I thought today would be a good day to post a shortened version of my husbands race report from last year which gives a brief of overview of the course and his experience of the day.
As we know, depending on the weather, it could be very different this year. Also, the swim course route has changed, start time is later so no swimming in the dark and now the run loop at the beginning is an extra 1km so finish line is at St.Kilda Gardens not out front of the St.Kilda Baths.
Enjoy the read - and if this is your first Melbourne Ironman and you have any questions, fire away, he would be happy to answer.
SWIM
Ironman Melbourne swim
course is located in Frankston, which is 42km south of the finish line in
St.Kilda. This is unique as Melbourne presents the only “point to point” run
course on the Ironman circuit.
The course is not without
a few logistical challenges as bike check in on Saturday afternoon in Frankston
requires a return trip of approx 80kms for the majority of competitors who
based themselves in St. Kilda.
Buses to Frankston were
arranged by the race organisers for Saturday bike check in and Sunday race
morning. We jumped on a bus 4:45am Sunday morning and arrived in Frankston
approx 40min later.
Race morning check in
went smoothly, I spent less than 10min setting up my bike before taking the
weight off my legs to prepare for the day ahead.
The Swim start was out of
the ordinary as a large number of swimmers decided they were good to go before
the gun fired! I was swimming to the start line when I saw the field take off
so hit the start button on my watch and got amongst it.
The swim course starts in
front of the Frankston pier and is rectangular with 1.6kms to the first turning
buoy. Compared to other Ironman swims I had minimal contact except for a rogue
kick to the side of my head, which came out of nowhere. A bit more than half
way through the swim I noticed my hands then arms go numb. This has not
happened before but lesson learnt re wearing a sleeveless wetsuit in Port
Phillip Bay!
Bike
As usual it was frantic
stripping off the wetsuit and putting on helmet etc for the ride. I had packed
arm warmers and a vest to wear over my race singlet but decide against putting
them on, as I wanted to get on the bike ASAP. BIG mistake! I spent the next
90min the coldest I’ve been in a race. My fingers were next to useless so I was
changing gears with the back of my hand.
Ironman Melbourne bike
course takes place on the Eastlink Freeway, which is a mostly flat road with a
few undulations and a 2km hill going into a tunnel at the turn around. You
can stay in the big chain ring climbing both sides. The road surface is
excellent and with slight winds on Sunday, times were fast.
I was able to set a fairly high pace on the bike with
speeds in excess of 40km/h on the flats for the first 2 hours, completing the
first 90km lap in 2:20. I watched my SRM hit some pretty high numbers but
didn’t feel I was stepping into the abyss so kept it rolling.
Overall the bike course is fast if not windy and has lots of false flats.
Overall the bike course is fast if not windy and has lots of false flats.
Run
The first 2kms of the run
course is an out and back section, which is the only time during the marathon
where you see other competitors running towards you. After the first 2kms the
course follows The Bay north to St.Kilda. The number of spectators on the
course was great with plenty of encouragement and funny comments along the way.
Good mates had bikes and rode the marathon course, which meant every 5, or 10, kms I
had them giving it to me as only mates can! My wife was in a car, which meant I
was also receiving some loving support. The other option for supporters to
follow their triathlete was via a bus that could drop you off at ‘live’ sites
at approx every 10km.
The run course is flat
for the first 23kms. From 23kms to 34kms there are a series of long undulations
that feel anything but easy to run in a fatigued state. I ran the first 21kms
in 1:35 feeling good. At the 25km mark, running up a short hill from The Bay to
the road it was as though someone dropped a small car on my back. Two runners
that I had passed went by during the next kilometer and I felt like I was going
backwards. We like to tell ourselves to “Eat the Pain” but every step was agony
and I still had 17 bloody kms to run!
I had to block the
thought of another 90mins of tortured running out of my head so I focused on
staying relaxed with good form and running 6 feet in front of me over and over
and over. Getting through to 35kms
the wheels were starting to fall off.
Coming to the 40km mark I
saw two competitors ahead of me, and from the look of them they were in my
crusty age group! Having previously missed going to Hawaii Ironman by one
finish place
I didn’t want it to
happen again so dug in and passed them with one running behind me for a few
hundred meters until I didn’t hear his laboured breathing any longer.
Fortunately they were more stuffed than me so I managed to shuffle by.
Then at last… I was in
the final 500m. The crowd was massive, music pumping, people screaming and I
heard my name a few times but I wasn’t going to relax and enjoy it as I sensed
another competitor was approaching so I did a final burst to get across the
line. Mates who were at the finish line told me later I was imagining the
afore mentioned runner but I checked the results and some dude was 6 seconds
behind me!
The race was not easy but
I managed a 30min PB, which qualified me for a start in the Hawaii Ironman in October.
The Organisation
As a first event in
an urban setting this race was bound to offer some strategic challenges for the
organisers. We loved it being in Melbourne, which is renowned for it’s great cafes
and shops. The expo was in a huge circus like tent that sat right next to the
bay. The finish line was positioned between the beach and restaurants. These
restaurants hosted the carbo and award dinners and they converted the expo tent
into a huge theatre for the awards night, which worked well.
The weather was changing
by the day (note to bring layers of clothes including warm jacket) with an 80km
hour northerly (headwind for entire marathon) on the Thursday. However, the weather
gods smiled on us on race day with light winds on the bike and run.
Looking back at all the
other Ironman events we have attended this one was a cut-above anything we have
experienced – apart from Hawaii. We will definitely be back for more. Well done
to the organisers!
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