‘Popping’ the Ironman cherry………..Erkner 70.3 by Helen Pickett

In 4 years of doing triathlons I had steered clear of the Ironman brand viewing it as expensive and (if I’m honest) a bit scary – only for those who are really competitive and know what they are doing. Towards the end of 2022 coach Paul had said I would need a new challenge as I moved up age group and needed to compete/test myself in a bigger pond rather than just UK events.

So post Bilbao 2022 and I was looking at planning 2023 knowing the European champs were in Belgium at the end of August I started looking for a middle distance event within driving distance and with a fairly flat course (as Europeans were flat and that is what I would be trained for), up popped Erkner 70.3……….so I bit the bullet and paid, it was 3 weeks later so time to recover between events – first mistake, it was only two weeks later 😢.

I had been ‘reliably’ informed that the closed roads and organisation were second to none and 2023 was a good chance to test that as I had an Outlaw event, Lakesman, a Cotswold 113 event and the Europeans to compare it with – no challenge there IM!

Having had a good season leading into the event we arrived at our booked campsite to find it was the most expensive site of our trip and the one with the most rules (charges for everything!) but tried to put this behind me as it was close enough to drive to a good (free) spot for racking and then race day.

Registration was straightforward and I have to say I definitely prefer an IM wristband to the paper ones from elsewhere, and no I haven’t taken it off yet 🤣🤣. Not overly keen on the bright yellow bag but I will get over it but loved that the bike and helmet sticker came off easily leaving no residue!

Day before race day and we had friends racing the Olympic distance, we met them afterwards to pick their brains, feedback was – lots of technical officials on the bike course so don’t draft, the dead turn is tight so don’t be afraid to unclip (and I did unclip!) and you won’t see any of the bouys on the swim return because of the sun.

Time to rack – queue for 30 minutes in the 30 degree heat, there has to be a better way, I have never queued for any of the other brands I have raced, and so picky, the lady in front of me had to remove her lights from her bike (in case they fell off?) and I was briefly worried my duck might be removed, fortunately not, and breath.

Night before and I felt unusually flat, none of the usual panic and nerves, just felt nothing and race morning I was having dizzy or fuzzy moments, trying to convince myself this was psychological rather than real and I just needed to get started. Transition was a sea of faces and announcements I struggled to understand, but I was racked close to an English couple I had met in the Friday so chatted to them while sorting kit, extra bottle on the bike due to the heat, soft flask of tailwind in my run bag and a bottle to drink before the swim.

I liked the swim wait as it’s the first time Simon has been able to be there, yes it was ‘cozy’ in the self -seed pens but having placed myself in the 35 – 40 minute swim pen I tried to relax and remember this is what I pay to do for fun.

Gun going off was great although a bit of an anticlimax as we then moved so slowly towards our start, I tried to place myself so I would be on the outside with space if I needed it. Swim start was great, walking into a lake (not running, too high a face plant potential) into the water and start counting………first 250m seemed to fly by and my data afterwards confirmed that and I felt really relaxed and smooth (definitely unusual!) round the turn and blind swimming due to the sun, pretty sure I veered towards the middle before I got back on track, it might have been just after I got the ‘hand on top of the head’ dunking, came up spluttering but carried on. As I exited the water and looked at my watch I couldn’t believe it was under 39 minutes (I had hoped for under 40), smiled at Simon and headed into T1, wetsuit off, shoes on and start running while taking a gel and getting my helmet on only to be told I had to have it done up before I even got close to my bike (never heard that one before?)

I was expecting some tight turns leaving the town but after some ‘pavement’ dancing to avoid one roundabout it was head down on the bars and focus on power. This year I have really struggled to maintain a consistent power on the bike, Paul wanted 170w here so I kept telling myself to hold it, initially it hurt a bit, but as I settled in |I realised I was holding between 180 and 185 with some effort (but not maxing out). Closed, smooth roads were lovely and everything was really well signed, but (there had to be one) there was a section where we shared one side of the road with oncoming bikes and whilst that was fine on the outward lap 1 it became dangerous for the return as 20 or so bikes were stuck behind a slower cyclist and riders started making poor choices to try getting past (including undertaking), it was the same out on lap 2 and as for packs of bikes drafting, I have never seen so many in all the previous races I have done, the penalty tent was pretty busy as I came past it on my way back to T2 (and pretty sure the 2nd lady in my AG had picked one up). As I completed my first lap I saw a female cyclist with my AG on pass me, couldn’t keep up with her so started to wonder where I might place and how good her run was, she was the only female to pass me while I had just had my fastest bike split ever and held my most consistent power at 183w NP!

Back into transition and momentarily couldn’t find where to rack my bike, racked and to my run bag. Shoes changed, soft flask down my bra, gels joining it and off. As I passed Simon coming out of T2 he said ‘8 seconds to first’ so it was now game on. First couple of km were way too fast and the heat was soon bearing down on us, but the aid stations were excellent, lots of water, showers at three out of four and cups of ice to shove down your top (sports bra full of ice is a rare treat!). A four lap course was mentally challenging as I am used to 3 (lap 1 is getting to know it, lap 2 you start to hate it and lap 3 is your victory lap) but the local residents in the built up area were out in force both supporting and hosing us down – I took full advantage of that. As I started the run I knew I would be close to 5 hours and while I desperately wanted to nail it I found the 28 degree heat too draining and my pace slowed a little as the run went on and I watched it slip away, but hoped I might get my fastest finish this year.

As I headed off lap 4 and back to the finish it was a lovely feeling, but honestly – no real difference to any of my other races, AG first, best ever race swim and bike and a seriously hot run but fastest event this year……..all just two weeks after a tough European championship so nothing I couldn’t be proud of.

The presentation was the best I have ever attended, despite not understanding most of it, there were athletes there just for the ceremony and each age group was given a real opportunity to celebrate their success and the standing ovation for the oldest finishers gave me goosebumps. We didn’t stick around for the world championship slot allocation as while I had one I just can’t justify the cost of going to New Zealand for it – just the race entry is two normal entries here in the UK, never mind the travel costs, I don’t regret it one bit and had it been in Europe I would have probably taken it.

So – million dollar question, would I do an IM branded event again? I so wanted to hate it as I had been against them for so long, but as costs have risen everywhere they are no longer significantly higher than similar events. Volunteer support was not a patch on Outlaw, Lakesman or Cotswold 113 events in fact you hardly knew they were there on the course (transition was better), and organisation wasn’t dissimilar. So yes I would especially here in Europe and might have already looked for next year – just need a date and location for European Championships before I commit to anything………