Ironman South Africa 2014

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Ironman South Africa had been a bucket-list race for years. I grew up in South Africa but had never raced there. My parents would finally see me race an Ironman. My brother-in-law Grant and I would take part together. My sister Nikki would host us. It would be special.

There was one complication: after Kona in October, I'd decided to enter IMSA in April, giving me a compressed timeline. The plan was to race on half-ironman training, about 14.5 hours per week average from December through April, with a two-week Ironman-specific block before the race.

Everything was high quality with very little junk. Most of it was under ten hours per week, but I ramped it up for the critical IM build phase. My single race rehearsal, three weeks out, was one of my best ever: 2.4-mile swim in 55 minutes, 3:45 bike at 238 watts, 8-mile run at 7:00 pace, all feeling easy.

Race Week Nutrition Protocol

I'd been fine-tuning my race-week nutrition, and this was my first real test. From one week out: high fat, low carb. Bacon, eggs, avocado, vegetables. Then on Friday, a 10-minute easy run followed by 3 minutes at VO2max pace to boost glycogen uptake, immediately followed by high-glycemic carbs: waffles and syrup, then 50g of high-GI carbohydrate per hour for the rest of the day. I made 900g of white rice mixed with honey, cinnamon, and condensed milk, eating 200g per hour until it was done.

It worked. I arrived on race morning feeling loaded and ready.

Swim: 1:03

Thirty seconds before the start, I adjusted my cap and it tore down the middle. A referee on the beach gave me a new one with seconds to spare.

I found feet at the first turn and settled in. At the halfway mark, the group I was following swam too far right. Grant and I had figured out during the week that we needed to aim straight for the Radisson Hotel on the way back. I left the group and swam direct, a good decision that gained me ground.

Grant, who does virtually no swim training, came out 30 seconds behind me. Annoying.

Bike: 5:19

I started easy, then hit the new hilly section where I had to hold myself back. My power was reading above 300W on the climbs and I was trying to stay at 280. Several bikers flew past me stomping up the hills. In most Ironman races outside Kona, I'm the one doing the overtaking. Here I had to be really self-controlled and ride my own race.

The downhills were fast, 42 mph, with gusty side-on wind. I descended conservatively while guys flew past. There was one hill after Colleen Glen where it's easy to get to 45 mph, except for two speed bumps halfway down. I took them at 38 mph while others flew over them. I really need to grow a pair.

After lap 1, my TSS was reading 170, way more than planned. I dialed it back, focused on keeping perceived exertion at 4/10, and took every opportunity to coast above 28 mph. By T2, my TSS was nearly 350. I knew I'd need to start the run conservatively.

Run: 3:24

I started at what felt like a very easy pace and was surprised to see 6:55 per mile on my Garmin. I consciously eased up. When I looked down again: 6:40. Mile 1 came in at 6:52 despite my best efforts to slow down.

Through miles 19-22, I was slower than 8:00 per mile and not gaining on the guy ahead of me. At mile 23, I threw my bike bottle away and focused entirely on getting my running form right. Every step was a very conscious and deliberate effort to get back into the zone.

Things started flowing again. I was running strong. At this stage I was more focused on defending 4th place than chasing 3rd. I assumed I wouldn't catch him.

Then Nikki told me I was catching him. I thought she was just being encouraging.

The Sprint

About 30 seconds later, with 2km to go, a guy runs up behind me. He looks at my number, then looks me up and down. I see three bands on his wrists. He's on his final lap. This is 3rd place.

I look him in the eye. You up for a sprint finish?

Without hesitation he bolts away from me. As if by magic, my heavy feet spark to life and I give chase, staying right on his heels as we make our way toward the finish line.

He was smaller than me. I knew he'd have the edge over distance, but I'd probably have the edge in a short sprint. I cast my mind back to my school days as a 400m athlete and mentally put myself in that situation. I blocked out the fact that I was at the end of an Ironman.

We ran past my dad. I heard him shout "Go, Rob, you can take him! Take him Rob!" We went past my mom, past friends. All of them shouting my name. All fatigue evaporated.

We were flying at 5:30 per mile, weaving through slower runners on their first lap. I waited patiently. The only thing I could hear was our feet pounding the pavement in unison.

I could now see the coned section of the finishing chute. We were running under 5:00 per mile as we took the final corner. I stepped wide and past him on the outside. Every fiber of my being was bursting with power as I accelerated down the red carpet, not looking back until I was over the line.

My fastest mile of the day was mile 26: 6:30, with the last half mile at 5:44 per mile.

After

That sprint had me amped for hours. The finish area was electric. Grant was still out on the course, looking strong despite major GI issues. There's something incredibly unifying about having overcome the same tough day together, suffered through the same pain, and reaching the finish line.

Huge thanks to Lionel Roye for giving me a run for my money. He's a regular low-9s Ironman athlete. He vowed revenge in Kona, although given that he beat me by 30 minutes there in 2013, he's probably safe.