Port Dickson Triathlon 2010

This is one event where I DNF-S. It took me three full days to slowly recompose myself and to finally accept the fact that I’m not fast and strong enough. I initially did not want to blog about it at all. I was emotionally devastated. And no, I am not kidding. Luckily I changed my mind. I almost promised myself not to blog about it when I crossed the finish line last Sunday. That was how bad I felt on the overall picture. If you don’t like a sad ending story, then this is not for you.

Wah, first paragraph already sounded like one of those drama series on Saturday night on the TV lah.

Ok. This is my third time doing PD triathlon and I think the participation this year increased quite a lot as compared to before. Some say it was the largest ever. In the news, a total of 1200 contestants were reported to have taken part. A good point for me of having done triathlons here before is that I knew the race route and the challenges the race will put on your plate. It helps to keep the nervous attack below the radar. The swim will be ‘flat’ (if it is not windy as last year), the cycling course will only give a little bit of ticklish sensation of climbing here and there, and the running course will bring you sight seeing alongside the PD coastal road. Nothing to worry about if you do not fancy running uphill, because there will be none.

But, the bad thing about it is that, I took it slightly easy on the preparation and training. Not that I totally took training for granted. For me, training is still the paramount for any endurance events. But this time, it was partially because of improper planning between previous races (which were mainly running events) where I can’t find a good blend of time to mix up the swim, cycling and brick training sufficiently. Although I have the confidence that my current fitness level can pull me through this Olympic distance triathlon, I was humbled down by my own physical capacity. Or, maybe my expectation was too high.

The transition area, where we place our cycling and running stuffs.

Anyway, I made myself available at the race site around one hour before race start, which gave me enough time to prep up my bike and other stuffs at the transition area. I earlier took few slices of bread as breakfast. And once I was done arranging the gears at transition, I went for a quick run for a warm up before getting my self body marked. 475 was my race number for the day.

The 1.5km Swim

Soon, an announcement was made to call all triathletes to gather at the beach. I took the opportunity to do some swim warm up. Different from the previous years, I did not feel nervous getting into the sea this time.

The first wave was released at 7.30am, and my age group wave was released 5 minutes later. I positioned myself slightly towards the front, and slightly on the outside (right side) of the counter-clock-wise swim course. As I entered the water, I didn't even look behind. Seeing less swimmers at the front was much comforting than to be seeing the bigger number of them at the back. The swim start in triathlon is always chaotic. You must really be confident in the water, and must be able to compose yourself in anyway and not be panic. There were arms, legs, and bodies all trying to hit you from all directions. And when you tried to surface to grab some air to breath, splashes of sea water came into you mouth and nose.

This picture was actually taken the day earlier, for the sprint category.

All I tried to do during the swim was to move myself forward, in the straightest way possible. It was not so easy for me for obvious reason, that I'm not a fast swimmer. Many other swimmers were on my left and right, overtaking me. I know it was a race and the crowd was unavoidable, but all I was thinking was about my own safety, at which I tried my best not to hit other people, or get myself hit or kicked in the face.

For the first 500m I was feeling alright with my swim, although much earlier I did have the intention to quit the race. I could say my heart was not inside the race. I lost focus, I was thinking about some other things. I was questioning myself why did I took the risk by being there at the first place. And then, getting into 650m I started to feel a cramp trying to attack my right hamstring. I never cramped during a swim before and I was not sure why it came this time.

After making the turnaround, I guess somewhere around 800m, the cramp really hit my right hamstring so badly. I can't move my right leg at all. I sighted for the floating buoys to hang on but the nearest was about ten to fifteen meters away. And if I were to swim towards the buoys, I needed to cris-cross among the swimmers which may cause more harm to me since I might be hit or had to stop in the middle of the ocean to let others pass through. That’s something I didn’t want to do, especially with one leg cramped up. So, I finally decided to swim ahead with only single leg kicking. I didn't really know how I did it, but after another few hundred meters the cramp subsided a little bit. I continued swimming towards the shore, still not putting so much work on the cramped leg. It was such a relief sight to be seeing the shoreline once again.

As I exited the water, my stopwatch showed 35 minutes plus. I was so glad that I finished the swim. And since I still had a little bit of hamstring cramp, I couldn't really run all the way on the beach towards transition. The official timing for my swim leg was 37 minutes, which was much improved as compared to previous years. It is my best swimming time so far. Still, plenty of room for improvement.

The 40km Cycle

My transition went pretty smoothly. I quickly put on my race belt, helmet and cycling shoes, and headed my way out. I brought along two Powerbar gels for energy replenishment.

The training I lack the most was cycling. By lack, I mean I didn’t do any long distance rides of more than 80km or 100km for the past 9 months. I knew I won’t have that high endurance to push it on the bike, and I didn’t feel good about it. My legs felt heavy and irresponsive whenever I tried to put power into them. Every time I saw some cyclists passing by, I tried to give a chase but after ten seconds I gave up. I simply did not have the power to paddle hard or fast. When I glanced at my speedometer, I felt so embarrassed with my own self.

By the way, the cycling course was superb. The weather was very kind and headwind was non-existence. The undulating road gave me some chance to relax my tired quads as I went down the rolling bumps. Most of the times, I was just cruising by myself. I thought I’d better save some energy for the final 10km run.

Another new mishap of the day was that, I had a back and stomach cramp during cycling, on the right hand side. The cramp, although not as bad as the hamstring cramp during swimming, was ugly enough to force me to slow down even further. It was so frustrating.

Somewhere at KM15 or 18, I noticed the riders at the front rose up their hands and started to slow down. There were palm oil plantations on the sides of the road. Suddenly, a big group of more than fifty cows emerged from the right side, crossing the road into the other side of the plantation. Cyclists from both directions had to stop as it would be suicidal to cycle into the panicky cows. I wish I had a camera with me at that time, as it was one-in-a-million chance that it will happen again, in a triathlon race.

After I made it to the turnaround point at KM20, I slowed down to grab the icy cold water they served there. I wanted to grab one cup of it to cool down my body, but the volunteer dropped the cup even before I manage to hold a grab onto it. No time to waste and I proceeded with my paddling, feeling a little bit angry.

Nothing worth mentioning on my way back to transition, other than seeing more and more cyclist overtaking me on the flats, inclines or declines. I did say hi and cheered for the riders I know on the other side of the road, which shows how not properly focused I was during the ride.

If there was one moment where I really put an effort to cycle properly, was when I saw the photographer from Snap Attack (www.snap-attack.com) by the roadside. I went down to my aero-position, put on my focus-race face and tried to look as I was paddling strong. And below is the awesome result.

I heart Snap Attack. Thank you guys!

Yup, and if you noticed, I forgot to shave my legs. Sungguh kurang enak mata memandang.

I finally arrived back at transition with a group of cyclists, with an official timing of 1hr19min. It was very shabby indeed. All I was thinking was that, “If only I could train much harder before the race”. Another disappointment.

The 10km Run

I really don’t get it. Every time I raced in triathlon, this is the time where my quads will surely get stiff and finally cramp. This time was no exception either. As I hooked my bike on the rack and took my helmet off, I bent down to change from cycling shoes to running shoes. I started to feel the cramping sensation and tried to stretch it out a little bit. I took a sip of water and made my way out from the transition for the final 10km of the race.

Jumbled up with the ITB pain I already felt during cycling, the painful quads cramp forced me to slow down and walk just 300m after exiting the transition area. It was a bit humiliating to have started walking that soon, especially when there were plenty of spectators by the sides of the road.

When I arrived at the first water station, I poured the icy cold water onto my thighs but the pain didn’t diminish. I tried to continue running but not after long, I had to walk again and stretch my quads. Even after pouring the cold water at the consecutive water stations, the cramp and pain still persist. At one point, I even sat down by the road side and squatted for almost a minute, with the hope that the cramp would disappear, but it didn’t. I finally lost hope.

It was the most painful and longest run I’ve ever had. Along the way, I guess 80% of runners overtook me, while I only overtook 20% of those who were on my running course at that time. When I reached the turnaround point at KM5, I only had 15minutes to go if I were to clock a new PB. And with that situation, it was time to say goodbye to a PB which I clocked last year (3hrs).

On the way back to the finish line, I walked even more. I knew I’ve ruined my time. I even felt like giving up and just sit down by the road side. I cannot focus on my run anymore. I was focusing on the pain I had. I just looked down and kept on moving forward. I didn’t realize who were coming on the opposite side, and I didn’t realize who overtook me. Never did I felt this bad in a race.

And never did I shower myself with 100Plus before, except for this time. Similar to the other water station stops I made, I was more looking forward to pour the icy cold water on my thighs rather than to drink them. At one of the water stations, I didn’t realize it was 100Plus filling up the cups. I grabbed few of them and poured them on my thighs, over my head and body to cool down. Just as I was about to finish with my ‘shower’, the volunteer said, “Errr, that’s 100Plus lah, not water”.

On normal circumstances, I would be laughing at myself for that silly act. But on that particular moment, I was emotionless. I was in full pain, and was feeling at my lowest.

Another moment of prominence was when I saw the Snap-Attack photographer again. I shouted to him from afar, trying to notify him that I was coming into his frame. I gathered all the strength to look like I was in a strong running form for the shot. Before I saw him, I was walking and was actually begging for a life. Oh, what a poser I was.

Biar slow, asal bergaya.
(Hakikatnya, sedih gile)

When I ran towards the finishing chute, I just wanted to have the finisher medal, the cold towel, and whatever they wanted to give me. I stopped my watch at 3hrs12min, with an official running time of 1hr14min. It was not my best overall time, and not my worst time either. However I felt so devastated with myself. I was angry and disappointed with my legs, with my ITB, with my training effort, and with myself.

That why I said this was the race where I DNF-S (Did Not Feel Satisfied).

I didn’t even mingle around after the race. I was not in the mood. I grabbed two or three cups of Milo, returned the timing chip, went to grab my bike and other stuffs at the transition area and quietly made my way out for a quick shower before I headed back to my car. You don’t want to know what I was thinking while I was driving back home.

On a retrospect, perhaps I put too high expectation to myself for the race, when in fact my training was not really up to it. And perhaps, I was trying to deny that I was racing with an injury. But, I’m all OK now, emotionally and physically. The DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) which I had on my thighs for three days has finally subsided. So does the ITB pain. The pain in my heart should heal as the time goes by. It’s the reality of life I should be strong to face, not only for this time. Sometimes we are at the top, and some other times we fall to be at the bottom. We just need to bring ourselves up once again.

At least, the finisher medal is nice.

A big congratulations to other triathlete friends who most of them, managed to get their PB's. Some other first timers were doing amazingly well too. I love to see their happy faces and good sportmanship spirits. Triathlon is actually not that difficult, provided you are well prepared for it. Many first timers have proven it that even normal people like us can become a triathlete. When you prepare well, you'll be able to race well.

If they can do it, so can you.

How To Do A Last Minute Triathlon Training

Last year my focus was mainly on triathlons. I did the Kenyir Lake, PD and Desaru triathlons. Though I managed to finish all the races, I realized that I was (and still am) not good at the running leg, and also the cycling leg, and also the swimming leg. Actually, I still don’t know what I am good at in triathlon.

Oh yeah, maybe the only thing I’m very good at in triathlon is being nervous. Especially when I’m there standing by the shore, among 300 other triathletes, waiting for the gun off.

As a countermeasure, the first half of this year I focused more on running. That automatically means my swimming and cycling get a massive amount of abandonment. Only after I finished with my last marathon of the year in June (SCKLM), I started some express triathlon training in both swimming and cycling regimes. Three weeks time was all I have. I call it express, they call it “last minute”.

And I’m sure all of you have done many last minute things in your life. Last minute exam preparation, last minute travelling preparation, last minute this and last minute that. Such a nerve wrecking moments, aren’t they?

So, to kill off the excessive edginess, I introduced some new spices into my ‘last minute’ triathlon training. For the swimming, I started using the training paddle. If I was able to use it correctly, I could feel an infinitesimal amount of increase in my swimming speed while training. Good enough to make me perasan laju, when in fact I am still not. Better than nothing, right?

Kecik tapak tangan, paddle besar gedabak ni saya tadahkan.

Same case for cycling, I started using the trainer (some call it turbo machine). It is supposed to enhance the speed performance, similar to interval training in running. The plus factor of using trainer is that, we can train in any sort of weather, and in front of our favorite TV shows or DVD movies. If I manage to consistently do turbo sessions, I should be able to feel some comfort in cycling, especially when I did not have any opportunities to do any long rides. I just did the one-and-only turbo session last night because it was raining, while watching “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” on DVD. And I can say I enjoyed the movie very much.

Obviously my trainer is of a much older version than this one.

And if you noticed, I used the terms “if”, and “feel” repeatedly. Both are imaginary and conditional kind of words, and you know how dramatic I may sound when I write on my blog. Hahahaa.

So, with few more days left to go, I now feel like a form five student entering the examination hall. If weather permits, my last minute training will end today with a swim and cycling sessions. If it rains again today, that means my training has ended yesterday (gosh!). I’ve been tapering very well for the running with totally no run for the whole week since last Sunday. I'm not really sure what to do for tomorrow though. Maybe I’ll start my carbo and ORS loading disciplines. And on Friday, I’ll be busy shaving my legs.

And on a second thought, I think the title of this entry should really be “How NOT To Do A Last Minute Triathlon Training”

Three More Weeks to PD Tri

At first, I planned to start off my 'focused' triathlon training (PD tri is three weeks away! Yikes!!) on Monday, but the legs were still experiencing DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). So Monday was a forced rest day, I just had to abandon one swim training.

Tuesday, I managed to hit the pool for about 45minutes for a “hey muscles, wake up!” swim session. I have not seen much improvement in my swimming, for obvious reason – lack of training, either endurance wise or speed wise. Looks like the swimming pool management is going to get more income within these three weeks. Just hoping that the weather will continue to be handsome throughout.

Wednesday night, as usual, the weekly group cycling session. So, last night I swept off all the dust from my bike, joined the group and due to the slightly late start, I only managed to do a total of 24km ride. That was lucky enough because earlier on at about 12km into the ride, I started to see some stars (due to dizziness, perhaps I pushed it too hard too early on the first two laps). The thought of quitting the session came up, but when a friend in his Cervelo P3 bike came from behind blazing, I decided to tail behind him and at that approximately 3km of flat stretch, I managed to follow behind him with a zooming speed of 48 ~ 50km/hr – twice! (for two laps that is).

Climbing up the long incline for the remaining 3km to complete each loop, was done in santai-santai mode, very relaxed and cozy (for recovery).

Today, if weather permits, is going to be a run and swim sessions. With so little time to brush up on all three disciplines of triathlon, these three weeks prior to the race will be another interesting period of time of seeing me tumbling upside down.

Training for triathlon is not easy, but it’s fun!

Oh, I miss triathlon.

P/s: I tested my friend’s Cervelo tri bike, and oh… I think I fell in love lah

Out Of The Blue

For those who have been recently following my blog, you should still remember that I went to Langkawi last February to witness and support the triathletes. If you've missed it, I wrote about it here. Well, it’s been two months now since I came back from that wonderful experience and out of the blue, today I received an email from an Ironman from Singapore which I’d like to share it with you all.

From: Lucius ***** (lucius.*****@gmail.com)
To: nikfahusnaza@gmail.com
Date: Tue, Apr 20, 2010 at 9:58 AM
Subject: Hi...

Hello,

My name is Lucius from Singapore and I took part in IM Langkawi. I was Googling thru a friend's blog and you came up. I remember you very clearly as the supporter at the end of the run u-turn cheering everyone even tho it was very late in the race. I wanted to thank you dearly for your support and your endless cheering which was wonderful during the trying times where everything was low but seeing you really made me push on thru my first IM. Thank you again for the experience and you really made a difference for me. Cheers bro!!!

And here’s my reply to Lucius:

Hello there Lucius!

Wow, what a surprise to be getting an email from an Ironman! Thanks a lot.

I'm so honored, and I am so surprised that you can remember me where I was only a "nobody-cares" supporter standing there in the darkness at the end of the road. I was having fun though, cheering for all the triathletes during their final hours on the toughest race on earth, regardless whether I know them or not.

I am passionate about triathlon and I am aiming to do the IM, one day hopefully (if i can commit to the training in my ‘getting-busier’ worklife schedule). The chances for me to doing it in 2011 is however getting pretty low now due to the upcoming work commitment, but we never know, right.

Thanks so much for dropping by on my blog. Hope you enjoy it, even for a very little amount. If you also happen to have a blog, hope you don't mind sharing it with me. You can also add me on Facebook (though i'm not an active Facebook-er). Search me under the name Nik Fahusnaza and I’ll be your new friend.

All the best in your future triathlon adventures!

Cheers!

With this, if it happens that I cannot take part in Ironman Langkawi next year, I’ll try my best to be there once again, as a supporter at the end of the road, under the hot sun or inside the darkness.

Because, it’s fun!

Ironman Langkawi 2010

This was my journey as a spectator and a supporter.

It’s the toughest show on earth, indeed.

My plan to go to Langkawi to support fellow triathlete friends competing in the IM Langkawi 2010 was very much of an add hoc. I didn’t even make any reservations for any accommodations or transportation. I just booked for the flight ticket about three weeks earlier, and I gambled my way to Langkawi on Thursday night, cowboy style. After a few phone calls to some very handsome triathletes arriving few days earlier, I managed to get a place to straighten my back for that night. Luckily I managed to get myself a rental motorbike upon my arrival at the airport. Getting a motorbike is highly recommended in this situation when coming alone to a big event like this where many road blocks were expected here and there. Easy to get around and also easier to get sun burn.

A DAY BEFORE THE RACE

As the sun rises the next morning, I took the opportunity to accompany them for a short run of 4km (2km out, 2km in) along the race course. Some other triathletes were seen either on their bikes, or with their running shoes. They must be doing their final fine tunes.

With Dush, Abu and Ayet for a morning run.

I guess this chute has been used for few years already.

After the run, we grabbed our breakfast and quickly went to the jetty as Ayet wanted to have a swim try run. This was where the race start will take place, and also the bike transition area. The ocean that particular morning (it was about 9am-ish) was very calm, though I could see a slight current pushing inwards shore, which should be a torture for the swim out, but will provide some help for the swim back. No sign of jelly fish presence was reported that morning.

The pontoon at the swim start area. That’s Simon Cross standing in white/grey tri-suit, gearing up for his swim dry run.

The swim course. Scary isn’t it? You can’t even see the turnaround point which was located 1.9km away from the starting line.
Some say the distance between those small flags are approximately 30m apart, well I don’t know..
Click the picture to appreciate the distance. I purposely upload this one in its original size.

We then went to the host hotel, Seaview, for the race briefing. The room was almost filled with participants coming from 41 countries, the pro’s and the age groupers. The organizers explained about the race course, the rules, and answered the questions these participants had. I managed to snap some more shots.

Hundreds of brave souls focusing on the race briefing. I wonder what was going on in their minds.

Very true, isn’t it?

Oh gosh, I’m salivating.

Too good to miss this opportunity for a quick snap shot with the previous year champion, Luke McKenzie.

Just about noon, I left the hotel for lunch and then went searching to secure myself a room to stay for another two days somewhere nearby the race venue. Stopped by at few hotels and motels, many were already full house. At last, I managed to get a room at a deserted motel without any air conditioning or water heater. Well, what can I expect? I was on low budget, and I didn’t make any prior bookings. I can live with ceiling fan, no worries.

That evening, I went to the bike transition area where participants needed to deposit their bikes and race bags. The bike mechanics (from TheBikeBoutique) inspected the bikes to make sure every components are secured (handlebars, aerobars, saddle and seat posts), before granted the participants to proceed to their transition points.

A bike mechanic inspecting the bikes.

The bikes of the pro’s. Gosh, I’m salivating again.

These are the running transition bag in yellow. The white ones are the bike transition bags.

The changing tent. With that small signage of “male” and “female”, I bet some triathletes would end up in the wrong tent, especially after swimming for 3.8km.

I peeped inside the male tent and I saw this. A bike and wheelchair of a disabled triathlete.

TBB mechanic troubleshooting some bike problems.

Emma, Stupe, Arif and Sofian, at the registration counter. What a coincidence.

The queue into the transition area grew longer.

It was great to have a chance to chat with some of the participants. I got some more photos, but I think I’ll just dump them in my Facebook or Picasa albums (once I have more extra free time to do that). When the sun set in, I joined some of them for an early dinner as they planned to hit the sack pretty early. I hung around alone after the dinner not knowing what exactly to do, roaming with the motorbike. And just before I called it a day, I helped myself with a plate of tosay and I then forced myself to sleep at 10.30pm, as the next day will be a very long day for everybody.

THE RACE DAY

If there is any time where you don’t want things to go wrong, is the morning of a big race like this. One veteran participant from Germany forgotten something at his hotel, and as soon as I arrived at the Kuah jetty, he asked whether I could bring him to his hotel to pick up his stuffs. Without any hesitation (as it was still early, 6am) I invited him to hop on to my trusted rental motorbike, dropped him at the hotel, waited for a while (though he didn’t ask me to), and transported him back to race site. He then wanted to give me a red note as a token of appreciation to which I rejected kindly and replied him, “Thank you sir, but it was my pleasure to help Ironman triathletes. You can keep the cash.”

Another case I heard was that, one participant lost his timing chip. How disastrous could that be, especially if you are aiming to be the first Malaysian triathlete to finish the race. Fortunately the timing chip was later discovered.

There’s a prayer room facility at Kuah jetty so Muslim participants and spectators can perform their prayers in the very early morning.

These are the special aids plastic bags. One for the bike course, another one for run course. Participants can put their nutritional supplies like fruits, Big Mac (ahaha), PowerBar gels, cupcakes, or whatever they wish to eat while racing as they come to the special aids point.

The morning started off with participants getting their body marked. Most of the faces I saw that morning were nervous faces. I used to have this kind of nervous face when I get my body marked during smaller triathlons, but I believe nothing can beat the nervousness of being body marked for an Ironman triathlon.

If you are not nervous at this moment, I guess something is wrong somewhere.

Maybe these were among the youngest supporters of the day.

By about 7am, the participants were called to standby at the pontoon. It was still pretty dark by that time and not having a pass to enter the transition area, we all spectators were only able to view from afar.

I think this was the best zoom capability my camera could do.

By 7.30am sharp, the pro’s were released for their swim. The numbers were quite small. And 15 minutes later the age groupers were gunned off for their swim start. The Ironman triathlon race has begun in the calm morning of February 27.

The age groupers in the water.

Yeah, looooooongggg way to go.
Time to go grab my breakfast.

Normally, the first pro swimmer would be back after about 40 minutes, but this time it took them slightly longer. I thought the current must be pretty strong this time. I was checking my watch now and then while having my breakfast to make sure I was ready to snap the first bike out of transition.

Defending champion, Luke McKenzie was the first rider out for the bike leg.

I wanted to get into the transition area to snap closer shots, but without media or crew passes, I was sure enough that I will be chased out by the officials. Fortunately, a friend of mine lent me a temporary media pass and with that, I went inside for better photo snapping opportunities.

Without this, you might be chased out.

The age groupers took a quick shower to wash off the salty sea water.

A table was prepared for participants who needed to place their prescription glasses for use after their swims.

Some of the supporters and photographers who managed to squeeze in even without having media pass. Hmmm. Next time I should bring larger camera, and not my tiny point-n-shoot camera.

The emcees of the day.

Coming out of the water, participants took their bike transition bags and entered changing tents.

The volunteers (I heard they are UUM students) were ready to assist the triathletes giving out the transition bags.

Time to grab their bikes, pushed them, and off they went exiting the transition area to start the 180km bike leg.

Even a blind person dared to do Ironman triathlon. In fact, this Japanese guy (at the back) has done few Ironman triathlons before. How impressive is that.

Not many knew, but I got an ad-hoc volunteer job for that day, which was to transport one of Snap Attack’s (www.snap-attack.com) cameraman wherever he wishes to go during the race. So, after he finished up taking photos at the swim course, I took him into the cycling leg where he continued his job taking photos of his clients in action. Since he can’t be shooting everybody, so I had to slow down and hunt each of his clients on the bike course. It was somehow fun. Plus, I got the chance to give my support by cheering while on my motorbike.

His (the cameraman) first photo shoot spot was at the long stretch by the airport. So, I picked up a good spot, which was just before the triathletes make the big turn at the end of the airport runway. The long stretch provided good scenery to capture the struggling faces as they ride on the long straight windy road.

So, from about 10am until 1pm, I was there with the cameraman under the hot sun by the airport runway. He did his job as a cameraman, and I did nothing much, other than cheering for the all the triathletes. Oh yeah, I also took some more amateur photo snaps. And since I was the only soul there standing under the heat and cheering, I got some good feedbacks from them. Some gave thumbs up, some smiled back, and even managed to say thanks, eventhough they were struggling under the same heat as I was.

The cameraman was busy doing his job capturing the shots. Looking at his gadget, I bet you the photos he took surely will be awesome.

I have many more, but these will suffice for now (before my blog gets flooded with pictures more than words).

The disabled guy with his special bike.

The blind Japanese triathlete with his tandem bike.

We were there for so long time that we managed to see two planes took off and one plane landing.

Satisfied with the photos he took by the airport, we went to another nice spot – the hill climbing spot. This was where I saw the real struggling efforts, especially to be facing the same steep climb for the second and third times. This was the time to prove whether or not you really love climbing. If I am to attempt for an Ironman, I would have to put plentiful amount of climbing training during the long rides.

I would gladly help pushing them while they climb, but knowing that will only lead them for disqualifications, I could only offer my cheers and verbal supports. That’s the least I could do.

Not long after, the cameraman told me that he needed to get back to transition area as his memory card was almost full. After dropping him off, I wanted to go cheer for those on the running course. And just as I exited the Kuah jetty area, I saw a group of superbikes, lead by a police traffic bike and a media bike, riding around and alongside one runner. I’m sure he was the champion of the day. Amazing timing. Just imagine, while some others were still doing the bike laps, this guy has done with his marathon run.

The champion of the day, Marino Vanhoenacker from Belgium.

After watching he crosses the finish line, I made my way to the running course. Many of them were running loops after loops in the blazing hot evening sun. It was so tough I guess, that I always see someone walking along the course. Some were still looking good and strong.

A portion of the running course, where the water station and sponging station were located.

Some other portions of the run course were very dusty as the roads besides it were kind of under construction. So, anytime vehicles passed through that area, a cloud of dust will cover the whole atmosphere, making the runners suffering more on their breathings.

And another area exactly in front of Idaman Suri shopping center, the civilians were busy crossing the running course to get to their buses or cars. What a bad scenario to be in during the last leg of an Ironman triathlon. I’m sure these had demoralized many of the triathletes who were already struggling even to put some effort of walking.

I don’t know exactly why, but I was attracted to go at the turnaround point. Going to that point with my motorbike was not an issue at all, and I managed to witness these triathletes battling alongside the run course. If I’m not mistaken the time was about 5pm to 6pm-ish, and the sun was still shining quite brightly. That surely put a lot of pressure and challenge to these competitors. The runners have to make 5 loops around a 8km running course (4km out, 4km back), which means they have to collect 4 ribbons before going for their home run to the finish line.

This was the run turnaround point, where I stood up cheering and supporting all the triathletes from 5pm-ish until 11.30pm, alone.

I read lots of our local triathlete blogs, so it happened to be that I know their names. So, to those that I know their names, I would be cheering and calling their names. Of course many of them did know even know me, and for that reason many of them were pretty shocked at first when I cheered out their names. It was really fun, though my skin were already burning under the hot evening sun.

As for other triathletes, I also cheered for them. Many who I believe came from Japan, I would cheer in Japanese language “Ganbare Nippon!” and they would always say “arigato”. The blind Japanese guy even thanked me in Bahasa Malaysia, “terima kasih Malaysia”. That made me smile.

Sponge on the head to keep the temperature down.

The blind Japanese triathlete, running along his guide runner.

And this is the disabled triathlete, using his special wheel chair for the race.

The best way to quickly cool down the body – shower!

While the sun was still shining its evening ray, many triathletes were still able to run, or managed some kind of jogging. But to be running a marathon in an Ironman race would require the strongest of mental strength. Your body was already hammered down, fatigue, cramp, sun burn, dehydrated, blisters, etcetera. And yet you still have to keep on moving forward to get to the finishing line for the Ironman title. To be doing the 5 loops run was a big mental torture itself, if you ask me.

Because that’s what I observed while cheering for them for more than 5 hours.

As the day turned dark, many have resorted into walking but still a few of them were still strong to do a slow jog. If earlier many could still put up some smile on their faces, later on the smiles have gone. I’m sure they have switched into their survival mode, trying to put one step in front of another. I kept on cheering for them loop after loop after loop, and in fact I realized some of them had noticed my presence in the darkness there.

Even the volunteers had fallen asleep. They have been there since noon to take care the timing mat.

The disabled triathlete braving into the darkness. What an awesome spirit shown by him.

The blind Japanese also had to venture the running under the street lights.

The only way for me to recognize how many loops they have gone through, was to see how many ribbons they have collected. For those who have collected four ribbons, I would cheer for them;

“Come on, keep it up! It’s time for your home run, and it’s time to go grab your Ironman medal! It’s almost there… go go go!”

I hope that boosted up a little bit of their spirit.

The clock kept on ticking. Hour after hour, lesser runners were on the course. At some point it was pretty quiet at that turnaround point. I heard from the officials that they will only allow those runners who have collected the fourth ribbon (at the turnaround point nearby Seaview hotel) to be on the run course after 11.45pm. Which means, those who haven’t got the fourth ribbon before 11.45pm shall understand that they won’t have enough time to finish the race within 17 hours.

In fact, there were few of them who have given up, knowing that they won’t make it in time. And having a true spirit of an Ironman triathlete, they said they will come again next year. What a spirit!

By 11.30pm, I made a move towards the finishing line to catch the last glimpse of the survivors of the day. I have some other individual photos but too many to put them all here. Perhaps those will go to my Facebook lah.

The atmosphere at the finishing line was still uplifting with cheers and claps filling up the air. I started to feel a little bit tired of standing all day that I took the opportunity to rest my legs for a while, while chatting along with some of the Ironman finishers, congratulating them.

The blind Japanese triathlete did it again!

They survived the whole ordeal of an Ironman race. Tough guys!

I stayed at the finishing line until 12:45pm as they counted down to the 17th hours of racing, the official cut off time. After spending more time for catching up with friends and a very late supper, I think I ended up my day at around 3am.

It was an amazing experience for me, being there to witness the preparation, the atmosphere, the race course, the hard work of the triathletes, the tensions, the struggles, the smiles, the tears (yeah, I really saw one triathlete cried on the bike), the support between them and the spirit.

Yeah, the spirit of Ironman.

Well done to all triathletes who crossed the finish line for their first time, or for a repeat Ironman title. Your effort to finish the race was truly amazing and inspirational, no matter how fast or slow you did it. The determination to finish counts! Very impressive indeed.

And to those who had a super tough day and did not manage to complete the race, your Ironman spirit will always be there. There’s always next time and I hope one day you’ll cross the finish line, smiling.

And I hope I will too.