Wow. Ironman Melbourne. What an epic day! It definitely didn't end the way I had planned after putting in the hard yards on the training paddock of course I was hoping to reap the rewards on the race course. I had a good mindset and confidence that I had prepared well enough to challenging every name on that startlist. In short, the day didn't go as planned towards the end of the day.
When the gun sounded at 7am it was still pitch black dark and with tinted goggles it proved really hard to see 5 meters in front of you let alone a turning buoy one kilometer away! The gun sounded and I got off to a great start. I was swimming in the top five and felt smooth, strong and relaxed. The first 20-30 minutes I honestly just hoped the person I was following was going in the right direction because I really struggling to see anything! Finally the sun began to light the sky and I could navigate a little easier and moved to the front of the group to exit the water in second a little over a minute behind Clayton Fettell. The Frankston pier provided a great viewpoint for the spectators and once we hit dry land the crowd was thick and defining as we ran to our transition bags.
The Ironman Melbourne bike course along the Eastlink tollway lived up to the hype as a fast and furious bike course. Heading north for the first time it was a bit of shock to find we were faced with a northerly wind as opposed to wind from the south which was forecast. This didn't worry me on the bike but looking ahead it meant that the one direction run could be brutal. All the major players were there and it was a case of staying near the front of the group and keeping out of trouble. The officials did a good job to keep the 12m draft distance all day but given the mostly flat nature of the course it was going to be almost impossible to attempt to breakaway.
At the final turn around at the 135km mark I thought I saw an opportunity for a few guys to get a gap and I worked hard through the tunnel and up the incline. This seemed to initiate a flurry of attacks by several guys on the return to Frankston. The pace was now very high and on several occasions I glanced at my Garmin to read 50+km/hr. I began to struggle with some back pain around the 160km and I was finding it hard to hold my aero position. I was determined to try hang in there till the end but I was in big trouble and with ten kilometers to go I wasn't sure I would get back to Frankston and I almost slowed to a stop a few times.
Heading onto the run 4 minutes down on the pack I was determined to try make up some time I had lost. I was tight and locked up in my back but tried my best to force it out of my mind hoping it would subside. After several kilometers we hit the long straights of the Nepean Highway and now my running was more free flowing. I was sitting in 11th place and had my sights firmly set on trying to break into that top ten on the run to St. Kilda. When the course hit Beach Road and 22km to go the twisting and turning nature of the course was the end of me. The pain in my back was really hampering me and I was shuffling and hardly moving forward. I stopped and contemplated whether to stop or continue. I walked a bit and Amanda agreed today I was fighting a losing battle. It was a tough decision to called it a day but I had three months out at the end of 2010 with back issues and I don't want to go down that road again. I'm hoping the cooler weather was the cause rather than re-injuring myself? I'm feeling fine after a few days of soreness so signs are good it's just a little glitch.
A big congratulations to Craig Alexander and Caroline Steffan for very impressive victories. The battle Crowie and Cam Brown had throughout the marathon was almost a fairy tail situation for the inaugural event. Topping it off with a sub eight hour performance was the icing on the cake. Ironman Melbourne was an instant success!
I really did enjoy everything about Ironman Melbourne and I already can't wait to return in 2013. Congratulations to Shane Smith and his crew for producing the best race we have every seen on Australian shores. This race is already a giant in the triathlon world right up there alongside Kona, Roth and Frankfurt!
Looking forward I've decided to stay on in Australia and race Ironman Cairns in early June so it won't be long till I am back for some redemption.
