The Lost Sheep Half Ironman 2012
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There are very few things in this world that I am afraid of, but for some reason whenever I hear the term “The Lost Sheep” I get a chill down my spine and a memory of great pain and torture. My first experience of The Lost Sheep Half Ironman Triathlon came two years ago when I toed the line for my first ever half ironman distance race, little did I know that this race would go down in history as the toughest Lost Sheep race ever. This was the race where 40 people were pulled out of the water alone, if you normally took 30min to do the 1.9km swim, on this day it would take you an hour. 2 punctures on the descents from the Healy Pass and the Caha Pass left me pushing very hard on the bike to make up ground before heading out on one of the most gruelling half marathons I have ever done. I ended up having the biggest blow up in a race I’ve ever had, resulting in me having to hobble most of the return leg of the run, praying for the end. Talk about baptism of fire!! But that was then and this is now. I had a bone to pick with this race and I made it my goal to make this my A race for the year, making sure I did not blow up so catastrophically on the run and finish strong.
The weeks before the race there was a debate over whether or not a Time Trial bike would be suitable for the course, considering the two Cat 1 climbs on the bike course, but there are some longer flat drags and rollers that are perfect for the TT too. When I last did this race I used a road bike and while the climbs were made easier the flats and rollers were a killer, so that was it, TT all the way, with a borrowed set of EC90 Carbon Clinchers and a 25/11 cassette, I’d be all set for the race on the day!
Early Friday afternoon Sinead Graham and I loaded up the car and began our long drive down to Kenmare, taking a different route via Cork city rather than the regular M7 route for a change. A long week in work meant that I found the drive very hard and Sinead took over after an hour and piloted us down the rest of the way (thank you!!). On arrival at the house, a few of the Pulsers were congregating outside; Alma Hanevy, Liam McFadden, Paul O’Callaghan, Kim Hickey and a return to western world from Vincent Galvin. We quickly emptied the car and made a move to registration. Long queue in registration but it moved very quickly and we were done in no time with a nice commemorative hoody in the bag. Back to the house and whip up some pasta for some pre race carb loading, prep the bikes, race gear and nutrition for the race and head for an early night to get rested for an early morning start.
5:30am alarm goes off, time to get up, porridge on, coffee in, there is a hustle around the house as everyone makes their last minute preparations and rituals before we cycle down to transition, either we got there late or the sun rose earlier but there was no need for the head torch of previous years. Everyone was in transition fussing around getting ready, all the Pulsers were put together in transition and the banter was mighty, with Paul Cunningham putting everyone at ease with his wit and enthusiasm. Eoin George was in transition for his first every half ironman race, as too was new member Donagh McGrath, who joined Pulse during the week, but was with the pulse crew doing the Ironman in Frankfurt earlier in the year.
7:15 and we are all chucked out of transition for the long walk up to the swim start, at least 1 to 1.5 km which we will have to cover on the way from swim exit to transition. We walked up to the swim with the outright winner of the race Katie Cook who was very relaxed, joking and having the craic during the long walk up. Getting to the swim start everyone from pulse chatted together waiting for the swim brief to start and trying to shake off the pre race nerves. We are joined by Pulse wonder supporters Alma Hanevy and Karl Gohery (who arrived down late the night before) they were everywhere on the course cheering us on!! Apparently finding the fabled lost sheep and Alma even found time to recruit some new pulsers!! Swim brief over, some butterfly technique demonstrations (gyrations! :D) and it was down the ramp into the sea for the start.
Before every race, just before I get into the water, I always get the anxious anticipation of the race ahead with the nerves of the swim, the cold water, the rough seas, the building currents, the cursed jellyfish that follow me through every swim, the elbows, punches and kicks from other competitors and the fogged up goggles. Today however, the water was calm, like glass, it was warm and comfortable, while we had to swim the first 800m or so against the tide, it didn’t seem so bad. Aside from a punch or two at the start of the swim filling one goggle with water, the swim was not rough and there was little fighting for space. With such a long distance to the first buoy the swim was stretched out and there was no bottle neck. Aside from sighting being a little difficult on the way back in due to the sun and glare, which also highlighted tiny little jelly fish, which apparently I was the only person to see! (maybe that’s my fear/dislike for the little buggers showing through again!) Overall I swam well within my comfort zone, no need to push too hard, it is after all a long day and no need to wreck yourself for the sake of a few minutes that you’ll lose on the climbs. Got to the ramp and out of the water in 34mins flat, great! 6mins under my target time of 40mins for the swim.
We run up the ramp to a runner collection point to pick up runners that we left earlier, wetsuit off, runners on and away we go for the 1.5km or so run. Getting into transition Eoin was just ahead of me, Vincent was leaving, time to get to the helmet on, socks on, grab the bike, leave and set out for around 3 hours on the bike. After a few kms I pass Eoin, before a short time later Liam comes whizzing by me. I get the temptation of going with Liam and using him as a pacer to maybe catch up with Vincent but the horror of two years ago still looms large in my mind, I must pace myself. The cycle route has probably some of the nicest sceneries around which is a nice distraction from the burning lactates in the legs as I climb up the Healy Pass. The debate of whether to use a TT or a Road bike is definitely argued on this day, as I was on a TT and Eoin on a Road bike, and as I struggled to find gears on the climbs, Eoin reeled me in but only to be left on the descents and on the flat and rollers. In the end only a few minutes separated us at the end of the bike….the debate continues!! Climbing to the top of the Healy pass just as the gradient really ramps up and I’m up out of the saddle grinding the cranks I can hear cow bells and shouting, I must be near the top, around the bend and the noise is deafening, right at the top a gathering of Devils, Giant Bananas, Admirals, grown men with speedos over their trousers and supporters ringing cowbells and shouting encouragement to all the competitors as they climb the hardest part of the bike route. The support was just the kicker everyone needed to get up and over the last bit of a climb before the amazing switch back descent. Mid way through the bike I started to feel nauseous, finding it hard to take on my nutrition, every time I went on the aero bars I would feel like puking, so I had to sit up and continue until the stomach settled and with luck it did so just before the start of the steeper part of the climb of the Caha Pass, what better way to celebrate this than to fire in another caffeinated raspberry gel, yum! It was great to see Karl and Alma roaring at us halfway up the Caha Pass. every competitor knew that the top of the climb is completed when we reached the tunnel at the top of the pass. After every sweeping bend of the climb I would look out as far as I could along the road to see the tunnel, but it eluded me until I gave up looking and there it was approaching through the undergrowth of the mountain side. On entering the tunnel I got a surreal feeling as the darkness crept in and the drops of water fell from the rock above, maybe it was the exhaustion, but I heard this from more than one of the other competitors too, the tunnel becomes completely dark before you see the light from the other end, it an experience of the bike course that will stay with me for many years to come. Getting to the top of the Caha pass brought on the sense of closure on the bike course as it is pretty much downhill all the way from here, but just before the top, Eoin passed me again. The descent was fast and the roads started off pretty good, it wasn’t long before I caught and passed Eoin for the last time. Around 10km from the end of the bike the legs started to let go and feel dead with cramps starting to take hold of my hamstrings. I survive to transition, fearing my legs are gone for the run, my bike time goal was 3 hours and I was delighted to see myself finish the bike in 2 hours 56min.
A quick transition grabbing a few gels I take to the run, on the way out of transition I see Paul O’Callaghan and Paul Cunningham coming up to the dismount line virtually side by side. I was thinking; those lads can run, I better get a move on!! So off I went pushing hard on the first km of the run, quick km split check…. 4min first km…What!! Too Fast!!! But what if the lads catch me??!! Then the recollection of times passed hit me… then so be it let them pass, my goal is to finish this race strong and not blow up! I pulled the pace back and off I went, short fast strides going uphill, longer strides leaning forward on the downhill, letting gravity do the work. My nutrition plan was to take a gel at each of the four aid stations, get to the turnaround point and if I feel good, blast the last ten km. This half marathon is a killer even for the most seasoned of athletes. This is where people really drop off, runners become walkers, every climb saps the muscles in the legs and core. I wasn’t going to let that happen to me again. I feel like I’m struggling as I get past the second aid station, begging for the turnaround point to miraculously appear and it does, not before a short sharp kicker of a climb. Its around here I start to get some GI issues, I tell myself to push on and not let it get to me. Turning around and heading back in I get the chance to see where the lads are. Do I have a chance to say ahead of them?? I see Paul Cunningham around 1km behind me, thinking he’s catching and even though I feel nauseous I decide to blast the next ten km. I’m also looking out for Paul O’Callaghan, who raced the Ironman 70.3 in Galway no less than 6 days earlier!! But I don’t see him. (Paul couldn’t continue on the run due to an injury and having his bike stuck in the big ring for the duration of the bike!! Now that’s tough going! Fair Play!!) The faster I run the more GI issues I have, I start to panic a little, I get to the third aid station, but decide not to take another gel and try to take on more water instead, this seems to work a treat as the issues start to subside. Pushing hard for the last few km, my legs start to scream at me, but the end is nigh!! As I approach the finish line, long before I can see him, I can hear Karl roaring “C’mon Niall!!!”. This gave me the last boost to catch the two athletes up ahead, finishing the run in 1 hour 45mins, crossing the line after 5 hours and 25 minutes a total of 1 hour and 21 minutes faster than two years ago!! I am delighted by this, beating my goal time of 5 and a half hours by 5 minutes.
All the pulsers on the day did great!! John Woods finished 20th overall in a time of 4 hours 40min. Kim Hickey put on an amazing display finishing 5th Lady and 2nd in her age group in 5 hours 16 minutes. Liam McFadden broke the 5 hour mark in a time of 4 hours 59 min and 50 seconds!!! New pulser Donagh McGrath finished in a time of 5 hours 16. Paul Cunningham finished in 5 hours 34 minutes. But most of all top congratulations have to go to Eoin George and Sinead Graham who completed their first Half Ironman Distance race on an extremely hard course! Congratulations! Well Done!! It is a super achievement. Sinead finished in 5 hours 51min and Eoin finished in 5 hours 50min.
To anyone who is interested in doing a half ironman distance race, then I highly recommend The Lost Sheep Half Iron, the course is great, the marshals are friendly and know what they are doing, it is well organised and you get a decent goodie bag, we will all be there again next year for the challenge. The after party and then onto the Horseshoe is a good laugh, with Kim picking up her age group award and Pulse Triathlon Club as a whole winning an award for being the Most Polite Triathlon Club!! Boom!! Now that’s representing!!
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Written by: Niall O’Reilly