HAWAII IRONMAN 2009......through the eyes of Anne Paul.......

PRE-RACE

The long hard journey to Kona is finally over and has obviously been one with a lot of memories both good and bad.My body along the way resembled a clapped out banger with bits breaking down everytime it tried to speed up or hit a bump along the road.Any MOT test would have come back reporting "new parts required" or "beyond repair" but when you are on the way to Hawaii you just weld the broken parts together and continue on regardless of how long it may take.
In hindsight,the injury worries and travelling alone not to mention the endless hours of training made me wonder many times why I was putting myself through this ordeal and if it would be worth it in the end.The travel arrangements went smoothly and my little condo was right beside the expo and only 800m from the transition area which was great.On the first morning the sweat was dripping off me just sitting eating my breakfast on the verandah but I got my bike together and went for a short ride followed later by a run to get the travelling out of my legs.There were already a lot of triathletes in town and a buzzing atmosphere.Ali Drive was a sight to behold with perfect toned and bronzed bodies on bikes which made me feel a real "culshie from the back of beyond" ( not far from the truth I know ! ).
Panic was already setting in - is there anybody here likely to be slower than me ? Decided it was time for some moral support so I contacted some of the Irish guys out for the race and arranged to meet them at the opening parade the next day.The next morning I went down for the practise swim at 7am where you could swim out to a buoy on the course and be served a coffee.Even at this stage they were providing volunteers to look after your gear,provide drinks or you could try out the latest aquasphere goggles.Wetsuits were not allowed as the temperature was too warm which made the swim harder for weaker swimmers like myself.
The opening parade went from the transition area to the site of the expo.Liam, Mark, Declan, Alan and myself represented Ireland supported by Liam's paraents,Mark's partner,Declan's brother who was on his honeymoon,Alan's wife and baby Luke.It was nice to finally put a face to the people I had been sending e-mails and text messages to and not feel so alone.On Wednesday I did 2 more short sessions and then went to a Saucony dinner in the evening where I met Catriona Morrison from Scotland and the Smyers sisters were also there.(Karen Smyers was an ex world champion and her sister went on to win the 50-54 age group in under 11hrs).Thursday evening was the pasta party where I met up with the Irish contingent again.There was some amazing stories about athletes taking part which gave me inspiration and some hope.There was a 25year old with no legs,a guy who had a heart transplant,a guy going for the record in the 80-84 and Sister Madonna Buder trying to do likewise in the womens 80-84 age group.This put my fears in perspective especially as I had not even felt any niggles since getting there.
Friday revolved around checking in bags and bikes and my daily visit to the expo to hear what top athlete/coach was doing the question and answer session.You could also try out the latest Cervelo bikes or swim in the endless pool to mention but a few goings on.

THE RACE
The waiting was now over ( 5 days is a long wait !!) and the nerves were no worse but not much better.The alarm went off at 4.45am but I was well awake long before that.Even at this time of the morning the temperature was warm as we got body marking,timing chips,suntan cream and wheels sorted .The pros went off at 6.45am followed by us 15mins later.I stayed to the side and kept out off trouble but was disappointed to see it had taken me 1hr 30 but thought this was due to no wetsuit and not to worry and get on with it.
Onto the bike and the heat of the sun on the back of your neck already was a warning of what lay ahead.It rose to 88 degrees but with the humidity this equated to 103 degrees ! My energy bars were already a guey mess but I settled into a rhythm and even though my heart rate was quite low decided to not push any harder at this stage.The long rolling roads seemed never ending but at 50miles there was a rude awakening with a sudden headwind which made the last section to the turnaround hard going.My old familiar hip injury was starting to come on so I tried spinning an easier gear and finally got to the turn at Hawi.We then had a fast 5miles with a tailwind and as everybody talked about the headwind was usually on the way out I thought this is great I will get blown home and my leg will not get any worse.From 60miles onwards it was hell on wheels for me.At one stage I was going downhill at 11mph and doing 10mph on flat sections into the headwind all the way back.
After 7 long hours on the bike which included stops to stretch I reached transition thinking it would be fine when I started to run.(Chrissie Wellington had finished by now ! )Out of transition and running was not even a possibility as walking was uncomfortable but I kept telling myself the legs would come round.After 19miles walking I was able to jog 50m,walk 50m and by 21miles I could jog between feed stations.By 23miles I was flying along and finally after 14hrs and 23mins got my moment of glory running along Ali Drive to the cheers of the large crowd which was something I had been dreaming about all week.
Yes,it took me 3hours longer than I hoped but it was mentally the toughest race I have ever done and I am so glad I swallowd my pride and did not pull out.It let me see and meet some amazing people and see a side to triathlon I had never witnessed.Those just making it home before the 17hr cut off were cheered home like superstars and well they deserved it.A big thanks to all who sent cards,texts and good luck wishes.Believe me,I thought of them all on the many occasions I thought of quitting.

WAS IT WORTH IT ?
Since 1st January 2009 I have swam 340 kms,biked 3,603miles and ran 1,220miles in training for this event.Therefore,I am very disappointed that I did not go a lot faster after all the dedication and dealing with the frustrations of injuries in the process.However,qualifying and competing in Hawaii was a lifetime experience and I did my best in the circumstances.It is highly unlikely I will ever be back but if you ever get the chance to go it is definitely the pinnacle of the sport of triathlon.

WHAT NOW ?
Rest,and hopefully a solution to my injury problems otherwise my competitive biking days are over.

Congratulation to Anne from all at Saucony, Anne is an inspiration to all of us!