Ironman Wales 2022. 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle followed by a 26.2 mile run to finish. It looks almost impossible when written out, yet every year thousands of people complete Iron distance triathlons all over the World.
I have always been tempted to complete one myself and I knew if I was to do one it would have to be Ironman Wales. So, in 2020 I thought I would finally give it a go and signed up. Training started off well in early 2020 and I was looking forward to a few smaller races I had signed up to in preparation for the big day. However, as we all know Covid-19 had other ideas. There was a lot of uncertainty as to whether the race would be on or off but eventually, like most events in 2020, Ironman Wales was cancelled. Luckily, all participants were automatically moved to the 2021 event so I although it was disappointing, I took the positives and saw it as an extra year to train and get ready for the race.
Fast forward to 2021. My motivation for training had taken a slight dip due to intermittent lockdowns and ongoing uncertainty around mass events. Events in England were largely going ahead as normal by June and I managed to get a half iron distance race done in the Cotswolds. This was great for motivation and gave me a good confidence boost. At this point, I was really looking forward to getting the full distance done in September. But once again, the decision was made to cancel the event. We were all moved over to the next year again and I had everything crossed that it would finally go ahead.
2022 has been an eventful year for me including having a baby and getting married…you could say it probably wasn’t the best year to throw an ironman into as well, but I was determined to finally get it done after 3 years. My training was far from ideal and mainly involved fitting in whatever I could and hoping for the best on the day. No excuses, just give it a go.
11th September 2022. The distance that you have to cover through the day really hits you as you look out to sea from the beach. Especially when the sea has huge waves and you can hardly see the first buoy. Nerves were really kicking in before the start but after a few hundred metres of thinking ‘there’s no way I can do this’, I actually started to enjoy the swim. 2 laps done and it was on to the run to the first transition.
Wow! This was one of the highlights of the day! People lined the streets of Tenby and you could feel the support radiating from everyone, pushing you on, it was brilliant. Out onto the 112 mile cycle next and I knew this was the part I would find tough. The IM Wales bike route is considered one of the hardest in the World due to the hills, which never seem so bad when I’m driving around Pembrokeshire in my car. When you’re on the bike, the hills just keep on going.
Then, you complete one lap and it dawns on you that you have to do the hardest hills again on the second lap! 80 miles in to the bike, around 10 miles into lap 2, was my lowest point of the day. The rain was pouring down by this point and I hadn’t eaten for a while. I sat at the bottom of yet another hill for 10 minutes and ate as many flapjacks as I could. Eventually, I mustered up the strength to carry on and with the help of the incredible support managed to get to the end of the bike course.
I was so pleased I had finished the bike that I almost forgot I now had to run a marathon. As I enjoy running considerably more than cycling, I thought this would be relatively easy in comparison to the rest of the day. I loved every second of the first lap of the run but by mile 8 I remembered that a marathon is never easy, never mind after a 112 mile cycle! This is where your mental strength gets tested, as there wasn’t much left in the legs by this point. The support and atmosphere was incredible, everywhere, all day, and despite the lack of training I put in, I managed to get around the course and after a few years in the waiting, I could finally call myself an Ironman!
My Ironman experience taught me a lot about life, and myself. Sometimes, even with the best laid plans, life has a different idea for you and throws challenges, changes and curveballs your way. It creates a resilience in you that you didn’t know existed. If you work on your time management and organisation, things are still achievable, but its easier knowing this can change week by week, accepting the change and adapting to it.
My top tips for Ironmen of 2023
1. Get a coach who can help with training plans and structure.
2. Get a sports therapist/physiotherapist/chiropractor who can help with advice on recovery and management of any injuries or niggles they may pick up on the way.
3. Believe in yourself and soak up every single minute of the atmosphere, it will help get you through when you hit a low point.
Take it from me, it is totally worth the pain when you hear the words “you are an IRONMAN” at the finish line.
From this experience, I have created a package specifically for Ironmen competitors which has been crafted to follow you through your training and to help recover after the event. You can read more about that here.
If you would like to talk more about this package, you can email me at wwsportsinjuries@gmail.com
We have an offer on until the New Year, where you get the package for the 2022 price of £200. After 31st December, it will increase to £250. This is still a saving of over £100 If you were to pay as you go.
Lewys