Challenge Roth 2013 – Race Report

8/22/2019 Challenge Roth 2013 Race Report

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ChallengeRoth2013RaceReportbyPaddyOConnor

Decisionandplanning:

Mydecisiontodoanirondistancetriathlonin2013wasmadeinFebruary2012when I was lyingwith my leg in plaster after my second bout of major foot

surgerywithinayear.Iwasunabletoweightbearfor6weeksandmymodeoftransportatthetimewasamobilityscooter(boughtonebayfor46)whichatleast allowedme to take the dog for a walk and go to the pub to read my

newspaperoverapint!Myfootsurgeonwasdubiousaboutmerunningagainas

he blamed the need for a second operation on my excessive running itcouldntpossiblybeanythingtodowiththesurgicaltechnique!Sowhatbetter

motivationcould I have for getting better than toplan todoan irondistanceevent!

TakingthedogsforawalkFebruary2012

Thenextdecisiontomakewaswhichone.Havingreadalltheracereportsaboutthe Outlaw and the amazing support from theWakey Tri crew I had already

decided that if I did an event in the UK it would be the Outlaw. But I also

reasoned that as this was going to be my one and only attempt at an Irondistancetriathlonwhynotmakeitreallyspecialandgoanddooneofthebig

Europeanones.AGermanworkcolleaguetoldmeaboutChallengeRothandhow

this small village in Bavaria hosts the biggest Iron-distance triathlon in theworld.IsawtheamazingYouTubevideosoftheSolarerBerghillandIbeganto

thinkaboutRothasanoption.ThenIreadChrissieWellingtonsbookandthat

clincheditformeitwasgoingtobeRothprovidingIgetaplace.


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Soonthe16thJuly2012at9am(whilststayingatahotelinWalesforawedding)

IwaspoisedonmylaptopreadytogetmyentryinasquicklyaspossibleasIknewitwashugelypopular(all4000placesforChallengeRoth2014soldoutin

3minutesthisyear!).Iwassuccessfulsotheplanningandtrainingcouldbegin.

Training:Iwontboreyouwithallmyinjuriesandset-backsthroughouttheyear-itwasprobablynomore than youwouldexpect inany accident-prone48yearwith

arthritichipsandsacro-iliacjoints,awornoutbackandfeetheldtogetherwitha

meccanoset!

X-rayofmyrightfoot!

ThingscouldhavebeenalotworsebutIstillendeduparrivingfortheevent

never having swam 3.8k or run further than 22 miles before. Not the best

preparation I know!Most of my training I did alone, not just because Im anunsociablegit(whichIadmitIam),butIalsoreasonedthatintheraceIwould

bealonesoIshouldgetusedtothisfeelingofisolation.LittledidIknowhowaloneIwouldendupbeingandhowthoselonglonelycyclesthroughplaceslike

SwinefleetandMiddlesbroughwouldstandmeingoodsteadmentallyforwhat

wastohappenintherace.

Travel:

ThursdaynightferryfromHulltoRotterdamthena longdrivethroughHollandandGermanydowntoBavariaontheFriday.Fortunatelymy19yearoldsonDan

wasdrivingso Iwasabletorelaxandrestmylegsonthedrive.Hewasnttoo

keen on coming initially but I told him that Challenge Roth is sponsored byErdinger and there is a section of the course known as thebeermile andhe


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suddenlyseemedalotmoreinterested.Theremainderofmysupportteamwas

made up by Carolmy dearwife who is always there at triathlons to givemehelpfuladvicesuchasDontgiveupnowyoupuff!

CarolandDanmyverysupportivesupportcrew!

Pre-racebuildup:

Roth is a small Bavarian village that once a year hosts the largest Iron-mandistanceevent in theworld:3400 individual competitors500relay teamsand250,000 spectators.The triathlon bike course even has permanent road signs

andthelocalsjustloveit.Thetriathlonparkandexpoishugewithloadsgoingonandbeertentsandbarseverywhere.Caroltookpartinawomens5kraceon

the Saturday while I carried on carbo-loading and joined Dan for a pint of

Erdinger(Ishowedrestrainthowevermakingminealcohol-free).

Registrationandbike-rackingwassuperblyefficientandIretiredtomyhotelon

the outskirts of Nuremberg (20minutes away)where I hoped to get a good

nightssleep.Unfortunatelythiswasnttobethecase.Firstlymysupportcrewwokemeupcomingintothehotelroomsmellingofbeer,trippingoverthingsandgiggling.ThentherewasalargegroupofnoisyRussiansdrinkingvodkain

theoutsidebaruntillate.Thingsfinallyquieteneddownataround3:00amthen

myalarmtogetupwentoffat3:15am!

TheRace:

The swim for Challenge Roth is in the Rhine-Main-Danube canal, which is aprettybigcanal.Theswimstartisabout10kmfromtheTriathlonparkandrace

finishandwearrivedthereat4-45amexpectingqueuesofcarsbutneednthaveworried.WithtypicalGermanefficiencyandorganisationweparkedquicklyand

I leftmy support team in the car to sleep theirhangoversoffwhile Iwent tocheckonmybikeanddotheusualpre-triathlonfaffingwithkit.


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It was a beautifulmorningwith dawn just breaking andmist rising from the

canal.DramaticWagnerian-typemusicwasbeingplayedoverthetannoy-systemwhichgavemethefeelingthatIwasabouttogointobattle.

0500atswimstart

Unlike many Iron-distance events Challenge Roth is not amass-start and haswavesaccordingtoage-groups.Theeliteswerethefirsttostartat0630withmy

wave being the second last one due to begin at 0740.While queuing for theportaloo in transition I saw quite a fewmen get yellow-carded for relieving

themselvesinthebushesnotagreatstarttotheirrace!Idecidedtocontinueto

queue!

Pre-racenerves


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TheSwim:

Myaimintheswimwastogetthroughitusing theminimumamountofeffortpossible. Igenerallyonlyhaveoneswimmingspeedand Ireckoned ifI tookit

reallyeasyIwouldonlybeamaximumof5-10minutesslowerthanifIswamreallyhard. I thought Iwouldmake this backup onthe bikeand the run and

wouldbelesslikelytogetcrampsoIoptedtogoslowandeasy.Thewaterwasclearandwarm(butfortunatelynotsowarmtomakeitanon-

wetsuitswim)andthebanksofthecanalwerelinedwithcrowdsofpeopleand

cheeringcouldbeheardthroughoutthewholeswimduetothecloseproximityofthebank.SwimmingnearthebankalsomeantthatIdidntneedtosightso

frequentlyalthoughthisback-firedwhenImissedtheturningbuoyathalf-wayandcontinuedswimmingdownthecanalforandextra50metres.

Iwas hoping to do under 1 hour 30mins for the swim and exited in 1 hour33minssowasalittlebehindmyschedulebutIwasjustpleasedtogettheswim

outofthewayandstillbefeelinggood.

Transition1:

GoingintothetransitiontentIwasabittakenabackbyallthefullfrontalmalenudityonshow.IsthisanIronmanthingorisitjustbecauseitsGermany?Ifthe

womenswavehadntbeensomuchearlierorifIdswamabitfasteritmight

havebeenmoreinterestingbutitwasonlyhairy-arsedmenstruttingtheirstuff!MostofthevolunteersinthetentseemedtobeteenagegirlsandIwasgladIwas

wearingatri-suitthatIplannedtokeeponforthewholerace.Isatonthebenchandmyallocated helper gotmythings outofmybag and beganrubbingsun-

creamonmewhileIputmycyclingshoeson.Shethengotoutmychamoiscreamandgavemeaquestioninglook.SlightlyembarrassedIhastilyittookfromheranddiscreetlyapplieditmyself.

TheBike:

BeingaslowswimmerinoneofthelastwavesmeantthatIwasoneofthelast

onto the bike course.One advantage of this is that thereare lots of people infronttoovertake.Isetoffhappytohavegottheswimfinishedandimmediately

began overtaking lots of people. My target heart-rate on the bike was 130-

135bpmandIstayedatthiscruisingalongonthesilkysmoothroadsaveragingwellabove20mph,whichwouldputmeinsidemytargetofasub6hourcycle.

Thebikecourseconsistsof2loopsof85kmanda10ksectiontothefinish.Iwassurprised how hilly the course was (over5000 feet of climbing) as everyone

knowsRothtobeafastcourse.Thecountrysidewasfantasticandeveryvillage

we passed throughwas packed with people, sitting in the sun, drinking beer,cheering us on and listening to David Hasselhoff music over a loud-speaker

system.Myspiritswere soaring and Iwas enjoyingmyself but things were

abouttochange.


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Cruisingthroughthebeautifulcountryside

ComingdownafastdescentwithatightturnatthebottomIfeltmybackwheel

skidslightly. 400m furtheronand the tyrewas flat. Iwas usingtubular tyres

(VittoriaCorsaEvoCXwithKevlarguardforthosethatareinterested)andIhadonesparetyrewithme,onecanof sealantthatyousquirt insideand twoCO2

cannisters. I couldnt see a puncture anywhere so I elected to use the can ofsealant firstandkeepthe tyreinreserve.Iveneverusedthisstuffbeforeand

myfirstattemptcoveredthewholeofthefrontofmytri-suitinawhite,sticky

goo.HoweverIdidmanagetogetsomeintothetyreandusedoneofmyCO2cannisters to get it inflated. While doing this one of three service quadbikes

turnedup,checkedmytyrepressureformeandIwasonmyway.

10milesfurtheronandthetyrewasflatagain.Idontknowifitwasthesame

punctureoranewone.ThistimeIputthenewtyreonalthoughImanagedtolose the CO2 out of my last cartridge before the tyre was fully inflated.

Fortunately a quadbike arrived quickly again and I was soon on my way.

HoweverIwasnowfeelingalittlebitanxiousthatIstillhad75milestocycleandnowayofdealingwithanypuncturesandalsothatIhadatyreonmybackwheel

thatwasntgluedonverywell.

TheSolarerBerghillisoneofthethingsthatmakesRothsospecial.Thewallof

soundasIapproachedmadethehairsonthebackofmyneckstandonend.Eventhough I was expecting it nothing quite prepares you for the thrill of riding

throughanarrowtunnelwiththousandsofpeoplecheeringandsloshingbeeron

you.Iforgotaboutmypunctureworriesandjustenjoyedtheexperience.


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SolarerBerganunforgettableexperience.

Iwasjustgettingbackintoarhythmthenpuncturenumber3!Iwasdescending

fastgoingundera roadbridgeanddidntseeagrate,whichwashiddeninthe

shadowofthebridge.400mfurtheronandmyfronttyrewasflatsoIstoppedandwaitedfortheservicequadtoarrive.Iwasontheoutskirtsofavillageand

numerousspectatorswerealltryingtohelpme.Onemanranoffandgotapump

andpuncturerepairkitandtriedtoputapatchontheoutsideofthetyre.Iknewthiswasnotgoingtoworkbutheseemedreallykeentotry.Whiledoingsothe

racerefereepulledandoverandhadalongconversationinGermanIthinkIwasactuallyveryclosetobeingdisqualifiedforhavingoutsidehelp!

After40minutesofwaitingbecomingmoreandmoredesperatetherewasstillnosignofthequadbike.Iwastoldthatthenextservicestationwas12kmaway

soindesperationIbegantoruninmycyclingshoespushingmybike.Itwas30degrees, I was dehydrated, sunburnt and in despair as I newmy chances of

finishing were slipping away. One year of preparation, all the training and

sacrificesnotjustbymebutmyfamilyalsoanditendslikethis.

Afterapproximately5milesofrunning,cleatswornawayandblistersonmyfeet,aGermanspectatoronabikecameuptomeandofferedmehisfrontwheel.He

saidhewouldtakemywheeltotransitionandhedwaitattransitionformeto

arrive.IwasntsureifthiswasallowedbutIknewIhadnochanceotherwisesoIputhiswheelon, thankedhimandsetoffagain, andas Ididso Inoticed the

100kmtogosign!


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Backcyclingwithborrowedwheel

Atthispoint therewere stilllotsof cyclistsaroundme,howeverafterabout5milestherewasaforkintheroadlefttothefinish,rightforthesecondlap.

Everyoneelsewent leftwhilst Iwentright. Suddenly Iwas completely onmy

own.Theroadswereclosedtocarssotherewascompletesilence.Ithinkatthis

stageIwas lastonthecourse outof 4000competitors! Idmistakenly leftmygarminonautopausewhenstopped,soIhadnoideahowlongIhadbeengoingIthoughtthatIdlostabout2hourswithallthestopsandtherunningandIknew

thattherewasa9.5hourscutofffortheswimandbikesothingsweregoingto

betight.Forgetaboutheart-ratezonesIwasgoingtohavetopushreallyhardtomakethecut-off.Itriednottolookatmywatchbutnoticedatonepointthatmy

hear-ratewas165bpm.IknewIwasdehydratedandcouldfeeldriedsaltallover

myface.IalsowasnteatingenoughbutI couldntstomachanythingotherthanwater and I knew thiswasnt good. Worry about the run later I toldmyself

Unlessyougetyourfingerouttherewillbenorun!

Thefeedstations,whereonthefirstlaptherehadbeencrowds,steelbandsandcheerleadersshoutingZooperPatrick,nowhadtumbleweedblowingthroughthem.Thehelperswere intheroadthrowingbitsofbananaateachotherand

lookedreallyshockedtoseesomeonestillcyclingby.Igraduallybegantopick

offafewstragglersbutIknewIwasbeginningtofadeandcouldfeeltheoddtwingeofcrampbeginning.

IreachedtheSolarerbergforthesecondtimebutcouldhearonlysilence.Isaw2

solitary sunburnt figures halfway up the hill and realised itwasmysupport

teamwaitingforme-Inolongerfeltsoalone.Carolofferedherusualwordsofencouragementas I passed byand Danwhodobviously been on the German

beeralldayranupthehillnexttomebellowinginmymyfaceComeondadyou


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looklikecrapbutyourenearlythere!Allheneededwasamankinitocomplete

thepicture.AtimecheckfromDanconfirmedtomethatIwasprobablygoingtomisstheswim-bikecut-offtimebyafewminutes.Sodit! Imightaswellgoas

hardasIcanforthelast15miles,whichIdid.

Transition2:AsIenteredT2someonecametotakemybikeandrackitforme.BeforehetookitItookthefrontwheeloff.IwasgettingalotofstrangelooksbutIdidntwant

tosaythatIdgotitfromaspectatorincaseIgotdisqualified.Iranintothetent

allthewhileexpectingsomeonetocomeoverandtellmethatIdmissedthecut-off and couldnt continue.Noone did, soonwith the running shoesand sun-

creamandoutofT2stillcarryingthewheel.(Mybestdiscipline3mins6s!)

TheRun:

Iset off ontherun-coursestillcarryingtheborrowedwheel.MynewGermanfriendsaidhewouldbehereandIwantedtoreturnhiswheel.Iranabout200m

but there were crowds of people everywhere and I couldnt see him. I was

gettingalotofstrangelooks.NosignofhimsoIturnedaroundandranbacktotransitionandgavethewheeltosomeonethere.Isetoffrunningagain.Aftera

shortdistanceIheardsomeoneshoutingmyname.InitiallyIthoughtitwastherace marshall to tell me I was disqualified and couldnt continue, but then

realiseditwasmyfriendwhodleantmethewheel.Ithankedhimprofuselyand

hetoldmethathedputmywheelbackintransition.Hecongratulatedmeongettingthisfarandwishedmeluckfortherestoftheraceandweshookhands.

WhatagentlemanandIdidntevengethisname!

SoIsetoffrunningagainandsuddenlyfeltterrible.Iwastoohot,Iwaspantinglikeadogonahotday,feelingnauseousandallthemusclefibresinmylegsweretwitching.WithalltheproblemsonthebikeIhadnotbeenthinkingaboutthe

runatallanditsuddenlyhitmethatInowhadtorunfurtherthanIdeverrun

before. I had to stop 3 times in the firstmile due to cramp and on the thirdoccasion said to myself You idiot. If youd stopped in T2 I could have told

everyonethatIwasntallowedtocontinuebecauseIdmissedthecut-off.ButnowthatIdstartedrunningifIdroppedoutitwasbecauseIwasmentallyweak

andIwouldhavetofacetheconsequencesofDNF.Iknewthatfamilyandfriends

weretrackingmeliveand thisgavemesomestrengthbuttheenormityof thedistancethatIhadtorunintheconditionIwasinwasoverwhelming.SoItried

tobreakthingsdownintosmallermoremanageablechunks.Itwas5kmtothecanalandthentheroutewentupthecanalforalongway,thenbackdownthe

canalandthenbacktothesameintersectionbeforeturningforthefinal5kmto

thefinish.ItoldmyselfthatifIjustranthe5kmtothecanalIcouldreviewthesituation then. So I set off again at a slow pace trying to keep the impending

crampatbay.Ireachedthecanalwheretherewerestillcrowdsofpeopleanda

loud-speakerplayingpower ballads.Again shouts of ZooperPatrick spurredmeonandIsetoffrunningupthecanalpath.

Oneadvantageoftakingsolongonthebikewasthatbynowitwaseveningand

thetemperaturehaddroppedtomid-20s.Therewasalsoaslightbreezeandmycooling tri-top that Id regretfully chosen to wear instead of the Wakey kit


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seemedtobehelping(maybejustpsychologicallybutwhocares)andIbeganto

feelabitbetter.Iwasrunningslowlyabout9:30/mileandwithwalkingthroughthe frequentfeedstationsthiswasdroppingmypace toabout10mins/mile. I

reckonedIhadabout5hourstogetroundthemarathonbeforethecut-off(itis15 hours forRoth)andmyshrivelled,dehydrated braincalculatedthatatthis

paceIwouldcover25milesin5hourswhichwastooslow.ImstillnotgoingtodoitunlessIcanupmypace!About10milesintotherunIrealisedthatmymathswaswrongand10mins/mileequatedto4hrs20minsforthemarathon.

ForthefirsttimeinseveralhoursIthoughtImactuallygoingtofinishthis.

Thenext15milesareabithazyIthinkIveerasedsomeofmemoriesbecause

they are too painful! I kept plodding on and passed lots of people whowerereally struggling.Ikept trying totakegelsatthe feedstationsbutwas feeling

reallynauseousandhadtroublekeepingthemdown.Intheendacombinationof

pickledgherkinwasheddownwithbeer(whichnowsoundshorrible)wastheonlythingIcouldstomach.Iwouldnthaveputbeerasastandarddrinktohave

during an endurance event but itworked forme.Half way through the run I

stoppedforaweeandrealisedthatthelastoneIdhadwas12hoursearlier,warmingmywet-suitonthestartline.Thatsdefinitelynotgoodformykidneys

tryanddrinksomemore!

Crampkickedinbadlyatabout20miles,whichforcedmetoslowmypaceeven

morebutbynowIknewIwasgoingtofinishevenifIhadtocrawlovertheline.One finalobstaclewas a shortsharphill about2miles from the finish. I

promisedmyselfthatifIkeptgoinguntilthenIwouldallowmyselftowalkthe50mupitandthenrunthelast2milesinthroughthecentreofRoth.Ireached

thehillandbeganwalkingupit.SuddenlytherewasashoutComeonPad.IranupherewhenIdidthe5kyesterday.Typical!TheonlytimeIseeCarolandDanon thewhole run route and Imwalking. I felt like pointing out that Id just

covered138miles,whichwasslightlydifferenttoher5krunbutIdidnthave

theenergy.InsteadIjustsetoffrunningagain.

ThefinishinRothisamazing.Ahugeredsquare,whichwasnowfloodlit,packedwiththousandsofcheeringspectators.Thecrowdsonthefinal400mruninmust

havebeenabout5deep,witheveryonetryingtohigh-5me.Theadrenalinerush

wasamazingandthedeepsenseofpersonalsatisfactionIachievedoncrossingthelinefeltalmostspiritual.Ihaddoneit!14hoursand12minutes,muchslower

thanIwasexpecting,but Iddoneitand Idhad todigdeeperthanI thoughtIwascapableofdoing.


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Finalfewsteps

Reflections:

IhavefondmemoriesofmyracedespitetheproblemsIhad.Thesupportfromthe crowds was truly amazing and Ill forever be grateful to the complete

stranger who gave me his wheel, without which I would definitely not havefinished.Hewillhavehadtowalkatleast2milestothenextvillagecarryingmy

wheelandhisbike.Whatanactofkindness,justsoIcouldcontinuemyracehe

obviouslyknewhowmuchitmeanttome.

WithoutthisturningintoanOscarspeechIdalsoliketothankmysupportcrew

ofCarolandDan,whowereactuallyverysupportivedespitewhatIvewritten.Theywaitedalldayintheheatformetoappearagainonthebikeandgaveme

themotivationtocontinuewhenIwasataverylowpoint.

IlladmittofeelingalittledisappointedwhenIheardthatnextyearsracehad

soldoutin3minutes.Thiswassupposed tobemyoneandonlyIron-distanceeventbutmaybeIvestill got someunfinishedbusinesswiththisdistanceand

withRothIllhavetosee!

Documents

Challenge Roth 2013 – Race Report