It’s reportedly difficult to do live coverage for Ironman Cairns. That sucks for the hardcore fans out there wanting to watch such stars as Javier Gomez and Braden Currie battle it out for the Ironman Asia Pacific title but it is very beneficial for my race reporting as I can embellish as I please and noone, beyond those that raced, can argue with my version of events. 

For the most part, Cairns, the Northern QLD tourist magnet, was rather generous with the conditions she delivered on race day. The heat was relatively cool (still bloody warm), the wind relatively calm (still bloody windy) and croc sightings were either non existent or kept well under wraps. Perhaps the trickiest conditions faced by athletes on the day were during the swim. Above the surface Palm Cove was whipped into a decent chop while beneath the surface a strong current prevailed. I took note of the both the rapid drop off from the sand line to beyond waist deep water and the strong undertow pulling from right to left and used both factors to a distinct advantage as the gun went off. I nailed the beach start and my tactical positioning on the start line allowed me to use the current to my advantage and was soon positioned well above my swimming ability level a few hundred metres into the race. I was slightly uncomfortably nestled well within the front group. A second pack was already being left behind. Seeya suckers! I assumed most of the the major players were aboard this Javier Gomez express aquatic taxi and dug very deep to ensure I remained in the draft. 

Approaching 1.9kms and the far turn buoys, all was well. Javier Gomez for the non-triathletes out there is well known for his horse sized heart and among his athletic arsenal possesses a 1500m swim time that I’m told could qualify him for the Olympics. It appeared he was conserving energy to some degree to save everything he could for the long day ahead. I relaxed momentarily to congratulate myself on making it this far in the wake of greatness. At that very moment my supposed friend and Trek Factory Racing teammate Tim O’Donnell made the very clever decision to take the lead and hammer the pace around the buoy turns to shake off any free-loading riff raff. Unfortunately for me I was the riff raff and soon dislodged from my hiding space. Much like cycling, the draft of the pack makes the effort for speed much easier on the guys behind in a straight line but out of corners it’s a massive sprint effort to stay with the group. By the second buoy turn I had lost 4-5 metres and had to decide whether I turn myself inside out to get back into the draft or minimise Ironman destroying heart rate spikes and wait for the second group. My biggest concern was that Terenzo Bozzone was in the front group who when firing has one of the best first 40km bike power outputs in the game and I didn’t want him to be out of sight, out of mind early in the race . So I dug as deep as I could for 300m. The gap didn’t close but rather lengthened out to a heartbreaking 10-12 metres and finally I had to cut my losses and back off my effort a lot before I ruined my whole day. I rolled onto my back, swam some backstroke and sucked in much needed oxygen to get my heart rate back under control.  

The other complicating factor of the Ironman Cairns swim is that it’s wetsuit legal due to the risk of jelly fish stings despite the water temperature being warm. The result is that even those who swim comfortably are likely starting the bike ride already somewhat dehydrated. Swimming at or above threshold as I did for the first 2-2.5kms compounds this problem and while post race I looked at the sky cursing my race nutrition on the run for a somewhat disappointing result, in retrospect there were quite a few factors, nearly all entirely down to my decision making during the race that could have attributed to my problems on the run.

I enjoyed some easier swim time as the second group gradually approached and enveloped me into their cosy embrace. I was pleasantly surprised to note that there was some real horse power back here including Bozzone, Tim Berkel, Kyle Buckingham and Luke McKenzie just to name a few. 

Onto the bike and I was relieved to see my heart rate very responsive and my legs feeling very ready to play. A sign I’m well tapered for the event. I can’t deny that at times I found it difficult following my new coach for 2018, Alan Couzen’s plan. I like to race a lot but the only way to stay on track for an Ironman build and race a lot is to train through some races which I found tough to swallow. Ironman 70.3 St George in particular. Racing a field of that quality, I really needed a two week taper after a big block of work in Boulder to get the most out of myself come race day. Alan, thankfully recognised my weakness for wanting to do really well in every single race kept me on track with some minimal tapers in the races building up to Cairns. The result is solid races but often struggling to hold a high heart rate due to accumulated training training fatigue. It’s a price I’ve realised I have to pay if I want to get onto an Ironman start line with the adequate training behind me.  

The only downside of feeling superbly tapered combined with the truly magnificent Ironman Cairns bike course and excitement of racing so many top quality racers is that my froth level was a little too high. I needed to be at a smooth Aussie flat white froth level. Minimal froth, calm and calculated with a strong finishing flavour. Instead I was bucking away on my supremely aero Trek Speed Concept at an American Cappuccino froth level. Way too much froth! The front swim group that included Gomez, Braden Currie and Tim O’Donnell were not putting in any time so we could have slowly chipped away at their lead but instead I was loving the ride way too much and putting in unnecessary big surges along with with McKenzie, young Lachy Kieran and Kyle Buckingham. We steadily reeled in the front few guys by 50-60kms and one very large group formed. 

I remained in the front few guys and over 180kms the group gradually whittled down to a select few. In the final 60kms both O Donnell, Buckingham, Currie and I all seemed pretty keen to get some distance on Gomez, who’s marathon was likely to be very fast. A gap opened up at one stage but then I took a wrong turn mistaking a volunteer’s arm signal as a turn signal leading the aggressors astray. A quick U-turn to make ammends but it brought the group back together and with the strong head wind it was going to be difficult to get another opportunity to split the small group. Terenzo didn’t follow the rest of us down the wrong street used the opportunity to bridge across to Denis Chevrot who had ridden carefully minimising surges until it counted pushing off the front with no-one countering the move late into the ride.

I felt great thought the  entire 180kms, getting off in 4 hours and 22 mins well in the mix; Terenzo and Chevrot were slightly ahead while Currie, Gomez, O’Donnell and Buckingham all in transition alongside me. 

Despite a kit change from my Santini ‘Redux’ sleeved suit to a Santini Crop top and Budgy Smugglers I was out of transition pretty much as quick as the other guys clearly demonstrating my talent for rapidly getting my gear off.   Unlike my bike ride which included a few too many HR spikes I was very determined to ignore what the other guys were doing and simply run my own marathon pace. Braden and Gomez were off at what must have been 3.15-3.20/km pace. ‘Suicidal pacing’, I told myself. However I had forgotten one of my favourite Sebastian Kienle quotes- “there are other advantages to being out in front.. like being a legend” and the legend factor can never be ignored as it can gift an athlete an extra 5% of psychological will power. Ironman wins have come from both an even paced marathon split or ‘make hay while the sun is shining’ style pacing. Prime example- Patrick Lange for an even paced and Craig Alexander for a positive but still smoking fast marathon pacing.

You can’t help but give Braden Currie truck loads of respect. After the disappointment of getting sick from his kids and not being able to defend his Ironman New Zealand title, losing it to fellow Kiwi top dog  and rival Terenzo Bozzone would have been a real punch to the guts. To lock down and focus on Cairns at the expense of ignoring a lot of other races where he could have made money along the way takes true belief and courage. In addition, a countless number of people would have told him that his pacing strategy in races is a little mental but he just keeps on being Braden, charging from the front with a crazy first 5kms in every race and in this instance cracking out a 2.40 marathon. To not only win but break the great Javier Gomez late in the marathon to clinch the championship title is a very special way to take victory. Javier held it together for an extremely admirable Ironman debut taking 2nd and Terenzo Bozzone 3rd, Tim O’Donnell 4th with a strong all round days.

One of the positive effects of having a break from training and spending more time with ‘normal’ people is my all consuming disappointment in the back half of my marathon starts to take some perspective and isn’t quite the disaster for all humanity that I felt post race. The day prior to the race I decided to integrate into my fairly standard running nutrition plan a new product that uses a special technology preventing the carbohydrates from being broken down in the stomach, delivering it straight to the intestines and supposedly decreasing the chance of GI distress.  I had tried the product in training and it went down ok, but in retrospect it was late into a simulation session and I should have tried it many more times.  I consumed it during the first half of the second lap of the run and from there nothing I consumed on the run would stay down and was burped or vomited back up. I still think the technology behind the product could be sound but for a sensitive new age stomach like my own, I potentially couldn’t handle the fructose component with my guts under Ironman duress. As the run proceeded and I knew I wasn’t getting in my much relied upon SOS for hydration I knew that eventually the electrolyte imbalance would likely lead to cramping and my suspicions came to fruition. In front of a large crowd I was at a standstill putting on a marvellous display of cramping contortions. Despite no longer having a sponsorship relationship with HOTSHOT I still swear that it’s the most effective anti-cramp formula out there once you’ve started getting twitchy or worse. I made the mistake of putting it in my special needs bag instead of carrying it with me which was several kms away so I had to stop/start my way until I was able to down the precious chilli flavoured nectar that seems to rapidly relax my neuromuscular fireworks. I got back to a sluggish pace but the back half of my marathon had gradually let me slip from 5th to 8th place. I crossed the line in quite a disorientated state in a mixture of disappointment, nausea and pride that I got it done.

In the days that followed, I took the usual but mistaken path of vowing sweet revenge on Ironman and planning another Ironman event as soon as I possibly could to utilise my current fitness and avoid another entire Ironman build. I even announced that plan on ‘Narcissistgram’. Soon after, both my manager, Evan Gallagher and coach talked me down from that ledge and logic prevailed. Firstly, I’m having a baby shortly and if the baby arrived early while I was off doing an Ironman I would never forgive myself. Secondly, one of my major objectives for the year and favourite events, Ironman 70.3 Philippines which is the Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships for 2018 is not far away and throwing another Ironman into the mix would almost certainly diminish a performance there. This race is incredibly important to me for numerous reasons one major reason being that Fred Uytengsu, Alaska Milk and the Sunrise Events team have been integral in their support of my career the past few years. A great performance in Cebu is a small way I can say thank you. The attempt on the Cebu title this year presents some unique challenges besides the terrific field I’ll be racing. With the arrival of bub number 3 I won’t be doing my usual training camp environment going into that event which has fared me so well in the past. Instead I’ll be dodging my boy’s snot rockets and dealing with the really quite pleasant winter climate of Byron Bay.  

2 weeks later I’m going to head back to the heat and humidity of Asia to jump into a race I’ve eyed off with interest for a number of years, Ironman 70.3 Bintan. All roads still lead to the Ironman World Championships in Kona this year and Bintan will be my final chance to really test out my Kona race plans in similar heat and humidity. 

I want to say an enormous thank you to my amazing wife, her family, my family and my sponsors. Trek Bicycles, Alaska Milk, Allen Sports, Santini, Bontrager, Roka, Oakley, SOS Rehydrate, Budgy Smuggler and Flight Centre Sports and Events. 

All photos courtesy of @KoruptVision

From Cairns to Coeur d’Alene I quickly settled into Coeur d ‘Alene life courtesy of a very hospitable local, Curt DuPuis. It’s always a shock to the system when I’m away from my family. Time restraints and fatigue are no longer a major factor and professional athlete life suddenly feels very easy. I don’t think it’s coincidence that I have my peak races often after some time away for a brief training camp. The downside, is I’m generally miserable and miss them like crazy and have a two week max limit of time away solo. I’m incredibly grateful to Monica who is very aware of how hard I find it and has compromised her career year after year to join me for my annual U.S pilgrimage.

Ironman 70.3 CDA is a tough, fair and beautiful event that is really well supported by the local community. One of those rare events where in the middle of the race you find yourself already deciding that you’re coming back the next year.

Andy Potts was the defending champ and the guy I was most worried about for obvious reasons to those that know the sport. After some time off post Ironman Australia it’s been nice to go back to pure middle distance training and see the speed and threshold work pay dividends in gradual training improvements. In the past, Andy climbs really well on long gradual sustained climbs where as I always felt I had the edge on the long sustained descents. So the plan was to bridge the gap to Andy after the swim. Be relatively conservative with the long sustained climb. Attack at the far turn around for the long sustained descents. Then run fast.

Pic- Sue Hutter

The plan kicked off perfectly. I started next to Christian Kemp because I felt he was the strongest ‘swim starter’ in the field. Kempy is one of the more talented guys in the sport but has had a career often held back by injury. I guessed right on his swim start speed and 300m in and Kempy was clear of the field with me drafting in his wake and gasping for air at the intensity. Andy soon joined us, moved past me and gradually took the lead. I hung with these guys until about 500m to go exiting 22 seconds in arrears. A solid swim.

On the bike I closed the gap quickly to the lead pair. Once I got to Andy and Kempy, their speed dropped. I shared the lead with Andy for a while at a conservative effort. The thought being that it’s a tough ride, plenty of time for shenanigans later.

Pic- @Corbinbrands

Enter Matt Hanson. It’s not that I didn’t respect Matt as an athlete, he’s a beautiful runner with a terrific record in Ironman for such a relatively short career. His recent win at the U.S Ironman championships was all class, catching  a very tight knit lead group and eventually riding clear of them followed by an incredible marathon. Given the swim prowess of Andy Potts and Kempy, I expected Matt to be further back in the swim and that we had more time. Matt made up his swim deficit quite quickly, catching us 40 minutes into the ride. As soon as I saw he was about to catch our trio, I bumped my power up a lot. My thought being that Matt would have been hoping to recover from his big effort to get to the front and so it was an opportune time to not allow him to recover. Matt surprised me and did the opposite to what I expected. After about 5 minutes he road to the front. Post race he confessed that it was simply to slow the pace back down and get things under control so he could get back to his game plan. A clever move that caught me off guard.

I went back to my game plan of waiting until the far turn to make my move. Unfortunately Matt had exactly the same idea. After watching him complete possibly the widest U-turn possible that only a bloke from Iowa who sits on their indoor trainer 90% of the cycling time could complete, he took off. I waited for Matt to be well clear then bridged the gap to Matt however it took it’s toll as Matt was a man on a mission. We swapped the lead several times and had margin of breathing room to the other guys. My major concern now was what to do with Matt. He regularly runs the fastest split in races and knowing where my running is at currently, I was a little nervous. I didn’t have too much time to contemplate my conundrum as on the final uphill approximately 10 minutes from transition, Matt made another move and pushed to a 45 second margin by T2.

Onto the run and my spirits lifted. I felt good off the bike for the first time in a while, I didn’t have to wait for my back to loosen up before I could really push thanks to my new position on the bike. After 5kms Matt and I were still 50 seconds apart, with no real time change since T2. I figured that now was the time to really try and push as Matt would surely be paying the price for his hard ride. For the next 5kms I pushed, confident I was moving well and I I would bring back at least a little time. Instead I got a split that Matt was now 80 seconds up. That hurt. The splits kept growing as Matt went on to run a 1.11 on a run course with a lot of false flats and turns. I held for 2nd, Andy 3rd and Kempy 4th.

Pic- Curt DuPuis

Of course, there is no feeling like winning but objectively, I was quite pleased with the numbers for a tough course. We’ve resolved my back pain and I feel I’m in a much stronger and aero position on the bike. Things are on track for a September/October peak.

Big shout out to all the Coeur dAlenians.. especially Curt Du Puis (again) and Sue Hutter.

Just got to Boulder, Colorado which is heaven for chronic exercisers. A few weeks until Ironman 70.3 Racine in Wisconsin.

Cheers,

Reedy