DW's IM African Championships South Africa 2016 Race Report
DW’s Ironman South Africa Race Report
Stats: 37 years young (birthday day before the race!), male, 287 FTP, 70.5kgs, 4.07w/kg, enjoys long walks on the beach, and looks great in the dark. (the 287 FTP and 70.5kgs were 6 weeks before race day, my training fell apart after that 
).
Swim 1:21, Bike 6:11, Run 3:50, Total: 11:41, 71 in AG, 467 OA
Not in love with my results. Yet it is hard to imagine a different outcome when I have failed to build aggregate fitness year over year as a function of punching massive 90 day holes in my fitness. In addition, my training the last 5 weeks fell apart. No excuses, it was a self inflected wound.
Take-Aways:
- Worth doing twice
- Great venue/setup
- South Africans very friendly/warm
- Incredibly well run
- < 1,800 athletes = enhanced & less stressful experience
- Active and encouraging fans on a 4 loop run course
- Challenging bike course
- Affordable plus bonus of strong US Dollar/UAE Dirham
- Rough waters
- Comparatively smarter European/South African cyclists
Travel: Port Elizabeth (PE) is very accessible via plane. It is a very small town and the airport is < 5KM to the athlete village. Getting in/out of the airport was painless and quick. I traveled via Emirates Airways originating from Dubai. I had a brief layover in Johannesburg than a short flight to PE. For those coming from the states, I imagine you travel to Cape Town and then a short flight over to PE. When traveling internationally please remember to check your potential airline’s luggage policy. I am blessed with Emirates and their generous luggage allowance; I do not pay for my bike as long as I am under 30kgs. I know other airlines can be quite costly.
Port Elizabeth: The race HQ is in PE. PE is not a holiday destination by any means. It is on the coast of the Indian Ocean, has a boardwalk/casino, has access to the garden route (PE to Cape Town), and can be your basecamp for big 5 game day trips. However, it is just not a holiday destination. Several of my clients are from South Africa, and they consider PE a ghetto town. Just an FYI. Accommodation is very inexpensive. I stayed in a beautiful 2 bedroom flat 1500 meters from the course for < $50USD a night. South Africa is a left-hand drive country. Even with a left hand drive, driving is not prohibitive/problematic in PE if you rent a car. Everything is very centralized. I did not rent a car and was able to walk everywhere I needed to go. I was blessed with a great host from Airbnb whom let me use her car whenever I needed it. Keep in mind South Africa has a bit of a theft/crime problem. I did not experience it personally in any way; but I was continually warned by my (South African) friends to be cautious.
PE works incredibly well as a venue for IM:
- The IM village is right in the heart of their small downtown section.
- The swim is one large loop in a very choppy Indian Ocean.
- T1 & T2 are one in the same and stretch out from front to back @ 450m. The layout of the TAs is very intuitive.
- The bike course is windy, mildly rolling, and gorgeous as you ride along the coast x two loops. No admin time on the bike route – you get right after it.
- 1233m/4,045’ elevation gain (new course in 2016 due to construction)
- 1708m/5,603’ elevation gain (course as of 2014)
- Lots of chip-seal
- The run course is pancake flat and consists of 4 x 10.5KM loops right in the heart of downtown and is lined with incredible fans.
- April weather on race day is usually a high of 23C/73.4F. Unfortunately it was a very warm race for us it spiked to 34C/93.2F during the bike this year.
- There was a very laid back vibe with < 1,800 athletes.
- The race/registration/admin days were incredibly well organized. Registration was a breeze. Bike/bag check-in was seamless and was staffed with hundreds of volunteers whom walked athletes through the transitions.
- The aid stations were well staffed. My only concern is the energy drink bottles were 450ml/15oz capacity and they were filled with 350ml/12oz.
- High5 was this years nutrition sponsor.
Race Day 0645 hours Age Group Start
Up at 0245 hours and consumed 1000 calories. (I could not find applesauce anywhere in PE; if you need it bring your own)! I had incredible sleep the few days prior so a 0245 hours wake up call was no problem for me. I walked about 800m down the street and was picked up by one of the vans they had driving up and down the marine drive for athletes. The water was cool (not sure of the temp). Even though athletes were warned there would be no wet warm-ups, several of us were able to get wet for a few minutes at 0620 hours before they ushered us out of the water.
Swim goal < 1:20
Swim actual: 1:21:03, 141 AG, 921 OA
Garmin Swim file: http://tpks.ws/UT51e
I seeded myself in the middle of the 1:00 to 1:30 hour bin of the swim start. They were releasing ~ 15 athletes every 10 seconds. I am not sure what happened, but one side of the bin was moving while the other was not. I was on the side of the bin closest to the water. Before I knew it, I was in the second to last row of athletes entering the water. This was my first problem of the day; I solved it via staying within my box. I found joy that I would have less contact and looked forward to my swim. While I am not a strong swimmer, I have been doing a lot of open water swimming. Even with the rough waters going out, I felt incredibly comfortable. I focused on counting strokes, extending my stroke, and a high elbow pull. This kept me very comfortable and in control. The next problem I encountered was the limited line of sight to the buoys. The frequency and size of the swells created prevented normal siting conditions. Unfortunately, I am not a straight swimmer and had spent a lot of time in the OW practicing sighting. I worked the problem via gauging my direction vs. others near me as I tend to drift/veer to my non-breathing side. I also timed my sighting everytime I knew I was on top of a swell. By doing this I was able to see the next buoy maybe 30% of the time. I felt strong the entire swim. This was quite a contrast to my IMWI swim where I was undertrained. At the turnaround point I gained a shot of confidence from staying in my box and the strength and consistency of my stroke. I had very little contact (and drafting opportunities) during the entire swim. I knew I was zig sagging all over the course so I was not concerned with my final time. I was pleasantly surprised to see a time of 01:21 as I was exiting the water. My garmin said I swam 4400m. I feel like that is a bit much, but I have no doubt I swam over 4,000m.
T1 goal: none
T1 actual: 07:49
It was a bit disappointing that they did NOT have wetsuit strippers. Not sure if this was an IMSA thing or what. I exited the water feeling strong. It was a short 100m jog to my bag and then 5 meters into the tent. Slipped out of my wetsuit quickly. The tent was a bit crowded but I found a spot to sit for a moment and dump my bag. In my T1bag I had my shoes, helmet/visor, and race belt (mandatory for the bike) loaded with 6 PowerBar gels. I put my gear on and hit the bathroom as quickly as I could – I still can’t pee on the bike. I walked out of the toilet and handed a volunteer by wetsuit and bag and jogged about 300m to my bike. I was in the tri club section all the way next to the exit. I grabbed my bike and mounted after the mount line.
Bike goal: 05:50
Bike actual: 6:11:05, 140 AG, 842 OA
Garmin Ride File: http://tpks.ws/S9kdJ
1st hr @ 165np, 130HR, VI 1.04, IF .58 24C
2nd hr @ 166np, 130HR, VI 1.05, IF .58 29C
3rd hr @ 170np, 131HR VI 1.05, IF .59, 30C
4th hr @ 160np, 128HR, VI 1.06, IF .56, 30C
5th hr @ 146np, 131HR, VI 1.12, IF .51 32C
6th hr @ 148np, 134HR, VI 1.10, IF .52 31C
6+ hr @ 141np, 128HR, VI 1.10, IF .49 30C
Course Note: The bike route has changed 3 times over the last 5 years. In 2014 the route changed to a very challenging route with over 1708m/5,603’ of elevation gain. In 2016, the route was changed as a result of construction. The 2016 course provide 1233m/4,045’ of elevation gain. I believe they are going back to the 2014/2015 route. The prevailing wind is usually a Westerly win; a Westerly wind provides a tailwind on the way back to transition.
Unfortunately, my bike like was a mitigated disaster. Good news is I know where I need to improve on my fitness. I was dialed in on my nutrition, I peed twice on the bike; also was a bit stuffed towards the end of the ride and skipped the last bar and gel. I was fortunate to achieve a 4.07 w/kg on my FTP (287np) via a 70’ race on 12 February during training. However, my training suffered through my own lack of focus directly after that. In addition, I never developed the required focus on my 5-hour power. If it was NOT for him pushing me, I would have trained even less!Prior to race day I lowered my FTP to 272 to accommodate my fitness LEAK. Maybe I did not decrease it enough. I have to thank my friend and riding partner Dimitris. In my one race rehearsal, I noticed a massive disconnect between my perceived effort and my IF/HRM after swimming. I did nothing about it and this manifested itself on race day. For the first hour of the ride, my effort felt taxing/hard; I felt flat. Yet the first hour was an IF .58 and my HRavg was 130, very nominal efforts. I had one bottle eject during the first hour. But I stopped at the aid stop to ensure I slammed High5 Energy drink to ensure I was on target for my nutrition. In fact, because of the (previously mentioned small bottles) and heat I did this at every aid station. The second hour more of the same but the heat started to set in. By the third hour I felt marginally stronger and was able to pick it up. By then I was beginning to feel the effects of the heat and wind. By the third hour I noticed my right hamstring was a bit tight. This was strange, as I have not experienced this before on any of my longer rides. The bike leg just felt like it was never going to end. Hours 4 through 6 brought more of the same. At this point it felt almost as if I was failing to engage. My VI was extremely high the last 2+ hours as I was coming in and out of being engaged in the ride. It all felt just so hot with heat spikes towards 34C. My hammie continued to worsen… I was fantasizing about running…. If you know me that says a LOT about where my head was. Let’s not forget that my positional fitness went out the window at 90 minutes. I really don’t have anything else to say about this ride J
T2 goal: none
T2 actual: 10:35
Stretch Hammy
Toilet break
Run goal: 3:40
Run actual: 3:50:31, 71 AG, 467 OA
Garmin Run File http://tpks.ws/aUjAG
I had fun - A lot of fun - during the run. It was a blast. I figured if I could keep my hammie in line with the rest of my body, I would be fine. I mitigated my hammie by stretching at almost every aid stating. There were a few miles towards the end where I had to stop for 20 seconds and stretch as well. My stomach was a bit of a mess to start the run. I contributed this to the heat and my failure of not adjusting my nutrition to the heat. I minimized my nutrition through the first 10K to just what I could handle.. and after that I was fine. I used HR only as an indicator to pace. MY HRM average on the bike was 130. I wanted to dial in my HR at 125 for the first few minutes to ensure I was under control. I was able to do that with great success. For the remainder of the first hour I let my HR measure at an average of 133. My goal HR for was closer to 142 to 148; unfortunately my hammie was a choke point for my effort. It was just tight and I was afraid of pushing my HR/pace. Second hour I averaged 135 and felt great. Third hour provided more of the same @ 135 and some hammie stretching. My body felt great outside of my hammie for the entire run. The last 50 minutes or so I increased my heart rate to an average of 139. I could feel my hammie fighting me but I knew I was dealing with just a few K left. I didn’t hit my goal pace but I think I delivered the best I could given my level of fitness.
Post race atmosphere and organization was great. Food and Booze were plentiful. I think the most difficult thing about my day was AFTER THE RACE cycling to the condo up a 8% hill for 400 meters after all the racing and beer. It was fun though as a handful of people were cheering me on as I labored up the hill!
Comments
Meanwhile, what's next on your plate...after recovery of course!
Hey DW,
Thanks for the great report. I knew you had some question marks, perhaps some doubts, coming in, and I think you probably got the most out of the day. The swim probably put you behind the 8 ball from the start. Your training was what it was, but the swim probably drained you pretty good. 1:21 is a long time to go without ideal fitness, calories and liquid. I hope you ate something between 3am and 7am. Otherwise, you were probably in a big calorie deficit coming out after that swim. And that may very well explain why you were flat on the bike from the outset. Although no one should ever try an IM on minimal training, there are probably ten IM bike courses out there that one could theoretically try to BS his/her way through. This isn't one of them. Doesn't sound like you had the time/opportunity on the bike to really re-group, feed, hydrate, etc. The good news, however (well, other than being in SA), was that you ran exceptionally well. 3:50 in 90+ degrees, on less-than-ideal training, is pretty remarkable. Considering it all, going 11:40 on that course = job very well done. Congrats indeed.
Because I now have to bribe my spouse to allow an IM to be a vacation, this one is on the radar, so I really appreciate the non-race descriptions you provided. The race, however, may have lost me on the "chip seal" part alone. Man, I hate that stuff.
Best of luck on your next adventure.
MR
Really good report and great race performance bro!
IM is just damn tough any way you cut it, with great fitness or with less that desired fitness, it is a long day.
The swim sounds very similar to what Mike and I experience last year at IMFL with the swells.
Looks like a serious bike course which you handled well IMO.
This one is also on my list as well, as soon as I can figure out the travel implications, as Paul eluded too.
Just a fine performance on a tough course!
Congratulations IM!!
Cheers
Not sure if I'm in for next year as its a bit far out - but it's worth doing again.
1) Is the layout fair so everyone has roughly the same distance to cover in each transition?
2) What is the surface you run on when coming out of the water to your bike ... sand, concrete, grass??
3) Do you pass through a changing tent in each transition?
4) What was slowing you up on T2?
Thanks, Paul