Ironman Cairns 2019

Cairns has always been one of my favourite courses, not surprisingly as it was where I achieved (and still remains) my PB of 10:15:10 in 2012. I knew it would be a hard ask to beat that now, with 7 sessions a week (2 x swim/bike/run plus 1 gym session) and peaking at just under 14 hours. With a young family, that's all I'm willing to commit - that's my choice, not an excuse. After our move to Annerley in early February, while my weekend solo training have remained relatively similar to previous builds albeit with adjustments to the routes obviously, I did the mid week intervals run with South Bank triathlon and squad swims at UQ. Having a bigger group to train with definitely helped pushed me further. So with a consistent build in the last few months, I thought I would give it a crack given the right conditions.

We arrived in Cairns on Friday and were greeted by plenty of rain. We stayed at Cairns Plaza Hotel, which was conveniently located on the run course. I did the race pack pick up while the family rested in the hotel. It rained buckets during the pasta party but it was nice to catch up with fellow Malaysian Mun Seng and other like minded people seated at our table. The next morning it showered intermittently and I was reluctant to take the bike out for a ride as I've wiped it down already (a clean bike is a fast bike... apparently). So the only pre race ride I did was the 1.5km along the Esplanade to the bike transfer drop off. For lunch, we met up with Li-Ann's relatives who are living in Cairns. Then, Li-Ann and Sebastian followed me on the shuttle bus to Palm Cove for the bike gear drop off, only to hide away from more rain. We had glimpse at the crashing waves and the palm trees being blown around by the wind. We can only hope that it would calm down for the race the next day. After that, was take away pizza for dinner before calling it an early night.

Race morning came and I surprisingly had a pretty decent night's sleep. Strolled down to the shuttle bus pick up spot and there were plenty of buses, so it was really a seamless process. I arrived at Palm Cove just before 6am and had plenty of time to get my bike set up. Only to realize that I left my phone on the bus, but nothing I could do at that stage (I did get my phone back after the race from the information booth). So just queued up for the toilets while I ate my breakfast. The queue was moving slowly and I got out of the toilet just as transition was about to close, as the 70.3 athletes were coming in from their swim. There was still a fair bit of time before my race start and I managed to get a warm up swim in and have a quiet moment to myself.

Swim 3.8km

It was a rolling start on the beach, the line did take a while to move and it wasn't until 8am before I actually started. The swim course is one lap, rectangular shaped in anti clockwise direction. The water was pretty choppy, though I reckon it was worse when I did in 2016. I reckoned I probably lined myself a bit further back as I found I was overtaking quite a few swimmers even towards the later stages of the swim. Water visibility wasn't great, I couldn't check my progress very well and had to actually look up at my watch when my arms were above the water. The swim did feel long and I thought I would be close to the 70 minute mark, if not slower. I was about to give up hopes of any PB that day but surprisingly, I came out in 1:06:10, only 3 minutes down on my swim in 2012 when it was held in the calm waters off Cairns pier. That also meant that I still had a fighting chance for a PB, so had to actually work for it. Garmin recorded 3,863m so pretty much spot on.

Transition 1

A couple of hundred meters into the change tent. I found that there weren't as many volunteers as there used to be - I had to catch the attention of one before ensuring my swim gear was packed away. Helmets were put on the bike this time, rather than in the change tent. I clipped mine over the aerobars rather than leaving it hang loose as I didn't want a repeat from Moreton Bay tri where my helmet fell off and broke its visor. My water bottle came off as I went over the first bump after the mount line but was told to stay put as a volunteer came running towards me with it, thank you kindly! Total transition time taken 3:41.

Bike 180km

There was a slight change to the bike course compared to previous years. It still remained as two laps to Port Douglas and back. But the turnaround at Port Douglas has been moved further south (and the other turnaround at Palm Cove just after we exit from transition), means we no longer go through the Port Douglas town. Which is a shame as this is a good spot for spectators to cheer from the cafe strip. However, this change did reduce the long stretches of single lane cycling and thus probably helped to reduce the drafting. What this also meant was there was proportionately less flatter sections and more climbing sections. Garmin recorded 1,480m of elevation - about 200m more than the previous course. I was clocking between 18 to 19 minutes per 10km at the start. A bit slower than what I should be clocking if I wanted to match my 2012 split (sub 18 minutes). It was even slower on the return southbound journey with the headwind. Still, if I could run around 3.5 hours, the PB was still within reach.

But the body started hitting a wall after the second Port Douglas turnaround. The winds started picking up. I was shifting into the small chainring for every little climb, whereas on the first lap I only did that on the big climb at Rex lookout. I thought things would get better after the Rex lookout descend as it was pretty much flat all the way back to Cairns. But it was also more exposed to the headwind. I was on survival mode from then on and pretty much soft pedalled the last 30kms. I had almost all of my nutrition (4 Clif Bars, 2 bananas, 5 out of 6 gels plus some salt tablets) so it wasn't a nutrition issue. I guess whilst I have done my long rides, I haven't done any specific Ironman efforts to be able to nail it during a race. I took a brief 2 minute toilet break at the 160km aid station, just to reset myself. That helped but only for about 5 minutes or so, then I continued to roll at a pedestrian pace back to Cairns. My bike split including the break was 5:53:03. Garmin recorded 178.5km and average power at a low 144 watts. Li-Ann caught sight of me as I rolling into transition, which gave me a bit of a relief as I was afraid that she would be worried because of my delay.

Transition 2

The run into the change tent was rather unpleasant on muddy grass. Thankfully I had another pair of socks to change into. Grabbed my visor, sunglasses and race number on the go. Time taken 2:08.

Run 42.2km

My legs felt heavy coming out of transition, which was quite abnormal as I'm usually sprinting to make up for lost time. But I soon settled into a rhythm, albeit a slower pace. Mentally I have given up the fight as the PB seemed no longer achievable. But I was in good spirits and soaked in the atmosphere and cheers from the crowd. The run course was changed slightly as well to 4 laps, instead of the 3 laps in previous years. This made it better to get the support from Li-Ann and Sebastian. And I took brief moments to exchange a few words each time I passed them. It rained intermittently throughout the run course and while this helped kept the body temperature cool, it made certain sections, especially on the boardwalk a bit slippery.

I felt comfortable throughout the run and was keeping it around the 5:30 pace per km. I ran through aid stations for most of the first two laps. It was only from the 18km onwards where I started walking through the aid stations. Even then I kept the walking very brief and there were only a couple of km splits where I was just under the 6 minute pace. As I got to the final 6km or so, I thought I'd might aim for a sub 4 hour marathon. So I dug a bit deeper and ran through the remaining aid stations.

Finally, as I approached the intersection for the finishing chute, Li-Ann and Seb was there and I gave them a hug and a kiss. Before I make my towards the arch with the crowd cheering and tears in my eyes. This was my 13th Ironman finish (4th one in Cairns) and it's no different - I still sob like a sod crossing the line! Overall finish time was 11:02:02, run split was 3:57:02 with Garmin recorded distance of 41.9km.

It wasn't the finish time I was hoping for but it was a finish nonetheless. And it validated my legacy spot for Kona in 2021. And I couldn't have done this without the support and sacrifice of my wife and son. Not just at this race itself or any other race but every day for the many years leading up to this and probably would be for years to come. Until I get sick of this selfish hobby of mine, which is unlikely. And to them it didn't matter whether I came in 10 hours or 17 hours. They were just happy that I was happy, doing something that truly love.

Thank you to everyone for your well wishes as well. 

Noosa 80 event

Emphasis on the word - event. Organized by the Noosa Tri Club as a training event as roads weren't closed and normal traffic rules apply. We were however, given timing chips so everyone gave their best shot. Capped at 50 entries and T Rex tri club made up more than half the numbers. Entry fees were $50 and we were given a trucker's hat and a bandana, plus sausage sizzle and cakes at the end. What more could we ask for? The timing was just right - a month out from Sunshine Coast 70.3 and I haven't been to Noosa before, so it was a no brainer for me. I even tagged on a trip to the zoo in Beerwah with my son the day before, so maybe some brownie points for me!

We stayed in Noosaville, about 4km from Lions Park in Noosa Heads. As it was still in the middle of winter, it was still dark and cold cycling to the site. My back pack was strapped on too high and the tail of my aero helmet keep getting caught in the top strap as I look up, so pretty dangerous cycling for that 15-20 minutes but I got to the site safely. Got myself registered and racked my bike, took what seemed like an eternity to put the wetsuit on, listened to the final briefing and soon it was time to go.

2km swim

Deepwater start with two laps around one of the islands in the Noosa river canal. The last time I swam in my wetsuit was at Port Macquarie in early May and boy, did I struggle! I couldn't get my catch right and each stroke seemed like a fight against the water. Everyone else seemed to be getting further and further ahead. It was only on the second lap that I got into the rhythm. Finally out of the water in just over 30 minutes for 1850m recorded on the Garmin. Average pace of 1:37 per 100m, a tad bit faster than my long swims in the pool but could definitely be better.

60km bike

The short transition was a nice change compared to the bigger events that I'm used to. My helmet visor was all fogged up from the morning dew so I had to give it a bit of wipe before I hopped on the bike. And then, the fairing came off a bit as I put it on and I couldn't get it back in, so had to ride the whole distance that way. The bike course is shaped like a lollipop. We rode from Noosa Heads towards Ringtail State Forest and then making a loop around Cootharaba and Borean Point before tracing our way back. Being unfamiliar with the area and the small participant numbers, it was easy to get lost but the organizers did a great job putting up signage at the main intersections so it was all good.

As it was just before 7am when we started the ride, it was still pretty chilly. I foolishly decided to wear a sleeveless trisuit and I did shiver in some sections where the trees were covering the sunshine. My fingers did get a bit frozen and I had some difficulty pulling out my drink bottle. Also I've had some issues with my di2 not being able to change gears whilst in the big chainring, so I had to switch to the small chainring each time I wanted to change gears. Thankfully the course wasn't too hilly, about 200m elevation in total. I should really get it fixed though. Despite all these, I had a decent ride. It was only my 4th ride back on the tri ride since Port and I was stuck behind a car going slowly through the cafe strip in the final few kms, so an average speed of 34kph was pretty good in my books. Average power was just over 180 watts, which is in line with my racing efforts. Time was 1 hour 45 minutes for the 59km distance recorded on the Garmin.

18km run

Having not run off the bike since Port, I wasn't sure what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised. Legs were turning over well and keeping to an average pace around 4:15 per km. The course was the first few kms of the bike course and it was 3 laps. We had volunteers handing out water and electrolyte at each turnaround. While temperatures were still in their high teens or low twenties, the sun rays were out in full force and the heat was slowly kicking in. I was making good progress getting closer to the ones further ahead. Run distance was a bit short though and I finally got home in under 70 minutes for the 16.3km distance recorded on the Garmin. Overall time was 3 hours 26 minutes, which I was happy with.

A bit of a catch up with a couple of friends and then it was time to have some brunch with my wife and son before the drive home. I truly enjoyed the event and many thanks to Noosa tri club for putting up a well organized and friendly affair! Looking forward to Sunshine Coast 70.3 in about a month's time.

IM Australia, Port Macquarie 2018

My 12th Ironman finish and what I needed to be eligible to apply for the Kona Legacy program by the end of the year, just have to make sure I complete at least one Ironman each to remain eligible until I receive my Kona slot. This race has a lot of history, being one of the oldest at 33 years with the earlier years held in Forster Tuncurry up until the early 2000s. The choice to do this race wasn't an easy one. There was only one direct flight from Brisbane for $200+ per person each way on Fokker planes that could not fit in bikes. So we had to drive. On paper, it should take about 6.5 hours. But with the Pacific Highway upgrade roadworks and the stops we had to take before our toddler son gets too cranky, with each stops have to be at least 30-45 minutes so that he can have a bit of a play, the journey took much longer. We decided to break the drive, spending the night at Coffs Harbour on the way down and a night at Iluka on the way back. I'm glad we did. I can't thank my wife Li-Ann and son Sebastian enough for enduring this trip with me just so I can indulge in this silly (crazy?) hobby. The other choice was to do Cairns, which I did in the past two years so I wanted something different. Also, I was too afraid to descend down Matthew Flinders hill the last time I did Port 3 years ago and embarrassingly walked down instead (I was probably the only one who walked DOWN rather than UP the hill) plus I had a tubular puncture then that I couldn't fix and waited at the road side for about 45 minutes until I was given a spare wheel, so I wanted a bit of redemption on this course.

The training build leading up to this race was short, following the post Christmas/New Year holidays so it does the body and mind to slowly get back into things. I only started seriously into training in early February, so about a 3 months build. I took a different approach this time with a longer 4 week build (instead my usual 3) followed by a week's recovery. Even in one of the recovery weeks, I slotted in Kingy Olympic tri so although the weekend's volume was reduced, it was high intensity racing. But my body responded well to this new approach and I have to say, that I was feeling fitter than ever leading up to Port. After having been coached in my earlier years of Ironman racing, I'm enjoying the flexibility of doing my own thing now and still holding myself accountable. My weekly hours peaked at just under 13 hours with 7 sessions a week (2x swim, bike, run and 1 gym), I made sure each session counts and no junk miles. I owe it to myself and my family that time spent away from home training was as productive as it can be. Doing the longer miles towards late autumn helps too with the cooler temperature, so I was able to put in some solid sessions and feeling confident.

So onto the race, with no scheduled video briefing and welcome dinner (we were given vouchers instead to use at local restaurants) my time spent at the pre race events were minimal which I much prefer. I did a trial descend on Matthew Flinders hill not once but twice and I was relieved that I have conquered my fears, it didn't seem much of a fuss after all but I would be lying if I said I didn't have palpitations when I got to that intersection. Easy 10 minute swim on race morning eve, bike check in and then taking it easy for the rest of the day. Race morning came quickly, I was planning to walk to transition about 15-20 minutes from the motel but our son was already up so we all drove down together. It was a chilly morning but calm with barely any wind. The queue to the portaloos were long but there were plenty of them so we moved pretty quickly. A bit of stretching, put on the wetsuit, kissed Li-Ann and Seb goodbye for about 11 hours or so, and then line up for the rolling start. I was able to get as close to the fastest wave (sub 1 hour swim) as possible.

Swim 3.8km

Unlike previous years, the swim start and finish now are at the same location in Westport Park. Previously we had to walk about 500m towards the carpark closer to town and we had a bit of a downstream for a longer portion of the swim. This time it's more equal, in a rectangular shape in anti clockwise direction. While I enjoyed the still waters of Hastings River, I always found it difficult to sight the buoys with the many boats docked around the course. I almost swam into one after the first turn. Other than that I kept pretty close to the buoys. I had plenty of people around me but I did not stick to any specific feet for extended amount of time. Swimming underneath the bridge always freak me out a bit no matter how many times I do it, for fear of crashing into one of the pillars. The weir crossings at the 1.7km and 2.5km were nice breaks and check points to see how I was progressing. I had to be careful though not to trip myself or push anyone over while hurrying up and down the steps. Catching sight of the finishing flags was a bit of relief as I was getting bored of seeing nothing but water. My swim time was 1:03:18 which was a minute slower than the last time I swam this course but still a good swim for me. I have long given up chasing to clock a swim split under the hour and as the years go by, I become less and less of a swimmer (used to swim for club in my teens) so as long as I don't slow down significantly, I am happy. My Garmin recorded 3856m so it was pretty much spot on, pace was 1:39 per 100m, on par with my training splits.

Transition 1

It was great to see Li-Ann and Seb as I was running towards the change tents. I struggled a bit to find my wetsuit zipper and almost asked Li-Ann for help (could have risked a DQ for outside assistance!) but I found it in the end. Wetsuit came off without any trouble. Wipe down feet, socks on, 4 Clif bars into my pockets and put on helmet on the go. Volunteers in the change tent were great, pulled out all my bike gear and packed away all my swim gear swiftly. I was a bit wobbly trying to fly mount my bike, so I decided to be safe and unclipped one shoe before putting in the other. Time taken 3:11.

Bike 180.2km

Bike course is two laps along the coast from Port Macquarie heading south towards Camden Haven with two brief detours before heading back to Port. Roads are decent, not great. The hot mix surface can be rough and slow, it saps the energy out of you if you don't pace yourself well. Some areas can be a bit patchy with a few potholes. But all of this is expected and everyone's doing the same course. A few short steep hills with the infamous Matthew Flinders climb, about 8km before the end of each lap but we descend down this hill first. My Garmin Edge and 920xt recorded 1684m and 1162m elevation respectively, so you be the judge. We were really lucky to have perfect racing weather. Cool temperatures but very sunny. Light winds but it did pick up on the second lap. A bit of headwind on the way out, a bit of tailwind on the way back.

It took me a while to get my speed up during the first 10km. There were a few climbs coming out of transition and I was overly cautious on the descends especially with many other cyclists around me. So I didn't gain much speed on the descends either. On the second lap, when the pack thinned out a bit and I was more mentally prepared of the corners ahead, I was more confident. I was still nervous when I first approached the sharp turn on the adjoining road leading into Matthew Flinders, but it was over before I knew it so I definitely did better on the second lap, still relatively slow though. After the descend from Matthew Flinders, there were long stretches of flat roads where I could stay in aero position for extended periods of time, sitting up just to get my drink bottle. I don't have an aero bottle in between my aero bars and this has worked out well as it forces me to sit up every 15-20 minutes or so.

Climbing Matthew Flinders, thanks Brad for this picture

I paced myself conservatively, averaging 160 watts, which is 75% FTP for me. Average pace built up to just under 32kph by the end of the first lap but the wheels came off (not literally!) pretty much about 10km after the turnaround. While it was the complete bonk I felt in Busso, the body did feel a lot weaker. I was sitting up a lot more and I was getting more and more uncomfortable being in aero position, absorbing the vibrations from the road traveling from my hands all the way to my lower back. I was still eating well though. I alternated between having an Endura gel and a Clif bar at each aid station, finished 6 gels and 4 bars in total on the course. The weather was cool enough for me to keep to having a drink every 10km. I only had to change swap my bottle once for Isowhey that they provided, it sure has a very strong taste! Lots of people passed me on the second lap but I was still pushing consistently, albeit a bit slow. I decided to take a pee stop at the portaloo at the penalty box just after the 140km mark. It was 97 seconds well spent and I did feel a lot more comfortable after. Rolled on and soon it was the final big climb at Matthew Flinders, the crowds were amazing (no Elvis this year though)! Finally got back to transition with a 5:52:54 bike split, averaging just over 30kph. Average power dropped down to just under 150 watts.

Transition 2

Having done a short course race few weeks earlier, I wanted to run back to my bike rack even though I've handed my bike to the volunteers and I almost did! Luckily I was redirected to run straight towards the change tent. Again, volunteers were great. Unpacked my run gear and packed away my bike gear quickly. My movements weren't as quick as I would have liked but what's a few seconds lost. Socks off, new socks on, shoes on, belt on, sunglasses and visor on the go. Time taken 1:50.

Run 42.2km

Run course is 4 laps starting from transition, head east for about 2kms and turnaround before heading back past transition towards north past Settlement City. There's a gradual climb, which is part of the bike course just before the first turnaround but it moves quickly into downhill after that as well. Just have to grit your teeth and power up the climb and use the momentum to roll down the slope after. If there's something I would pick Port over the other races is the crowd support. You get more of that on the bike course and you get a whole lot more of that on the run course. There were no quiet zones that you had to dig deep on your own. Throughout the whole run course I felt being lifted by the crowd.

My legs seemed as though they turned on a switch the moment the run course started. Although I had to stop a couple of times at first to adjust the tongue of my shoes, they were powering through the first few kms. For the first lap I was clocking 4:30 to 4:45 per km. The long brick runs in my last two training weekends (20km and 15km respectively) definitely helped. Next lap I slowed down a bit to 4:45 to 5:00 per km but I wasn't too worried as it was expected. I was keen to catch my friend Nathan who passed me on the second lap of the bike and was about 15 minutes or so ahead when we started the run. I managed to pass him on the second lap and he encouraged me to push on. It's nice to do the same race as friends and club members, seeing them out on the course - Greg Z, Anthony, Shane, Philippe, Mel, Afrar, Trev, Ross, Greg S gives you more motivation. Supporting club members Helene and Brad and many others were great too, giving us the extra boost!

Once I passed Nathan, it felt that the rabbit chase is over. I started walking at the aid stations, I didn't prior to this. But I still kept the running effort pretty consistent albeit at a slower pace as the body gets more fatigued. The km splits from then on ranged from between 5:30 to 6:00 depending on whether there's an aid station or not. After the final turnaround, with less than 4kms to go, I decided that I wanted to beat my sister's sub 3:45 open marathon time at the recent KL Marathon. So I ran through the aid stations, grabbing the drinks on the go. This was also my first time getting the glow sticks denting my ego a bit, the marshalls were strict and didn't give us a choice. The downside of doing a late autumn race, it gets dark just after 5pm. But hey, it became a handy toy for my son after the race. Finally, could see the finishing marquee in sight, hearing the crowd cheering and clapping against the barricades, once again for my 12th Ironman finish, tears welled up in my eyes as I cross the line. And Li-Ann and Seb were waiting just at the side immediately after the arch. We had a few hugs and kisses before I was escorted to the recovery area. Finish time was 10:42:15 with a run split of 3:41:02. And despite finishing 15-20 minutes before Nathan, the sneaky bugger finished 45 seconds ahead of me, he must have started way later than I did. If only, if only, if only...

I placed 35th in my age group and 149th overall. While the finish time was a bit slower than I hoped, given that I was training well leading into this race and expected more, it was a finish that I needed and that's good enough. Coming in under 11 hours is still pretty decent in my books. There are many who helped me through this journey but top credits obviously goes to Li-Ann and Sebastian who made lots of sacrifices for me to get here. Logan Tri Club has been a great support network inside and outside training and on the race course as well. Mum and dad, and my siblings and brother in law, tracking me online and sending me well wishes leading up to the race, it's always a nice feeling that they are sending me love and keeping me safe even from so far away. And to everyone else sending me positive vibes through social network, thank you as they definitely kept me going when the going got tough.

Now for a bit of reduced (note not zero) training during the off season before building up again to Ironman Malaysia in November! Fun, fun, fun!

DNF at IMWA

The title says it all and most of you would have known by now that I didn't finish my race at Ironman Western Australia, Busselton last weekend. I was feeling great and was on PB pace for the first lap of the bike but it was as though I hit a wall immediately after the turnaround. My pace up until the half way point was an average of 34.5kph but I struggled to hold 25kph thereafter. I soft pedalled for the next 20km to see if I could push through. At one point I was even calculating if I could meet the cut off! But the body was weak and the mind was even weaker, I found a wooden hut where the timing mats were kept at the 110km mark and hid in the shade to see I would feel better after a few minutes rest. I didn't and shortly after caught the SAG wagon back to town.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. I was really looking forward to this race. I signed up for it way in advance, whereas IM Cairns was more of a last minute thing. It was meant to be 12th finish and I would have been able to apply for the Kona Legacy program but looks like I would have to wait anther year now. What may have caused it? I don't know for sure. Having the swim cancelled and a delayed start, waiting on the beach under the sun for about 45 minutes didn't help but many others went through the same. I pulled out of the race before the bike course was shortened due to the bush fire further away but it may have caused the temperate to spike in the last hour or so of my ride. It was of no one's fault and the organizers did the best they could on that day as participants' safety was paramount. Conditions were definitely challenging to say the least and I congratulate all those who persevered through to finish that day. At Li-Ann's insistence, I'll  also be reviewing my race nutrition plan as I have over simplified it all these while and it's time to put some science to it.

Despite all this, I did have a great trip. Coming back to Perth is always nice, going to places that brought back lots of memories and great to see some new developments as well. And the time spent with family and meeting up with old friends was priceless. So it was definitely a trip worth while.

Pre race portrait shots by Paparazzi on The Run

What's next for 2018? I'm still undecided at the moment. While I have already signed up for IM Port Macquarie in May, we were given $200 discount off any full Ironman race within Australia and New Zealand for the cancelled swim and shortened bike course, no refunds for races already registered of course. This kind of makes me lean towards Cairns again and possibly defer my Port Mac entry to the following year. But I would also like to do IM Malaysia again and I'm not sure if I want to go through training for two Ironmans in a year again. Been doing that for the last 3 years.

I've got some thinking to do.

Ironman Cairns 2017

There's something magical about Cairns that keeps on bringing me back. This is my 4th trip to Cairns, 3rd time for an Ironman. The decision to do this race was done rather late. I had a great race at the Kingscliff Olympic Distance in late March, falling short on my PB by just 23 seconds. I progressively increased my weekend mileage each week, with two weeks of traveling in Europe in early May but I kept myself active. The training results had been good and I had no injuries apart from some minor niggles. Still, with a short build and limiting the weekly hours to a minimum (I peaked at about 12.5 hours) so I don't miss out too much of my young son's growth, I can't help being nervous about my preparations. But with 10 Ironman finishes prior to this, I was hoping to bank a bit on my experience.

A fellow Logan Tri Club member drove to Cairns and offered to bring my bike up. I can't thank you enough Shane and Kirsty, you can't imagine how much hassle you have saved me! We caught a midday flight into Cairns. We stayed in Cascade Gardens, a nice self serviced apartment about 15 minutes walk from the race expo and finish. I had an hour before the athlete check in closed. As I was only meeting Shane the next afternoon at the bike check in at Palm Cove, I had it pretty easy going pre race. I even skipped the pre race briefings. Until I collected my bike and I realised the front brake wasn't releasing too well. I panicked a bit and luckily there was a mechanic tent at the check in. The mechanic widened the gap a bit and sprayed some oil, it wasn't 100% fixed but it will have to do. I almost missed the last shuttle bus back to Cairns! I guess a bit of stress was what I needed to get the heart rate pumping before the race!

Welcome to Cairns!

Sebastian made sure I didn't overspend at the expo

One of the last ones to be racked in

Race morning, the alarm clock went off at 4.30am so that I could catch the 5.15am shuttle bus to Palm Cove. We decided that Li-Ann and Sebastian would not follow me that early in the morning and would only catch me after I finished the bike. It was unusually quiet in my transition area as I prepped my bike up. Then waited in queue for the portaloos for one last toilet visit. Put on my wetsuit and then it was show time!

3.8km swim

There were some crashing waves from the ocean into the beach but the water wasn't as rough as last year. The 70.3 swimmers were done with their swim as we started ours. I lined myself up with the first wave (< 1 hour) but in hindsight I should have stuck to my own wave (1:00 to 1:07) as the rest were swimming past me as though I was laying still. The course was a rectangular one. We swim out into the ocean and then a right turn to start the rectangle and then left turns at each corner until we swim back to the beach. It was a single lap swim, changed from last year's two laps. It was difficult to find good feet to draft off due to the waves. But some managed to draft off mine and got a bit aggressive too - this one guy literally grabbed onto my ankles! I was worried my timing chip would fall off! I didn't think I swam too off course, I was reasonably close to all the buoys. As I got back to the beach at the finish, I noticed my watch was already in bike mode. Must have gotten knocked around a bit during the swim. Official results showed 1:09:18, my slowest swim to date including non wetsuit ones. It's a shame I don't have any swim data to check if the swim was a bit longer or not. Maybe I just haven't been swimming hard in enough in training.

Transition 1

It was a pretty long run in and out of transition, I estimate about 400m in total. There weren't many volunteers in the change tent but I got my stuff sorted without too much dramas. After the race, I picked up an extra towel and arm warmers in my transition bag, with a Japanese athlete's name so I had to return them to Lost and Found. There was a bit of crowd at the bike mount line including a fall right in front of me, so I played it safe and slowly got on my bike. Total time for T1 4:54.

180km bike

This was the leg I was most concerned about, being the longest part of the race. Whilst I did build up my training rides to this distance, I didn't do enough of it. Thankfully, it wasn't as windy as last year and it didn't rain as well, only the occasional drizzle every now and then. So my amateurish bike skills can take it easy around the corners. The ride heads north from Palm Cove towards Port Douglas and back, turning around in Wangetti before going back up to Port Douglas for the final turnaround and then all the way back to Cairns. It's one of the most scenic Ironman bike courses I've ever done. And with good weather, you can really appreciate it's beauty, even while racing!

On the first ride up to Port Douglas, I averaged 33kph. There were some narrow stretches on the roads leading in and out of Port Douglas, where part of the roads were coned off for vehicles, which caused some riding packs to bunch up. I felt a bit guilty being latched on to these trains but I had no where else to go. Once we got back to the hills, the group dispersed again. The slight southerly winds brought my pace down but not by much. Li-Ann made me pack extra food in addition to my Clif bars (glad I listened!). I chose to bring some pizza bread rolls from the Woolworths bakery. Even the volunteers had a bit of food envy as I rode past! It was a nice change in taste from the Clif bars but I would choose something other than spicy pepperoni next time!

At the final turnaround at Port Douglas (thanks MC Joel for calling me out as a new dad!) and it was the home stretch. Might as well, as my energy reserves were starting to wane. More and more were passing me, including an amazing Japanese athlete with a prosthetic leg! I had my second wind as we got to Yorky's Knob at the 160km mark the speed got up again but as soon as we passed the airport, the wind was howling and I could only muster a roll back into Cairns. It was nice to see Li-Ann and Sebastian cheering as I rode towards transition and I gave them a wave. Got off the bike with a split of 5:34:52 (an average speed of 32kph), just over a minute slower than last year, which isn't too bad really. My Garmin measured the distance to be about 178kms, just like last year so a pretty fair comparison.

Transition 2

Helmet off, old socks off, new socks on. Put on running visor, sunglasses and race belt on the way out. Time taken 1:16.

Run 42.2km

Last year it was raining as I started the run. This year it was dry but we had cloud cover throughout with relatively cool temperatures. The run course is 3 laps starting in transition and then heading south along the jetty and then north towards the airport with a slight detour into the park. My legs felt surprisingly fresh and I had good turnover. My first km I posted 4:37! But I settled into 4:45 to just under 5 minutes for pretty much the next hour or so. I was pleasantly surprised at how well I could maintain this pace. I did not stop to walk at the aid stations, just grabbed the Coke as I go. Having Li-Ann and Sebastian cheer me on both directions of the lap certainly gave me a boost.

But as I got close to the half marathon mark, I was starting to feel some gag reflex coming up my throat. Not sure was is causing this. I still held under 5 minutes but I had to break my no walk momentum when I got to the aid station at the 24km mark. I walked through every aid station from there onwards. The pace dropped to above 5:30 per km then.

Final lap and it was getting dark. The volunteers were handing out glowsticks and my ego got the better of me so I refused. The floodlights kept it pretty bright anyway. Another thing that boosted my ego was overtaking the same Japanese athlete with a prosthetic leg and not getting beaten by star 55-59 female athlete Jenny Alcorn! I know, I should be ashamed of myself haha. The pace slowed down nearing 6 minutes per km. But I knew if I kept it that way, I would still finish under 10.5 hours. I did a wager with 90 minute handicap with my friend David Zi Xiang in Malaysia who's aiming for 12 hours in Challenge Roth in a few weeks. So that spurred me to keep on pushing for this time. Coming close to the finish, getting cheers from Shane and Kirsty, Trent from the Reddog tent and finally getting a hug from Li-Ann and Sebastian just before entering the chute. My tears welled up as the MC Pete Murray called out - Kevin Siah from Malaysia, you are an Ironman! I crossed the line in 10:28:56 with a run split of 3:38:33, overtaking 122 athletes on the run itself.

Finish

I went to the food tent and soup was the only thing I could stomach. I slowly sipped it down as Li-Ann talked to me over the fence, as she wasn't allowed in. She went to get dinner and then I started feeling a bit faint. Mike kindly took me to the medic tent (thanks Mike!) and I rested there a while. Li-Ann came to get me and after feeling a bit better, I went to collect my bike. Shane (you are a champ mate!) was in town for dinner after finishing his 70.3 race earlier and offered to collect my bike then so I didn't need to push it back to the hotel.

Not-so-glamorous shot in the medic tent with a tiny finishers medal

So that wraps up Ironman Cairns once again. My 11th Ironman finish and 3rd one on this course. It has been a while since I've felt this great in an Ironman race and am truly happy with my time. No doubt the race conditions were favourable this year with both overall men and women winners crushing course records. I couldn't have done this without the support of my wonderful wife Li-Ann and my son Sebastian. Not just on the course but off the course is where the big sacrifices are made, just so I could have a play of my hobby, which let's be honest is more of an obsession really. I made a promise last year that I would only do one Ironman this year and that has already been broken, having signed up earlier for Ironman Western Australia later this year. And Li-Ann did not make a big fuss over it and just went for the ride. I love you both!

And thanks everyone - family and friends, for following my race and the cheers, whether on the course or through social media. You don't realise it but this definitely makes a difference. Thank you.

Will I be back again next year? Let's not make any promises just yet, shall we?

Tweed Coast Enduro 2017

It seems like the only times I'll be posting on this blog are for race reports. And seeing how often I race nowadays, it'll be pretty infrequent. I was one of the first few ones to sign up for this race, at a heavily discounted early bird price - almost a third cheaper than the regular entry. Being only 80 minutes drive from home and the organizers put on a slick event, it was an easy decision. With a tide assisted swim, many do this event in pursuit of a half Iron PB. How wrong we were!

The very cool bag given out at registration, one of the incentives of doing this race!

The 3 of us got to Pottsville about 5pm NSW time (I still get amused at how we lose the hour by just crossing the border) and while wife and son get settled in the airbnb, I went to get my race pack. With no one with me to tell me otherwise, I dropped $29 on an Orca cycle bib knicks on clearance. The wind was howling later that evening as I set my bike up with the race stickers, which pretty much set up the conditions for the weekend. We ate Thai takeaway by the pool and settled in to an early night. Our son was quite unsettled that night but Li-Ann was very good with him, keeping his disruption to a minimum so I could get rested.

The large number sticker could barely fit on the Logan Tri Club number tag

I rode to transition which was only about 2kms away. It was a bit tight on the bike racks but just enough for us to lay out our gear. After setting up and a last minute visit to the toilet, it was time for the 20 minute stroll to the swim start. We were told that the tide is just about to turn but what we experienced throughout the swim was totally different. My wave started right after the Elites, which is good as it was a pretty late start (8.15am) to begin with and but bad, because we swam right into the tide. I kept looking at my watch and could see the minutes ticking away but no end in sight! Shallow waters with the occasional schools of fish in sight helped passed the time. Relatively, I felt I swam pretty well. I swam past quite a few in my wave and was only caught by the faster swimmers from the later wave towards the end of the swim. Swimming under the bridge was a little bit eerie, I forgotten how low the bridge was. Came out of the water in 8th in age group in 42:36 for the 2km swim, more than 15 minutes slower than last year!

I need to tie a string to the zipper for easier removal!

Into transition with a couple other guys in my age group. Went a couple of steps in the wrong direction and had to u turn but didn't lose too much time. But I started losing time once we got onto the course. The winds were blowing hard with the occasional gusts. I train on my alloy wheels all the time and just swapped the deep carbon wheels over before the race. It took me a while before I got used to them again. After a few kms of cycling, I wondered why my waist felt so tight - I've pulled down my swimskin to my waist but forgotten to take it off! Oh well, just have to bear with it until the end of the ride then, luckily it wasn't causing too much of a drag.

My lack of effort training rides showed. Whilst I was consistent in my pace, I couldn't quite bring up the speed. The course was L shaped and 4 laps. While it seemed we had headwind on the way out and tailwind on the way back, the cross winds made it somewhat challenging in both directions. I hovered around an average speed of 31kph and average power of 150 watts, very much like an aerobic training ride. On the 2nd lap, I actually dropped my water bottle over one of the pot holes. Had to stop to pick it up and lost about a minute or so there. Lots of cyclists were overtaking me and by the end of the 4th lap, I was just glad to get back into transition! Bike split for 90km was 2;54:59, almost 25 minutes slower than last year! I've also lost 6 places to 14th in age group.

Clutching onto the side bars so I don't get blown off the bridge!

Was hoping for a speedy transition, slipped on run shoes on and then I realised I still have my swimskin on. Took off the shoes and pulled off the swimskin, put the shoes back on again. Okay, onto the run - where I normally try to gain a few more places. But my long runs have been somewhat inconsistent, so I had to be conservative. First km was too fast - under 4:30 but I settled into 4:50 for the next few kms. The run course was 3 laps with some sections were pretty shaded which was much to my relief because the sun was blazing by then. My pace started creeping past the 5 minute mark as I got towards the end of the first lap. Li-Ann and Sebastian was there cheering me on and that kept my spirits up for a bit. The winds were still strong and it was like running into a wall on the way out. The pace slowly began to move towards 5:15 - 5:20 and I knew I still had a bit of buffer to finish under 5.5 hours. 

The volunteers were great handing out the drinks and local residents were all out to support by spraying us with their garden hose. The pace slowed down again towards 5:30 in the final few kms but the end was in sight. I finally crossed the line with run split of 1:47:28 for the 21km, about 5 minutes slower than last year (but last year's run was about 500m longer) and gained 3 more places to 11th in my age group. Overall finish time was 5:25:04, over 40 minutes slower than last year and my 2nd slowest half iron distance time by about 8 minutes.

Just.Want.To.Get.To.The.Finish

A bottle of beer was handed out at the finish which was very much welcomed. A finishing photo and a print out of the provisional result were given to us, which I thought was very nice. And a personalized finisher medal with our name as well. Didn't I already mention this was a great event? We spent another night in Pottsville and had a nice dinner at Byron Bay. I don't mind doing this event again next year, it's a nice weekend getaway. Now to get back to training so I can do a better race in my next event, likely Sunny Coast 70.3, which seems such a long way from now!

See you again in 2018!

 

Ironman Malaysia 2016 - third time lucky!

I wasn't planning to do this race. Firstly with a young child, I wasn't sure how I would cope with the training. Secondly, after two consecutive DNFs on this course, I'd be lying if I wasn't a bit spooked by it. But my wife Li-Ann is ever so supportive and with rumours (which were later confirmed) that this would be the last edition (at least for now) of Ironman Malaysia, I knew I had to redeem myself. My preparation went pretty well, although a far cry from what I used to be logging years ago. But I was building up my miles consistently... until 7 weeks before the big race, during my long run, I tripped and fell and sprained my ankle in the process. I had to limp 7kms home as I did not have a phone with me. While the sprained ankle affected my mobility a bit on the bike and swim, it affected my run the most and I had to take a couple of weeks off running. I pretty much recovered the final few weeks but didn't manage to build up the run mileage. And then I got hit by a stubborn cough, while it didn't put me off much training, it made me feel a bit weak, resulting in some inconsistent sessions.

But enough of my excuses. Come race week, I was all healthy. A bit underdone in training but fit enough to take on an Ironman. I decided to fly in to Kuala Lumpur a week before the race, to get myself acclimatized to the weather but it has been relatively cool this time round. Did a few sessions, got my bike serviced and had a massage before flying out to Langkawi. I also decided to borrow a better ventilated aero helmet (thanks David for the loan!) and got myself a sleeved tri suit to protect against sun burn (the Scody Optimise Air is the bomb!). Hopefully, with these minor but crucial adjustments, I would avoid a hattrick of DNFs!

Pre race

We caught the earliest flight into Langkawi, two days prior to the race. Myself, Li-Ann and Sebastian, a bike bag and baby car seat. Transporting luggage from one spot to another was a bit of a juggle, but we managed just fine. Picked up our rental Toyota Avanza and checked in to Chenang Inn, which conveniently upgraded us to a family room. I was pretty tired from the early rise but couldn't quite catch a nap with all the adrenaline. Did the pre race procedures of race pack pick up and attended the video briefing, it was nice to catch up with many friends at the expo. In the evening, I did an hour easy spin up the Datai climb and back. We skipped the welcome dinner and had some nice Syrian food in Chenang.

Could barely keep my eyes open!

With relatively late start the next day, I managed to get a sleep in. Bringing my bike along for the swim practice, so I could rack it straight after. It was nice to meet fellow Red Dog triathlete Michelle that morning. With the bike and gear bags checked in, the rest of the day was a pretty relaxing one and all of us, including Li-Ann and Sebastian had a bit of a nap.

At least I get to be amongst the first at something!

Race morning

Up at 4.30am to have breakfast and go through my race morning routine. Mum, siblings Karen and Keith and brother in law Gary arrived the night before and we all met at 5.30am to head out to the race start at the Danna, Pantai Kok. After pumping up my bike tires, filled in the bidons and made sure everything was all set to go, I queued up for my 3rd toilet sit down that morning. Once done, there wasn't much time left and we could only get a quick photo before sending me off. I did manage to squeeze in a quick warm up swim before lining up for the start.

Dad to arrive later that afternoon

Swim 3.8km

With a rolling swim start, it's always hard to tell where you would place throughout the race. I got myself as close as I can towards the front but I could see the top Malaysian triathletes were a bit further in front. It was a two lap triangular shaped swim course and we were released 4 at time with a few seconds apart. I got a good start running off the beach and then diving into the water. But was caught up with many other swimmers and had swim over some of them (sorry!) to get moving forward. Sighting every 5 strokes or so, I kept close to the buoys and didn't get off course much.

With a higher tide this year, we were able to do a short run on the beach before going for the second lap. I clocked 33:42 for the first lap and felt pretty comfortable. It was less crowded on the second lap and I had more space to myself. There was a bit more chop in the water which caused me to swallow some sea water but nothing too dramatic. A bit of sea lice here and there, which gave me some burns under my neck but didn't affect me much throughout the race. The second lap was a bit longer at 34:18 although I felt I swam faster (must be the couple of times I stopped kicking so that I could pee!) I had a total swim time of 1:08:00 which is fairly consistent to the last two Ironman swims in Langkawi, which typically tends to be a bit long. My watch recorded a distance of 4km.

Photo credit: AsiaTri.com

Transition 1

I came into the change tent with two top Malaysian triathletes - Mohd Amran and Allie Helmy. There were not many chairs left and I had to get my socks on while standing. This time round, we had to place our bags ourselves into cages provided. But things went smoothly for me and I got out of transition quicker than the other two. Time taken 2:42.

Bike 180km

Despite coming out of transition first, both Amran and Allie quickly overtook me. I wasn't going to give chase as I'm way out of their league. There were two other Malaysians who came out of the water first, about 3 minutes ahead - super fish Abdul Hai and recent sub 10 hour Roth finisher Rupert Chen. The former still new in this sport took his time in transition while Rupert who's made massive improvements in his swim was powering ahead on the bike. Another top Malaysian and multiple Kona finisher, Hafiz Wong overtook me just after we got down from Datai.

Photo credit: Jack Ah Beh

But I raced within myself and was extremely conservative with my cycling, pushing about an average pace just above 30kph and average power output 150 watts, a bit lower than what I would do on my long training rides. I was actually enjoying myself without much pressure. I shifted to the small chainring many times for the climbs and especially for the steep ones on LISRAM highway and Padang Gaong just after the 50km mark.

The bike is two laps with the first lap being longer at 100km. Just after the turnaround point, Michelle overtook me and looking strong. As we made our way up Datai the second time, I could feel my energy levels dropping. This, despite a conservative pacing and relatively cool weather (for Langkawi standards) with plenty of cloud cover. Nevertheless I pushed on with the descend and along the flat sections towards Ayer Hangat. But I was slowly getting a feeling a deja vu from the previous two years. I struggled to stay on my aero bars and was desperately looking for the next aid station. At the 135km mark, I stopped for a 5 minute breather under the aid station tent, something I've not done in any of my races.

Photo credit: Jack Ah Beh

That refreshed me a bit but only for a while. When I got to the 150km mark before the two steep climbs, words cannot describe how relieved I was to see my family support crew waiting for me. Took another short break and exchanged some hugs and kisses, and that powered me through the final stretch. It was more powerful than 1,000 gels combined!

Poor Sebastian looks so tired here!

I finally rolled myself into T2 along with another Malaysian, Fazreen. Bike split was 6:16:49.

Transition 2

The legs didn't feel too great and being held in an air conditioned hall in Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre, I was tempted to linger but I wasted no time to get in and out. Time taken 1:29.

Run 42.2km

The first 300m or so was done in the convention centre, there was plenty of cheer from the crowd to lift our spirits. My legs were wobbly and I was clocking close to 7 minutes per km when we got to the airport road. Another Malaysian, Choo Wooi Sing shot past me just after 4km. And I noticed another Malaysian, Rafiq was further ahead. And while I was never in contention to be amongst the top Malaysian, I would still like to keep my position relatively high.

The run was 2.5 laps from MIEC to Chenang, where we would eventually finish. I was walking at all aid stations, grabbing Lucozade, Coke and watermelon. But my body could hardly process the liquids and I was peeing immediately after taking them in. Luckily, organizers provided big basins of water with small buckets to splash water over us. So this went on for pretty much most of the course - run, drink, eat, pee, splash, repeat.

Photo credit: Finisherpix

As the run progressed, my legs got back it's rhythm and I was getting back to under 6 minutes per km pace. The torrential downpour at the end of my first lap lowered the temperature and I was getting down to 5:30 pace. But it was freezing as I got back into MIEC, only to be warmed up by the greetings of Li-Ann with Keith and Gary. Mum and Karen must have gone to pick my dad from the airport.

The rain died down a bit soon after. But the rain left plenty of big puddles and some sections were pretty badly flooded, it was like doing an Xterra race! I managed to overtake Simon Cross who passed me at the 115km mark on the bike, he gave me some words of encouragement. Not long after that, I overtook Michelle, whom I later found out had a nasty fall at 140km of the bike course but finished strong regardless.

Photo credit: Jack Ah Beh

My pace started falling back into the 6:30s in the final stretch but I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. I overtook Hafiz who was struggled later in the run. I was starting to get a gag reflex in the last few kms, probably from dehydration or lack of nutrition. At the final turn towards the finish, Karen and Gary were playing spotters to my parents, Keith, Li-Ann and Sebastian back at the finish line. This gave me a little burst of energy to run towards the finishing arch. Tears welled up in my eyes as I got onto the red carpet. Crossed the line kissed the ground, and pumped my fists into the air - I've done it, I've finished Ironman Malaysia!

My run split was 4:23:51 with overall time of 11:52:52, my slowest Ironman time ever, but I was happy. 206th overall and 33rd in my age group, and the 7th Malaysian to cross the line.

Post race and acknowledgements

I actually had a bit of a scare and felt nauseous. As we walked back to the hotel, there was an ambulance and my family suggested I get myself checked out by the medics. I laid there for a while and they took me back to the medical tent for further observation. But nothing serious, just needed something to eat. Had three bowls of pumpkin soup and felt much better after.

First and foremost, I want to give thanks to my wonderful wife Li-Ann, for your support, for juggling working from home and caring for our son Sebastian and tolerating my absence in body when I'm out training and in mind when I'm back home but all I could think about is the race. While I crossed the finish line, soaking up the glory and glamour, what people don't see is the massive effort and sacrifice Li-Ann has put in so that I can actually cross that line.

My pillars of strength

My family - mum, dad, Karen, Keith and Gary (yes, you're part of the family now!) for taking care of my needs on the days leading up to the race and going through the trouble making the trip, giving me moral support. I love you guys! Dad actually spent a total of 20 hours in Langkawi, arriving straight from a business trip before joining the rest.

My training partners in Red Dog and Logan Triathlon Club for keeping me honest in the sessions, fellow like minded triathletes keeping me motivated with their social media updates. The enthusiastic volunteers and the awesome support from the Malaysian triathlon community who weren't racing but flew in to Langkawi to cheer - Bunanamo, Tadonamo, Underdog and many others. Family and friends who gave the countless words of encouragement and well wishes through Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Instagram etc.

My product sponsors - Lifeline ID, Saucony, Rocktape, N8 Nutrition for having faith in an everyday average triathlete. I practically depend on these products to get me through not just on race day but with my daily training as well.

Thank you everyone for making my 10th Ironman possible.