Busso 70.3 - King

IM 70.3 - Swim 1.9km (turned 2.2km) -> T1

Came into this portion knowing that this was the biggest mental hurdle of the entire race but for real though, by His grace, it turned out to be so much better.

Conditions were as perfect as one could ask for and all I had to do was overcome that small mental block of never having had a good open water swim up to this point. Shoutout to Anthony, Theresa, and the other RSAF and RAAF bunch who so openly adopted me into their group!

I had set out to complete this 1.9km portion within an hour, and while the anxiousness was still there, it simply existed behind a veil of positive self-talk. All that disappeared when I got into the rhythm of taking one stroke at a time and this swim eventually became the best open water I’ve done since starting my triathlon journey. I was actually going past people in the swim and was very comfortable in the wetsuit. That was up until I lost sighting and got misdirected 5 times .

But hey, still made it within the personal target time despite deciding to forget how to swim straight.

Honestly, thank you Jesus for helping me through that and getting my butt in gear for T1.

Swim: 1hr

Pace: 3:12/100m

Lessons learnt: positive self-talk always & don’t skip out on sighting practice

IM 70.3 - Bike 90km -> T2

By far the longest leg of the ironman both in distance and “things that could’ve gone wrong”.

Exited T1 feeling great and was so keen to eat up the km’s with the bike.

Ended up with a puncture (first time in my entire life) which eventually resulted in the bike filing for a divorce from my cleats so hard that we both ended up on the floor. Bleeding and sonewhat annoyed, this set me back about 30mins (shoutout to Kurt who helped me out).

On I went only to realise that the calipers were ever so slightly pinching on the disc brake which resulted in me having the longest and most unnecessary leg resistance workout over almost 90kms .

Oh, and I had another fall - turns out that loose soil is actually loose (shocking).

Was hydrating and inhaling my nutrition well for the entirety of the bike leg but was unable to hold my goal of 30km/h due to the multiple factors mentioned above. But hey, makes a great story, right?

Personal goal of finishing in 3’ish hours. Ended up completing this in 3 hours 40 minutes (crash and flat included).

Avg speed: 24km/h

Time: 3:41:35

Lessons learnt: transport your bike better, absolutely no last minute equipment changes (went from tubeless to tubed a week before), use the ironman bike mechanics at transition, fall with grace way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

IM 70.3 - Run 21.1km -> finish!

Someone once told me that the run portion of the race is where you’ll feel like a star. That was so true.

The crowd, music, and atmosphere was so genuine and lively that I forgot my shoulder and hips were hurting from the bike fall earlier. At this point, getting back on my feet and eating up the miles alongside other competitors just felt right.

Shook off the initial cramps and set a steady pace going for the first 10kms. It was made better when I bumped into familiar faces from random training rides during the year or people who I had the pleasure of meeting in the days leading up to the race.

Finished the first lap with Theresa from the beach only to be reminded that the bike mishaps had set me back. So on I went to finish the final 11kms of the run.

That was until my groin started to really hurt.. like nauseatingly hurt. Every right step forward was increasingly uncomfortable which resulted in occasional stops at the aid stations to figure out what was going on.

Either way, I was reminded that in the middle of discomfort, I could still pray. So off I went running/ hobbling and praying out loud. Shoutout to the Aus beer gang at the pub who didn’t know me yet increasingly pronounced my name right on every lap that I passed them!

Man, hearing the crowd yell and encourage you even though we were strangers truly touched my heart.

The raw joy and genuine compassion from others as I rang that first-timer bell and crossed that finish line simply can’t be explained in words but will forever be kept in my heart.

And this concludes the little breakdown of the three disciplines of the Ironman 70.3.

Lessons learnt: add salt pills to the nutrition list and more isometric work for hamstrings in the gym.