IM Langkawi 2006 - Race Day

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Sunday, 26 February 2006 - Race Day has finally arrived. Was glad I made it to the starting line feeling fresh and had no injury. Slept soundly that night and woke up at 5.00 a.m. for the long day ahead. Had a tuna sandwich, a Powerbar, a PowerGel and Nescafe for breakfast. Left the apartment at about 6.20 a.m. and arrived at the starting line at 6.30 a.m.

Race was to start at 7.30 a.m. Hence, I had one full hour to get my body markings, set up the bike, take photos with TT & the rest of the gang and warm-up.

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Swim - 3.8 km (2-laps)

It was a deep water start. The professionals got to line up 10 meters ahead of the age groupers (so that we won't get in their way). Being a slow swimmer, I hang on to the platform and pushed off only after the start gun had gone off.

Right from the start, I could not see the u-turn buoy. All I knew was I had to swim 950 meters before I turn back and it would probably take 20 - 25 minutes for me to get there. My strategy was to focus on my strokes and concentrate on going from one flag to another. This time around, they alternated red flags with pink flags which made navigating easier (as compared to all red flags in 2004). But the gaps between the flags were a little too far apart and I lost track of my position momentarily on several occassions.

The mass start provided an opportunity to draft in the 1st segment of the swim. I drafted from one swimmer to another. In the process, I kept touching the feet of the swimmer ahead. I must have annoyed one particular swimmer - he kicked real hard several times & I was forced to back off (he would probably had turned back and punched me if I did not). Half way out, I saw the red caps (the pros) already swimming in the opposite side. I did not check my watch but it did not feel like forever for me to reach the u-turn buoy.

Most swimmers had spread out after the u-turn and I found myself swimming mostly all alone most of the time for the rest of the swim leg. The 2-lapper was more manageable. Before I knew it, I was on my way out on the second loop. Not too far out in the 2nd loop, I heard the MC announcing the arrival of some pros coming out of water and headed towards T1.

A check in the results after the race indicated that pro-Glen Gore (see pic above) finished his swim first in 49:50 followed by pro-Bryan Rhodes in 49:52 and pro-Chris Lieto in 49:56. Hence, my split time at the half way mark for the swim was probably around 50 minutes (and by that time most of the pros were already heading for their bikes in T1).

When I got to the u-turn buoy again for the last time, I hang on to the buoy for a few seconds & took a short break. Another competitor was there and he offerred me a sip of water from the flask he carried with him (don't know how he carried it). The swim back to T1 felt longer than the first lap and I clocked 1:37:55 in the Swim Leg.

T1

Was glad I finished the swim without much problem. I took my time at the showers and inside the changing tent (you don't need to rush in an Ironman race). The volunteers in the tent were great. They offerred a chair, water and sunblock lotion to me. They even helped me apply the sunblock lotion. Ah Swee and Simon Lau were at the tent with me - we finished the swim not too far apart. Time spent at T1 was 0:06:20.

Bike 180.2km (3-laps)

The bike leg this time around was more manageable than the 2-lapper in 2004. This time, we did 3 "out and back" laps of 60km each. The course was mainly flat - going out was easier but we had a headwind coming back. There was a water station every 10km and I enjoyed iced water and electrolytes thru' out the ride.

I had a good ride in the 1st 90km. Chris Lieto lapped me when I was at about 55km into the bike leg - he just ZOOMED passed. Simon Lau caught up with me at the end of the 1st lap and we rode almost together (and not drafting) going out into the 2nd loop. It was good to have a company but I had to let him go after the u-turn at 90km - I stopped to pee. My bladder was full and I could not take in liquid properly by then.

Byran Rhodes

The headwind was quite strong coming in and I had cramps in my thighs during the 2nd half of the 2nd loop. Miraculously, the cramps went away towards the end of the 2nd loop and I felt ok going out on the 3rd loop. But the cramps recurred in the last 15km of the bike leg and I was forced to spin easy to recover until I reached T2. My bike splits for the 3 laps were 2:03:27, 2:07:22 and 2:17:50 respectively.

T2

Had a smooth transition at T2. Glad I did not cramp when I dismounted from the bike. In fact, my legs felt fine throughout T2. Again, the volunteers were great - they really treated me like a king. I was again offered a chair, cold water, sun block, vaseline and even a towel. Time spent at T2 was 0:07:41.

Run 42 km (4 laps)

I felt great at the start of the run. No cramps at all in the 1st lap. I even fooled around by running backwards as TT chased after me to take a photo. I caught up with Simon Lau at the end of the 1st lap and we started running together (my split for the 1st lap was 1:14:14).

Jason Shortis won the race (8:36:33) shortly after I started my 1st lap on the run. I was surprised that he caught Chris Lieto. It took quite a long time for Jason to lap me on the bike after Chris Lieto zoomed passed me when I was at the 55km mark on the bike leg. Chris finished 2nd in 8:50:51 and Byran Rhodes 3rd in 8:52:59.

It was very hot and humid out there. My left calf and hamstrings started to twitch in the 2nd lap. Then, my left calf pulled (big time) towards the end of the 2nd lap. Luckily, it happened when I was at a water station and the volunteers gave me a chair and rubbed my calf with ice. Simon Lau was sporting enough to wait for me but I told him to carry on without me. I rested for about 4 minutes and pushed on after the cramp subsided. By then, I was reduced to walking and running for the next 7km.

I caught up with Simon again at km26. By then, both my legs felt like they could pull any moment. Simon and I walked the next 5km. I tried to jog but my pace was the same as Simon's walking pace - so I thot I might as well walk and hope to recover later (my split for the 2nd and 3rd lap was about 3:00:00 and about 4:14:00 at 31km mark). I was glad to have Simon's company. We chatted thru'out and before we knew it, we finished 3 laps.

It started to get dark in the 4th and final lap. I felt much better after walking for 5km. With 11km to go, my stopwatch read 12:35:00. I told Simon I was going to try to dip below 14 hours and I had 1:25:00 to run my last 11km. After another short pee stop, I pushed off. My legs were ok again and I ran the entire last 11km. I just kept going as fast as I could. I was very tired at that stage and I could not wait to finish the race. I did not look at the watch until I reached the last 1km mark.

By then, my stopwatch read 13:59:00. I was not dissappointed that I was going to miss my target time. Instead, I took things easy and enjoyed the final moments of the race. I finished my 2nd Ironman in 14:07:56.