Fetter's Travels: Ironman Busselton

Dec. 7, 2014

Some people think Ironman triathletes are crazy... and I would agree. A 3.8 km swim, followed by a 180 km bike ride, finishing off with a 42.2 km run, 226 total kms, all in the same day. That is the definition of crazy. But WOW what a day!! It is hard to describe, as any Ironman finisher will probably agree, but here it goes:

I want to start with a short description of my training here in WA, because it is much different than training back in Canada. First off the swimming: I was able to train outdoors year round in a 50m pool that was 5 minutes from the house, or in the summer and fall in the Indian Ocean which was only 2 minutes away. But the fear of getting eaten by a shark kept me in the pool most of the time. Not that the odds are very high of getting "taken" by a shark, but it seemed that someone somewhere in Australia was either being bitten or taken by a shark at least once a week, so I played it safe and stuck to the pool.

Next the bike: the Perth area is blessed with hundreds of kilometers of bike trails, of which I rode many, but still not even close to all of them. Almost all of my bike training was done on these bike paths, so I rarely ever had to ride on the roads with traffic. That's not to say that there weren't dangers: there was still the poisonous snakes that slithered across the path more often than I would have liked, the swooping magpies that liked to fly down and crash into your helmet if you got too close to their nests, and the sea breeze that often gusted to 50 km/hr. But all in all I loved going for my long rides. If I headed south to Mandurah, I often passed kangaroos, and camels along the way, or if I went 50 km north to the city, I got to ride along the Swan River. It was a great place to train!

Finally the run: my favourite place to run was the 20 kms of trails along the foreshore overlooking the ocean. There was also several parks with jogging trails, a path around Lake Richmond and of course the 10 kms of beach minutes from the house. Life is good!

Mental Games: Halfway through the year I had some serious doubts about completing this Ironman, and cursing myself for even signing up. Nagging injuries, complete exhaustion, and overtraining were taking their toll. I reset my training regimen so that I had more rest days, and focussed more strength and flexibility work. Everything started coming together, I was feeling stronger and my times started to improve. By November, I had a PB of 5 hrs, 30 min. in the Mandurah Ironman 70.3. This was a real boost, both mentally and physically. By early December, my confidence was high. I was ready. Now it was all about putting it all together on one day, and hoping for good weather.

Ironman Day: The day started early, as in 2:30 am. Not that I was sleeping when the alarm went off. I had been replaying the upcoming events in my head most of the night. I slept a little but probably not much. Eating breakfast at this time of day seemed wrong, but I knew if I didn't I would pay for it later. So I ate my oatmeal and banana to give it time to digest before the start of the swim. We left the house about 3:20 am to get to the venue for 4:00 am when transition opened, so I could do the final preparations for the day. It was still dark when we arrived, but I could see the moon reflecting off the water and it looked calm. A very good sign. Once I finished setting up in transition, I went back to the car to close my eyes and rest for an hour before the start of the race. I thought I would be very anxious and antsy, but was surprisingly relaxed which was good because Suzie was excited enough for the both of us.

As the sun rose around 4:30 am, we caught the first glimpses of the day. A nearly cloudless sky, and the sun was already burning off the early morning chill. The forecast was close to ideal. Sun with a high of 27C. A little warm for my liking but cooler than normal for this time of year, so I wasn't complaining... at least not yet. There was a slight breeze, but the wind was supposed to pick up throughout the day which is typical in Western Australia.

The pros were scheduled to start at 5:30 am, followed by the rest of us at 5:45 am. So shortly after 5:00 am we made our way over to the start line. There were 1990 competitors registered for the event, which made for a lot of congestion near the start line. Once the pros were off, I got a last minute hug from my wife and daughter and headed into the water to get wet and loosen up. The
last few minutes waiting for the gun to go off were the worst. I positioned myself to the far right of the pack hoping to find some clear water early. Unfortunately, there was no clear water to be found. It was chaos. Bodies thrashed everywhere. People bumping into one another trying to find space. I got kicked hard in the mouth early on in the swim which made me acutely aware of everyone around me. Eventually the pack spread out giving me some room to move and get into a more comfortable rhythm. One thing I forgot to mention was how clean and clear the water was. The visibility was probably about 25m. I could see the bottom of the ocean clearly the whole time, even 1.9 km from the shore. This made the swim especially interesting because I saw a couple stingrays, some puffer fish, tons of sea stars, and literally swam through a massive school of little fish. There were a couple of times I caught myself pointing out marine life to those people swimming around me, but they didn't seem to care. It was awesome! And it took my mind off the fact that I was swimming 3.8 km.

Anyway, I was out of the water in an hour and 6 minutes, 10 minutes faster than expected, and loving life. Now onto the bike. The course was a flat 2 loop course along the ocean, the surrounding estuary, and through some beautiful forests. In one word: spectacular! Even most of the roads had been resurfaced, so it was smooth which is especially nice for the butt when you are riding for that long. The wind stayed relatively calm for the first lap of the bike and I was able to maintain a good pace, finishing in about 2:45. The second lap was windy, but still not as bad as what I had trained in, and I completed the bike leg in a total of 5:41. Again faster than anticipated.

After coating up in zinc, to protect myself from the hot Australian sun, I headed out on the run. A very spectator friendly 4 loop course along the foreshore overlooking the ocean. The first kilometer was great because you were pumped from completing the first two thirds of the race, and you had the crowd cheering you on. Then reality kicked in. The body temperature went up, exhaustion set in, and the muscles were screaming to stop. Let the mental games begin! I kept myself going for the first lap, walking only through the aid stations to make sure I was getting enough fluids to stay hydrated and plenty of cold water and ice to stay cool. It was actually easier running into the wind because it helped keep me cool even though it was a hot wind. The second lap there was a little more walking but still more running than walking. By the third lap I was struggling. Then half way through, my wife was there to keep me going. She was very encouraging, and motivating. She kept me on pace, and gave me a boost when I needed it most. She also realized that if I kept the pace I was going, I would break the 12 hour mark, so her intensity picked up and so did our pace. The fourth lap was kind of a blur, but I was focussed, I had a goal, and I knew that I had to keep running to achieve it. Again, Suzie was there to run and walk with me and keep me on track. She got me to the finish line in 11:54:50. A feat I never imagined I could attain. I predicted if everything went really well, I'd finish between 12-13 hours, 13-14 hours if it was extremely hot and I struggled. Under 12 hours just wasn't in the game plan.

When I crossed the finish line, there was a feeling of elation, mixed with extreme exhaustion, but most of all, I just wanted to stop and sit down. Not once did I think about stopping for the whole 12 hours I was out there. It was all about keeping going, and that was the key. People ask me how you do it, and the answer is: you just don't stop until you cross that finish line. And as much as I wanted food and a massage, the thing I wanted most was to be with my family and friends who were out there supporting me all day and cheering me on. I owe this accomplishment to them, and I am fortunate to have such a great network of people around me, both in Australia and back home in Canada. Thanks to everyone for helping me make this dream come true.