UK Ironman 70.3 2008

Me too James..................

What have i let myself in for!!? I am going to go and ride/run the course on boxing day....just so i know what i am against.....

Emma

I did this race in 2006 and had a fantastic time. It was my first experience of the Ironman franchise races and even though it was in the apparent middle of nowhere it still comes with the usual Ironman bells and whistles, including the ominpresent 'voice of Ironman' , the Canadian-chatterbox, that is Don Ryder.

The race is tough.

The only bit that is not hilly is the swim, which takes place in the flooded river valley that is now Wimbleball Lake. This is a great start to the day, and gives the opportunity to experience the madness of an Ironman mass start (on a scaled down version, as they break it down into several crude groups - pro, women, old, young or something like that...), but none the less you can get to experience the inevitable helplessness and panic that ensues when 500 or so people try swimming on top of each other... Dont worry though as after about 500-1000m things calm down and you can enjoy the freshness and cleanliness of the lake.

The swim is nice and flat, but the organisers' penchant for hills becomes all too apparent at the swim exit - where they have managed to squeeze in a c400m stagger up a grassy slope which takes you to T1.

T1 is great and gives you the chance for a well earnt sit down.

Out on the bike course 'things' begin to get serious....and by 'things' I mean 'hills'. There are lots. The organisers boast during the pre-race brief about there being 53 of them.... Although this seems like a lot none (or nearly none) of them are really long lung busters. They are generally shortish and steepish. You could think of Muswell Hill near Brill, or Britwell Hill near Britwell, as the closest local examples, (but to be on the safe side, you might want to think just a little bit steeper than those). The course is hilly, but it also means that half of it is downhill, which is easy.

As for techy stuff, i used a 39-53 chainset and a 12-27 cassette, which made things tolerable. I took aerobars with me, but removed them before the race. I did not miss them, as during the bike leg you are generally climbing or descending (on brakes) and there is little 'aero' opportunity. Judge for yourself though, and if you can, pre-ride a bit of the course.

T2 is as good as T1, and gives you another opportunity for a nice sit down.

The run is as Nick said in his report. Still hilly and, just for good measure, it is predominantly off-road. Nick ran it in flip-flops, so it's not actually as hard as he makes out, but nonetheless, after the bike course, it is a bit of a chore...still, you only have to go round 3 times.

Get on to Shotover in training a few times and you will be fine.

On the run, the crowds come in to their own, they flank the course near transition, and there are plenty of clusters of happy faces dotted around the course and they really help you to drag yourself around.

The finish is where the real sense of achievement begins to hit, the cheering and commentary are amazing, and make the day's struggles seem worthwhile. You can collect your medal and then collapse in a well deserved heap.

I second what Nick said about Wimbleball, it's nice, but take everything you need (especially if camping), as it really is tricky to get anything nearby.

I had a great day and really enjoyed the experienc.

Enjoy it and good luck!