The Lost Sheep Half Ironman – Sweet Revenge
The Lost Sheep Half Ironman, 8th September 2013
This race broke me last year. I had a slight running injury going into it. I thought it would be ok. It wasn’t. A half marathon is a long way to go when you start walking after 5km. I was quite emotional crossing the line last year and not in a good way. This year the plan was to go back and gain revenge.
I have trained and raced well this year. I have put decent time towards training and have seen some progress. So I was happy enough on the drive down to Kenmare on Thursday evening. I had no injury worries and I was really looking forward to my 2nd attempt over this distance and course.
I cycled the new run course and drove the bike course on Friday before registration. To my mind they are the hardest bike and run legs of any triathlon in Ireland. Hill after hill. The bike course is class with two testing climbs. The run course has a killer hill at about 17km. Not easy to cycle up never mind run up!
I set up at transition with the minimum of fuss on Saturday morning before chatting to a few of the other pulsers whom were racing. All were in good spirits. The weather looked ok at that stage. Just as transition was closing it started to rain. I turned over my bike and run shoes just in case it got bad.
The swim went fine for me. The water was warm and glass like in appearance. I could have swam all day. Monday nights in Killiney proved to be excellent preparation. I didn’t get involved at the front like I would have in an Olympic or sprint. I figured there was a long was to go. I stayed out of trouble and was very comfortable the whole way round. People were swimming in all directions. I just took the direct line, sighted well and didn’t attempt to follow feet as I didn’t fancy swimming an extra 50 or 100 metres. I was smiling as I exited the swim.
T1 was where the fun started. There had been a downpour during the swim. My sunglasses were wet and fogged up so decided against them. Arm warmers were soaking so decided against them also. I went out of T1 with the bare minimum of clothing. It didn’t feel cold. I could tough it out. Anyone putting on a jacket was soft.
The bike course has two big climbs. The summit of the Healy pass is at 30km and it’s basically all uphill until then. I had it in my mind to take the first 40km easy before upping the pace. All was going well and then the rain came. It was heavy and persistent. As I climbed I started to get cold. My feet were wet. I was shaking and my fingers were numb. On the descent from the Healy pass I couldn’t change through the gears. My fingers were not responding to anything so I basically freewheeled for 10 minutes. It’s an amazing descent though with the switchbacks. At the bottom when you glance back up you cannot see any road at all. At this stage I would have paid top dollar for a jacket, shoe covers and a pair of gloves. I battled on like everyone else. I passed quite a few triathletes with punctures. Please God don’t let me get one of them. I started to warm up. I flew passed Glengarrif where there was an aid station. Last year I had stopped there for a drink. In much better shape this year I thought. I was feeling great as if I was only beginning to get going. This was at about 55km into the bike.
Then out of nowhere as I’m shifting to the small ring on the front and ‘BANG’. Chain has gone. My first thought is that the chain is broken and I am totally f**ked. Luckily it had just come off. Off I hopped. It took me way longer than it should have to put it back on but I was grateful it had not snapped. I was back on the bike and eager to push hard to make up the lost time.
Within a minute I realise I have a puncture. This cannot be happening. F**k it. Shit happens and it is out of my control. I’d like to think I didn’t panic but I did. I paused and had a fig roll to compose myself. I had one spare tube, a gas canister and a hand pump. I had never used a canister before so made a complete balls of that and just reverted to the pump. A lesson learned there. I won the pump in the club draw in Kilkee. Oh how I was thankful for the fine fine job this hand pump did. A lot of time passed as did a large troop of triathletes on bikes. Some offered help which was amazing. I had just looked the other way earlier afraid to look people in the eye.
Eventually I remounted and began the final climb up to the Caha pass. This is an amazing climb. Its beauty is apparent even to me. At this stage I am surprisingly upbeat. I am happy to be still moving. The rain is back. Most of my thoughts are centred on the front tyre and the percentage chance of another puncture. Is it higher or lower than before? It’s a strange mixture of positive and negative.
I know it’s all about the run. It was before the puncture. That will define the race for me. I didn’t cheat though for the rest of the bike and pushed hard for the final 20km passing a few. Entering T2 I was about 20 minutes behind the time I told Joanne to expect me. She looked worried. She had seen a few battered and bruised triathletes who had failed to finish the bike for not so nice reasons. There had been over 30 DNF’s. I flashed Joanne my black hands and shouted puncture. She put her hands on her head. I smiled.
My runners were dry thanks to my tactic of a few hours ago. I changed socks as well which made me feel reborn. It was still raining. I don’t think it had rained as much in the previous 3 months combined. Angela’s ashes came to mind.
The run went well for me. I was prepared and drew confidence from this fact. I couldn’t get a puncture on the run. I had a set pace in mind and had to hold myself back early as I was feeling good. The run course is tough. Up and down for 21km. There is an out and back section in the first half where high fives were exchanged with the other pulsers. Always a highlight and it makes the mind wander for a few moments. Maire, Jarlath and Ciaran were in fine spirits. I didn’t see Ian Farrell. He was well up the road on route to a great 5th place finish.
The 2nd half of the run has a 1km uphill climb similar to the beast of the east. I walked in the beast as I was ban-jacksed. Went up this one with little trouble. The last km was all downhill and the rain had stopped I think. I crossed the line a happy man. I had no major drama on the run. It all went to plan. I was way down the field but I didn’t really mind. Let’s be honest, I wasn’t going to podium in any case! Control the controllable’s. I was content that I accomplished what I had set out to do.
I would advise anyone thinking about this for next year to plan ahead. Seeing the course beforehand is a big help. Kenmare is a great town to spend a few days in. You can enjoy a coffee and a stroll around the place. It’s a long way from the metropolis of Dublin. There is a fantastic post-race buzz in the place.
It is a quality race and there is no hiding. It will test you and bring you out of your comfort zone. I think this race is a hidden gem and do wonder how it compares with some of the hyped up scenic ones from around the world. If you are still reading and have not done this race you must be curious about what it is really like. There is only one way to find out.
Report by Eoin George.
Results and Images here on TI website