IRONMAN Canada 2022 Race Report
30 August 2022After a two year delay due to COVID, IRONMAN Canada is back at Penticton! COVID, being overweight, and injuries made the road to this race a challenge, even considering that any IRONMAN is a challenge of its own.
Training
Two years of COVID didn’t do me any good. I am overweight and undertrained, at least compared to where I was before the pandemic started. I did not train at all in 2020 after quarantine started and I drank a lot of quarantine beer. 2021 wasn’t much better except for swimming. I started daily swimming in March 2021 when the pools reopened. I mostly didn’t run or cycle in two years. Training for IRONMAN Canada 2022 started from basically zero.
Training started December 2021, initially getting ready for a half marathon running race, Vancouver’s “First Half” Half Marathon, in mid February. The first mishap happened the first week of March when I got very sick due to “an abundance of stress” as I prepared to change jobs in April. I only trained a total of 5 hours in the entire month of March.
April and May were good training months leading up to Oliver Half Iron, my first half ironman distance race since 2019. I managed to finish the race in horrible shape and extremely slow but I finished nonetheless. A couple of weeks after the race, though, disaster struck.
Calf Injury
In mid June, I did a hard “leg day” at the gym, followed by hill repeat run the next day, followed by a 100km bike ride and then attempted a 25km run on the following day. This was, apparently, too much stress for my calf and I pulled my right calf in the middle of the long run at 16km. I couldn’t walk back to my car or walk the day after.
Recovery
Thanks to the awesome work of my physiotherapist Dan Haggart I was able to start some lite running in the middle of July, almost a month after the calf injury. I not-so-slowly built up from lite 3km jog to 20km running in 6 weeks and then it was time to taper for the IRONMAN race. I focused on lots of cycling and swimming, and added strength training to my routine during this time all of which, I’m sure, helped with recovery.
This is, however, the least amount of run training I’ve ever done for a half marathon, let alone a marathon or an IRONMAN race.
Commitment
I’m not nervous, I really am not. I’m anxious to get going as I know the run will be… something. I don’t know yet. I must decide before race start what I am going to do with the run. The weight of this decision keeps me awake. Am I going to finish this race or not? You must commit before the race to finish no matter what. There will be too many occasions for excuses and “easy outs” throughout the day that if you don’t commit beforehand then you will probably take one of those “easy outs”.
I can’t sleep past 3am. I get up and commit. I will finish this race today.
Race morning
I’ve already prepared everything in bags and checked the bags multiple times the day(s) before. Everything is set, there is nothing to worry about and again, I’m not actually nervous. I have my standard race morning breakfast (oatmeal, coffee, peanut butter sandwich) and it is time to go.
Transition setup is easy. I’ve done this enough times that I know what to do and what to expect and I can be out of transition in just a few minutes. This year is different than previous IRONMAN races (everything is with you on the bike rack and no transition bags) but these changes make this race feel more like any other triathlon and not a “special event”. Some people complain about this loudly but I think it’s fine.
I quickly put on my wetsuit and head to the water for a warmup. I immediately feel the need to pee but the toilet line is too long and I think to myself “it’ll pass” (spoiler alert, it didn’t pass).
Swim
I made the mistake of not looking at the course map so I don’t know the course at all. I guess we’ll figure it out as we go along! The water is warm, almost too warm for a wetsuit legal race. The days leading up to the race the water temperature had been over the 24.5°C limit and there was a real chance of being a non-wetsuit swim. I think I would have liked a non-wetsuit swim. That prospect seems to scare quite a few people and it would have been a more… interesting race for me.
Swim starts at 6:30am in a rolling start with 5 athletes going every 5 seconds or so. This seems to be the standard now. Gone are the days of mass starts on the beach or in the water. Those starts were not fun. I like the rolling starts.
I’m off at 6:35am in the middle of a small pack of athletes all targeting between 60 and 70 minutes. My swim goal is exactly 1:08 for a 1:47/100m pace. I’m able to hold a much faster 1:40/100m pace in the pool but open water swimming is just different.
The swim course is extremely well marked with lots of on course buoys and clearly marked turn buoys making sighting rather easy. Right off the start I have to briefly stop to adjust the wetsuit collar as it is chaffing my neck and I’m off after a couple of seconds. I’m right on course and dead straight to the first turn buoy at about 1100m. I passed every on course buoy on target and almost too close. I had a minor collision with another swimmer at the first turn and the contact broke the seal of my googles on my left eye. My left eye is full of water after this.
I don’t know the course but again, it is so well marked that I have no trouble getting to the second turn buoy at 1600m or so and then on to the third turn buoy at about 2100m. The next buoy is directly into the sun and I can’t see a thing. I briefly stop again to fix my goggles and take a peek at the course. I can sort of see the far turn buoy under the sun. I just swim directly towards the sun and that seems to work rather well. Turn 4 is at 2600m or so. This next section is about 1000m long and time goes fast although I feel like I’m swimming rather slow and my heart rate feels elevated (Post race data analysis confirms that I was rather slow in this section). I’m fighting with the water, the way I used to do in years past. So, with about 400m to go I fix my swim stroke, relax and have a nice swim to the end. There is one final turn towards the beach with 100m to go. The exit is, again, clearly marked with flags and easy to spot.
I get out of the water, look at my watch, and to my surprise, GPS distance is 3804m and swim time is 1:08:22. Fantastic start!
Swim-Bike Transition
To my surprise, I’m not stumbling over after getting out of the water. I’m also jogging through transition which I never do. I feel great. The wetsuit top came out very easy while moving. I get to my bike and the rest of the wetsuit also comes off really easy. This high performance wetsuit is really worth the money!
I should go for a pee now but the toilet is far. Also, I think to myself “it’ll pass” (spoiler alert, it didn’t pass). I guess worst case I can stop at the first aid station on the bike.
I had my tri top and short under the wetsuit so I quickly put on my cycling shoes (no socks), apply sunscreen generously to my arms and legs, put on my helmet and grab my bike. I’m in and out of transition in under 4 minutes. Probably an ironman record for me. That went well.
Bike
Cycling out of town is mostly downhill for the first 15km. My heart rate is rather high at 160bpm at the start but it comes down to under 140bpm in the first 10 minutes. This is expected. My heart rate stays under 145bpm for the entire rest of the race. This is as planned. So far so good.
The first real hill is at 16km. The road surface leading up to the hill is horrible. Indoor cycling training doesn’t prepare you for riding on rough roads. It does, however, give you an idea of what to expect. I’ve ridden this section on multiple occasions on virtual rides on both Rouvy and FulGaz. The hill is over rather quickly. That was shorter than I expected thanks to the virtual rides. Quick downhill to the first aid station.
I don’t plan to take anything but water at the aid stations. I’m carrying with me 4 bottles of Skratch sports drink mix very slightly concentrated so I need to add some water. I also have some energy bars to eat when I get hungry. I pick the water on the roll and I’m about to head off but I see the port-a-potty and I have to stop. “It” didn’t pass. I have to pee badly and it takes about 3 minutes total from stop to start but I feel sooooo much better.
The next 37km to the base of Richter pass go by in just over an hour. It is slightly downhill all the way and I’m averaging almost 40kph. I love this fast section of the course.
Richter Pass is next. It’s a medium climb of about 400m. My goal here is to keep my power under control at about 200W. I can power up this hill a lot harder but there is a lot of course left after the climb. The main climb is over in about 30 minutes. Again, it feels much shorter than I had expected thanks again to the virtual rides. Before I know it we’re going downhill again.
The descent from Richter Pass to Keremeos is accentuated by seven short and sharp climbs. I intend to ride those up at about 230W. Everything goes well. My heart rate doesn’t even go above 145bpm doing that. So far so good.
We’re approaching 105km where the “special needs” is located after an aid station. I have two more bottles of Skratch drink mix waiting for me at special needs. I discard a couple of empty bottles at the aid station to make room for the new bottles and then stop at special needs to pick up my new bottles. SURPRISE! My special needs bag is nowhere to be found. I stopped for two minutes while the volunteers looked for my bag but they couldn’t find it. I decided to go on without my drink mix. I will have to use the on-course Gatorade. I’ve trained with Gatorade for this eventuality so it won’t be a problem. The problem is that I’ve just passed an aid station and I only have one bottle of water and half a bottle of Skratch mix left over. I have two empty bottle cages and about 30 km to go to the next aid station which I think is after the next big climb.
The climb to Yellow Lake starts at 110km with a gentle uphill grade for 13km to climb about 150m before hitting the main climb. This main climb is about 10km long and 300m up and my memory from 2014 when I last rode this course was that this is the most difficult climb ever. With that in mind I intend to keep the power moderate at about 190W. In reality, the climb is over in 35 minutes and is again a lot shorter than I anticipated. When I got to the top my first thought was “Is that it?” and with that it is time for some descents…. or so I thought.
Past Yellow Lake there is a new section of the course that I’ve never seen and there is a short but sharp hill in front of Twin Lakes Golf Course that I believe is the steepest climb on the course. Nice start of this new section I though. It is over quickly but this hill did caught me by surprise.
The next descent is new to the course but I’m mostly familiar with the area from the Oliver Half Iron bike course which comes up the mountain for part of this section. This is a fast descent, peaking at 70kph and averaging about 50kph descending. This is fun! Before I know it it is time to get back up and come back to the highway.
The return to the highway is a shallow climb for 12km. It is slow going but it only takes 30 minutes. It is all downhill into town after this and it is fast. 19 minutes for 12.5km averaging almost 40kph at the end of the race… or almost at the end.
The final section is riding up Main St in Penticton. It is 5.5km and it is slightly uphill and into the wind. It is only 12 minutes but by this time my lower back is hurting a lot from being in aero position for a long time. I stay down nevertheless to stay out of the breeze. I’m thinking “no way I’m doing a marathon after this”. This section feels like an eternity.
I arrive at the dismount line and I expect to cramp up when dismounting. I also expect to not be able to stand up straight as my lower back was hurting. Surprisingly, I dismount and I feel fine. I forgot to undo my shoes though so no I have to run the bike in with cycling shoes still on my feet instead of leaving them attached to the bike.
My goal for cycling was 6:15 and my actual time was 6:21 with 5 minutes of stoppage at a port-a-potty and special needs. All in all it went exactly as planned. Probably the best IRONMAN bike ride I’ve ever had (in terms of how I feel, not total time).
Bike-Run Transition
I walk the bike into the rack and I take a couple minutes to change my cycling short for proper running shorts. It takes a bit of time as I have to cover myself with a towel as there is no change tent (there is, but it is too far). I apply plenty of sunscreen again on arms and legs, grab my number, hat, glasses and nutrition and we’re off. There is a port-a-potty at exit from transition and I decide it is time to pee again… add another 3 minutes.
Transition time 9:25. It’s ok I guess. I could have been much worse. I’ve had worse.
Run
OK, here is where the challenge really begins. Coming off a calf injury I had decided ahead of time that I was only going to run the first 26km and then walk the rest. I had agreed to this plan with my physiotherapist as a good plan to not get injured again. I have, in fact, signed up for IRONMAN Cozumel later in the year just so that I could drop out of this race “guilt free”.
The course is made of a hilly 10km out-and-back section on the KVR trail to Naramata and then two 16km loops of running up and down Main Street and out-and-back on Lakeshore Drive. The goal is to run the 10km KVR trail section and one loop of the Main Street course and walk the second loop.
There is a big hill immediately at the start of the course to get up to the KVR trail. My run strategy in IRONMAN is to not walk at all between aid stations. I allow myself to walk the aid stations but no walking in between aid stations. This strategy is obviously not going to apply to the second loop but I intend to maintain it for the first 26km of planned running with one exception: the hill at the start of the run.
I’m actually feeling great running off of transition and I find myself actually running (slowly) up that hill! I make the turn to the trail and to my surprise I’m running rather freely and on pace for a 4:15 marathon. I run down the trail, walking the two aid stations and then turn around and run back and I feel like I’m flying. It is getting hot so I got ice at the first aid station and stuffed it into a ziploc bag that I carry for this purpose. I stuff the ice ziploc into my shirt by my liver. I repeat this at every aid station all the way to the end. I never feel hot during the race even though the air temp was 29°C and my watch read a peak of 33°C in the sun.
Before I know it I’m already getting down the hill and I look at my watch at the bottom. 10km in 1:04 even though there is 80m of elevation gain. I feel great.
Now it is time to do the first loop. I’m starting to think that I should run like this and crush this sucker. I’m running out on Main Street and I see my wife and I stop briefly for a kiss and a high five of my son. She asks me how I’m feeling and I say “Great!”… she looks puzzled 😀.
Every aid station I take Rocktane energy gel that I’m carrying in a flask along with water to wash it down and ice for my ziploc. Rocktane, water, ice in the bag, water in the face and off.
16km down and I hear my name. My friend James Thomas is finishing his ride and riding down Main Street. It is actually very nice to see him.
At 16 it is the turnaround to go back in town. I’m nearly to my goal, only 10km to go. I’ve felt my calf tighten up in a couple of steps so I’ve decided that trying to crush the run would be a mistake. I only need to get to my goal and then I’ll walk. I’ll actually stop if I feel my calf tighten up again. The return to downtown is a bit slower now that “crushing it” is out of the picture. I see my wife again and stop for another kiss. Since there’s no time pressure anymore I also sit down on the comfy chair she was using 😊. I sit and chat for almost two minutes… wow was it actually that long?? Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I communicate the plan to stop and walk soon and them I’m off.
I ran all the way back to downtown feeling good. Hip flexors are sore with every step but this is not unusual. No pain anywhere else or anything abnormal. Maybe I’ll continue running as long as I can.
I feel my calf tighten up a lot as I turn from Main Street to Lakeshore Drive. It is enough that I decide to stop then and there, maybe even stop the race altogether. I can see the 22km marker just ahead and my watch reads 2:05. Not bad for 22km run in an IRONMAN. I guess it is slightly shorter than 26km but it will have to do. I take a few steps walking and it seems that my calf is ok with walking and so I walk… and I walk. The first kilometer goes by really slowly. It takes about 11 minutes for every km as I’m not a fast walker. This is going to be a long walk. 20km at 11min/km is going to be a 3:40 walk. Adding the 2:05 run I expect to be done at 5:45 at the earliest.
I walk… and I walk… and I keep walking. It is actually quite boring and mentally hard to keep walking. Lots of people are walking though but most of them walk faster than I do 😞.
After an eternity, I see my wife and kids again. I explain that I’m walking as I had planned and that it is going to take a long while.
The kms are ticking down though. 4:15 and it is 32km and only 10km. All I have to do is get back to town and then do the Lakeshore Drive out-and-back. I can see how this ends but it still will be in 1:40 minutes at my current walk pace.
Kilometer 35 and I see my wife and kids yet again. I do like this multi-lap course as it is friendlier to spectators. 7km to go so I say that I’ll be done in 60 minutes. Main Street is actually downhill from here so at this point I think I’m going to try a walk/run to the end. I want to be under 6:00 for the marathon. I keep this 4 minute jog, 1 minute walk.
Kilometer 37, only 5km to go. I just passed the finish line on the way out and I just need to return. I see my friend James running in the opposite direction. I stop and give him a sweaty man-hug and wish him good luck. I probably won’t see him again today.
Kilometer 39 now. I’m actually tired. Walking hasn’t been easy and I need a little break. This is a violation of the no-walk-between-aid-stations rule and it costs me. I walk for 5 minutes…. nope, 13 minutes… that was a slow kilometer.
As soon as I see the 41km marker I know I’ve finished and I decide to start running again. I don’t actually feel my calf tight now so I don’t stop and run all the way to the end and run it well.
As I enter the finishing chute there’s my wife and kids. High fives all around and to the crowd. This is Number 6 and it is done!
Run time: 5:46 Total time: 13:29
Conclusion
This is my slowest race but I also the most enjoyable and satisfying. Finishing an IRONMAN is always a challenge and is goal #1. To that effect, this was a successful race. Add to that the almost perfect swim, excellent bike ride and fantastic first half of the run and it was not only successful but also downright enjoyable. To have formulated a plan beforehand and executed the plan to almost perfection was very satisfying. And to have done this within 10 weeks of a major injury I think is quite incredible. IRONMAN, because Anything is Possible.
Thank you to my wife Lorena and my kids Tristan and Victoria. I love you.