Well Friday night sleeping was a waste of time. Went to bed around
10pm and up at 1am. Watched the back of
my eyelids until about 3am then decided I may as well get up and have something
to eat. A couple of bananas and some toast with Vegemite later and the others
alarms were going off to get up. We got dressed and headed to the start at 5am.
Overnight we had wrapped part of our bike and helmets in
plastic to keep them dry so that morning our first task was to take that off
and give them a final check. With that done we left transition and headed
to the swim start. The weather was cold and cloudy with a little breeze. The
water was flat which was what we wanted. We found a spot to change into our
wetsuits and handed our gear bags to Dee. A tip I can give is not to give your
friend your gear bag. Check it in as it will get it back as soon as you get to
medical and when you can’t find your friend after the race it means you have
warm clothes to change into. But enough of that for now. The crowds had shown
up and the Maori guys came in on a traditional boat to welcome us. The
atmosphere was good but you could tell everyone was fairly quiet and
concentrating on the day ahead. At 6:45am the professional males started
followed but the pro females a minute later. With them out of the way we all
headed through the timing gate to check us into the water. I found a position
to the left edge of the group. Not too far out but far enough that I wasn't directly in the washing machine that was about to start up. The water was cold
which I later found was colder closer to where I was than over near the buoys.
With the 3min countdown announced I made sure I had my watch set and I was
ready to go. With the sound of the canon we were off.
I had a good start. Not too fast and no one bashing into me.
I slowly started to move in closer to the pack as we headed up the course but
keeping my distance so I didn't get tangled in and bashing around. The swim
course was a 1.75km straight swim. Then a right hand turn and about 100m till
another right hand turn. Then 1.75km back before making the last right hand
turn and 200m swim back to shore. The water was amazingly clear. You hear
people say on other swims how clear the water is when you can see a murky image
underwater. In lake Taupo it was like a pool. You could see for ages. It did
give you something to look at while you swam. Only problem I had is that I want
to turn left all the time. I think that if I closed my eyes and just swam I
would make a nice big left hand circle and end up where I started. Every time I
looked up to sight I was off target and moving away from the pack. Well I guess
that's better than running into people all the time. As the swim went on the pack
thinned out. I found I was swimming on my own by the last buoy. I headed across
the timing mat and had a slow 400m jog along the road and up the stairs into
the transition area. I grabbed my bag and headed into the change area.
T1 was my first debacle. I had decided to change into
some bike shorts for the ride. They had more padding and I wanted to feel
comfortable. I wasn't worried about the T1 time as I knew I had all day. All
the volunteers were eager to help you strip off and help you dress if you liked. As I
was doing a full change I thought I had this. I don’t really need help. So the
female helper just waited and watched until someone else came along. First
thing was the wetsuit. Yep all good with part one. I dumped all my clothes on
the ground and grabbed my towel. Stripped
off the top part of my tri suit and dried off as much as I could. I put my ride
shirt on and took the rest of my gear off. I picked up my bike pants and went
to throw them on. This is when I found was that it’s not so easy to get bike pants
on when you are a little damp. The rubber around the legs sticks nicely and the
material just stretches. So here I am half nude struggling to pull my pants up past my knees.
It must have made a wonderful sight for the helpers. Oh and yes the water was
cold that I had just been swimming in for last hour. Haha. Finally I had my
pants on so I grabbed my shoes. I went to step back and sit down to put them on
and I hear crack. Oh no whats that. I had stomped on my glasses. The arm had
broken off and can’t be fixed. I remembered the beginners seminar where the
presenter had said things will go wrong and just cope with it. Well I had my
first two issues in T1 and it was still early in the day. I put them aside and
left the change area. Picked up the bike and helmet and headed out of
transition. Sure I was annoyed about my T1 time but I knew I was well ahead of
the time I had wanted to have this part done in so I was still happy.
To get a little side tracked I did have a couple of goals I
would have loved to have hit. The first was just to finish no matter what.
Second was to try to get around the twelve hour mark. I assumed 2hrs for the
swim, 6hrs for the bike and 4hrs for the run. Now I knew a 2hr swim was very
slow so that’s where I knew I had transition and other time to move around and
still make the time. The swim I had done in 1:06 and with a slow transition I
should have been about the 1:18 mark. So I was up. Woohoo.
The bike started off well. I was trying not to go to fast
out of the gates but the excitement of it all doesn't help. The rain started to
come down and the wind had picked up. As we climbed up the first hill to get
out of town the fog was still around and it was looking to be a crappy cold
ride. The first hill is about a 4km climb to the top and then a 6km decent. It
only has a couple of steep parts so most of it is just grinding away. It was
nice to hit the 6km downhill section though. Once over the hill there was
nothing exciting really. I kept thinking that this is really just like home
with bumpy roads. The wind was in our face all the way out to the turnaround point.
The bike course was two laps. Basically directly out and back. Nothing special
or interesting to keep your mind off it. The road just kept going and going.
You see the road turn and think yeah it must be around the corner but no just
another straight full of bikes riding out. It did feel nice when I made it to
the turnaround with the wind behind your back. Finally you were able to pick up some
pace again. The hill climb on the way in was pretty easy I thought and I passed
a heap of people every rise we came to. I didn't know if this was a good or bad
thing but I kept going. At this stage the rain had stopped and the sun had come
out. It was starting to get hot. In town the crowds had picked up and the
support was wonderful. Unfortunately I had to do it all again. This lap the wind
had picked up and it was like I couldn't get the bike moving. All the way to
the turnaround point was a struggle but people were not powering past me so I
knew it wasn't just me fading away. Turning around was great. Once again the
wind helped. That didn't last long as it soon became a cross wind. I was
getting frustrated that I was still on the bike and not seeming to make much
progress. I thought I needed to go to the bathroom and while I could have done
the triperson pee as you go technique I decided that getting off the bike for a
couple of minutes would help me collect my thoughts and not have a meltdown.
30km from home I found a toilet and got off. I knew in my head 30km was not far
so getting on and finishing this stage was going to be done. With that out of
the way I headed off. About 20km from home the nice cross wind we had became a
head wind and it got a little stronger. Lucky I was close to home and kept on
going. 6:01 after the start of the bike I was in town and into T2. I was sore but happy to have
that behind me.
T2 was more of the same. I had decided to do a full change
for the run. I knew my socks would be wet and rank from the ride so a change of
clothes would feel like heaven. Then in walks another debacle. I have a nice old
man helping me and talking to me about how my day is going as I am unpacking my
gear. When I grab my shirt I find that it is soaked. Not just a little wet but I am
talking it could have been sitting in a swimming pool over night. Then I noticed all my gear was the same. I assume
it was on the ground and the overnight rain had caused a puddle to get into
the gear tent. So here I am getting out of wet bike clothes and putting on even
wetter run gear. Great. Wet socks and shoes as well. The helper was all
concerned if I would be ok but I just smiled and said it’s all good. I mean it
would have to be as I had no other option.
I ran out of T2 annoyed but feeling ok. I mean how good was
I going to feel at this stage anyway. I guess I felt good. It was nice that the
sun was out as the top half of me dried reasonably quickly but the shoes and
socks never did dry up. The run started well. I had a thought that if I got
through 10km’s then I am a quarter of the way through. Sure I wasn’t really as
its 42.2km’s but hey in my mind it was easier to calculate it on 40km’s and the
last 2.2 doesn't matter much when you get that close. I was doing a great pace
at the start of the run. Splits were around the 5:30 per km. I knew that was
faster than I had planned but I felt great and thought lets just keep going and
get some time under my belt before I fall apart which I assumed I would at some
stage. The crowds around town were also helping as they call your name out and
cheer you on to keep going. About 1km into the run I see Mike sitting in the
gutter. We chat as I run past but I don’t get much out of him. I didn't know if
he was out or what. Sure I could have stopped to help but I was on a mission
and going well. Drink stations were 2.5km’s apart and I made the 5km mark
strong. After that it got harder. The sun was really heating the place up and I
remember thinking that Taupo was not supposed to be a hot run. This is going to
suck. But I was dry at least. Well apart from my shoes. I had felt a few
moments where I had a cramp coming on but I was taking my tablets and it seemed
to be working. The only other issue I had was my foot pain. Right now it was
not bad but I had never run this distance so who knows what could happen. Soon
I made it the 10km’s I wanted and was happy to be that far though. But the run
became a run / walk from aid station to aid station. The run course was a three
lap deal. There was a few hills around but nothing crazy although they seemed
tough by the last lap. Heading back to town you followed a path along the waters edge and with the wind blowing it was a hard slog. Close to town the crowds were
bigger and that really did help keep you going. With lap one down I was off on
lap two.
Once again as I was in the crowd I could keep going for a
while before I needed a rest. I would take it as a reward. If I had a nice long
run section I got a good little walk. By this time I had had enough of the gels
and was eating fruit mostly and drinking water. When I walked I would try to
keep some pace and just refocus my thoughts before starting again. About a
third of the way around lap two the rain started and it was heavy. I was soaked
and cold again. The wind was now blowing hard and the rain made it very
unpleasant. I found a poncho at the aid station near the end of lap two. It must have looked
funny as the poor girl trying to put it on me was struggling and I guess as I
was so wet it did not help. But me managed and I was off to start lap three.
Not far into lap three the rain stopped and I thought it looked like it might stay away this time. Just windy is better than wet and
windy. I soon found the poncho too hot to have on so I handed that back and
kept running. I was running as much as I could and making goals as I went
along. I knew on lap three that I was close to my time goal but probably over.
I was ok with that but I thought that if I pushed I would get close. So I had a
little chant of “how much do you want this?” going on in my head. It did help
to keep me running longer than I had in lap two. Soon I caught up with Jacinda
and we had a chat and short walk together before I took off again. My foot was
in real pain and I was wondering how long until the tablets stopped keeping the
cramping away. At the far aid station I took my last tablets and hoped that
would do me till the end. Then the rain started again.
Damn it. I didn't want to wear a poncho in my finishers photo and with only
three aid stations to go I decided I would just live with the cold and wet. The
last aid station I was never going to stop at as it was 200m from the finish
line anyway. I was pushing myself and calculated the time and hoped that my
foot would not blow up. When I made it to the 40km sign that I had been eyeing
off the previous laps I was ecstatic. I knew I was going to be able to drag
myself home and if I pushed enough I would be very close to my 12hr goal. I
would not beat it but I would be close. The 40km mark was also the start of
town. Sure it was wet and most people had left the outskirts of town but there
were a few wonderful supporters out there still cheering everyone on. The rain had stopped
again or was just a sprinkle. I jogged up the main road on top of the world. I
looked behind me and didn't see anyone close. I was
not worried about being passed I just wanted to get a good finisher photo with
no one else in the shot. Also to hear your name being called out individually would be good. To get to the finish you went past the run turn and up the road
another 50m along a chute before doing a left turn and onto the red carpet. The
crowds where built up most of the way around that cheering and congratulating
you as you go. I was giving anyone a high five that wanted one. I turned the last turn
and looked at the red carpet. Some guy ahead of me was hugging family and making
his way in so I slowed a little to give him his moment as well. Then I jogged
down to the finish. I heard my name. Well a bad pronunciation of my last name
but still he did say Stefan Jankowski you are and IRONMAN!! I crossed the line
and felt wonderful that I had done it.
Officially in 12:07:21. Sure it was a slow marathon but I
couldn't have been happier. I left everything I had out there. I dent a little
but did not break. I was greeted by two nice volunteers who gave me my medal
and finisher towel then helped me into medical. I don’t know if I looked bad or
what but they did seem very concerned if I was ok. Maybe its just what they
have to do. I was walked in and weighed. I had lost 2kg which they said was
good so I didn't need any special attention. 2kg for all that is not an easy weight
loss program. Plus I think I put all that on with the food I have eaten today
and maybe even a bit extra. From medical it was off to collect your black bag and
finisher shirt. Hmm oh yeah Dee had my bag. I did see her at the finish line
with my bike that she had collected. I was hoping that she had my bag of warm
clothes with her as I was shivering. First thing I did was to grab a chocolate
milk and sit down. Oh what a great feeling that was. I wrapped my towel around
me and tried to get a little dry and warm.
I sat for a while then went to get food. They had all sorts
of stuff on offer. Nothing fancy but good enough for what most people would be
looking for. I did try to eat a few things but everything I had I didn't really
feel like after a few bites. I guess my body was not ready for food. I got
annoyed I was cold so I left to find Dee. I walked through the crowd of people
waiting for their families to come out. No sign of Dee at all. Hmm cold and
shivering I went to where I last saw her. Nope not there either. No phone so no
way to contact her. Maybe she has gone home. Sure its only 700m up the road but
I could hardly walk and I was so cold. It seemed like a long way away and if I
get there and no one is home I have no key. So this is where I say to check a bag
in so you can enjoy the medical tent a little. Maybe even have a phone in the
bag so you can arrange what you are doing and how you are going before you
leave the tent. I had nothing. The rain was lightly coming down again as I made
my way home hoping that I would be warm soon. People probably thought that I
was showing off as I walked with my medal on, number still on and towel
covering as much of me as I could but I was too cold and wet to care. Lucky
when I got back someone was home and the apartment was open. Dee had come back
to get my bag and gone back down but we had taken different routes so had
missed each other. I tried to call and tell her but she didn't take her phone.
Good job. Well I tried. I grabbed warm clothes and sat on the shower floor or
5min to try to feel better.
When Dee got back a little while later I heard that Mike had
finished. He had a foot issues but with some medical help he had been able to
walk and then run his way through to the end. All we had to do now was watch
Jacinda make it home. Well I was dry now and while I was still cold I was
feeling slightly better. I wasn't sick I just didn't feel great. I had pains
and while I wanted to eat and drink my body said no. A couple of hours later
Jacinda made it back and we headed home. I had some warmed up pizza which
finally went down nicely. We all chatted for a while and then went to bed.
While the others said they didn't sleep well that night after the race it was
the best sleep I had had in a week. I don’t think I moved at all during the
night.
Today we were like the disabled bunch. We all had the
ironman hobble going on. We had to walk down to buy our finisher gear so we did
that early then headed to the hot baths just out of town. That made the body
feel a little better. So with that I am done. Would I do another? I don’t know.
I don’t think so but you should never say never. I think I like the 70.3
better. It’s still tough but doesn't bust you up as much. Sure I could slow
down but then what goal do I have. I guess we will see.
I have had a lot of support from friends and family throughout this adventure. They don’t know it but they did help. Even when you are out
there on your own and you feel you can’t go on. You know so many people have
been cheering you on and telling you that you can do it so you don’t want to
let them down. It drives you to just keep moving forward. There are way too
many people to thank but I would like to. Hopefully I can get a chance to in
person soon but if I do not and you are reading this know that your support has
helped. I also have been lucky to find a great coach in John O’Connell of Summit
Fitness Studio. He put me in a position to achieve all my goals. I know he
cared how I was doing throughout the program and encouraged me to do my best.
Sure I had moments of cursing his plan for the pain it was giving me but he
knew what I needed and I trusted he wasn't sadistic. But honestly you need to
learn to love a little pain if you want to do this and that is part of the
training. To teach you to push beyond what you think you are capable of doing.
I should also say a big thank you to Mike Mayo my weekend training partner and
general IM guru for all the help he has given me. It’s a shame he had medical
issues during the race but he will be back for another go around. Yes he is
crazy like that. Also Adam Campbell my weekday and virgin IM buddy who has
helped me from the start of this big adventure by talking me into doing an
enticer a couple of years ago. Without him I would be sitting around being
lazy. It’s a lot easier to get out and do something if someone else is there to
drag you along, talk to about things and also be experiencing the same things. Now it’s your turn mate. I would like to see you smile your way
through this one. With that I will end with….
Stefan Jankowski you are an IRONMAN!!!
