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IRONMAN WALES 2023

IRONMAN WALES 2023

Ironman Wales

On Sunday, September 3rd, the iconic Ironman Wales event was held in the charming seaside town of Tenby. The town’s breathtaking beaches, magnificent castle, well-preserved town walls, cosy pubs, lively bars, delicious restaurants, unique shops, stunning cliffs, and picturesque countryside created a perfect setting for the event.

Thousands of people came out to support the participants throughout the course, creating an electric atmosphere that made the event feel like the Olympics. The locals’ overwhelming support was awe-inspiring, and the town’s vibrant energy turned the event into a party that everyone was invited to. The Ironman Wales event followed the usual format: a challenging 3.8k sea swim, a gruelling 180k bike ride, and a demanding 42k run.

Peak XV Athletes

This year, five Peak XV athletes took on the challenge, pushing themselves to their limits with the help and support of their dedicated coaches, Garrie Prosser and Quin Beech. These athletes, Craig Taylor, Jonny Walsh, Gordon Richmond, Matt Reith, and Quin Beech, proved that with consistent training, perseverance and hard work, Anything is possible.

Ironman-Athlete

Ironman Wales Swim

On the morning of the race, thousands of people gathered on the cliff tops, beach, and streets to cheer and support the athletes. The race started around 7 a.m., with fireworks exploding and the Welsh National Anthem echoing around the cliffs, creating a thrilling and emotional atmosphere.

Ironman Wales starts with a challenging sea swim off  North Beach. In previous years, the swim involved two laps in a clockwise direction, but this year, it was reversed to 2 laps in an anti-clockwise direction. The weather was favourable, and the water was calm with a slight swell. However, the tidal current proved to be the main challenge.

As the swim progressed, the tide became stronger. This made it more challenging, especially for the slower swimmers who had started later, causing them to swim significantly slower than expected as they struggled against the tide. Ironically, the faster swimmers who had started earlier had an easier time. The strength of the tide was evident by the far buoy straining against its mooring as the swimmers converged to turn around it.

After the race, many athletes found they had completed the swim much slower than expected. Those wearing GPS watches commented that the swim was significantly longer than expected, ranging from 100 to 500m.

Ironman-Swim

Peak XV Swimmers

Our swimmers all did okay in the swim. Although initially happy to complete such a challenging course, they all struggled against the tide. As a result, their official times left them feeling disappointed. However, after discovering that other competitors also had slower times, we compared our performances with theirs and realised that we all did reasonably well.

Transition

Completing the swim-bike transition is a true test of an athlete’s endurance. After finishing the swim, each athlete must run up and across the beach, climb a zig-zag path to the cliff top, and run through the town amidst cheering crowds to reach the transition area. It’s a strenuous challenge, considering there are still 112 miles of biking and a marathon to complete!

Ironman Wales Bike

The bike course for Ironman Wales is stunningly beautiful and incredibly challenging. It consists of a small loop you complete once and then two larger loops. The first small loop takes you along the coast to the west and offers undulating terrain with breathtaking views. It’s tempting to push yourself hard during this section, but it’s important to be cautious and not get too caught up in the pace of other riders. This loop provides an excellent opportunity to find your rhythm after the swim. However, the next two larger loops are hilly and will put your endurance and strength to the test.

Near the end of each big loop are two famous tough climbs, Wisemans and Saundersfoot. The former is steep and will test every rider’s ability. I saw numerous riders struggling and some pushing, especially on the second lap with 100 miles already in their legs. Saundersfoot is the iconic ‘Heart Break Hill’. It is not as tough as Wisemans, but it is famous for its unique support. Here, the music blares out, and the crowd squeezes you tight like a climb in Tour De France. It creates an amazing atmosphere.

Ironman-Bike

Peak XV Cyclists

Our Peak XV cyclists had a mix of experiences, but in hindsight, everyone did well. Craig had a steady ride and finished in good shape to take on the marathon. Despite facing some issues at home that affected his preparation, Matt was pleased with his ride. Jonny’s experience was a tale of two halves.

He started and finished strong, earning him a respectable bike time. However, he lost time in the middle due to over-fuelling. He deserves credit for rescuing himself and getting to the run in good shape. That leaves Gordon and me. You might find this hard to believe, but it’s true. We both had a good bike split. I was in the lead, and I knew Gordon was chasing me similarly; Gordon knew he was hunting me down.

The unbelievable part is that Gordon and I ended up with identical bike splits right down to the second. We both recorded exactly 6:12:14. Think about that for a moment. How is that even possible? You couldn’t do it if you tried. Onto the run!

Ironman Wales Run

The Ironman Wales run is considered one of the toughest marathons of any Ironman event. The course consists of four loops of approximately 10K each and is extremely hilly, with some parts being quite steep. The initial leg requires a long climb out of town before returning.

Following this, there is a spaghetti-like up-and-down route along the age-old medieval streets of Tenby, including its medieval walls. Even as a standalone marathon, it is a tough course. It becomes even more brutal after a sea swim and a long Ironman bike.

On race day, the weather was hot and sunny, with temperatures in the high twenties, making the already tough run even more challenging and brutal. Many people struggled to keep going. However, the support from thousands of people lining the Tenby streets, cheering and shouting your name (which is on your bib number), helps to lift you and carry you through the pain to the finish line.

Ironman-Run
Ironman-Run2

Peak XV Runners

The team from Peak XV all successfully completed the challenging Tenby Ironman marathon. Despite the gruelling course, each showed great determination and perseverance to cross the finish line and complete Ironman Wales. Gordon, the fastest among the group, eventually caught up with me after our bike ride. It was a remarkable achievement for all of them and a testament to their dedication and hard work.

Ironman-Finish

We also got an age group win and a ticket to the World Championships in Kona 2024!

Alpe D’Huez Adventures

Alpe D’Huez Adventures

Neil’s Story

 Ask most triathletes what are the races that they consider to be among the most iconic triathlons across the globe, and you’ll find that, along with Lanzarote Ironman, Escape from Alcatraz, Challenge Roth and Hawaii Ironman, there will be the Alpe d’Huez Triathlon. This relative newcomer to the calendar is a challenging and unforgiving race which, if not paced well, will come back and bite you hard in the chamois.

The race starts with a 2.2k swim at an elevation of 700m in the Lac du Verney reservoir. This reservoir powers France’s largest hydroelectric power station: thankfully, the power station was switched off on race day! The bike course is 118k and includes two major climbs over the Col de L Alpe du Grand Serre (1375m) and the Col d Ornon (91371m) before taking on the iconic ascent of Alpe d’Huez complete with its 21 hairpin turns. If all this wasn’t punishing enough, the hilly 20k run takes place at 1860m altitude, making running feel like breathing through a straw.

This year Peak XV Tri Coaching had two athletes taking on the challenge, Dan and our Canadian representative Neil. This is Neil’s story.

Lac du Verney Reservoir

The Swim

I figured I would take the swim relatively easy as my swim fitness was not where it should have been, so I intended to make sure I didn’t burn too many matches early on in what would be a long day out!  The swim was a mass start and soon descended into pure chaos as I hadn’t positioned myself to the side early enough and ended up in the middle of a giant washing machine, which I hated.

After a few hundred meters, things thinned out a little, and I just focused on breathing and maintaining a relaxed stroke.  It wasn’t too long before we reached the first turn buoy (very odd that they had no other buoys to sight off the whole swim), swam a couple of hundred meters across the lake and then headed back towards the shore.  I was pleasantly surprised to notice a lot of swimmers still heading in the opposite direction, so perhaps my swim fitness wasn’t as bad as I had feared. The rest of the swim passed without drama except for the usual challenge of navigating past those swimmers who can’t seem to swim in a straight line!

The swim was completed in 43.35 and I finished 44th out of 192 in my age group. I took my time in T1 applying sun cream and ensuring I was ready for the challenge ahead.

Alpe D'Huez

The Bike

Take it easy, take it easy, take it easy…that was my mantra for the first part of the bike, so I kept a close eye on my power meter to hopefully make sure I would have plenty of energy left for the final climb of the day The first 25km is downhill and therefore quick. I resisted the urge to try and race the weaker swimmers/good cyclists who came motoring past either as individuals or as a part of large pelotons. I would stick to my race plan and see them later on the slopes of Alpe d’Huez.

The day’s first climb was the Grande Serre, which is long and steep in places. Thankfully it provided some shade from the increasingly hot sun. I took it easy for almost the entire climb in the smallest gear. I enjoyed riding this awesome climb, one of the day’s highlights. At the summit of the climb, I stopped at the aid station, which was different than I was used to. You had to literally stop, dismount and head to the feeding station to take food on. This would play out throughout the day as I spent a lot of time getting food, adding energy powder to drinks, etc.

In hindsight, I could have managed this whole process better. Going down this mountain was a blast – the best part of the day!  I kept the power low in the sections between the climbs and paid attention to eating and drinking.  As the day progressed, the temperature rose until it was in the high 20s without a cloud in the sky, and apart from the first climb offered very little shade.

The second climb was minimal and didn’t register as much of a climb in comparison; again, I took it easy and controlled my effort.  The climb up Col d’Ornon was deceptive. It started at a low gradient, flattened out, and then started climbing gradually again.  It continued like this for a while before the climb really kicked up. It wasn’t a challenging climb, but I still found myself in my smallest gear, attempting to keep my power output low. I reached the top, and the toll the heat was causing became apparent. A few people were cooling off by stretching out under the shade of the trees, others had stopped at the aid station to take on food and drinks, and a medic was helping one person. I briefly stopped to apply more sun cream before heading down another fun descent.

Climbing Alpe d’Huez

Before I knew it, Alpe d’Huez loomed large, and I approached it with respect and not a little trepidation. The first three hairpin bends were tough, and I was grinding out my smallest gear at low cadence/low power, basically trying to stick with the other cyclists around me. This was not what I had planned for or expected. I had saved my legs deliberately (I thought) and did not expect to struggle so early on the lower slopes. The climb ebbed and flowed between hard and crazy hard, and it wore me out mentally. 

I stopped for a moment to get myself in a better place and then again to stand under running water in an effort to cool down. I got to the mountain base at about 5hrs with an expectation of climbing in about 90min, so all was on track, but now I was pedalling squares and going nowhere with no power, which was demoralising.  With nearly 6-7 corners remaining, I was standing to get some relief from all the sitting when my left quad seized up. Shortly after, I felt my hamstring pull. I spent the next five minutes trying to stretch out but knew I couldn’t stand out of the saddle again. The rest of the ride was dark, as I barely moved up the climb. Finally, I made it to the summit. My legs did not feel good, and being unable to stand and stretch put me in much discomfort. I walked through transition, took time to change socks, recuperate for a couple of minutes and headed out onto the run.

I don’t know why I cracked so badly on the climb, heat? poor bike rental fit, fitness, nutrition, all the above? It was so disappointing to have felt good early on and then fall apart like I did. I finished the bike 108th out of 192.

The Run

It was never going to be pretty running a hilly 20k at altitude, even before the discomfort of the final climb. My right leg would not ease off and loosen, so for the first 3k, I could not run and was reduced to a slow walk. I had visions of having to walk for 3-4 hours and decided many times that this was to be my last long-distance race, a thought which also had occurred to me several times on Alpe d’Huez. Finally, I began to feel ok and could progress from a jog to a shuffle and then to a run, but I was still reduced to walking parts of the course.

I had set myself a target of running 7min per km, which seemed ridiculously conservative before the race but was now a best-case target.  I managed to run some km below that pace whilst others were above (usually with aid stations); I could not run much of the downhill section as my stomach was also now causing me concern.

Each footstep was painful, and I couldn’t get this pain to subside. After every lap, a marshal would give out a wristband to identify who should finish leading to “band envy: at those competitors with two bands! Aside from a few sips of water, I gave up trying to eat or drink anything in the last 40min as I didn’t want to upset my stomach further.

I finally reached the finishing chute and experienced perhaps the most gratifying finish I’ve ever experienced.  I was very glad to have completed the race and proud to have overcome the pain and discomfort to reach the finish line. I finished the run 75th out of 192 starters and 99th overall for my Age group.

Final reflection: Stupidly, I’d like to do the race again to see if I could do better!

Coaches’ Perspective

Training for Alpe D’Huez

Having competed in the inaugural Alpe D’Huez triathlon in 2006 and coached several athletes across the finish line over the past three years, I have come to appreciate what a uniquely challenging race it is not only to complete but also to train for.

The Swim

The swim is relatively straightforward to prepare for. You will need to complete a few cold-water swim sessions, working on open-water skills such as navigation and sighting. Considering where you will position yourself on race day is also helpful.

Another factor that might affect your swim is the sun’s position; it is helpful to have different lenses if the sun is low, making sighting difficult. As with all races, walking through the transition area and making sure you can find your bike easily after the swim will save you both time and nervous energy!

The Bike

The biggest issue from a training perspective is being able to replicate such long ascents. Certainly, in the UK, you will struggle to find climbs with similar distances and gradients. Even the Lake District or the peaks of Derbyshire pale into insignificance compared to the three Alpine climbs that this triathlon presents.

Hill reps can play their part in training, but completing so many reps to replicate the Alpine climbs would test even the most dedicated athlete. What goes up must come down, which is true of the climbs. Descending skills are often overlooked in training.

The ability to safely descend quickly can make a big difference to your overall finishing time.   Once again, it is impossible to find mountains in the UK that offer the chance to train to develop those descending skills.

One of the most common errors when training for this bike course is underestimating how hard it will be. When it comes to training, one of the lessons that my athletes and I have learned is to train for the bike as if it is an Ironman despite only being 118k

The Run

There are few triathlons which are run at an altitude of 1800m. In 2006, I remember the shock of starting the run section and feeling like I could not breathe. It was like trying to run competitively whilst breathing through a straw.

Since that first Alpe d Huez, the run has become even more challenging with the addition of longer and steeper climbs during the 20k. In terms of training, it is possible to replicate those climbs if you live in a hilly region; what is impossible to replicate is the experience of running at altitude unless you have the luxury of either being able to sleep in an altitude tent or the time to get to the race venue early enough to acclimatise naturally.

The one thing that will help on race day is to expect to feel terrible and accept that this is part of the experience and that most other athletes are also suffering!

In summary, Alpe d Huez is a very special race that earns its place among the ‘must-do” races in the triathlon calendar. As challenging as it is, the rewards make all the pain and suffering worthwhile, amazing views, exhilarating descents, and the chance to take on one of the most iconic climbs in cycling.

If you would like to book an informal chat to explore how we can help you achieve your goals and ambitions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Coach Prosser

Coach Prosser

IRONMAN BOLTON

IRONMAN BOLTON

The last Ironman Bolton

All good things must come to an end and so it is with Ironman UK, or as it’s more fondly known Ironman Bolton. It has just been announced that from 2024 the event will half in distance and become 70.3 Bolton. For those of us local it marks the end of one story and the start of a new exciting chapter for the town.  We are excited about this change and believe that the 70.3 event is likely to be popular among experienced athletes and those who want to dip their toes in the waters of the longer events, without the time commitment of completing a full Ironman. One implication for ourselves is that our annual Ironman Training Weekend will now focus on the 70.3 distance.

This year, Peak XV Tri Coaching worked with over 20 triathletes supporting them in their journey to the start line at Pennington Flash. These athletes came from across our different coaching offers and included athletes coached by us, athletes who attend our regular swim sessions and those triathletes who attended our Ironman Training weekend.  So let’s take a look at how the day played out for those athletes and find out a bit more about the event itself starting with some pictures taken from the day.

IMUK  Swim Course

This year’s swim course had a couple of small changes. In previous years the athletes swam in an anti-clockwise direction and had the fun of a crowd-pleasing Oz-style exit at the end of lap one. This year saw the introduction of a “floating timing tunnel” which required the athletes to navigate their way through and under to register their lap split time.
Pre-race fears that the unusually choppy waters of Pennington would produce slower swim times proved unfounded and all of our swimmers recorded Personal Bests, a tribute to the hard work that they had all put in during the months leading up to race day.

Success Story 1

Even after years of coaching, we are still surprised and delighted to witness the remarkable progress that an athlete can make in a relatively short space of time. This year, we were privileged to see such progress from one of our coached athletes – Brandon. When Brandon attended his first swim session he struggled to swim one length of the pool often having to grab the pool wall along the way.  To say that the lifeguard looked nervous is an understatement! A few months later he ended up smashing the Ironman swim in an amazing time of 1hr 30min.
So, how did we turn this complete novice into a swimmer capable of swimming 90 minutes on race day? Firstly we observed and analysed his technique (or lack of it) and then used the Swimsmooth Hierarchy of Swim Improvement to work on the various aspect that Brandon needed to address one step at a time.  As with most novice swimmers Brandon needed to initially work on his breathing, head position and generally slowing everything down. Once we had corrected this we then moved on to working on a great streamlined body and an efficient catch and pull. Great coaching can only go so far and most of the credit for this improvement must go to Brandon who committed to the program and reaped his just deserves. He went on to complete the full Ironman in a creditable 13:29:51.
If you would like to get find out more about how we can help you improve your swim please get in contact on our home page here 

Ironman UK Bike course

Ironman organisers kept up their tradition of keeping athletes guessing and the wheels of social media spinning by once again changing the bike course a few weeks before race day. It is jaw-dropping and head-scratching how often the bike route has changed over the years, in fact, a number of us struggled to recall two years when the bike course had been the same!
Despite those various social media rumours the 2023 bike route remained a three-lap course. The main changes were the inclusion of some pretty nasty short climbs meaning that any athlete already worried about making the bike cut-off time was seriously up against it. Those athletes who had sleepless nights trying to calculate the various mathematical permutations athletes needed perfect race day conditions to keep the broom wagon at bay. Unfortunately, the weather gods were not playing ball and athletes woke to ferocious winds which coupled with the hills and poor road surfaces made it very challenging for all but the strongest of cyclists to complete the bike course within the time allowed.

The impact of the difficult conditions was felt by two of our coached athletes who, despite a real commitment to their training and fantastic swim times were beaten and broken by the bike course and failed to make the cut-off times. They were not alone as around 30% of the field was unable to finish.

Success story 2

Success can be measured in many different ways so we would like to share the success of one of our athletes Kat. Kat would be the first to tell you that she is not a naturally gifted athlete. She is however a determined and gutsy woman who refused to quit. over the past 6 months, we have coached Kat and have seen her get fitter, stronger and faster to the point that she PBs every time she went out training. On race day the Tri Gods had no sympathy and made it just a little too tough for her. She fought the conditions on the bike mile after mile and beat the 2-lap cut-off. Unfortunately, on the 3rd loop was Kat caught by the dreaded broom wagon and her race was done!
Despite not completing the race we feel that Kats’s story is a success story on most other courses on most other days, Kat would have smashed it. With the progress she made during her training Kat would have been more than capable of experiencing the amazing feeling of running down that red Curtain at many of Europe’s Ironman races. The old saying “there is no deadline for success” springs to mind and Kat will be back

Ironman UK run course

The Bolton run course is probably the highlight of the race and in 2023 the race retained its traditional run through the crowded streets of Bolton town centre, passing the iconic town hall, and then climbing through Queens Park and onto a long straight out and back. During the run, coloured wristbands are handed out after every lap leading to a common Ironman phenomenon wristband envy.

All our athletes that managed to get onto the run, ran well and finished. It’s the nature of the Bolton course that by far the biggest challenge of the day is to better the 10.5hr bike cut-off. If you manage that then you have 6.5hrs to finish. Quite generous by comparison.

The ultimate success story

Of all the success stories that unfolded on the day, it would be hard to beat the achievement of one of our athletes, John Heywood. Four years ago John was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and a Sarcoma in his ankle and he was told early on that he might never be able to run again.

During his treatment and recovery, John set up GMPs Cancer Support Network and as part of this, he decided to raise funds through a number of different physical challenges including cycling from lands end to John O’ G and in doing so raised over £4000.

For 2023 John wanted a different challenge   In his own words ” I wanted to run a marathon, but a lot of people do that and so I wanted a bigger challenge to raise as much money as possible. In the past, I have done a sprint triathlon but nothing really prepares you for a full amount. I did a lot of training  I am a strong cyclist, but I have never done all three together before the weekend. It’s a bit like a jigsaw and I hope it comes together on the day. Fateful words as the day brought the unexpected when John was hit by a car during the bike section luckily John had both the tools and the knowledge to carry out some repairs on his bike and was able to not only complete the bike section but also finish the whole event in a superb time just over 13 hours.

Bolton Ironman 70.3

The now discontinued full Ironman event has now been replaced by The Bolton Ironman 70.3. This will take place on 30th June 2024.

Many of our athletes have shown an interest and we are keen to put out a large team and fly the Peak XV Tri Coaching flag.

If you are thinking about taking on the challenge of  Bolton 70.3 or indeed any other event and would like to arrange a time to book a free Coaching Consultation please don’t hesitate to get in touch using the contact form at the foot of our home page found here It won’t cost you a penny but could well transform the way you train and help you become our next success story!

LAKESMAN HALF TRIATHLON

LAKESMAN HALF TRIATHLON

Lakesman half swim

Lakesman half triathlon swim chaos !

Fortunately, I managed to find a gap amongst the chaos and started establishing a rhythm, sighting more frequently at first until I was out of the trouble zone. The swim route was a long, narrow rectangle, and just when we thought we had everything under control and swimming towards the last two buoys, a swarm of fresh-faced swimmers heading in the opposite direction came our way. The poor kayakers desperately tried to separate us from the oncoming wave. I did my part by tapping a few swimmers on the shoulder and asking them to swim in the right direction. After that, the rest of the swim went well.

Lakesman half bike

Now, onto the bike leg. My plan was to push harder to give myself more time for the run in case my troublesome IT band decided to make an appearance. The bike course started off on the A66, offering a long stretch of straight and flat road, allowing me to stay in a time trial (TT) position for quite a while. Then, we encountered more undulations in the route. The last section took us back on the A66. Along the way, overtaking a few, only to be overtaken by others. My goal was to maintain a speed of 27kph, but ended up averaging 28.7kph. I was happy with the unexpected gains.

In terms of nutrition, everything went well. I prepared my own bite-sized savoury and sweet snacks, creating a mini picnic in the saddle . Every half hour, I’d pop a bitesize in my mouth, accompanied by sips from a bottle of Tailwind and another bottle of electrolyte. It worked like a charm. No sickly sweetness haunting me after the bike leg.

Lakesman triathlon bike

Lakesman half run

Lakesman half triathlon 3 lap course

After yet another visit to the toilet during the transition, I was ready to conquer the run. The route consisted of three loops around Keswick Rugby Club, with the weather alternating between cloudy and sunny. My IT band behaved itself, but my right calf decided to express its discontent. Ignoring their protests, I embarked on the run, hoping for the best. After the first 5 kilometres, my mind turned against me. Negative thoughts flooded in, whispering doubts about my ability to finish the race. Why had I signed up for this race? The sun, slowly sapping away my energy. My leg muscles tightened, making each step difficult. Time slipped through my fingers and my pace resembled that of a snail. To make matters worse, my beloved Kendal mint cake, my trusted companion for fuelling, decided to turn on me. Its once delightful sweetness was now unbearable.

I wasn’t about to let negativity rule my day. I took a moment to stretch my calves and gather my thoughts. With newfound determination, I shook off the doubts and focused on the positive aspects: my well-behaved IT band, the relief I felt after the stretch, and the incredible support from the cheering crowds. Soon enough, I found myself on the last lap. All I had to do was to try gain a bit more speed for the last few kilometres if I could, embracing the joys of negative splits. And just like that, I crossed the finish line, a mix of relief and exhaustion.

I completed in 6 hours and 24 minutes, a personal best by over 30 minutes.  Good to know the training went well this year and with this race, I gained more valuable experience and identified areas to work on for future races. It’s the beauty of this sport—there’s always something to work on, to tweak, and to push beyond our limits. I look forward to tackling the challenges that lie ahead.

Triathlon Coaching

Our coaches would love to help you be the best that you can be and enjoy the sport of triathlon. Our triathlon coaching will help you get fit and ready for events like the Lakesman half triathlon. If you would like to find out more please use the contact form which can be found on our home page here 

IRONMAN 70.3 STAFFORDSHIRE

IRONMAN 70.3 STAFFORDSHIRE

Consistency is key to endurance training

Craig Taylor’s Stafford 70.3 story

Consistency is key to endurance training and Craig Taylor’s Ironman Staffordshire 70.3 story is proof of that. He and fellow ‘Peakers’ triathlete Matthew Jones enjoyed a successful and hot day Sunday 11th June 2023.

Craig is a Peak XV coached athlete. Like most of us he is hard working and his life is busy with family and work commitments. He has worked hard with his coach Garrie Prosser and has been rewarded by a great day out at Ironman 70.3 Stafford. This is Craig’s story in his own words.

Its race day

It’s race day. All the training was done and its now the night before the race, my alarm is set for 03:00, I know
what you are thinking, that’s early but I’ve got a 35 minute drive to drop the car off and then a 40
minute shuttle bus back to the start, the logistics of a split transition can be a pain. As I lay in bed
going over the race in my head all I could think about was, dam it’s going to be a hot one!!
I’ve now landed at chase water in good time, even though the shuttle bus had to make a slight
detour due to low bridge alerts, in other wards the driver got lost.

Nerves kicked in

The nerves have finally kicked in so after dropping my nutrition off and giving my bike the once over I
went for a final 40th wee and started to queue up in the 35/40 minute swim start section. I wasn’t on
my own as I had a fellow ‘Peaker’ with me, Matt Jones, as we wait patiently for thunder struck to play
we shook hands and wished each other the best of luck, this shit just got real, as I make my way
down I did the one think that I guess somebody has to do on race day, I went ass over tit! As I sit at
the edge of the jetty I’ve decided to shuffle of the edge and plop into chase water to start my swim.

Unfinished business

I have unfinished business with the swim as last year’s attempt didn’t go to well due to a panic
attack. I’m not quite sure what triggers a water panic attack to be honest, I guess it’s a mixture of
race day nerves and cold water shock. This year’s attempt did trigger a slight panic attack. I’ve
had these before and I’m getting better at getting them under control.

Ironman 70.3 Stafford swim

The Ironman Stafford swim, the water was a little choppy especially towards the end but I ended up having a really good
swim despite the slight set back at the start, as we all had yellow swim caps on it made sighting a bit
strange as you couldn’t really work out if you was sighting at a buoy or someone’s bobbing head. I was however feeling strong and fresh proving again that for training for Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire consistency is key.
T1, from the swim exit you now have a bit of a run to get into transition so I used this time to get my
wetsuit down to my waste ready to come off fully in transition. Transition went well and went as I’ve
trained for, that right I’ve actually practiced transition at home many times, I had a good bite of a
banana and good drink of flat coke, not everyone chose but it works for, It’s now time to get my ass
on to that seat.

Stafford Ironman 70.3 bike

My Stafford Ironman 70.3 bike went extremely well I was averaging 18MPH comfortably, I remember telling myself to
back off a bit as I was going too fast, that’s right, I bet your thinking how can you be going too fast, I
wanted to hit the run with good legs so I reduced my watts slightly, this was my game plan. I think it
helped as I knew the course as I’ve ridden the route virtually many times, train smarter not harder as
Coach would say. After mile 15 you could feel the heat increasing but as I was on the bike I knew it
wouldn’t be an issue until the run so I made sure I took on plenty of water, electrolyte and salt
sticks, due to the 25 gallons of water I’ve consumed, around mile 40 I needed a pee really bad so I
made a conscious decision to pee while cycling, now that’s a skill in its own and one I’ve not
practiced. As I was coming towards the end of the bike section I was getting myself ready for T2 by
taking on some nutrition in.
T2, at this point I knew the heat would be an issue, I got myself ready, had a quick pee but this time
in the loos at transition and started the run section. Jesus it was hot at this point.

Happy so far…….

The hot Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire run

It was so hot. The hot Ironman Stafford 70.3 run was exhausting. The first mile or two I felt really good I think I was averaging 10:30 min miles, I remember. saying to myself, if I can keep this up I should have a good run. As each mile passed I was getting
hotter and hotter and my pace started to drop off quite quick, I kind of envisaged this happening as I
knew the heat would be an issue so I took on plenty of water took my salt chews gritted my teeth
and cracked on. I walked all the AID stations and the climb up to the castle. Around mile 5 or 6 I was
conscious that matt Jones hadn’t passed me yet, we both discussed this previously, I would stop and

make an effort to look behind me as I could sense he wasn’t too far behind back. As I was walking
through an aid station I felt this tap on my should, it was matt, all I could hear was him saying enjoy
the walk, I think that’s what he said anyways. As he ran off leaving me behind and all I could think off
was, go on matt, keep going pal.

I started to get emotional

As I was coming towards the end of the run I started to get
emotional It happens every time, the moment had come, it was my turn to enter onto the red
carpet to hear those words, CRAIG TAYLOR YOU ARE AN IRONMAN

It was over, what me and my Peak XV coach Garrie Prosser had planned for months and months has been executed to the best of my abilities. As I entered the tent after collecting my medal I spotted Matt stuffing his face with pizza, I was so chuffed for him.and couldn’t praise him enough he had such a good race.

Staffordshire Ironman is just WOW.

All I can say about Staffordshire IRONMAN is just WOW, Just WOW. The support was amazing and the people that was spraying us down to keep us cool was awesome. She was known as the hosepipe lady by all the athletes.

Congratulations

My sincere congratulations to both Craig and Matt. You are great guys, you train hard and consistently and I know you don’t always find it easy. I have enjoyed those occasions when we have trained together on the bike and the pool and I’ve seen your progress under coach Garrie’s direction. For success at Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire consistency is key. You’ve been consistent you are successful.

Next for Craig is Ironman Wales in September, hopefully, we will go down as a team to recce the course before your very big day. Our very big day.

Matt has signed up for Ironman Weymouth 70.3 in September.

My very best wishes

Coach Quin Beech Peak XV Tri Coaching

If you would like to find out more about how our Coaches can support you in achieving your triathlon goals please get in touch using  the contact form which can be found on our home page here

IRONMAN 70.3 VENICE 2023

IRONMAN 70.3 VENICE 2023

HOW I RACED IRONMAN 70.3 VENICE 2023

Gordon Richmond a Peak XV athlete and NHS Knight in shining armour tells his story of racing Ironman Venice 70.3 2023

Peak XV athlete Gordon Richmond on the half marathon Ironman 70.3 run

Ironman 70.3 Venice Goals

I signed up to Ironman 70.3 Venice-Jesolo – a flat fast course with the goal of beating my 70.3 PB (4hrs 57mins @ sundowner triathlon 2019 – also flat and fast).

To help me achieve my goals I did some Googling and found Peak XV Tri Coaching. I wanted some help and needed a coach that I could work with. Thats how I met coaches Garrie Prosser and Quin Beech. And so my journey continued.

Location Lido di Jesolo Venice

Its a lovely location at Lido di Jesolo just outside Venice.

Registration is on the beach under the lighthouse which is also where the swim start and the finish line are located. The single transition is roughly 0.75 miles away from registration. Its a slightly strange transition so taking a bit of time familiarising myself with the entries/exits when I racked my bike was definitely a good move!

Race day breakfast

Race day, up at 5:30, usual breakfast, wander to transition, pumped up tyres, nutrition onto bike, etc and then to the swim start.

Absolutely beautiful morning, race conditions perfect, sun shining, a very light breeze and the Adriatic Sea looked lovely and calm, water temperature 16.5 degrees.

I always have pizza the night before then morning of the race granola and yoghurt with an espresso.

Fuelling on the bike is a gel every 30mins washed down with some water. On the run I stick to the same gels but roughly every 25mins, again washed down with water and treat myself to the odd cola at some of the aid stations!

Ironman 70.3 Venice sea swim

Usual self seeding that Ironman do, I selected the 35-40min group as I was aiming for 37-38mins. Race kicked off spot on 7:30, although 6 athletes entering the water every 10secs meant I didn’t start until about 8:20!

The swim is a single loop with 4 turn buoys. Out to the 1st buoy turn left, long straight, 2 left turns in quick succession before a right turn takes you back to shore. I started well, out to the 1st turn I felt good, however when I took the turn I suddenly felt cold on my chest and struggled with my breathing, I eased off a little and after a few minutes managed to compose myself and settled back into it, gradually I started to feel good again so started to push a bit more, before I knew it I was at the 2nd turn buoy, then the 3rd and 4th and heading back to shore.

Out the water official time 36:12, fantastic, a PB, it’s a 300m run to transition so I stripped the wetsuit off down to my waist on the run and then up and over the bridge into transition. Navigated transition no problems then out under the bridge and onto the bike.

70.3 Venice bike route

The 70.3 Venice bike route is completely flat other than 4/5 bridges, there are a few tight u turns and the surface isn’t the best at times but overall a very fast course. I stuck to my pacing and nutrition plans and utilised the aid stations to stay hydrated. My only gripe with the race is the water is handed out in soft plastic bottles rather than bike specific water bottles, I was ok but these were bouncing out of people’s bottle cages all over the place. Target on the bike was 2:30:00 and I finished it in 2:29:44 so was spot on. Navigated T2 no problems, change was quick but had to nip to the loo so took longer than I’d have hoped.

Then back over the bridge and onto the run course.

3 x 7km loops of the 70.3 Venice run course

The run is 3 x 7km loops with plenty of aid stations. The 1st half of each loop is along a shaded street but the 2nd half is along the promenade which is exposed and offered no shelter from the sunshine whatsoever! Again I stuck to my nutrition plan and made sure I stayed hydrated. Aim for the run was sub 1:30:00, pacing plan was 1:30:00 pace the 1st 2 laps then empty the tank on the last if I had anything left, I did just that and finished with an official run time of 1:27:05!

Goals achieved absolutely delighted 

My goals achieved. Overall 4:44:05, absolutely delighted, a PB by almost 13minutes!

I’d recommend this race, lovely place and the locals really seemed to embrace it. Scenery is nice on the bike and the atmosphere was great on the run. There’s plenty of bars and restaurants and prices are reasonable.

Finally a shout out to Peak XV tri coaching,. Quin is very supportive. He messaged me congrats after the race and asked if I wanted to do this ‘short’ report. Above all thanks to Garrie Prosser. I contacted him because my performance had well and truly plateaued. Now through working with him and his support I’ve knocked 13mins off my 70.3 PB!

My 2023 Ironman season

70.3 was the first race of my 2023 Ironman season.  Next target is Ironman 70.3 Nice at the end of June. Later, in September I have Ironman Wales. I was meant to do this event last year. Unfortunately I tested positive for COVID day before the race so they let me defer!

Peak XV Tri Coaching  Ironman Wales September 2023

Hi this is Coach Quin. Wow Gordon, huge congrats on a fabulous race. Your quite the athlete and all your hard work following Coach Garry’s training has paid huge dividends. Its great to have you as part of our Peak XV Tri Coaching team racing Ironman Wales in September 2023.

There are 4 Peak XV athletes racing Ironman Wales 2023. You are racing, coached by Garry Prosser and also Peak XV athletes Jonny Walsh and Matt Reith coached by me. The last ‘Peaker’ racing is yours truly, the old goat, that is me.

Does anyone else want to join our amazing dream team and wear the ‘Peakers’ kit ? I hope so ! We would very much like to help you with your triathlon ambitions. For Ironman Wales 2023 we are all following customised training plans. We adapt as needed as we move forward towards our personal goals. We use Training Peaks to communicate and monitor the data but there is so much more to training for an Ironman.

Ironman Wales 2023 recce weekend

We are also holding an Ironman Wales 2023 recce weekend. This will be an opportunity to sea swim at Tenby, and ride the Ironman Wales 2023 bike route. You can see for yourself the hills at Wiseman’s Bridge and Heartbreak Hill. We will also run 1 lap of the Ironman Wales 2023 run course and follow its course around the medieval town of Tenby up and down.

 

If you would like to find out more about how our Coaches can support you in achieving your triathlon goals please get in touch using  the contact form which can be found on our home page here

IRONMAN SOUTH AFRICA

IRONMAN SOUTH AFRICA

Ironman African Championship Training and Racing

I was at Ironman South Africa, my first time racing in the Southern Hemisphere, where water goes down the plug hole the opposite way. Thankfully, my bike peddling did not need to be in the opposite direction also.

I was in Port Elizabeth on the Eastern Cape of South Africa to race Ironman South Africa full distance 5th March 2023. It was a race that threw everything at us starting with fork lightning bolts in the sea swim, gusty winds, torrential down pours and burning sun. I finished the race wet through from head to toe with sunburn. Fantastic, what a challenge, smashed it!

Triathlon coach Quin Beech gets silver at Ironman Africa Championships

The Ironman South African Championship Course

Its a full course event of a 3.8km (2 1/4 mile) sea swim, 180km undulating bike and 42km  marathon run.

Swim Course Ironman South Africa

The swim start, finish, T1 and T2 are all together at Hobbie Beach just outside Port Elizabeth near the Boardwalk and pier. It is a single loop sea swim in the Indian Ocean with lots of things that want to eat you. The course heads out for about 300m before you turn left and swim forever towards the very distant cranes of old Port Elizabeth. Once at the cranes the course turned back towards the pier and swim exit.

In perfect weather conditions this would be a perfect swim. However Port Elizabeth is known for its winds and rough seas which can change several times in the same day. I arrived a week early to prepare and only managed 2 very short swims in very rough seas.

Dawn and a moody sky prior to Ironman Africa start 2023

And so it begins

Race morning up at 4am, simple carb breakfast, hoping for early poo poo’s, then down to transition to add fuel and battery to my bike, still no poo poo’s was making me anxious. By 6am hundreds of us stood on the beach in self selecting pace pens for a rolling start. I chose 1hr to 1:30hr which was the largest group of swimmers and necessitated further shuffling about in the pen till I felt about middle.

The sea was calm with a swell and we were all ready to go. As the sun rose to to show us the way we saw the clouds. Then the electric bolt lightning started, thunder drowned out the crowd and we sat down on the beach to wait. At that point I was more worried about the electric bolts than I was about Great White sharks or drowning.

The race was firstly delayed, then for athlete safety the swim was shortened significantly to about 800/900 meters. I had mixed feelings about this, because my swim is the weakest part of my race so this immediately gave me a better chance against the gifted swimmers. On the other hand, one of my strengths is endurance and by shortening the event this meant that the event would help those athletes that tend to die late on. I suppose also the fact that we now had a shortened swim meant that technically it was no longer full iron.

A senior moment

As expected I got wet in a half descent time. I ran up the beach well behind my age group leaders, but I had a cunning plan! My much practiced transition was going to be the fastest transition ever and I would pull back vital minutes. Hilariously I had a senior moment. (Us oldies will understand this and empathise, younger readers may ponder now, but beware, your time will come ). 

So I charged up the beach peeling off my wet suit to the waste, passing loads of athlete, I grabbed my bag, helmet on, socks on, shoes on, sun glasses on. Last thing was to stuff my wet suit into the bag and drop off, wait!  that would be the wet suit that I was still wearing from the waste down. I did not do a fast transition. Much swearing stripping pulling and more swearing as I dropped still further behind.

Bike Course Ironman South Africa

As well as the full distance Ironman South Africa event, there was also an Ironman South Africa 70.3 half iron race, this race started after the full distance and was later going to impact on the full race dangerously.

The bike course Ironman South Africa full distance was a 180km (112 mile) 2 loop, each loop being 90K, the half iron 70.3 race did the 1 loop. 

Scenic Ironman Africa bike course

Loved the Ironman South Africa bike course

I was excited about this bike course, I’d ridden some of it in practice and driven the full loop on a course recce. It had the potential to suit my strengths being undulating with a little technical, fast descents and long climbs of moderate slope 1% to 5%. The far end of the loop was an out and back with 3 tasty climbs/descents steeper at 5% to 10% . Approximately 1300m of climbing in total. The roads were all closed as you would expect for an Ironman event and the road surface was quite good, being pothole free but the surface tarmac was predominately of the rougher kind which increased tyre friction and made your bike vibrate irritating and tiring. It was a pleasurable reprieve to hit stretches of super smooth and see my pace increase by a kph and more.

Each lap headed up the seafront and turned inland through the city for a few miles climbing steadily, with most of the climbing in the first half of each lap. Probably 80% of the course was absolutely stunning scenery, all rolling hills, endless beaches, crashing seas on sharp rocks, sand dunes as tall as hills.

At the far end of each out and back were 3 tough climbs and 3 descents. It was here that it became dangerous for the racers on their second loop. This was because the faster riders on the full iron event caught the slower riders on the 70.3 event and flying down hill at 60/70/80kph between riders struggling to ride in a straight line or riding side by side chatting, was terrifying and dangerous. Personally I think more emphasis on race/riding etiquette is needed in the race briefing.

Water bottle issue

Another issue on the bike course was the choice of water containers at the feed stations, unbelievably they supplied bottles of water that you would buy in a shop complete with security cap attached. This meant that you were trying to bite off caps whilst cycling at speed, ridiculous! To make it worse, the bottles supplied would not fit into bike bottle cages, so you had to literally either stop and transfer water to your own bottles or swig and squirt as much as possible within the 100m litter dropping zone, ridiculous! Just to inform those that don’t know – it is an automatic disqualification for littering on the course, so you have to dump anything you can’t carry within a 100m ‘litter zone’.

Strength, mental and physical

An athlete I coach asked. “Is it physical or mental strength, the secret to a fast bike split ? “ Its very much both, to race at the sharp end, you need to be both physically and mentally strong. Genetics and training determines our physical strength. To be fortunate and gifted with descent triathlon endurance type genes is certainly only a part of what it takes to compete for a podium spot. Good quality training is essential.

Our training with Peak XV Tri Coaching is the other part of the recipe for success. My fellow coach and mentor Garrie Prosser has spent much of his life training, racing, studying and coaching himself and many many other athletes. Certainly Garrie is a big part of my success story, and I thank him for his wisdom and support.

I had a good bike split of 5hr 25min the 4th fastest in my age group, which in the breezy wet conditions was good enough to catapult me into 4th position (Age Group) and onto the run in contention for a podium finish.

RUN COURSE IRONMAN SOUTH AFRICA

The run is where my race got really competitive as the race dynamics began to take shape and athletes knew where they were and what they had to do, or could do. 

Top quality international athletes entered Ironman South Africa

Laura Philipp catching Ironman coach Quin Beech at Ironman Africa Championship
Laura Philipp catch me if you can

Can I digress? Backtrack a little to before the race and to January. Ironman announced that this years World Championship for men would be held in Nice, France in September. The first 2 races for qualification suddenly became New Zealand and South Africa. Which meant that many elite age group athletes from Europe suddenly signed up for South Africa to qualify for the World Championships. Prior to Christmas, my serious competition in my age group based on past performances was probably 2 or 3 athletes. By the start of Ironman Africa Championship race I researched 10 athletes in my age group that had the potential to win. They all had something in their Ironman CV that put them in contention. Recent sub-11hr times, Ironman 1st places, World Championship experience. 

This was a top class field. To finish top 5 let alone podium would be extremely tough. I would need me to be at my best. My best and more. 

The run course was a 4 lap along the sea front. The start and finish was in the middle. We had a 2.5K (5K) out and back in 1 direction, then a 2.5K (5K) the opposite direction. This made each lap about 10K.

Amazing Atmosphere

The people of Port Elizabeth created an amazing atmosphere. They lined the route, partied, cheered and sang their support. The athletes.raced, ran, walked, cried and crawled their way to their red carpet. As much as I compete to win. I am in awe of the majority of people that just want to finish. They struggle for 15/16/17hrs into the night step by painful step refusing to give up. Very well done guys.

Only a marathon to run

My race was going quite well. Now I only a marathon to run, so easily said, harder to do.

First lap. I was Glad to be off the bike. My legs felt like they were still going in circles. It was also now the hottest part of the day, being very sunny, hot and humid. I was overheating and and slightly dehydrated off the bike. This was because at some aid stations they had not taken the security caps off water bottles. We had to bite the caps off and many dropped wet and slippy bottles. To make things worse, he bottles wouldn’t fit into my bottle cage making it all a bit of a mess really, ultimately I know I didn’t drink enough on the bike. I wasn’t the only one, it was a common problem I think.

That first lap was a test of thinking and problem solving, I decided to hold back, walk every aid station and hydrate.

The 2nd lap I started to feel better and my assistant (wifey) shouted me an update that I was still 4th but catching 3rd with a 1/2 marathon to the finish. 

A decision had to be made. Do I hold my pace fingers crossed or go for the podium? Smash it ! Turbo’s on, ignore the pain and into the last lap the last 10K now in 3rd with a podium spot. 

My trusty assistant told me that 2nd place was 2 or 3 minutes ahead, I kicked again and emptied my tanks.

The weather turned bad and we were soon running through puddles in torrential rain 

Never give up

You should never give up and here is an example of why.

Running into the last 5K and I found myself trading places with a bald athlete that could just have been my opposition. I tried in vain to see his number but couldn’t, so I just had to beat him. 

In the last 2K and we were step for step and flying. I know I have a  fast sprint finish and I was praying that I could hang on to use it. He increased his pace. 200m from the red carpet I went for it. Pumping the air and driving forward with all I had and more. I didn’t dare look back, my calf’s screamed, my body screamed, I screamed, a screaming profanity mess down the red carpet and over the line in 2nd place. I commented at the time “goodness gracious that was a tad trying” or something similar. 

As it turned out my battle to the line was with an athlete who wasn’t even in my age group. That battle had spurred me on and that meant that I had done enough to secure 2nd place 49 seconds ahead of previous Ironman Africa winner. I had had to run a negative split marathon to do it. It hurt. 

Facts

Ironman South Africa Championships Men V60/64

1st Derek Farr 09:25:55 Netherlands

2nd Quin Beech 09:49:41 GB

3rd M Reinhart 09:50:30 South Africa

4th Nick Kinsey 09:58:28 GB

5th N Schroeder 09:58:58 Germany

6th Antonio Bussolati 10:15:56 Italy

Pro Winners

Leon Chevalier 07:11:44 France

Laura Phillipp 08:01:59 Germany

Quin Bits Good & Bad

2nd AG 

100th place overall

19th AG swim split

4th AG bike split

3rd AG run split

1st AG British athlete

In my Age Group I remain unbeaten by any British athlete in any long distance triathlon since July 2021. This includes, 2 World Championships, European Championships, African Championships and National Championship.

PB – My sub 10hr time is of course my PB for an Ironman event but the swim was shortened. My time, had the swim not been shortened, is impossible to know for sure. Based on an extrapolation of race pace my predicted time including the full swim would have been 10:45:41. Which is a PB. But who knows?

My transitions were very slow, both should have been minutes faster, I need to work on that.

When I dropped a water bottle and I carried on cycling, regardless of any consequences. This made me dehydrated. I should have stopped to retrieve water. Had I done so then I would have easily mad the time up through being hydrated, especially on the run.

I forgot my sun/run cap and suffered 

My training went well, but I think I could have done more. I should have done more long brick bike/run sessions in particular.

Ironman African Championship 2024

The Ironman African Championship is is an event that I highly recommend. The bike course is fantastic. Its a good mix of long and short hills, typically 1% to 5% with a few slightly steeper lumps. The road surfaces are pothole free and mostly of good quality. I especially liked the scenery. It’s simply stunning and varied and includes miles of sea crashing onto rocks and sand dunes like mountains.

Visit South Africa

A visit to South Africa is an adventure in itself. It is a truly beautiful country with masses of wildlife and safari opportunities. The people are varied and interesting and add greatly to the Ironman race and your South African adventure. It is a great idea to combine a holiday, maybe a safari or whale watching with an Ironman race event.

Training for Ironman Africa Championships

Peak XV Tri Coaching

We have masses of experience in coaching and training and are very confident that we can help you be the best that you can be at this event. We can help you smash it, and enjoy it.

Garrie Prosser and myself Quin Beech are fully qualified coaches and have vast experience of racing Ironman events across the world.

I now have experience of and contacts in Port Elizabeth. I can help you with the practical logistics of travel. accommodation, does and don’ts.

Interested in racing Ironman African Championship ? Contact us now !

Successful Ironman Training

Successful Ironman Training

Successful Ironman Training

11 Ironman Events, 14 finishers

Peak XV Tri Coaching is reflecting and celebrating a very successful Ironman training and racing year. Our athletes have competed as far east as Israel and as far west as Alaska.

Training to be successful at Ironman

We’ve trained for and endured Ironman races in very different climates, terrane, weather, courses and environments. The sun has been burning hot and we endured. The rain has pelted us and we endured. The wind has howled and we have endured. The sea has crashed and we have endured. Nothing stopped us because we are Ironmen and we endure.

So where in the World have we successfully trained and raced in 2022 ?

An A to W of Ironman events.

Ironman Austria Karten-Klagenfurt

Peak XV athlete Stephen Edge not only successfully trained for and completed Ironman Austria he also overcame personal health issues having previously suffered a heart prior to choosing Peak XV to help him train for his Ironman ambition. A remarkable story, a remarkable Ironman.

Ironman Austria is renowned for its beauty, swimming in crystal clear and warm lake (73f/23c) and cruising an undulating bike course in stunning green countryside. The run finishes on a flat course round the old city. With an expected air temperature of around 81F/27/C this event scheduled to take place next on 18th June 2018 is ideal for first timers or athletes trying to qualify for the World Championships. It provides a great race, an opportunity for a holiday and is early enough in the season to allow you to qualify, recover and race the World Championships later in the year.

Ironman Alaska Juneau

This event has been cancelled for 2023, but we can reflect on a wet and rainy and hilly and cold endurance test for Peak XV Athlete Thierry. Suffice to say he survived the 2022 race and many didn’t.

Ironman Barcelona Spain

Two Peak XV athletes, Joe and Gordon smashed this course after successfully training for this fabulous Ironman event.

Its located in the Spanish village of Calella and is Europes most popular late season Ironman event. Its a sea swim in the warm bay, exit onto the beach, a fast bike and a flat run with a great atmosphere and party vibe. With warm sunny weather, warm water (though wet suit legal at about 72F/22C ) fantastic hotels, the charms of Barcelona its a bucket list event for many. We recommend it for both the social and if you want to pb. Next years race takes place on 1st October 2023

Worth a mention is the fact that the Ironman 70.3 event takes place on the same day, so ideal if your with friends/family/partner who is into the half distance, something for everyone.

Ironman Florida

Thierry smashed this course with a pb following a very successful Ironman training plan given to him by Ironman Coach Quin Beech

This event is another very popular end of season event (November) Its an Ocean swim in wet suit followed by flat and fast bike and run courses. A good one for a pb, fast, flat, wet suit swim, warm not hot temperatures at about 66F/19C.

It takes place at Panama City beach on the Gulf course, a popular vacation destination and ideal for family support with plenty to do other than race.

It’s also a good time of year to qualify for the World Championships as it takes place just after the championships and gives you plenty of time with successful Ironman training to prepare and improve for the next years World Championship.

Ironman Florida Peak XV Tri Coaching triathlete Thierry Billet

Ironman Israel – Middle East Championship – Tiberias, Sea of Galilee

Obviously an area of great historical and religious significance but so much more. On race day Peak XV athlete Robin battled the weather to finish the course, it was wet and windy and not the hot dry that you would be forgiven for imagining.

The swim is a 2 loop without an Oz exit on the same course and at the same time as the 70.3 event which can make it congested. In 2022 it was a wet suit swim but the average water temperature 77F/25C makes it quite possible that in 2023 you could be in skins.

The bike course is a 2 loop that leaves Tiberias and follows the shores of the Sea of Galilee, infuriatingly (in my view) stopping just short of a full circuit of the sea before heading back to Tiberias then doing it all again. In good weather this is potentially a fast flat bike course, on race day 2022 it was wet and windy and very hard work for Robin.

The run is also flat and is a 4 loop course, this format is spectator friendly and is loved and hated in equal measure by triathletes.

Next years event date is as yet to be determined but is likely to be a late season event in November or December.

Ironman Kona -World Championship 2022

Where it all began! Well no actually Ironman did not start in Kona, the first event was even on the same Hawaiian island, but it was Hawaii (near Honolulu ) . The 2022 Ironman World Championship was held in Kona in October 2022, this for many years has been its usual home and it is considered by many to be the iconic home of triathlon. However the Ironman World Championship event is an evolving creature, its been held at other venues in the past and is likely (at time of writing) to visit other venues in the future.

2022 World Championship was in Kona and Peak XV athlete Greg was there flying the Peak XV colours. Greg had qualified for the Championship by his outstanding efforts at Ironman UK.

The Kona experience is a mixed bag and different athletes have different experiences. All tend to agree that the size and party atmosphere is phenomenal. the Ocean swim is beautiful, the bike is tough and windy and the run is hard and hot.

The swim is probably the outstanding and more unusual feature of the race. It is a mass start straight out for a mile and a mile back. The water is clear and you can watch fish over the reefs. Its also warm and is always a skin swim, which doesn’t suit everyone but is a purist experience. The ocean can be flat calm or very lumpy, often there is a swell because of the prevailing trade winds (which are also the bike curse).

Successful Ironman training of Greg for the swim needed Peak XV Tri coach Garrie Prosser to emphasise the need to swim in skins, without a wet suit, not an easy thing to do in open-water in a UK climate. So most of Greg’s training was in the pool following Garrie’s swim workouts.

The bike is an out and back, undulating, hot and usually windy. Athletes quizzed on the experience nearly always refer back to the wind, it can be ferocious.

The heat on the run is what makes it such a challenge, the course crosses lava fields and the heat is relentless. Successful Ironman training for the run involves understanding the importance of and how to correctly fuel and hydrate. Its not just the physical fatigue that needs to be overcome, its preparing the athlete to be mentally strong and conditioned to deal with the demands of the course.

Ironman World Championship 2023

As of December 2022, the latest news on the 2023 Ironman World Championship is that a definitive announcement of venues and dates will be published in January 2023. Ironman have however said that the event will be split into women and mens races, to take place on different dates and at different venues. Currently the women are believed to be racing at Kona, whilst the men are at another venue which is yet to be finalised. The mens race is currently expected to be at Nice in France but this has yet to be confirmed.

Ironman has said that in 2024 the venues for men and women will be reversed with the men racing in 2024 at Kona.

Qualifying for Ironman World Championships

Peak XV Tri Coaching are excellent at helping you achieve your goals. For many the ultimate dream race is at Kona, for others its to race in the World Championships. For many years these 2 goals/dreams have been the same race at the same venue. This has all changed, the 2021 World Championship was at St George, Utah. The 2023 mens is likely to be at Nice France.

Currently the World Championship is an entry by qualification race only. However just how you qualify is also evolving. It remains true that athletes who win there age groups at Ironman events will be offered a place in the World Championships.

Following the winner other places are offered to other athletes, the number of places depends upon how many athletes are in your age group. The more athletes in your age group, then more places at the World Championships are offered. This applies equally to men and women.

Just recently Ironman have been offering a lot of extra places to women in order to fill the woman’s race. This does not impact on the men who are currently treated separately.

Ironman Legend is a scheme which allows athletes to compete in Ironman events across the world and qualify for the World Championships purely out of loyalty and determination. This route is currently available but is caught up in the evolving World Championship format. The problem being is the success of the scheme which is seeing more and more athletes qualify based on the number of events they have completed and not the placing. Ironman are having to evolve to accommodate the numbers.

Successful Ironman Training for the Ironman World Championships

Just a quick mention, that if you do have a dream to race at Kona and or the Ironman World Championships then we do have the experience of both coaching multiple athletes to get to and race at Kona and the World Championships. We also have the experience of personally having raced at the World Championships and of having placed on the podium. Contact us to discuss your dreams here

Ironman Portugal

Robin has his day out at this beautiful late season event. Its a good event to end your season because it is late enough to allow you to race early season and recover, also it gives you the benefit of better summer weather for your training, especially the long bike rides so essential to successful Ironman training. Finally it gives qualification spots for the following years Ironman World Championships giving you plenty of time to recover, improve and prepare.

It takes place in the old town of Cascais. It is very accessible being near Lisbon airport but also to motorists from mainland Europe and UK by ferry to Santander and Bilbao.

The course is a swim around a protected bay in a wet suit, followed by a hilly bike. The run is rolling. Its not an easy course but neither is it to daunting. It fits very well if athletes wanting to do Ironman UK (July) and another late season race.

Ironman St George – Utah – Ironman World Championship 2021

2022 was unique in that in the 1 year 2 World Championships took place. The 2021 event took place on 7th May and the 2022 event took place in October. The reason was COVID.

The 2021 event was originally scheduled to take place at Kona in October 2021, it was then postponed to Kona February 2022. Finally it was postponed to May 2022 and moved to St George, Utah.

I was the Peak XV athlete flying the colours on this occasion having won the 2021 Ironman UK (AG). My successful Ironman training was provided by my tri coaching partner Garrie Prosser. Together we worked on a training plan that was successful enough to get me onto the podium with a pb and a 5th place.

The course was very challenging, it started with a cold dark lake swim that left hand and feet numb and ended with people collapsing in 32C heat on a hilly run course. In between we were battered by crosswinds that got up to 35mph.

It was a very tough day but we had successful trained and I was very well prepared. Its an essential part of what we do at Peak XV Tri Coaching – we prepare!

Quin Beech Peak XV Coach Triathlete successful Ironman coaching proved at St George Ironman World Championship

Ironman UK – England – Bolton

Peak XV Tri Coaching have a base and swim facility at Bolton and the course is very well known to its coaches and athletes. In addition to our weekly coaching and training which can be done locally on the course, we also offer our Ironman UK Training Weekend The weekend is aimed at course familiarisation and is a great addition to your race preparation for Ironman UK. It is suitable for all abilities with multiple groups being escorted round the course and question & answer sessions with coaches and athletes that have done the race and been on the podium.

In 2022 we had 6 athletes taking on the course Greg, Stuart, Craig, Chris, Jonny and Danny. Bolton is renowned for its unrelenting hilly bike course which changes nearly every year, but somehow keeps the pain element. With 2500m of climbing, rough roads and technical descents, this is an Ironman that truly gives you bragging rights.

Its a wet suit swim in a lake, a very hilly bike and a hilly 4 lap run which takes you around the town centre and on a long out and back. This is a challenge course not a pb course, do this and you can do any. It next takes place on 2nd July 2023.

Leaving T1 Jonny Walsh at Ironman UK

Ironman Vitoria-Gasteiz – Spain

Reaping the benefit of her successful Ironman training in this event was Kirsty. She truly smashed it. Race day was silly hot and many athletes suffered from the heat and hydration problems. Kirsty dealt with it all and cruised down the red carpet.

Another July race based in the very north of Spain close to the ferry ports of Santander and Bilbeo. A superb event with a warm lake wet suit swim, a rolling quite fast bike course and a flat run around the old town. Its very scenic, challenging but totally doable an ideal race if you want to see somewhere beautiful and different, its a great trip and accessible by car from Europe mainland and UK. Definitely a good choice.

Ironman Wales a test of successful Ironman training

Finally. Last but not least we have Ironman Wales. 2 Peak XV athletes raced, Gordon and Kerry.

Wales is a bucket list Ironman which sells out quickly every year. It is often said that it has the best support, the best atmosphere, is the most beautiful and the most challenging. We will let you decide, but having raced Ironman Wales myselfI agree that its special.

Its based in the small seaside town Tenby, complete with high cliffs, medieval town and castle, sandy beaches stretching in every direction backed by rolling hills, certainly its a great setting.

Your day starts on the beach surrounded by high cliffs and thousands of people watching cheering singing wow!

On any day its a tough course with a 2 loop swim course around a bay and an Oz exit between. You then have a 1K run up zigzag cliff paths, up through the old medieval town through the old town wall gate and into transition.

The bike is unrelenting hills, a big loop then a small loop with a couple of short but very steep hills, lined by supporters a-la-tour de France.

The run is 4 laps round and round up and down the old town.

What potentially makes this a most challenging course, is that it starts tough in good weather. In bad weather its will push you to breaking point. The calm bay becomes a caldron, in 2022 hundreds of swimmers had to be taken out of the water. The wind will then batter you always feeling like a head wind, Soaked and exhausted you then have 1 of the toughest hilliest Ironman runs to do.

So whilst its iconic and we highly recommend it essential that you have behind you a successful Ironman training plan. Be prepared.

Coaching World Championship Triathletes

Coaching World Championship Triathletes

Coaching World Championship Triathletes

Peak XV triathlete reflects on ITU Triathlon World Championships – Abu Dhabi

Coaching World Championship triathletes can’t be easy! Well, here I am, a Peak XV triathlete and GB age group competitor exactly 7 days after the ITU triathlon World Championships Abu Dhabi.

I like to take time after a race to reflect on my performance before writing my post. I’m sitting here Saturday night having a beer watching Argentina and Australia play each other in the world cup and I can’t help but think that I am like Australia. You turn up to the biggest competition of your life full of hope and expectations. And as we brits know, it’s the hope that kills you. And you discover your level best is a number of levels below the actual best. As if to prove my point Argentina have just scored their second goal…think I may need more beer.

World Championship triathletes from all over the world

The race itself as you’d expect, was tough, 35-degree heat and fierce competition – but it is the world championships…what else should I expect. The race hype all week is something to experience, everyone seemed fitter and faster (and less pasty white, well pale blue if I’m honest) than I was. Muscularly tanned athletes from Australia, Mexico, Spain to name but a few made me feel even more self-conscious. I kept hoping I’d see one of them scoffing a burger or sausage roll but no chance of that.

To the race itself. I had an average swim, excellent bike leg, and poor run. Overall, I earned the result I deserved and came away with a ranking of 41st in the world for my Age Group. Hmm on reflection 41st in the world does sound pretty good, and considering the hurdles overcome on the road to the final its actually very good.

Peak XV Tri Coaching ‘High Performance Coach’ – Garrie Prosser

I was close to giving up the sport in 2018 as I’d fallen out of love with it. Thankfully my coach Garrie Prosser convinced me to tag along to a training camp in Lanzarote, that Peak XV Tri Coaching were organising.. Which rekindled a spark in me. Garrie inspired me and put together a quality training plan, I lost 8kg and started getting serious about training again. I met my best mate Tori Peter (another Peak XV triathlete, GB Age Group Team and multiple Ironman 70.3 AG Winner) with whom I’ve shared many an adventure on the way. But of course, it’s not always plain sailing (as Argentina have just discovered with Australia scoring from a wicked deflection). Having qualified for the GB team at a qualification race in 2019 everything went to hell in a hen cart when covid hit our shores the following year. Then I got hit with the news I had a brain tumour.

Brain tumour challenge

Yes, a brain tumour, sort of puts things into perspective. After 18 months of treatment and recovery and lots of false starts I won the Scottish AG Duathlon Championship in October last year to become the national champion.

And now, I’ve competed for GB at the World Championships. A lot of other things happened along the way; I’ve got to admit it’s been one hell of a roller coaster ride. The end of that ride came in the last 300m of the run last Saturday. A fellow GB athlete came past me past me on the run in and opened up a lead of 50m as we sprinted towards the blue carpet that marks the final 200m to the finish. I could see he was fading and at that moment a voice in me said “go just go” and I went after him with everything I had. As we both approached the line, I was rolling all over the place trying to catch him. And with that, I crossed the line totally spent and 2 1/2kg lighter through dehydration.

Coaching World Championship Triathlete Stevo to the blue carpet

Coaching the end of the beginning

Looking back to last Saturday I can say it was worth every high and every low (sure that’s from a song) I encountered on the road to Abu Dhabi. And on reflection I can say it isn’t the beginning of the end of my journey, its only the end of the beginning. Next year I’ll start the qualification process for the Worlds in 2024, I know I have the support of family and friends and the proven expertise of Garrie coaching World Championship Triathletes. Story to be continued.

PS Argentina have won the game and if you want to know whether I won that sprint to the finish line, you’ll have to look at the photos

Training for Ironman Israel

Training for Ironman Israel

TRAINING FOR IRONMAN ISRAEL

Certified Ironman Coach Quin Beech Helping Robin

Training for Ironman Israel is not an easy undertaking at any time or place, especially when you work full time a thousand miles away on the French coast. This did not stop Robin from signing up to have a go. At the time of signing up for the event Robin was not being coached and was piling valuable time and effort into his training for Ironman events. He had successfully completed 2 full distance (Ironman Vichy and Ironman Portugal – Cascais ) but unfortunately, and sadly, scored a DNF at his third attempt (also Ironman Portugal ). With the event fast approaching he contacted Peak XV Tri Coaching’s certified Ironman coach Quin Beech to help with his training for Ironman Israel.

IRONMAN RECOVERY AND RACE PREPARATION

An assessment by Quin soon showed that the big problem was a lack of time. Because of the lack of time available it was not possible to help Robin with a full Ironman training program. The solution was agreed in a franc and honest video meeting between coach and athlete. Quin and Robin agreed to work together on a short recovery and preparation plan that would help Robin complete Ironman Israel in Tiberias.

The first workouts followed rest days, and were all tests to establish just where Robin was on his Ironman journey. The tests in swim, bike and run were very encouraging in that they showed that Robin was a fit healthy man with loads of potential. The next job was to help him use what he had, to allow him to complete and even enjoy Tiberias.

The plan that Quin put together to help Robin was very race specific and included a lot of ‘Brick’ sessions both swim to bike and bike to run. Intensity in shorter sessions were used to provide stimulus and maintain form without hindering recovery or inducing to much to fatigue. All to quickly it was race day and Robin found himself staring into the waters of the Sea of Galilee.

IRONMAN ISRAEL – TIBERIAS

You would be forgiven for imaging that Ironman Israel Tiberias would be a hot desert and sandals kind of event, however our newly prepared Peak XV athlete Robin stared into a mirky Sea of Galilee under a very murky sky. He got wet in the swim, wet on the bike and very wet on the run. None of which mattered as he ran down that beautiful red carpet to hear “Robin you are an Ironman” – Success in 13hrs 20mins 54secs. This is so much better than a DNF.

SWIM – Ironman Israel

Despite history recording a guy walking on this particular water, Robin opted for wetsuit and freestyle.

The full Ironman at Tiberias takes place with a 70.3 race at the same time. Robin doing the full took to the water first having to swim 2 laps of the 3.8km course, on his second lap they caught the stragglers of the 70.3 event which made his progress challenging. Robin recorded an astounding 4,431m on his gps watch, 631m longer than the official course and apparently some other athletes that he spoke to, recorded similar distances. He exited the water in 1:28:28 a descent time if 3.8K, and very good if 4.4K.

Whatever the accurate distance, the main thing was that Robin reports leaving the water feeling fresh and ready to go again, running into transition, when normally he would be fatigued and needing to walk. So far so good.

Once again the decision to mix the 70.3 racers caused problems for the full distance as apparently it was crazy busy and impossible to do a speedy T1. Everything was wet and on grass and chaos ruled.

BIKE – Ironman Israel

The Ironman Tiberias bike course is 2 laps, around the shores of the Sea of Galilee, infuriatingly it doesn’t fully circumnavigate the entire sea. It turns around a few km’s short heading back around the shores before doing it for a second time without ever having gone all the way around. I’d find that infuriating for some silly reason but often there are logistics that we are not aware of which force the race organisers hand. However this course is safe, flat, fast on descent closed roads. On the day, the weather was not kind and it was very windy and rained on and off. Inevitably this slowed times.

Robin fuelled on gels that he was used to taking and he followed a fuelling plan that he and his coach Quin had agreed upon before the race. It certainly helped Robin power his bike over the 180Km in a very respectable 6hrs 17mins.

It may have been quicker but for a puncture in the last km or so.

RUN – Ironman Israel

Robin would tell you that, it is the run that he finds most difficult, he’s a tall broad guy, a big man, and running is a challenge. Fortunately the last few weeks of Peak XV tri coaching sessions really helped. Coach Quin had introduced Robin to run walk training and added these to many ‘Brick’ sessions that Robin had done. On race day it helped Robin focus on breaking the distance down into doable chunks and allowed him to better fuel and recover, extending his endurance.

The run course of Ironman Israel is a 4 loop route along the shores of the Sea of Galilee and Tiberias city centre. Its flat and should be fast but on race day it was wet windy and puddles everywhere. Robin was well fuelled on the bike because he followed the agreed plan, he now stuck to the race run plan and took regular walking and fuelling breaks. This strategy worked for him and he completed the run in 5hrs 13mins.

IRONMAN SWEDEN – Kalmar

Robin’s next ‘A’ race will be Ironman Sweden in Kalmar. It is an important part of our Peak XV Tri Coaching philosophy and service to help athletes select races. As part of the process Quin and Robin discussed ideas and possibilities and mutually agreed that Kalmar was a great target for Robin next August 2023.

Robin wants to improve, he wants to go under 13 hours, he wants to be able to enjoy the run, he wants to be the best that he can be. That is why he is now working with Peak XV and Quin. He wanted the best triathlon coaching and he has got it. He has turned around his performance in just a few weeks and is keen to start training for Ironman Sweden next August.

TRAINING FOR IRONMAN SWEDEN – KALMAR

Firstly Robin will enter a recovery phase, in fact he is already chilling and enjoying his enforced rest and recovery.

Over the coming weeks he will start base training with an emphasis on aerobic and technique. A greater focus will be placed upon his run training as he has historically tended to avoid this due to a general dislike of running. Quin has plans to make his runs more enjoyable and will work closely with him to improve his run technique and fitness.

Robin works full time and needs to be able to fit his training in and around his busy life. The tri coaching sessions being prepared by Quin are all flexible and are agreed with Robin. They use the Training Peaks App to communicate the sessions, record the data and communicate feedback. An essential part of why this training is working is because of the excellent coach/athlete relationship that they have.

Quite a journey training for Ironman Israel then Ironman Sweden. Good luck Robin.