Ironman World Championships 2010 - Kona Hawaii

The lead up to my race hadn't been perfect; I'd qualified in Wisconsin the previous year. Since then I'd had to pull out of both IM Lanzarote and IM Nice due to injury. I had torn ligaments in my left ankle which had affected my running for the rest of the year. My early plans of a sub 3 marathon were slipping away...



Kona would be my first Ironman of the year, with this came the uncertainty of how I would race. I arrived earlier this year than I had in the past, this was to be a very special couple of weeks for me and few weeks that would shape my future. Mette and I were married in St Peters Church, Kailua Kona - Hawaii on the 3rd October. It was a very special day for both us and made even more special by all our friends and family who were there


My race didn’t have a perfect start I had positioned myself two rows back in the middle. As the cannon sounded the paddle boarders were too close to me and blocked my swim. I had to go sideways before I could go forward and this wasn't easy with around 1500 other athletes behind me. From that point onwards I tried to relax in the 'melee or thrashing arms and feet' that was the swim. Exiting the swim, I felt good, relaxed. I hadn't been any where close to the red line; I was conscious that this was where I could make up some time.



I ride to watts and quickly settled into a rhythm passing the faster swimmers. I’ve recently been Retul’d by Freespeed and my position felt strong even in the Trade winds at Hawi. This gave me confidence and a sub 5 bike was the result!! my first ever in Kona…..... I put this down to having a plan and sticking to it. I use a concentrated Infinit Speedfil on the down tube and have a profile torpedo with water on the bars. This is all I carry, no bars, saltsticks or any other nutrition.




The run was hot, and although I was just off my target pace I felt like was just hanging in there...At the turn point I saw Declan Doyle was about 200m behind me and Tim Bishop was a little further back. Both looked strong. I train with both Dec and Tim and know how capable and talented they are, I wasn't sure if I could hold my pace. I saw a sign at the side of the road that said ’ Pain reassures you that you’re alive’ I was alive alright… and hurting!! From the start my run felt hard, I didn't remember 2008 being like this. But this year I was shooting for better than 21st in my age group and it came at a cost. Richard Hobson, my coach, was just ahead and it spurned me on to see familiar faces. I could see that he was hurting too, thank goodness for that as Tim and Dec still looked fresh. Heading out onto the Queen K into the lava fields, I felt alone and strangely took strength from this, my race was in my hands and it was mine to let slip away. I took solace that I was still passing more athletes.

I was so glad to see the finish, there’s nothing quite like the finish on Alii Drive and I will cherish that forever. My friend’s from Disney Tri were there cheering me on and for the first I shared the finishing flume with no one.... It was mine and mine alone.



My fastest race to date in Kona, 89th overall including all the Pro's. 36th Amateur and 10th in age group. 1st British Age grouper again

Swim 1:06.21
T1 3.03
Bike 4:55.30
T2 3.10
Run 3:09.15

Who are Skinfit????

It’s interesting as I’m often asked who makes my kit…. Who is Skinfit???

It’s by chance that I discovered Skinfit. I’m coached by Richard Hobson and he chose Skinfit for his team ‘Tri Living’ kit.
I hadn’t heard of Skinfit before either, but some friends of Richard had acquired the UK distrubution rights of the business. They had seen how popular it was in Europe, especially Austria where it originates, and Germany and had brought it to the UK.

Ant and Eve Roberts are the founders and distributors, here in the UK. Both from a triathlon background they understand the rigourous demands of today's athletes.

Eve and Anthony Roberts

(0) 1332 552255 - office

(0) 7811 384393 - Eve Roberts

(0) 7977 403089 - Anthony

skinfit@skinfit.uk.com

http://www.skinfit.uk.com/

Triathletes in general are what I would call early adopters, embracing innovation always looking for faster, more comfortable products that might give them a legal advantage over their opposition. As far as kit goes for the last four years Skinfit has given me that, so much so that when I had to revert back to Orca kit for the European and World Championships the difference in performance was evident. The Orca kit was ill fitting and after the run leg of both races, I’d developed a nasty case of nappy rash – Ouch!!!

As my confidence grew in their brand I branched out and road tested their other technical products and they lived up to my expectation. What I like about Skinfit is their design is so simple and they manufacture clothing designed specifically for active people and Pro athletes alike. It surprises me is how comfortable to wear their products are. Their Ethos is to design functional anatomical cuts which are extremely lightweight and skin-friendly. Its true their simple robust design ensures uncompromising functionality.

I can honestly say I am a big fan..... if only I could keep them a secret!!!

Sailfish Attack -Wetsuit Review 2009

Sailfish wetsuits has four suits in their range progressing from an entry level suit through to the top end ‘G–Range’. I had agreed to test a suit with a view to racing in it but time was running out as I was off to Lanza in two days!! A suit arrived directly from Germany by express delivery the next day. I had gambled on the sizing and was hoping it would be right.

The first thing that I noticed when I unwrapped my delivery was that it comes in a really cool bag. It’s a little like a paper delivery/couriers bag with a shoulder strap. There’s mesh on one side for the water to drain out and enough room to put swim toys, or towels. It’s a great idea as I usually use a Sainsbury’s ‘bag for life’

Secondly the wetsuit looks cool…. and the seams are blind stitched and glued flat… There’s only so much that a wetsuit manufacturer can do with graphics, but I like what Sailfish have done and also the fact its named after the fastest fish in the ocean. Maybe this would create some good karma for my imminent race!!

The wetsuit I was testing was the ‘Sailfish Attack’ which is one of their mid range models. Upon examining it I noticed how light it was, much lighter than my previous suit, which I’ve had since 07. I followed Jan’s easy instructions on how to put it on. My current wetsuit takes me 15 mins to get a good fit, I had managed to put the Sailfish suit on in a couple of minutes.Once I had it on, I realised it was too big. I had learnt that the fit is more important than how much it costs. To sum up… a good fitting cheaper wetsuit may out perform a bad fitting expensive one. Faced with the dilemma of what to wear – I reverted back to racing in my current wetsuit.

Not to be put off, Sailfish sent me a smaller suit, this time it fitted ultra snugly. The collar sat neatly on my neck line and despite forgetting my body glide I experienced no chaff... This is especially good if you work in an office and don’t like attending meetings with what looks like ‘love bites’ on your neck. The forearm has what Sailfish call ‘Aqua reach zones’ which increase water resistance during the pull phase of the stroke. I must admit
it felt really comfortable and my range of motion across my shoulders was superb. The inner arm and shoulder area has this ultra super stretchy neoprene which is designed to aid performance by reducing any restrictions in the pull and recovery phase – It felt really good!

In the water the ‘Sailfish Attack’ felt very buoyant, correcting my body position. It has strengthened hip panels which optimise your body position to avoid hip rolling!! On my first swim I felt as if I was moving quite fast…. I was cruising along with very little effort. So I decided to test it against my current suit in a ‘head to head’.

I swam 400m warm up then did 200m all out in each suit, with 100m easy in between each 200m. I repeated the same test the next day but swapped the order I swam in each wetsuit. Now I know this is a really crude test but the results are evident, the Sailfish suit was quicker….

Test Day 1

Sailfish Attack – 2.31 secs
2007 Current wetsuit – 2.45 secs

Test Day 2

2007 Current suit – 2.40 secs
Sailfish Attack 2.32 secs

So how would this have affected my time at Ironman Lanza…. Well who knows? My swim split was 1.03 as I took off my suit before I went over the timing mat. Maybe I would have broken the hour??? Something I’m yet to do. I finished in 9.53 and although I qualified for Kona I’ve decided to make 2009 a build year, for a dream year in 2010 ;so I didn’t accept my slot. I want to attain a top 10 position in my age in Kona and I think I will need longer than 4 months to build for this

To sum up, it’s nice to finish first British Age Grouper, 20th Age Grouper overall, and it’s good to come away from a race believing that it’s still possible to go faster. Lanzarote is such a well organised race. Kenneth Gasque, the Race Director, makes all the competitors feel really welcome. I’ve already registered for 2010, but next time I’ll be in a Sailfish!!

Lanzarote Ironman 2009 - Bring on the wind!!!

The motto says it all. "Normal limits do not apply." and Its billed as "The toughest Ironman in the World".

It's hard to say what makes the Ironman Lanzarote course so tough. There's heat, high winds, and a challenging bike course that winds its way up and down two mountains.A swim is a swim, and the 2-loop ocean swim is a great way to start the long day. The bike course is where things get really tough for roughly 1300 competitors. By the time all is said and done, we will have climbed more than 2,600 meters (that's 9,000 feet!). Oh, lest we forget, there is still the run. The out-and-back run course is relatively flat. What makes it so tough are the winds, and the heat ... and the fact that it's a marathon

I had a great race with everything more or less going to plan. We had typical Lanzarote weather with a head wind from Yaiza all the way to Mirador del Rio; we even had 10 mins of rain!!!
It was a tough day for age groupers and Pro’s alike with Bert Jammer narrowly missing a herd of goats, crossing the road, whilst on the decent to Famara.

The swim was frantic and the current was pushing us into the buoys. Exiting the water for the second lap was exhausting, but good for the spectators, and I managed a smile before entering the water for another pummelling.
The head wind from Yaiza was tough and strung out the field, Going up Haria I was pushing 450 watts, holding just 8kmh!!
I could have walked quicker….

I had a solid bike and I managed my ‘Ironman marathon PB’, so I was really happy. I used only Infinit on the bike and gels and water on the run… I had no stomach issues and felt strong the whole way through. Getting your nutrition right is as important as all the hours you put into your training; I took two bottles with six scoops of infinit in each and consumed 1/3 of a bottle per hour, chasing it down with water from my aero bottle. I’m sure this contributed to my 3.08 marathon as I ran pretty consistent splits off the bike. The crowds support was awesome and because it’s a loop marathon course, where you collect a different coloured band each loop, it’s easy to focus on attaining the next band to stay motivated.

Although I qualified for Kona, I’ve decided to make 2009 a build year, for a dream year in 2010.
It was a tough decision, but I didn’t accept my slot for Kona. I want to attain a top 10 position in my age there and I think I will need longer than 4 months to build for this

I have a place at IM Wisconsin (Sept 13th) which has slots for 2010 and it will be my goal to qualify there.

To sum up, Its nice to finish first British Age grouper, 20th overall, and its good to come away from a race believing that its still possible to go faster. Lanza is such a well organised race and Kenneth Gasque the Race Director makes all the competitors feel really welcome. I’ve already registered for 2010!!


SWIM 1:03:48
BIKE 5:33:17
RUN 3:08:34
OVERALL 42
DIV.POS. 8th in age group

1st Brit

Copyright ©2009 Stuart Anderson