The day I nearly missed the start line of my first IronMan 70.3
The story of my IronMan 70.3 journey is one filled with unexpected twists and turns, resilience, and ultimately, triumph. As I had originally planned to complete the race in Q4 2023, it was a great to find myself standing at the starting line on June 11th, 2023, approximately five months ahead of schedule. This meant that I had to accelerate my training, pushing myself to the limit with up to 12 hours of intense workouts per week during the final 12 weeks leading up to the race. Here some stats about my Jan-Jun training:
The venue for this monumental race was the IronMan 70.3 in Warsaw. Excitement and anticipation filled the air as athletes from all walks of life gathered to put their endurance to the test. I was determined to give it my all and achieve a personal victory.
However, as fate would have it, the morning of the race turned out to be a nerve-wracking rollercoaster of events. After a meticulously planned weekend of preparation (Friday: test run, assemble bike & test bike | Saturday: test swim, drop bike & bag at T1, drop run bag at T2, race check-in in the morning, race briefing in the afternoon), ensuring that all my equipment and gear were in the right places, I found myself in the dedicated race direct train on Sunday morning with one critical item missing — my wetsuit (I later realized this is triathletes recurrent nightmare as I posted my story on a relevant facebook group). I realized it as other athletes next to me mentioned the word “wetsuit”. I immediately pictured it in the apartment. The train departed at 7.25AM, the word wetsuit was mentioned at 7.27AM and the train would not stop until arrival at 7.50AM. The race was set to start at 9:35 am for non-professionals athletes, and time was far from being in my favor.
Without a moment to spare, I frantically weighed my options. Could I brave the freezing lake without a wetsuit? Should I try to purchase or rent one at the venue? A quick call confirmed that all shops would only open at 10 am, leaving me with no alternative.
Michal and I are data analytics guys, so we ran a quick math on the time I had before the last swimmer would get in the water: we considered approx. 1200 participants, with 6 swimmers entering water every 10 seconds. This was 36 swimmers per minute, so this would give me 30–35 mins extra on the timetable. With this we assumed the last swimmer would get in the water at 10.05AM.
Determined not to let this setback define my race, I made the bold decision to take an Uber back to the apartment to retrieve my wetsuit.
As luck would have it, my Uber driver wasn’t fluent in English or Polish, making communication a challenge. Neither I nor my friend Michal, who was on the phone with me from the race venue, could effectively convey the urgency of avoiding closed roads. Despite the setback, I maintained a steady dialogue with my wife, my coach, and Michal, who provided unwavering support and race updates as I drew closer to the venue.
The race against time intensified. By 9:15 am, I was still giving directions to the Uber driver, and instead he drove straight into the closed roads for over 20 minutes. At the last road closure we found, I got out of the car wearing half wetsuit and even approached the police, asking them if I could jump with one of them on a motorbike and be taken to the venue. The police was kind to me, but of course could not help that far. I confirmed with them about the open roads and used gestures (and some Italian thrown in the mix) to get the driver to the road we needed. When we were near the train station, we find one more road closure. Here again I jumped out of the car, went to speak to the police telling them I had to get to the race. They let my Uber pass as that portion of road was not used for cycling. Finally, at 9:44AM, wearing half a wetsuit, I sprinted from the train station towards the venue. What should have been a leisurely 15-minute walk was transformed into a 3-minute dash.
Upon reaching the venue, a wave of relief washed over me as I found my friend and colleague, Waldemar, who had come to cheer me on. I entrusted him with my shoes and other non-swimming essentials, knowing that every second counted. Then, I sought out Michal, who helped me calm my nerves and cool off before diving into the water.
As I stood on the starting line, my mouth dry from stress, I embraced the challenge ahead. The swim queue beckoned, and at 10:01 am, I began my race, missing my first gel in the process. Despite facing rough waters, I maintained my focus, determined to finish the swim with a good time and move on to the bike leg.
Once on the bike, I settled into a steady rhythm, my mind fully focused on conserving energy for the demanding half marathon that awaited me. I knew that the key to success was pacing myself, ensuring I had enough left in the tank for the run.
However, as I ventured into the final half marathon, the morning’s chaos began to take its toll. A high-stress moment during the morning had created an energy deficit that manifested itself during the run. Yet, though my pace decreased in the second half, I did not change the race strategy and continued with what my coach Trace and I had planned.
The final kilometer approached, and a surge of adrenaline propelled me towards the finish line. With a smile etched on my face, I sprinted, giving it my all as the cameras captured this triumphant moment. Crossing the finish line after 6 hours and 29 minutes (slower than planned, but 2 hours ahead of time cap), I was overcome with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. All the months of training, sacrifices, and challenges had culminated in this singular, rewarding experience.
As I stood at the finish line, basking in the euphoria of achievement, I couldn’t help but be filled with gratitude and pride. This incredible journey had taught me the importance of resilience, adaptability, and the unwavering support of loved ones. Though the road had been filled with unexpected obstacles, I had emerged stronger than ever.
Now, as I take a few days to recover and reflect, I am already contemplating my next sporting event. The lessons learned from this remarkable journey will undoubtedly shape my future endeavors. Life will always throw unexpected hurdles our way, but it is through determination, adaptability, and unwavering support that we can conquer any challenge that comes our way. The story of my IronMan 70.3 journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and the triumph that awaits those who refuse to give up.
My thanks for this achievement go to: my wife and kids for their unconditional support, the rest of my family that always accepts my need for new challenges, Tracey Rogers for being a great coach and an amazing human being, Michal for sharing the pain, the thrive and the success crossing that finish line on the same race, thanks to Marcus for being my 360 degree fitness mate and challenger, thanks to Francesco that is an amazing team mate, triathlete and mentor, thanks to Claudio that despite living far from me is always a great mindset sparring partner. Last but not least thanks to all friends and colleagues that are always extremely supportive.
