it with a smile ! The next day was for relaxation and … the only thing on our mind was: and now, what’s next ?? We hope our “team” will grow bigger and that more of you will join us in this fantastic experience of getting there together… May you be inspired and join us for our next challenge! Aloha!
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Waves start meant the youngest had to set off first. Sarah and Markos were among the first wave, and well…, I suppose anyone familiar with the Schiniathlon saga won’t be too surprised that “The Canadian” posted… the 50th Swim time of the event ?? Pro included ?? In an international field of… 1500 swimmers ???? Oh, and Alex posted 58th time, just 9 seconds behind Sarah… Not a bad start for the team, eh ?!
