So I caught up with Paul after the race this weekend and asked him to just share his journey with you.
To go from not being able to swim to completing his first Ironman 70.3 event within 8 months is a phenomenal achievement.
I must also add that this course has been described by the Ironman world champion as one of the toughest on the international circuit. Having competed in a few others across Europe, I can see how this course has got this reputation.
Here are Paul’s inspirational comments……
“I did it! On Sunday, a tough 6 hours and 7 minutes, I crossed the finish line of the UK Ironman 70.3, Europe’s toughest half ironman. I was well clear of the cut off time for each discipline and, as a novice to the distance that was really all I was aiming for.
My journey to the finish line all started back in October last year, 9 months ago when myself and Daniel went to support Matt when he completed the full ironman distance in Barcelona. Even then we both said that Matt is mad and we both couldn’t even contemplate swimming any distance at all. After socking up the atmosphere of the event and seeing Matt finish on the red carpet I had a change of mind that maybe I could do this one day. I wanted to experience that sense of accomplishment that each athlete must have felt when reaching the finish line, and I can tell you that the buzz I had on Sunday was so worth the months of training that lead up to race.
When we returned home from Barcelona, within a week Dan and I had booked up to race in the closest Ironman 70.3 to us not knowing it was one of the toughest. It was really good having a friend in the same boat as me, we both could cycle the distance no problem but neither of us could swim nor run. Matt said early on that he wanted to train us both as we were complete novices to triathlon so knowing we had a proven plan to stick too, I knew finishing the event would now be a possibility, but first we had to learn to swim! During the winter months and the many early starts before work the swimming slowing improved from not able to do 1 length of the pool to being able string a couple of lengths together.
Following Matts triathlon plan week by week, I found my fitness quickly improving. The many interval sessions and hill reps really made each session worthwhile and being able to track our speeds on apps like Strava we soon become quite competitive amongst ourselves.
Before Wimbleball Matt advised us to do some smaller triathlons first to get used to a racing environment which was probably the best thing I did. My bike and running were good but the swim discipline had always been my weakest link and the one I feared the most. My first triathlon was a standard 1500m open water swim, 40k bike then 10k run. This one didn’t go very well. Having only been swimming for 5 months previously and never in open water I found it extremely hard to get into a rhythm and breath properly, I knew I could swim but in a different environment it changed everything. After finishing that triathlon I never wanted to do another one. The swim experience was awful but it shown where I needed to improve. Looking back now I’m so glad I did that triathlon before Wimbleball as all first time race nerves and mishaps had gone.
The final weeks leading up to Wimbleball the intensity of our training tapered down. In total I clocked up 166 hours over 190 different swim, bikes and runs. I knew I had put in the hard work and on the day would still be hard but I knew I could finish. Preparation is everything.
The morning of Wimbleball to say I wasn’t nervous at all then I would be lying. My resting heart rate was at 100bmp which is much higher than normal. The weather on the day was wet and windy which didn’t help things as the thought of punchers would be more likely. So 6.30am came and we started to line up with the 1800 other competitors. Looking around I felt belittled by all the other much taller athletes than myself. I had to reinsure myself to trust my training and at the end of the day I can only run my own race. We all walked down together to the water’s edge, it was like lambs to the slaughter. Seeing the buoys in position for the first time really hit home of how far we had to swim. Matt said to take 1 buoy at a time and that’s what I told myself.
With 5 minutes to go we got into the water to warm up. Not long after Ironman then played the National Anthem. There was no countdown but just a loud air horn to kick things off. The sheer number of bodies competing for the racing line to the buoy meant you had to keep swerving off course to avoid a collision. Sighting every 6-8 strokes I soon found my rhythm and started to enjoy myself. The water temperature was a nice 17.6 degrees with a slight chop caused by the wind. After turning the last buoy I knew I had done it. The swim daunted me the most out of the 3 so when I hit the bank and launched myself out of the water I had such a smile on my face that it shocked our family supporters who were surprised that I completed it in great time. 37 minutes was 3 to 4 minutes quicker than my pool times which I was more than happy with. My heart rate out of the water was 189 which didn’t help by the 400m uphill run into T1.
Once on the bike I took on my first a bit of nutrition and then powered on up the hill to the start of 1st of the 2 loops around the Exmoor countryside. There’s not much more to report really. The route is brutal, 2 laps, 54 hills in 56 miles, with a total ascent of nearly 5,500 feet. It helped knowing in advance where the tough sections were as we recced the course during our training months. The weather on the bike was wet and windy which made you quite cold on the fast descents but you soon warmed up again going up the other side. Coming back down the hill into T2 I knew I would finish the race, even if I had to walk the run course I knew I would get to the finish line, this was a good feeling but the day wasn’t over yet.
The run course was three laps of a mainly undulating gravel track, grass and tarmac around the lake. There were some awkward short climbs and one particular long hill that many people walked up. It was no means an easy 13.1 miles but that’s why it’s one of Europe toughest 70.3. Once on the 3rd lap I started picturing the finish line and remembered why I started this journey in the first place. The final 100 metres down the red carpet to the finish line was such a surreal experience and seeing your name up on the clock as you approach the line was a total buzz. I defiantly want to experience this feeling again. 6 hours 7 minutes was a little over what I expected to do but to be honest just finishing my first half ironman was good enough for me.
If you think reading this that you could never do a triathlon or anything out of your comfort zone then you’ll be wrong. I was like that last year but if you commit yourself, put in the time and stick to a plan then you’ll smash it!”
Paul and I at the finish line at Ironman 70.3 UK June 28th 2015
