Ironman 70.3 Mallorca

I registered last year to be part of the Black Line London “special place in the sun” - its birthplace on the island of Mallorca - and have a nice warm race before concentrating on the final preparations for Ironman UK in July.

Having raced the Portocolom 111 triathlon 4 weeks ago, with a very good result, I was expecting to do reasonably well for the 70.3, but being realistic that this race is usually pretty fast, and with a massive field. Realistically, the top spots were out of reach (with top 10 in 30-34 last year all being faster than 4h30') but recent swim tests and a reasonable progression through the winter in the other two disciplines also indicated that I shouldn’t do too badly, if I could muster the hot run with little heat adaptation.

Getting to transition for 6:30 am wasn’t too bad, and the usual butterflies made me smile. That’s race morning for me: a bit of apprehension, a lot of excitement and the general calm before the storm. After the usual bike final prep with shoes, nutrition and wishing a great race to the few I saw in the biggest transition zone on earth, I headed to the beach for a bit of a warmup, then watch the pros and ladies get on their way before joining the start pen.

I found myself very close to the front of my wave, right on the left, on the second row. That’s now more by habit than a very conscious decision, but it’s the best thing to do for me. Still being an “average” swimmer (relative to my overall results), the first 200m sprint was painful to get into my stroke, but to my surprise, I got clear water pretty much from the start. Waves starts, and dividing some AGs in halves, probably helped. A few taps on the toes here and there, and a few athletes swimming into me (or the other way around!) were really the biggest troubles I had through a swim that I was expecting to be a lot harder. I rounded the buoys feeling strong, swimming straight, and catching up people from the previous waves. The way back to shore was completed pretty much alone, except for one crazy fast swimmer on whose feet I tried to jump on. But the speed difference was so great that in two strokes, he was gone… I still have some work to do!

The very shallow water made the exit fun with a bit of dolphin diving. 30'59" at my watch over the timing mat. Feck. Really! I had swum twice at almost 30' dead in the pool over the two previous weeks, so I was hoping to go sub 30 in salty water with a wetsuit… I still have to convert pool speed to OWS speed, but I’ll take that!

On my way to T1, I got massive cheers from Guillem’s girlfriend (a local friend) and other supporters recognising the Black Line London kit which was great to push through the long transition. Long in distance, but well managed. It’s impressive to realise how far I’ve come from the first races I did back in 2008, where I had a crazy amount of stuff in my T1 bag… Now: glasses, helmet, run to get the bike, done! I was blocked a little bit by some slow-pokes skating around on their shoes cleats, but nothing major and I was soon in my element, starting my come-back towards the front.

The flat way to Pollenca was fast and furious, and all I could think off was to pass as many people as I could before the climb and subsequent descent, to not get blocked there. The very calm conditions in the morning helped the pace and quite quickly, there were very few red bibs left to be seen (faster swimmers in my wave). In fact I had made up almost 40 places in the first 15.5K where the climbing really started! I pushed on over the climb, and felt really good - albeit a little hot in the speed suit.

I caught Tarsh ¾ of the way into the climb just as her gears were playing up, and told her to relax and get through it, which she seems to have done. I kept passing people all the way up, and down before the last little bit of climbing to get to the petrol station.

Having recced the course last month with Dan and gone over that descent several times, I knew exactly what to expect. A TT bike isn’t necessarily the best handling machine for switchbacks, but that didn’t deter me from pushing hard on the descent, and flying past many less confident cyclists. I don’t think I’ve ever shouted that much on a bike ride before: pretty much all the way from T1 to the top of the climb, I was telling riders to keep right. No prisoners taken, but it paid off and I had almost a clear road through the descent and the rest of the ride.

Although appearing mostly flat on the profile, the last 40K are actually not easy. First, there’s this nasty little climb and the bad roads before Campanet. I knew they were coming, but that little climb was harder than I remembered it! Then, the long drags along the back roads were energy sapping, with the headwind that had now lifted, and I didn’t feel my best. Power numbers were down, so I think I may have overdone the climb a little bit ;-) Still, a 2h32' bike split was better than I expected, so I’m quite pleased with it. However, given that I didn’t feel that great on the second half of the bike, the question was now: “Will I be able to run?”

Like at the Portocolom 111 triathlon last month, T2 was delayed by having to tape my bad toe, and the heat had melted the tape so much I could barely unroll it! I probably lost about a minute faffing around with it. Too bad, but it had to be done, and at least my HR got down before attacking what I was expecting to be an absolute struggle with the heat.

Shooting of transition at sub 4min/Km I felt really good. Small steps, good cadence, and letting a couple of guys who passed me in T2 go on their way. I could (and I did) catch them later! The pace was pretty fast for what I usually run, and at some point I even thought that I could get close to my straight half marathon PB. It didn’t happen as the pace gradually slowed down, but it was still well beyond my expectations. Having eaten and drank properly on the bike, going through my 6 gels and one pack of chews, plus a couple bottles of water, I never felt hungry or uneasy on the run. I managed to grab a few cups of coke and water, plus a lot of sponges to cool down, and I have to say that this worked a treat!

The biggest lift was from milking the atmosphere. I caught Jane pretty early on the run, which did surprise me, but she still went on to win her AG… What an amazing athlete she is! I also managed to high-five kids all the way around the first lap while it wasn’t too congested. It’s always fun, and something I like doing. Hopefully that bit of interaction will help them understand that it’s not all about beating the others, but also enjoying the day and having fun! Then came the “Black Line” cheers. Racing in the custom kit is fantastic, as you get support all around the course. Some people, I recognised vaguely, some others I had no idea who they were. But hearing “go blackline” several times a lap certainly helped a lot. Thanks to you all! Then, on each lap, right before the finish line, were Gary and Roger. I don’t know how many beers they had before my first passage, if any, but they certainly were shouting louder than anyone else! I felt a boost of energy every time I went through there there, and was very much looking forward to this part of the lap, which was conveniently placed right before the finish chute.

The last lap got really packed. Very cramped at aid stations and close to impossible to get water or coke. I resorted to only grab sponges and I kept pushing as there was only under 5K to go.

It’s strange, but I distinctly remember thinking “Is it really over already?”. Is that the sign of a great race? I don’t know, but this one will certainly stay a long time in my memory as my best half ironman yet. Not my fastest one, but the best executed one. A 1h27'40" run is about 3min faster than I have ever run on a half IM. And THAT makes me super happy, because I really count on my run to make the difference at IM UK in 10 weeks time!

Well done to everyone who raced in Mallorca. And specially to Sophie Biggs and Tanya Barr for their first triathlon and first 70.3 respectively. Well done to Al Maher for finishing the race in a “really not shit” time, despite having been taken down by a fellow, out-of-control, competitor on a descent. Well done to the “Leister brothers” to achieving their goal while flying fluoro yellow cap-flaps around the run!

The “never again” and “why on earth would anyone want to double the distance” thoughts have now subsided. It’s time to get back in training for the big one. 10 weeks before a proper, clearly stated, assault at qualifying for the big dance.

Until then, keep smiling, keep inspiring me and be inspired. Keep cheering your athletes, and go support others if you can. Be part of a team of friends. It’s worth it!