Ironman Barcelona - Rebecca Smith

After what felt like good night sleep (I couldn’t believe it either!!!) I arrived in transition in good time to re-inflate my tyres and do some final bike and bag checks. I didn’t have much time to get nervous waiting in the swim start block as most of my time was spent in a mile long queue for a portaloo where plenty ahead of me had left their mark in typical ironman fashion 💩.

Unlike every morning since arriving, the sea was not flat and had a bit of chop but it was nothing in comparison to what I had previously swam in Mallorca a month earlier or even from what I had seen from Ironman Barcelona 2021. No complaints from me!

Unable to pinpoint the whereabouts of my estimated swim block, I befriended a lovely German lady who was in the same boat. We squeezed our way through the sea of ironman hopefuls and parked ourselves in what we believed to be 1:10 estimated swim block (hoping to hitch a draft!).

The start music started blasting and things got a little emotional - in a ‘how amazing is this’ kind of way. I checked my goggles a million times over as I made my way through the ironman tunnel towards the start arch (there may have been a tear or two).

At 08:38am I started and any nerves I had completely disappeared. Sighting buoys seemed extremely difficult but i managed to keep close to them for the most part, playing my part in the mass brawls at each turning point. Towards the back end of the swim, a helicopter was hovering above us. I was later made aware that this caused my parents to panic thinking I’d sunk to the depths with the jelly fish as I seemed to have taken my time and didn’t return to shore until 1 hour 29 after starting - much later than expected. First key takeaway - more work needed on swim technique I think!

T1 wasn’t too bad with a time of 6:23 and I managed to run with my bike to the mount line after weaving through the traffic of the mass of walkers taking things steady. I was off and made my way through the first 3km of narrow streets and speed bumps in Calella. At this point aero bars became legal and I quickly moved into position, only to be hit by horrendous headwind. At around 40km I picked up a niggle in my left hip which worsened in the aero position. I popped some painkillers which seem to take the edge off a little. Second lesson - I need a proper bike fit!

After battling through the headwind it was a huge relief to be flying back towards

Calella on the first lap with a decent tailwind. I was definitely not looking forward to turning back on myself and heading back into the headwind to start the second loop. At this point I really started to notice the number of people riding in packs and hogging the road, not allowing the overtake. This was a new one for me as I’d not seen this behaviour in The Lakesman!

I managed to take on 4 bottles of tailwind along with gels and bananas through the ride. I’d intended on drinking more but 2 mishaps with wet water bottles slipping from my grip prevented this. Frustrated!! I quickly learnt to take more care at subsequent aid stations.

I began the run and was instantly in pain with my hip and burning calfs. This is where things got pretty dark and seeds of doubt began to crossed my mind - there was no way I was going to be able to finish… But there was no way I was giving up either…I made it through the first lap and focussed on reaching each feed station one by one. It was reassuring to reach the half way mark. I knew I could push myself to finish at this point!

It was HOT during the run, I continued to drench myself at most aid stations to cool down. Feed stations were like slip and slides!! Despite pains and the heat, I managed to complete the run in a faster pace than I have ever ran previously and without any stomach issues…that’s a first!! (Thanks to tailwind and precision hydration I think!). I realised afterwards that I had run. myself up from 10th in T2 in my AG to 5th, and only a few pesky seconds off 4th - very happy with that!

I crossed the finish line in what felt like my hardest full distance yet! But what an amazing one it was!! I waddled straight over to grab a celebratory beer before tearing up and hugging my parents. I am so proud of myself for digging deep and getting it done.

Fast forward 4 days.. i still have 2 toes ready to drop off, a huge wetsuit war wound and I’m still struggling to walk normally without crazy aches and pains. Turns out I’m positive for Covid-19 so that may have played a role during/after - who knows?! Most importantly, I’m looking into booking my next one. Bring it on!!