Exciting email we’ve received from one of our SaltyFit swimmers Charles, who swims in our Saturday Lap Time.
Hey Jo – Quick thanks !! I managed a good swim in Langkawi – 1hr 4 mins = 1.36 min splits 😊
I had you in the back of my mind saying – SLOW DOWN haha!!
See you round icebergs soon!
Charles AKA bat out of hell 😉
IRONMAN Langkawi Race Report
Over a week after the race I’m still buzzing over finally becoming one – an IRONMAN! 💪
Flying in on the 7th and stepping down off the plane the weather was hot wet and humid when it truly dawned on me, I had picked one hell of a race to do the job in. A guy Todd who trained out of Saigon (imagine the start of those rides if you think our airport tunnel is bad) was telling me how hilly it was. I was just trying to stay relaxed reflecting on all the training sessions – waterfall, waterfall, waterfall💧 and keep my mind in a zen like mindset. Few gentle pre-race massages💆 helped.
3 days out did a quick lite canter and found myself sweating bullets 💦 in no time. 2 days out went for the organised practice swim. Water was warm at a luke 28degs but was fine. I saw a guy get out of the water wearing his full tri suit ready to go to then tap a security guard on the shoulder for a light for his cigarette. Only in Malaysia..!
Anyway, race day came quick and I was chomping to get this done and was a little sick of overthinking small things. Swim 🏊 was a rolling start and first lap had to hussle in around and over a few fellow competitors. I had JO from icebergs in the back of my mind telling me to stop swimming like a bat out of hell and keep pace. THANKS JO!👍 The course was well marked. I saw a couple guys climbing on to the red floating flag buoys for a rest, they were from the 70.3 group that were still going. I thought any floatation device was an instant DQ yet I saw a couple poor swimmers wearing floaties around their arms. Don’t know what the ruling was there.
Out of the swim and happy to get on the bike 🚴. It was dry to start… and then hit with a hill straight through a cave in first 20ks. Monkey🐵 zone signs so no nutrition at certain points. The hills rolled and your gears had better work otherwise you would have found yourself stranded and in in trouble. I saw quite a few punctures and saw one pro like guy holding his back derailleur with grease all over his face. He was gutted. Kept an even change to what I felt was most efficient median off big and small ring through the rolling hills – JAS thanks! 120ks into ride we got hit by monsoon rains 🌧️ just as I was turning into one of the steeper climbs, which lasted about 40mins. Hitting some crazy speeds on the downhills and hoping there was another hill to slow you down as touching the brakes in that wet felt like youd slip out… All in all happy with ride and even more happy to get out of saddle through the AC’d exhibition centre. Came in to T2 soaking wet feet already sore pre-run due to wet socks. Full change here needed.
Straight on to the run, I had massive cramps 😷 on and off and by body was rejecting any form of food. My perfect hour by hour nutrition plan went out the window and I started to drink coke and even that hurt a bit at first. After 20ks my mind then started to play games with me with mixed emotions and I just wanted to finish. Aid stations were everywhere and I used every chance at them to keep pushing myself. I submerged myself with icy water and sponges every chance I got and just kept pushing. Brutal lessons learnt on run.
11hrs and 32 mins later I finished!!! 🙌🎉
Next day IM dinner and after party was a blast!!
Absolutely loved this entire experience and it was all worth it! 😃
Big Thanks to John H for tips, Jason, Jo from mermaids and all BRATs who I trained with!! Its been an epic journey so far!!
Huge congrats again to Borja – you are an inspiration to us all!
To all of those competing in Busso! Have fun and Smash it!
Charles (Salty Fit Swimmer)
Some other random things I thought worth a mention:
- Rosie a lady I met hoping to qualify for kona found her electric gears didn’t work due to the heavy rains and then battery issues and had to cycle to each mechanic in 1 gear and get them to change. She did manage to finish.
- On bike 🚴 got stuck behind huge tourist bus that I had to overtake and some kids on a scooter tried to pull out my back water bottle ha.. some parts of course were not cut off lite traffic.. annoying but manageable.
- Jellyfish was a huge issue 🛑 and saw a few being treated on practice swim. One girl got stung early on in swim across the forehead and thought she had been cut with something. Had to get treated with vinegar mid swim and keep going through the pain…
- After meeting about 3 guys who were trying to get to kona through the legacy process (ie: 12 IM’s) I met this kiwi dude who’s first IM was Kona…!? He qualified in china 70.3 when the loop hole hadn’t been discovered. His timing was impeccable and he still deserved it as he got second in his age group in Langkawi 25-29! 👏
- Those cute monkeys🐵 were actually super aggressive and stole a full pack of peanuts from me whilst I was laying by the pool haha 😜
